Best Of
Re: Any plumbers good at small bathroom layout?
lack of counter space would be a non-starter with my wife. A shower instead of a tub would be another option.
How creative do you want to get??
hot_rod
Re: Discolored hot water / HTP PH 76-60 hot water heater installed 5 months ago
Your chloride level is still too high for stainless steel in my opinion — if I had to guess, I would guess a road salt problem in your town's domestic supply, but there could be other reasons (yes, it's legal — the EPA max. is 250 mg/L at last count). Glass lined would have been better…
Re: Discolored hot water / HTP PH 76-60 hot water heater installed 5 months ago
Hi, I would stop softening the hot water complely and see what difference it makes. Stainless and salt don't get along at all! I've seen recommendation from the National Association of Corrosion Engineers that you leave 60 to 120 ppm of calcium and magnesium hardness in the water after softening. Otherwise it can damage even copper pipe.
I'd be tempted to drain out the softened water and refill with unsoftened, to give you a good start on identifying the problem. 😉
Yours, Larry
Re: I get all the weird ones...
Seems to me that maybe there's another way altogether, @Tom_133 ? As I read through your comments, one of the reasons they want to maintain temperature in the building — and possibly the only one which really is important (though working a freezing cold building isn't much fun…) is the hydraulic system. Which is not unreasonable.
So… completely different approach. First, include in the hydraulic system a heat exchanger to maintain the temperature of the hydraulic fluid. Now this may require some thought and additional piping, as the fluid in the hydraulic cylinders doesn't recirculate, and for installations with long piping to the cylinder it might be necessary to have recirculation lines to keep the fluid warm enough. But that's a detail. (An alternative would be a cold compatible fluid, such as is used on aircraft — but that's not cheap).
Then to keep the workers warm enough to work (never mind keeping OSHA happy) the various work stations would be provided with infrared local radiant heaters (gas or electric) and, possibly, heated floor mats.
The concept isn't totally out of the blue — that's how we handle dairy milking parlours.
Re: I get all the weird ones...
Tell them straight up, it's not going to work. They need to figure out a different strategy for material handling. Without knowing the process, I can't really offer suggestions. If they insist on trying to heat a 5k sf building with a 22x18 door hanging wide open, walk away. Working for idiots is financially risky and you won't get any satisfaction.
Re: Replacing cast iron radiator with smaller one
That's a gorgeous radiator. As dabrakeman said, remove, sandblast, powder coat....it needs to have its dignity and beauty showcased. Add a TRV if better temperature control. Mad Dog
Re: Evaluating Ductless Install Quotes
there’s a lot to do to install these. Get a bad contractor and throw the entire system out in a few years.
forget what you see on line as a price for equipment there is so much more that’s needed.
pecmsg
Re: Need help with new install of radiant with Buderus cast iron boiler
The proper 4-way setup with an actuator (mechanical actuator, not thermostatic) and outdoor reset, will aim to protect the boiler, and also aim for the correct mix outlet temp based on the outdoor temperature.
Let's do a hypthetical. Consider how much concrete you have on your floor. Now lets assume that you could heat your space to the exact indoor comfort you are looking for, while the outside temp is -10, by supplying a constant 110f supply to your manifold. Now let's fast forward to a day it is 35f outside. With a thermostatic mix valve you are still going to be supplying 110f water to your slab (a "dumb" miux valve just set by hand will also do this assuming the boiler setpoint remains constant, though it will eventually overheat even more), by the time the temp reaches the desired comfort level, the slab is hot, and the heat in the mass of your slab will continue transferring to the space thus over shooting the temperature you are looking for inside. Now let's say you only need 80f water on that 35f day, with a mechanically actuated mixing valve, and properly setup ODR control, you will be supplying the exact temp water needed to maintain the comfort level in your space. In theory you can match the load precisely and the system runs constantly, to maintain a perfect comfort level in the space.
These are features that are basically built in to modulating condensing boilers, no mix valve needed for those with a single temp system, and no worry of cool return water temp. and all of the above is ignoring the potential damage that overheating a big concrete slab can cause
GGross
Re: Need help with new install of radiant with Buderus cast iron boiler
I guess I just wasn't understanding the concept or advantage of the "dumb" 4 way vs going with a thermostatic valve like Kaos was showing in his setup. The thermostatic would keep a constant/regulated temp going to the system, It seems like with the 4 way it would fluctuate as the boiler cycles? Or does that just not matter if it was being controlled with ODR from the 256?
I like where we are heading though!
Re: Evaluating Ductless Install Quotes
And gas for the truck and truck insurance and and liability insurance and workers comp insurance and the time it take to put a quote together, run the office, do the billing and payroll and bookkeeping, truck repairs, employee training on you system. He also has to make a profit to stay in business
If you don't like the pricing don't complain to the contractor, Massachusetts is one of the most over regulated states in the country. i know, I have lived here 72 years.
