Best Of
Re: Replacing 30 year old Vesta oil boiler….
Well from what you have posted and if I understand correctly the contractor you mentioned that is straightforward is the one that did your ac system, so you have a track record with him.
How did he perform on the AC job? All things being = would point me in that direction. The contractor is the most important thing
As far as the indirect tank goes, I am a "run it until it fails". Swapping an indirect is an easy 4–5-hour job. If it was me, I would leave it until it fails. But thats just me.
Going with no HW for a day or so is inconvenient but not the worst thing in the world.
Re: Prevent mold in mini-split heads
This is the 10 year old coil on my wallmount. Except for washing the filter, it has never been cleaned. Do get very good runtimes on this head as there are some larger west facing windows.
Kaos
Re: Prevent mold in mini-split heads
I was amazed as how much mold can be inside of a minisplit wall hung air handler after just a few years. I purchased several kits and had a flat rate to power wash a minisplit indoor wall unit to remove the mold. The sprayer and the kit with bib and 5 gal bucket made me some $$$ when I was doing this for a living. I find this is the best way to get all the mold from the nooks and crannies in the coil, drain pan, blower housing and blower wheel. They look like new when done properly. Bib & Bucket kit. Sprayer sold separately. sometimes I used the pump bottle with the cleaning chemical and water. Other times I used a portable pressure washer on really bad systems.
Re: Prevent mold in mini-split heads
I feel like the mold issue is overblown in standard residential applications. It's a good idea to get in and make sure everything is staying clean periodically, best to clean the coil as well (once a year) Maintain proper airflow by staying up on the main air filter (vacuum or wash clean every two weeks give or take, if it is filthy when you clean it you waited too long) most also have a thicker filter that should be cleaned every couple of months. They do make UV lights that go inside mini split heads which I have mixed feelings about, they will keep mold at bay and should keep the indoor coil cleaner. I've only seen mold become an issue in my area when people are using these in big marijuana greenhouse operations (these are legal here and big money for our industry) to counter the massive lights being used. There is a ton of moisture in those spaces, they closely resemble a pool room, and mold growth is a big concern in that application.
GGross
Re: Replacing 30 year old Vesta oil boiler….
Ask the contractor to quote on the indirect as a separate item. Cry on his shoulder and tell him money is tight and you want to replace the indirect but maybe do it in a year or 3. You shouldn't need anything for the boiler in the first few years. If it was me I would take my chances.
Unless there is something obvious with the indirect I would run it as is.
In this day and age new isn't always better unfortunately. Since you probably have decent water quality it could last a while.
Re: Prevent mold in mini-split heads
Everyone that is saying they see black mold in their units.
Are you 100% sure it's mold and not just caked on dust / dirt / oil from cooking etc? I'm asking because a white appliance that appears to have brown caked on dirt painted on might very well be mistaken for something growing in it.
ChrisJ
Re: First time flushing hi-eff boiler-what do I need to know?
Looks like all you need is a flat-bladed screwdriver. And from that drop down screw, you have a Viessmann boiler.
Why do you want to flush your boiler? It should not be flushed unless there's air or a clog you want removed.
Re: NJ Boiler replacement decision points...
a follow-up, we're opting to go with a boiler with indirect tank. Except for the potential of a series of design days, the system should be able to provide more than double the FHR than our existing system despite a dip in space heating to accommodate should we need a high volume of hot water.
At some point, the house will benefit from increased attic insulation going from decrepit R13 to at least R30 with further air sealing. This should help mitigate some heat losses from dips in space heating output.
thanks all for the advice!
