Best Of
Re: Piping for New Steam Boiler
@Noah_1 Ok. Obviously condensate can't run uphill, so yes, you can connect the two short dry returns, but you'll have to drip them from the lowest point into the wet return. If the lower return can pitch down to the corner, you can connect with the other dry return and reinstall the missing drip. Else, you'll have to drip and vent the combined short returns separately. Down and up makes a water seal that will pass condensate but not air. Not what you want.
Make sense?
To reiterate, and i can't emphasize this enough, flush out the wet return loop and provide fittings to be able to flush it in the future. If that long wet return isn't full of crud after a century I'd be shocked.
Re: York Furnace - 3 Weeks & No Heat - What Parts?
I doctored that diagram. The diagram on the furnace does not have the low gas pressure switch at all.
I added the purple part because I knew that it would work properly if placed there, but in the manual for the LP kit it clearly states that the purple wire from the flame sensor is to be interrupted by the low gas pressure switch.
I made the diagram because I could see from the conversations that @LegendsCreek was not understanding some of the terms we were using and guessing incorrectly what was needed. I'm sorry for the misunderstanding. I know that it will work but I didn't read the LP kit instructions which clearly wants to break the flame signal circuit.
I believe you will get the same result by breaking the limit circuit or breaking the circuit from the control to the gas valve. But the electrical circuit for the flame signal will put much less current thru the micro switch contacts. That should make the switch last much longer.
Re: Hot water storage tank
That tank has a magnesium anode rod for internal corrosion protection. But with high water usage in a 6-unit building, the anode rod will be gone within a year, and the steel tank will then rust internally for the next 5 years until it finally fails, which is what happened to you.
We have a similar situation in our 4-unit condo building with high DHW usage. I suggest that when you buy a new tank (either the same brand/model or any other), the first thing you should do BEFORE INSTALLATION is to remove the factory-installed anode rod, and replace it with a electrically powered anode rod. A quality powered anode rod will cost you maybe $150 and last 20+ years. There have been numerous discussions of powered anode rods on this forum, and several heating pros (which I am not) recommend them.
For a multi-unit building like yours with high DHW usage, a powered anode is definitely the way to go. If you're doing the work yourself, you'll need a 7 or 8 amp corded (not cordless) impact wrench (you can get a an inexpensive one from Amazon or Harbor Freight) and a 1-1/16" impact socket to fit the anode rod hex head. The factory anodes are installed with very high torque and are almost impossible to get out without an impact wrench. So don't even try this without an impact wrench. And I would put a separate powered anode on the water heater, as well as one on your new storage tank.
I installed a Corro-Protec brand powered anode in our water heater a few years ago, and so far so good.
https://forum.heatinghelp.com/discussion/195279/powered-anode-for-dhw-do-these-really-work?utm_source=community-search&utm_medium=organic-search&utm_term=powered+anode
jesmed1
Re: How can I seal a cast iron pipe besides trying to weld it?
I'm old enough that five years doesn't sound very long and not old enough that it's long enough.
Inside Heat-timer Varivalve Radiator Vents
Ever wonder what's inside a Varivalve vent? Or what makes them spit water or why they fail?
I looked inside. I really wanted to love these. Beautifully machined American made brass gems that emit a bodacious amount of air - faster than many main vents. An adjustable slide varies the output. Good if you have a clean, dry steam system and bad if you have anything else.
Advantages are a self cleaning valve seat, an o-ring valve that seals against the seat and a bronze sylphon, just like a little steam trap. Disadvantages are no float to keep squiring water off your floors, and the fatal one to most of these vents - a plunger that falls out from the sylphon bellows sealing its seat permanently.
In the cut-away below, you'll see the brass "plunger" that the bellows presses against the seat when the valve closes. Unfortunately this plunger is retained in the bellows with a press-fit. After the bellows expand and contract over and over again, the bellows swell and distort, finally ejecting the plunger out of the bellows and onto the seat. Gravity then keeps it there - plugging the seat forever.
And that's the end of the valve. About a third of the ones we've installed have failed this way in the first two years.
_______________________________________________________________________________________________
Below is the original 1950's "temperature adjustable" Heat-timer adjustable vent. "The radiator vent with a built-in thermostat" also spat water but was constructed differently and didn't fail closed like the present design. The "factory calibrated thermostat" knob on top simply raised or lowered the sylphon bellows lifting the plunger from the seat:
Re: Help with boiler
you're confusing 2 different tanks, heating, and domestic,
heating system wants to be set at 12 psi air, then take your heating system water pressure back up to the 12 psi fill, it shouldn't take much water unless you have air in the system also,
you asked how adding 6 water doesn't add to your 12 air, well 12 air is stronger than 6 water, so it stands its ground, when your cold fill 12 water heats up it expands, and THEN it will push on the 12 air, and sinse the air is compressable, the air psi increases(and water will some too),
set you air to 12, add water to 12, and let it fly,
that tank in your picture is a domestic hot tank, so it's air pressure needs to match or slightly exceed your well or street pressure coming into the house, then when the domestic water heats up and needs a place to expand to, that tank takes that expansion,
I think the pictured tank is on your heating system, and that's ok, set the air to 12, and add heating water pressure back up to 12, let it fly,
neilc
Re: Piping for New Steam Boiler
@delcrossv thank you for that explanation. And your 100% right, it never heated much and in fact the steam would not make it past the first rib. Now I know why! I will connect with the other dry return into the wet as we previously discussed. I will draw a plan based on our discussion to make sure I did not miss anything important…but I believe without your pointers and insight I would be guessing with some of the connections…so thank you very much!!!
Noah_1
Re: “That’s an easy job”
Haha. I learned the hard way not to say that when I walked out the door to fix a problem.
Just like I don't say "I'll be back in an hour"
Took half a lifetime to learn that.
“That’s an easy job”
I posted this on our town’s FB page and it seems to be resonating:
Neighbors, when hiring a trades person, don't say "it's an easy job"
After 36 years of small business, and thousands of interactions with home/property owners, may I offer an opinion: This will not help you. Just describe the job and stop talking😀
Small story then I will go away. My new-ish and expensive plow stopped working a couple of days ago. The local plow shop (where I bought the equipment) says, "Come down tomorrow after lunch, we will fit you in". I get there and there's a couple people sitting in the waiting room. I'm told "it's going to be a while, have a seat".
The place is busy, phones ringing and people walking in. I'm a fly on the wall, absorbing the mood of all the staff and walk-ins.
One guy walks in and says, "The lights aren't coming on, it's probably something simple, yet I'm not a wiring guy". I cringe----uh oh. He broke the golden rule.
The owner pipes up: "it's never easy, we will need to take a look, but I've got people ahead of you". The guy literally repeats himself. I cringe again. The owner politely tells him to fly.
He takes off. The office lady and I have a small chuckle. "If it's so easy, he should do it himself"
Plow got fixed, my life went back to normal. You don't need these trades people 'until you need them'!
GW