Best Of
Re: HTP Phoenix PH 199 throwing F11, false flame signal
Returned to the job with a replacement gas valve. Installed 2 weeks ago and have had no problem since.
Sent original valve back for warranty…..see how that goes.
There is a very fine mesh screen on the gas inlet connection and it was clean.
Just a side note for anyone who has to change one of these out, I recommend just removing the entire burner for better access to the 7 screws involved.
Thanks for input.
JUGHNE
Re: heat exchanger needed for combining old & new systems?
Suppose you do not have Oxygen Barrier PEX, the nyou need a HX to separate an iron boiler from the rest of the system. If you are using a stainless steel boiler than no HX needed, but all the pumps and other accessories need to be Stainless steel or Bronze.
After you determine that, you will need two temperatures form that boiler at the same time. In the event that both the high temperature Radiator zone and the low temperature PEX zone calls for heat at the same time.
Here is a booklet you will want to read to know how to do that. . Zoning with two temperatures starts on Page 24 in this booklet. There are other good sources available to find different ways to do that.
Re: Difficulty in Properly Sizing Equipment - 2140 Sq Ft New Construction Spray Foam House
when I get home
pecmsg
Re: Beckett Oil to Propane conversion kit: requesting advice / suggestions
Beckett makes oil burners and gas burners but as far as I know there is no conversion kit. You can't turn an oil burner into a gas burner.
You might be able to remove the oil burner and put a Carlin or Beckett gas burner in your existing furnace but I wouldn't do that with a 9 year old furnace.
Neither Carlin, Beckett or Carrier would have tested that combination as Gas furnaces are available so you would be in uncharted territory even if you could find someone who would do the switch.
As @Jamie Hall mentioned oil has 140,000BTUs/ gallon.
Propane has 91,500 BTU/gallon of propane
So for example if you burn 500 gallons of fuel oil/year (500 x 140000)=70,000,000btu/year
70,000,000/91,500=765 gallons of propane to do the same job. Efficiency is about the same
Check the fuel price before you do anything. In most areas fuel oil is less expensive.
Re: Equalizer Return
I suspect a big part of this argument is being caused by the glass piped Weil Mclain boiler videos.
Why was that boiler blowing so much into the piping? Oily water? Or were they letting it build pressure and then dumping the valve open? Obviously if a boiler has 10-15 PSIG in it and you open it to atmosphere it's going to suck water out of it. But that's certainly not realistic conditions.
ChrisJ
Re: Questions about a two-pipe steam system with pneumatic controls
Hi @loststeamnewb, I'm in Rochester with a two-pipe system (my guess is you live within a mile of me) from the 1920s, and share your pain. I've been through the phonebook myself in technicians. Look up some of my posts and you will see my troubles.
I've found that Triple O has an excellent (and surprisingly young, like under 30) steam technician, and would recommend them.
As to pneumatics, I can't help you much, as my house was all standard valves. But given the dearth of local technicians, I'd recommend one of two things:
- Replace all of your valves with TRVs. I did this route, this allows for maximum control in each room, but you need to make sure you have a working Pressurtol/Vaporstat to get the most out of it. This is expensive, think a couple hundred per radiator if you hire for it. I've done all but one of mine at this point.
- Replace them all with steam radiator "screw" valves as they fail. You can throttle these, but you don't have the control of a TRV.
- EDIT: If it is Johnson Controls pneumatics, you could try some of the Commercial HVAC companies. I could give you some recommendations in this space as well, I think the problem will be giving you the time of day. I'm in the facilities business these days, and we have a bunch of pneumatic controls on our commercial heating systems.
I'm a (civil) engineer by trade, and not very good at the physical mechanics but I have taught myself quite a bit about my system and how to work on it. I've turned a post-Spanish Influenza-heat the house with the windows open system into an on-demand system. In the process, I have cut my heating usage by about 15% in the 12 years I've owned my house.
I'd be happy to discuss some tips and even stop by if you are interested, feel free to message me.
KarlW
Re: Difficulty in Properly Sizing Equipment - 2140 Sq Ft New Construction Spray Foam House
For heating what you care about is the marginal cost — how much the bill goes up when usage goes up. Lilco has pretty hefty fixed monthly charges that are there regardless of how much you use.
Re: Questions about a two-pipe steam system with pneumatic controls
They are pretty simple, the t-stat gets a line supply of air and outputs a proportional pressure to call for heat based on the differential of the setpoint and actual temp so the valves are modulating.
Residential contractors wont know it but they are very common in commercial buildings so some commercial contractors should understand it. If the system is old enough to be stem the pneumatic control lines will be copper. If they are leaking you'll have to find and fix the leaks. The thermostat bases usually have a service valve in them to close off the supply to the thermostat if you remove a thermostat.
mattmia2
Re: Run time
Some combi models have a comfort function that keeps the heat exchanger warm. Could be a unit on outdoor reset with a faulty outdoor sensor going into freeze protection mode. Could be an indirect tank dropped temp just enough to get the unit to fire. If you have an indirect the boiler will fire whenever the aquastat or sensor tells the boiler to fire, not only when there is a hot water demand. Need more info and pics help
GGross
Questions about a two-pipe steam system with pneumatic controls
Hi everyone,
I recently purchased a 1930's house, which came with a two-pipe steam heating system with (Johnson Controls) pneumatically controlled actuators in each room. Long story short, the original home owner/builder was a steam engineer, and placed in a very robust system that no one services in our area or seems to understand. At the very least it seems like our area (Rochester NY) has a dearth of steam heat professionals that are comfortable w/ two pipe systems with the pneumatic controls. The previous home owner ended up converting several of the radiators to manual actuators that don't use the pneumatics. We've had multiple HVAC/heating companies come out and take a look at our system, and most have recommended converting to individual manual actuators for each radiator. No one has had solutions with getting the pneumatics up and running.
I have read a couple of Dan Holohan's books (So You've got steam heat and the lost art of steam heat revisited) and have puttered around with the system over the past year, with a decent sense of the steam portion.
I'm wondering if anyone knows of someone in western upstate NY/Finger Lakes area with experience with a system like this. Also wondering if anyone has advice for trying to maintain the pneumatics vs just abandoning it and converting over? My preference is to maintain the original system, but it seems like a lost art in our area.
Thanks!
