Best Of
Re: What was the best MacGuyver moment you actually saw on a job site?
In the mid 80's I came across a job in Levittown LI for a water leak....the York boiler was under the stairs. I went under there with a light to find out what was leaking and discovered someone long before me had McGuyvered the switching relay burnt out transformer with a Lionel train speed controller!??! There was a tag hanging on the controller that said "don't set higher than 7 you'll burn out the thermostat" Can't make the **** up!
Re: Short Cycling and High Pressure after a few weeks of warm weather?
Can you feel steam in any of the pipes? Maybe pull the vent from the radiator closest to the boiler & see what happens.
ratio
Re: Remove PTAC unit for servicing
Looks like a fan coil to me.You can get some coil cleaner clean it out wash it down protect the motor and replace the insulation. You can buy sheet Armaflex and scrape the metal off and spray glue it on. I would disconnect the coil and pull the whole thing and clean it outside with a hose.
Re: Remove PTAC unit for servicing
You need to clean that with a hose. Some combination of coil cleaner and a degreaser like simple green. Lubricate the motor bearings that probably never have been. It is all a potential can of worms but you can't just leave it like that. I'd be more worried about the electrical, motor bearings, and insulation than breaking the sealed system. Can probably support the coil with some wire tied to something.
mattmia2
Re: Recommendations for oil held over from year to year
That's fine. Just do the additive. The higher the level of fuel in the tank, the less chance condensation can form. If the tank isn't buried, there should be a valve at the bottom of the tank. If the tank feeds off the bottom and the tank pitches towards the valve, the filter should get it. If its top fed, water (if any) can be drawn off at the bottom valve.
HVACNUT
Re: Steam-one boiler or two, and, Atmospheric vs Gun
Yes. And that's why the typical Commercial heating plant designs are terrible to use for churches. I've done a number of churches over the years and it is quite common to see 40% reductions in fuel usage using simple stage fired atmospheric boilers.
Re: Short Cycling and High Pressure after a few weeks of warm weather?
How soon did the steamer start building pressure after it fired from a cold start? The next simplest explanation is oversized, but it's a pretty tight window to be oversized enough to short cycle on an 8° recovery but not build any pressure during normal operation. Try a slower recovery (2° every few hours or so) & see what happens.
ratio
Re: Best Material to Use for Drainpipes in Residential Homes.
Have you priced 3" copper DWV, and 3" CI no hub pipe?
hot_rod
Re: What was the best MacGuyver moment you actually saw on a job site?
On my first visit to our school steam boiler, I noticed that one of the 4" HW steam valves was operated with a 15' stick. You would lift the plunger/shaft for heat, wedge the stick down on the floor, and then drop it when overheated. Duct tape was involved in that it held 2 8' long sticks together to get the proper length. The boiler was set to maintain pressure all season long.
Upon investigating, it was obvious that a C-clip had fallen out of the linkage.
Other wise the motor worked correctly. I did come up with some form of clip that put the valve back in the auto mode.
JUGHNE