Best Of
Re: Which indirect water heater to buy or not?
So, your boiler is Oil fired. Three options....least expensive to more..
- Turbomax with mixing valve or your preferred Indirect, sized for extra long HW runs. Plenty of HW. Most efficient use of what you have in place. It's not good for the boiler sitting off for long periods.
- Bock 50 Gallon Oil fired Water heater..lots of HW...More expense.
- Propane fired Tankless Water Heater...only limited to how large your propane storage is...Otherwise, oodles of HW....More expense.
Mad Dog
Re: Short Cycling and High Pressure after a few weeks of warm weather?
i bet there is some old return connection out in the system that isn't as far below the water line as it was with the original boiler so it causes an issue when the boiler is a little low.
mattmia2
Re: Mystery tool
Lots of older plug valves on water systems and oil lines and the like had square shaft ends which one would turn to open or close the valve (hmm… I wonder if this is open? Closed? sometimes they had markings on them…) and one carried a key like that to operate them. I have one floating round here somewhere…
Re: "Yelp"/ angi list for contractors.
I remember years ago having this conversation with Dano. He was trying to lock in the date for a legendary seminar of his. He told me how he handled it:
Dan: "Great! That date works. We just need a deposit to lock it in."
Client: "Oh, sorry, "Corporate" won't do that.."
Dan : "No problem, please tell "Corporate" I'm not coming. "
A few days later, the check came!
What I have learned in 40 years is that as desperate as you think you are at the time to land that job (Mortgage late, Kids Tuition, et cetera), don't let your guard down…you'll get by & survive but not get hurt worse. Mad Dog
Re: Short Cycling and High Pressure after a few weeks of warm weather?
All the boiler mfgs want the Hartford loop 2"-4" below the boiler normal operating level. That is measured to the bottom inside of the horizontal nipple.
The normal operating level is considered to be 1/2 the gauge glass unless marked otherwise by the boiler mfg. The install manual will show this.
Camera angles can be deceiving but yours looks about right. Since the installer did a nice job piping i bet he got it right.
Re: Short Cycling and High Pressure after a few weeks of warm weather?
the steam short circuits the main through a return
that steam heats and closes the main vent
the main is still full of air so the radiators aren't heating
there is nothing to condense the steam the boiler is producing so it builds pressure (the pressuretrol not cutting out is another issue)
eventually the main vents through the radiator vents and the radiators start to heat and consumes the steam from the boiler at the normal rate
(this is one pipe, right? it can happen with 2 pipe too but the mechanism is slightly different)
mattmia2
Re: What Am I Working On? An abbreviated photo dump of the month's activities.
Very interesting........Mad Dog
Re: "Yelp"/ angi list for contractors.
sounds like maybe letting the credit bureaus handle that might be the way to go, if you develop your own list it seems like it would open you up to a lot of liability
mattmia2
Re: Heating Help Partners with SkillCat for App-Based HVAC Learning
Very smart partnering…whenever access to education is made easier, everyone benefits. Mad Dog
What Am I Working On? An abbreviated photo dump of the month's activities.
Troubleshooting and writing proposals is how I spend most of my time. The toughest part of it is switching gears several times per day between the multiple systems, locations, and clients.
The first picture is a municipal steam-to-water heat exchanger that provides hydronic heating to a church and food pantry in midtown Manhattan. They're overheating.
The second is of a Leonard mixing valve in Brooklyn. Water temperatures are inconsistent.
Third is an Aerco Benchmark getting too hot too quickly.
Fourth is an NTI high efficiency system installed by the irretrievably clueless.
Fifth is a duplex ejector system in a single family residence that needs constant attention because it fills with cooking grease twice a year.
6th is a high efficiency boiler installed with a back-pitched flue resulting in daily lockouts.
Last pic is graduation day for my Plumbing and HVAC students at The General Society of Mechanics and Tradesmen of New York City's trade education program called Mechanics Institute. This is a big day for me at the end of every 2-year program.
Questions and comments are most welcome.
JohnNY