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Re: Hydrolevel VXT
Permit me to say that it sounds as though you have a somewhat unusual arrangement, which may indeed be difficult to work on. However, throwing people under the bus (you got five in one paragraph, possibly a record) really doesn't work as well as diplomacy and patience.
Re: Hydrolevel VXT
Basically, yes. I would write a more detailed response, but this is not the place for it.Frankly, if I were a tradesperson, I'd avoid this job like the plague...Because of the "difficult customer" who actually knows enough to know when a "pro" is full of it?
Re: Hydrolevel VXT
Frankly, if I were a tradesperson, I'd avoid this job like the plague...Because of the "difficult customer" who actually knows enough to know when a "pro" is full of it?
Jells
1
Re: Hydrolevel VXT
Frankly, if I were a tradesperson, I'd avoid this job like the plague...
Re: Hydrolevel VXT
I built my Steam Vapor System from scratch starting in 2001. One 1/2" Apollo Ball Valve. No water feeder. I understand in a commercial situation, but the whole reason for a VXT is to track feed water usage, right? Find and fix the leaks and you can go with several Mc Donnell Miller Models that are very trouble free. I don't know why MM doesn't have a metering model to compete with the VXT?. Mad Dog 🐕I'll say it again, this is a residential multifamily where I do not live. I can't be there checking the level 3x a week!
Holy crap I'm ready to tear my hair out, or tear out this freaking system. It's not just the VXT. Jstar did me a pretty bad turn installing this boiler then vanishing, leaving me a Carlin EZGasPro burner no one knows how to service! The guy doing my work now had to drag a codger out of retirement to get the damn thing to combust properly. That was mid March, and now it won't fire up at all. If I tore it out and replaced it with a standard gas boiler at least my regular plumbing and heating guy could work on it if it was something beyond my skills. I run 10 heating systems and this one has taken over my life. /rant
Jells
1
Need advice on Low-Water Cut-Off water feeder
As we are getting deeper into the fall season I decided to go ahead and flush my steam boiler. As soon as I went to operate the blow-down valve on my McDonnell&Miller 51-2 water feeder/Low-water cutoff the blow-down pipe broke off just below the junction to the water equalizing line (see Figure 1 on page 3 of the product manual).
I proceeded to disconnect the junction and was attempting to remove the threaded pipe that connected the float chamber to the junction when this pipe also broke off, leaving a portion of the threaded section of pipe in the bottom of the float chamber.
I'm wondering if there is a simple way to remove the broken and stuck portion of pipe? Or am I better off replacing the whole chamber? Or even replace the whole LWCO/Feeder system?
I proceeded to disconnect the junction and was attempting to remove the threaded pipe that connected the float chamber to the junction when this pipe also broke off, leaving a portion of the threaded section of pipe in the bottom of the float chamber.
I'm wondering if there is a simple way to remove the broken and stuck portion of pipe? Or am I better off replacing the whole chamber? Or even replace the whole LWCO/Feeder system?
Ziamba
1
Re: Removal of 80 gallon stone lined water heater
Normally you could cut the tank metal with a grinder and a cutting disk. Probably have all the metal off in half an hour.
But working in the small basement with only one window, all the dust and metal shavings and a semi finished basement I could see after I started cutting that I had to come up with another plan.
But those are really good water heaters. All the metal looked like new after 20 years. The water does not permeate the stone lining.
When she came home and saw it in the kitchen..........oh well. I showed her the pictures of how I got it up the stairs. She immediately went in and looked for holes in the walls. Good thing I had already patched them.
But working in the small basement with only one window, all the dust and metal shavings and a semi finished basement I could see after I started cutting that I had to come up with another plan.
But those are really good water heaters. All the metal looked like new after 20 years. The water does not permeate the stone lining.
When she came home and saw it in the kitchen..........oh well. I showed her the pictures of how I got it up the stairs. She immediately went in and looked for holes in the walls. Good thing I had already patched them.
Re: Removal of 80 gallon stone lined water heater
“ But I let my Neice borrow the trailer and when I texted her today, she said it is sitting in her yard full of mulch and has a flat tire.”
@EBEBRATT-Ed - That was pretty rude of you to saddle her with a trailer with a flat tire! We all know it’s impossible to offload mulch with a flat tire!😂
@EBEBRATT-Ed - That was pretty rude of you to saddle her with a trailer with a flat tire! We all know it’s impossible to offload mulch with a flat tire!😂
PC7060
3
Removal of 80 gallon stone lined water heater
Back in May I decided to finally replace our 80 gallon stone lined Vaughn electric water heater. It was over 20 years old but not leaking and may have lasted forever but it's an energy pig for two people. These Vaughn stone lined tank were very popular with the electric utilities installed them (including this one before we owned this place) for years. But our local utility gave up on that a few years back and said "you now own the tank."
Thanks a lot!!!
I knew it was going to be a PITA and wanted to get it done before it let go or I got any older. It probably would outlast me!
So, I bought a new 40 gallon and installed it back in May. The old heater with the cement lining is about 400# empty. I got it up on some 1" pipe for rollers and pushed it to the side where it sat and sat LOL
I stripped the plastic jacket off it and then all the 2" foam. Originally, I thought I would cut it with a grinder with a cutting disk and then break up the concrete. The stairs are very tight with a sharp turn at the top and bottom. No outside entrance to the cellar.
The cellar is semi-finished off so I hung plastic around the tank area and with safety goggles and a mask started cutting. It just made too much of a mess and the neighbors (we are in a condo) complained about the noise. I folded back part of the steel (1/8" thick) and tried busting the concrete and that was going to be tough. I also tried a Sawzall and bought a metal cutting blade for my Skill saw and that didn't work out well either
So, then I tried call a few junk guys to take it out. No one wanted anything to do with it. The one honest guy told me to cut it up he would have to charge me over $xxxx.xx to take it out.
Time for plan B
So today (while my girlfriend was gone for the day) was my time to strike.
I used a Come a Long and pulled it up the stairs which worked like a dream. Once I was all set up I had it upstairs in 10-15 min.
I used a 5/8" eye bolt with a rod coupling and a piece of rod with some nuts and washers a made a hole in the sheet rock wall.
Now you know why I waited till she was gone.
I put a 3' 2 x 6 on each side of the wall to sandwich the wall. No damage to the sheet rock at all except for the 1" hole I made which I patched.
So, the good news is I got it out of the celler!!
Bad news is it's sitting in the kitchen so I am still feeling the heat.
I got to wait to get my brother to give me a hand getting it out the door down 3 steps and onto my trailer.
But I let my Neice borrow the trailer and when I texted her today, she said it is sitting in her yard full of mulch and has a flat tire.
When I stretched out my come a long it was 3" short. So, I had a few xtra shackles I made up the distance with. Of course when I got up to the top step I ran out of cable and had to disconnect the shackles. I drilled a hole in the tank and used a piece of 1/4" wire rope and some clips up and back up through the HW outlet to hook on to the tank.
So the saga continues!!
Thanks a lot!!!
I knew it was going to be a PITA and wanted to get it done before it let go or I got any older. It probably would outlast me!
So, I bought a new 40 gallon and installed it back in May. The old heater with the cement lining is about 400# empty. I got it up on some 1" pipe for rollers and pushed it to the side where it sat and sat LOL
I stripped the plastic jacket off it and then all the 2" foam. Originally, I thought I would cut it with a grinder with a cutting disk and then break up the concrete. The stairs are very tight with a sharp turn at the top and bottom. No outside entrance to the cellar.
The cellar is semi-finished off so I hung plastic around the tank area and with safety goggles and a mask started cutting. It just made too much of a mess and the neighbors (we are in a condo) complained about the noise. I folded back part of the steel (1/8" thick) and tried busting the concrete and that was going to be tough. I also tried a Sawzall and bought a metal cutting blade for my Skill saw and that didn't work out well either
So, then I tried call a few junk guys to take it out. No one wanted anything to do with it. The one honest guy told me to cut it up he would have to charge me over $xxxx.xx to take it out.
Time for plan B
So today (while my girlfriend was gone for the day) was my time to strike.
I used a Come a Long and pulled it up the stairs which worked like a dream. Once I was all set up I had it upstairs in 10-15 min.
I used a 5/8" eye bolt with a rod coupling and a piece of rod with some nuts and washers a made a hole in the sheet rock wall.
Now you know why I waited till she was gone.
I put a 3' 2 x 6 on each side of the wall to sandwich the wall. No damage to the sheet rock at all except for the 1" hole I made which I patched.
So, the good news is I got it out of the celler!!
Bad news is it's sitting in the kitchen so I am still feeling the heat.
I got to wait to get my brother to give me a hand getting it out the door down 3 steps and onto my trailer.
But I let my Neice borrow the trailer and when I texted her today, she said it is sitting in her yard full of mulch and has a flat tire.
When I stretched out my come a long it was 3" short. So, I had a few xtra shackles I made up the distance with. Of course when I got up to the top step I ran out of cable and had to disconnect the shackles. I drilled a hole in the tank and used a piece of 1/4" wire rope and some clips up and back up through the HW outlet to hook on to the tank.
So the saga continues!!