Hey Johnny White (GrandPAH)

Dave Yates (PAH)

What a day! Started with pics attached & then it was off to visit a Civil War era home where the timbers inside bore scorch marks from a fire. Turned out they were timbers salvaged from the timber-framed bridge that spanned the Susquehanna River that was set ablaze to halt the Reb Army's forward march.

Here's the 'Perfecto' job. Interestingly enough, there are two Perfecto sizes here & the smaller one is ribbed. Note the Taco auto feed vlv and relay panel as well as the Taco HX.

Dave Yates (GrandPAH)_1

took a lickin & they're still ticking!

Tomorrow, we'll be installing a new Burnham CI boiler in an older home that has ceiling radiant from the 1940's. It also has three bullet shaped Taco circs that have quietly and steadfastly served this hydronic radiant system since day-one without so much as a moment's hesitation.

Three new Taco circs will stand-in starting tomorrow. Although I hesitated to disturb perfection, it just seems right to give the HO's a new boiler-room package deal.

The old boiler is the culprit. The burner went haywire and began spewing huge amounts of CO. In excess of 4,000 PPM & I pulled the Testo probe, rather than let the sensor see any higher readings. The boiler room was seeing readings in excess of 60 PPM after just ten minutes of run time.

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Steamhead (in transit)

Check your e-mail, GP

I just sent you Johnny's e-mail address, in case you don't have it. From what I know of him, he'll be very interested in those aboriginal wet-rotors.

How about some pics?

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Unknown

Dave

It's ironic that you stated the following...."Although I hesitated to disturb perfection"..... because what you had there were the Taco "Perfecta" circulators. Originally introduced in the 1950's, they were pretty much the predecessor to todays "00" series pumps. Being from Rhode Island, I still see these out in the field up here now and then. Generally, lack of flange gasket maintainance will spoil the pump long before it ever stops running!

Glenn Stanton

Manager of Training

Burnham Hydronics

U.S. Boiler Co., Inc.

John White

Perfecta

Ohhhhhh, the old Perfecta.....
Damn.
That was the origional wet rotor heating circulator. There were a number of European manufacturers involved in that one...Taco was the only US manufacturer. Everyone thought John White Sr. was nutty.
Many of the circs didn't work, because in this country we have so much iron oxide, and that particular situation doesn't exist in Europe. Damn near wiped Taco out.
But he didn't give up. Taco went on to develop the hollow shaft, which is now the world wide standard.
Anyway, Dave, a bit of history. Thats really the littly baby that catapolted Taco. And I think you're gonna LOVE whats coming.
By the way, the perfectas that worked in MANY cases are still running, as Glenn said.
Very best. jhw

Jeff Lawrence_25

Might be nice

To donate one of the Perfecto's to the professor's heating museum if it's no too late.

Dave Yates (PAH)

soitanly

His for the taking! How bout a Madagascar hissing cochroach to go with?!? Big bugger resides just a few feet away in a plexi container!

Don't know if they got saved. The junk run was completed before I returned & I didn't get a chance to revisit the site.

Between the Civil War home and several radiant bids, my day was slamming. One of those bids was for a pre-civil war era stone home just outside of Gettysburg that I surveyed last week. Their existing home has a connon ball burried in its side wall. Their "new" home is much older and a real hydronic challenge.

John White

HX

Dave,
What was the model number on the HX?? Did you notice.
Those were our origional products. jhw

Dave Yates (GrandPAH)_1

I'll

look back at the pics, which are 15-meg files & try reading the numbers. I just checked with the guys & everything (except the Perfectos) was tossed at the recycle center yesterday. Water heaters are on their way to the recycle center & I asked them to look around for it and get the tag if they see it.

If I can get my old hard drive working, I think I may also have pic files from my first site visit about five years ago when they purchased the home and called because they couldn't find the heat.

Nice touch having a glass eye on the back of the Perfecto! I may have to install one of them at my home just so I can stare at the business end while it's in motion(G).

Pics of the new install to follow.



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Dave Yates (PAH)

try these

on for size. No dice at the recycle center today & I could kick myself for not preserving that HX. Sorry about that.

Two pics attached. Tried the "sharpen" feature on the second one. These are full-size images. I did find the old photos from 2002 & I'll include that one too, but it was a low-rez shot.

I had, had being the operative word, some shots from today, but I think I fried my 1-gig camera card by trying to edit a photo on the card instead of transferring it to a file first - D'OH! I'll get back on Tues to shoot the finished install. Bums me out because I performed a faucet-en-dectomy on a 1916 pedistal sink today and preserved the antique spout with its ceramic overflow (it had twin water connections on the underside of the sink bowl) and adapted a set of Delta widespread faucets that have the ceramic "old" look. The owners were overjoyed at saving the old gal & I shot a sequential series of pics showing the progression from demo to new. All gone

Dave Yates (PAH)

rescued pics!

Johnny,

Tried downloading the pics from the 1-gig mini-drive camera card to my Wolverine mass storage unit & managed to get all but a few before it too locked up.

Now, before I get crucified for having circs on the return side, it might help to know that only the returns are separated by three. The main supply evidently splits off after its lone flow-check somewhere out beyond the mechanical space - hence the three swing-checks immediately after each of the Perfectos in addition to the flow-checks at the supply split between the basement and upper floor zones.

Options we considered: reverse the flow (not unlike how I've successfully treated old Edwards boilers where a lone supply came back in multiple returns); a single circ on the supply with zone valves on the return - an idea I personally liked; or, given the shortage of time and need for heating to be restored prior to a long holiday weekend, simply let the system run as it has for so long (with no issues) and install IFC circs while keeping the B&G flow checks on the supply lines.

EBEBRATT-Ed

Dave

Nothing wrong with pumping into the boiler. I'm sure the system resstance is so low it won't matter.

Those old tankless heaters weigh a ton. I can remember taking a few down and cleaning them --no fun.

What was the name on the old boiler? It looked famalier.

ED

Alan_11

Taco green delco

This is what I found in my basement. Was 1 zone with hot water from coil,converted to 3 zones and 40 gallon storage tank for hot water. 3 007 pumps and 006 for h.w. replaced taco 110. Done entirely with salvaged parts(like to recycle,and don't own the place) Last years oil consumption was 650 gallons. 5 adults living here. (Sorry Johnny,it's a general fittings coil.)

Alan_11

That taco green beauty is a Delco

Oil fired version heating my apartment for over 50 years. Changed from 1 zone with coil to 3 zones with 40 gallon tank over the years(using recycled parts cause I don't own the place)Replaced the taco 110 with 3 007's and 006 for hot water.Split the first and second floors into seperate zones, and then heated the attic when we made it into another bedroom. Last years oil consumption was 650 gallons with 5 adults.(sorry Johnny White but it's a General fittings coil) Canadian ale in the white bucket.

Alan_11

Taco green Delco

Oil fired version heating my residence for over 50 years.In the 20 plus years i have been here have changed from single zone with coil to 3 zones with 40 gallon storage tank.Split up 1st and 2nd floor into seperate monoflo zones, and then added attic heat when made into extra bedroom.All done with recycled parts cause I don't own the place.Last years oil consumption was 650 gallons. Sorry Johnny White, it's a General fittings coil,Providence R.I., but I am using 3 007's and a 006 for the hot water.Very seldom serviced,cleaned it quickly last fall when the basement co2 detector went off ,turned out to be time for a new detector (8 years old). Canadian ale fermenting in bucket next to boiler.