What's in your basement?

The Wire Nut

What a clean, installation, in all senses. It looks like you could eat off that boiler...

Besides the piping, your wiring (which caught my eye first!) is very nicely done, neat, no excess cable, everything secured. Your home-made relay/control box is real purdy too.

I especially like the copper saddle over the black ell on the tank.

Who said tech support people don't know their thermal mass from their street elbows...

Alex...

The Wire Nut

or yet another survey...

Merry New Year to you all...

I'm not sure if this has been done already, but I was thinking about this the other day and figured it would make an interesting survey/topic...

What system heats your house? Are you the barefoot shoemaker, a showcase of your work, or chopping wood? Or, heaven forbid, scorched air?

When was the last time you did a combustion analysis on your own system.

Do you have a low-level CO detector (such as the NSI or similar)?

Given an unlimited budget, what would you install in your house and why?

I'll go back in my hole now!

Alex

GW

Viessmann

although the shoemaker's kid didn't have shoes, this heating dude has a Viessmann oil fired, installed in 1999 when things were orange.

My next home if I ever move will have geo and solar.

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S Ebels

My basement

Is so horridly full of my junk, my kid's junk and other accumulated debris from 30+ years of marriage that I won't post any pictures. It also houses a natural gas fired VB2-33 Viessmann Vitola which I have not touched other than to open it up and inspect since installed in 2003.I "threw " it in during the middle of the winter when the old Smith sprang a leak. One of those times when you do it quick and say to yourself, "I'll re-do it right when I get time. RIIIIGGGHHHTTTTTT!

I have done no adjustments, no cleaning, no maintenance other than a look inside and a combustion test once a year since initial set up. It now has a little over 3,780 hours on the burner and about 27,000 cycles last time I checked. It's running a two temp system plus an indirect with a Divicon mixing station for the Climate Panel and regular temp for the panel rads controlled by a Vitotronic 200.

This year's combustion test numbers are as follows:

232.2* net stack temp

68* room temp

87.1% calculated efficiency

3 ppm CO in flue

9.2% CO2

4.3% O2

-0.02 w.c." draft

23.6% excess air

Water temp during test, begin127* end144*

J.C.A._3

Mine is.....

The way it has been since I bought the place. A Burnham PV(gas company supplied) boiler that is both oversized and over pumped.

I WILL make the changes this year...I promise !

I really can't complain, but I could do alot better if I just applied what I know to be good for it. Humbly, I continue the cobblers kids theory. JCA

GW

a Decree has been issued

Article 54G of the Heating Alliance of the Great Federation clearly states you may not share or entice any fellow heating professional whether by itemizing your wares or by simple reference the idea of a German Manufactured heating array or assembly. You therefore must remove said "wife stuff" from the afflicted area (law requires 12 meters) and produce evidence of said gesture no later that 12 hours from infraction. Failure to comply results in removal of referred array or assembly and replaced with a Raypack or a GlowCore. Please obey your duties as a fellow Craftsman and attach appropriate files to internet at once.

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ttekushan_3

Messy basement

here too. Won't post pictures.

I live with scorched air. But I have to admit, its a circa 1940 system with a tight and well conceived return duct system. Furnace was new in 1969. American Standard.

Combustion analysis done yearly since I got the analyzer. No heat exchanger leakage.

But since I'm stuck with FA for now, I use electrostatic precipitators and UVC lamps in the return air plenum. May as well kill the critters on the way in. The UVC lamps also shine directly on the dusty side of the fiberglass pre filters. The fan runs continuously. Much less expensive than I thought to do this. Make-up air is provided to reduce negative pressure and associated draftiness or CO risk.

-Terry

4 distinctly different steam system designs are in my workbook for this house. One option is amazingly non-disruptive to install. Boiler options are a sticking point as I only need about 90,000 max output but don't want to install an atmospheric single stage boiler. Now, if I could shrink down a nice industrial boiler...

See, I already have all the CI radiators necessary, properly sized. They're in the garage. Thats messy too. So is the delightfully diminutive domestic dunkirk thats the right size for the job, but not the sophistication I want.

Unknown

I still have the same warm air system that the house had when I bought it last year. (My first house) I have my maple playwood mechanical wall stained a nice walmut and the supply and return piping mounted to it with circulators,... just no boiler or panel radiators yet. Maybe if it starts to get cold here in the north east and I make some money I may do that this summer.



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Jeff Lawrence_25

TROUBLEMAKER!

Okay, we moved into this house nearly 2 years ago. It was heated by a Comfortmaker atmospheric (60%) furnasty. When Katrina hit, I ripped it out and installed a Rheem 92% modulating furnace.

I have planned on installing about 45 feet of HWBB in one area and have completed one zone (less tubing) of plates for the first radiant zone. When we redo the den, the former garage (pick the floor up 8 inches and put in Warmboard) that'll be the 2nd zone. The area is currently heated by a POS furnasty that I really HATE.

We need the AC down here, so keeping the ductwork is a necessity.

Oh, when I actually have enough zones for a boiler, I'm putting in a mod/con. When they ripped off the garbage siding, I ran 2 pieces of 3" SCH40 PVC up the chase of the pre-fab fireplace.

Maybe one day.....

Ted_9

> What

> system heats your house?
1st floor Munchkin T80, 2nd/3rd GB142/24
All Buderus or Dianorm panel rads with trv's, one bathroom tile climate panels and one Runtal towel rad.



scorched air? No, but I did install an R410A cooling system for the 2nd and 3rd floors.

>

> When

> was the last time you did a combustion analysis

> on your own system.
Haven't done it this year yet.
>

> Do you have a low-level CO

> detector (such as the NSI or similar)?
Yes
>

> Given

> an unlimited budget, what would you install in

> your house and why?
Maybe just more radiant heat, but we are happy with the panel rads. I need to do major remodeling, then I will add the radiant.
>

I need to get my electrician buddy to do the wiring right on the GB142.







Massachusetts

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Steven Gronski

The best yoour money can buy

I dumped the Burnham that was in the house when I bought it in 96 and it was new then. I installed the Vitoden this past November, I heat 1800 square feet and I run 3 zones with base board and panal rads with constant circulation. It has been an unusually mild winter, but my biggest gas bill since November was 117.00 and I heat, cook, gas grill, hot water and cloths dryer non stop with gas. I looked at last years gas bills from Nov. and December, and buy doing some math, I estimate right now about 40% savings from last year on my heating. The Amtrol is new in September, only from a lifetime warranty replacement. If it was not covered I would have put a Vitocell in, but free is free.

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Bob Forand

Baxi

Newly installed Baxi coupled with Unico and added a towel bar. Been having fun playing with the Siemens controller.
It is a showpiece !

Al Corelli_2

Here's mine

System thrown together after ripping out the old hot air ducts while doing a renovation. Tiny house, all radiant first floor with 2nd stage HWBB in living room and dining room. (second stage has NEVER run). Second floor is HWBB till I get around to the radiant ceilings.
Notice, no P/S, but all are properly pumping away. Early Tekmar ODR on the Dunkirk condenser. Tiny Modine blower for the garage/ basement area uses the leftover heat from a second floor bathroom zone to reduce return temps further. Got room for some more zones. Next up is front walk/stairs snowmelt.

Oh, tha bathroom? Ya, Ain't ready to renovate the bathroom yet, so, in the closet that backs up to the wall near the toilet, I ran some pex in the wall about 4 feet high in three bays, "reflectored" it together with 5/8" foam/mylar celotex. This zone runs constant, and at direct boiler temps. I don't care about the wall, as one day it will be replaced. On a cold morning, it is like the Florida sun hitting you as you walk in there. Plus, my gun cabinet is against the same wall (in the closet, not the bathroom), and it keeps the artillery nice and cozy.

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Ray Landry_3

Mechanics will always have broken cars, electricians will have shoddy electrical, and plumbers... well you get the idea. After using about 900 gallons of oil last year (1200 sf ranch, heated to 66 degrees) I decided it was time to rip out the old arco liner single zone convector system and put it something a (little) bit more efficient. A buddy at work did a remodel on his house and offered me his boiler which HE got for free a few years prior. So, I've got a twice handed down burnham boiler that I would guess to be at least ten years old lol. Probably going to trip on reset soon, it hasn't been cleaned in 2 years. If I wasn't such a wall adict maybe I'd go down and clean it! I was gonna go for a g 115 28 and install some joist track radiant, but I'm trying to sell and want to just wait till my next house to go all out. Oh yea the superstore and taco relay are items I scored from work too! The SR503 I got on a job I added an IFHW to and needed another zone. The superstore I got for a house that had a boiler explosion (dry fired munchkin.. long story) it has a little fire damage to it, but not much. I like the fact that I live alone and have a 60 gallon indirect lol it's a little over kill to say the least.

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Al Corelli_2

Addendum

I tried to keep everything "brand" specific here. I used B&G stuff (even an Airtrol fitting)as much as possible. I think it goes great with the Dunkirk blue.

Don't make fun of my radiant manifold. I know it is upside-down, I had to finish and I was out of 1" fittings at 3 o'clock in the morning.

Anything that looks out of place is only temporary (for the last 6 years).

The Dunkirk has proven to be an OUTSTANDING performer. My heating bills are very low, even considering the horrible 50s vintage windows we have.

And the early Bosch AquaStar works well for my wife and I. Just don't try to use two hot water faucets at the same time. Once we got used to that, our gas bills dropped. I will never go back to a conventional heater again.

My other house has a 140 Munchie with a 60 gal indirect. Another OUTSTANDING performer.

Mom's house has a Viessmann Biferral. There, that is the required German content..

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Bob Bona_4

shoemaker

Had two boilers when I bought the place. One was a WM steamer, and the other a Trianco DBC w/ tankless w/ Riello doing baseboard and hydro air.

Steam is gone now replaced w/ QuikTrac radiant. Hydroair is gone replaced with Suntemp bb-someday to be replaced w/ Joist Trac..

Trianco is still chugging along. It froze solid twice during my remodel. Still remember 8" long icicles running from the coil plate down to the burner and encompassing the burner. The Taco 007 was clunking from ice in it's impeller. Wife and I spent an hour with a heat gun thawing. She was not happy:) We brought it back to life tho..Riello's are too sensitive to adverse cold, so one day in half an hour I retro'd a Beckett AFG. Been running with nary a glitch for the last 2 1/2 years.

Right now it looks like spagetti around the boiler with pex everywhere. Future plans to replace the berler with probaly a Buderus G115 or MPO, and a TT indirect.

Singh_5

a shocker !!

Having bought a 70's ranch home . I inherited electric baseboard.
The first thing I did was buy a wood stove. I now have a Thermolec electric 10kw boiler w/ ODR. Radiant with joist track on the upper level, baseboard in basement, which when I ref-inish the basement will also have some form of radiant.
Now I live in NY and pay .12cents a kw. However , I added new windows, insulation, siding, as much as I could. I pay a TOTAL of $2500 a year for all my electric usage. I also have a tankless electric for DHW.
I looked into putting a wall hung LP mod/con in but space is tight, and by the time I put in buried LP tank, costs were too high for what I wanted to spend.
I hope to put in some evacuated solar tubes this summer and storage tank, and pull my radiant and DHW off that. But we need to remodel the kitchen, among other things.
My dream home would also be electric, but ground source heat pump with radiant, and some IAQ control.

BTW
AFUE on the Thermolec 99.99%
CO 0 ppm
; )


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Dave_4

Mine

Ripped out an old W/M 68 with a tankless over the summer which was in there when I bought it in 99 and put in a Burnham MPO147, Taco 700 w/ a ALG50 Indirect. Love it........What a difference!!!

S Ebels

You're a mean man Gary

Glowcore!? Raypak!!! I'll burn old newspapers in the fireplace first. I promise to clean it up and re-do the piping before spring!! Cross my heart and hope to die!!

I hereby declare that you are formally dubbed and officially commisioned ........... The BTU Enforcer!

John Mills_5

3 stage forced air

Trane XV80 backing up a WeatherKing 13 SEER heat pump. 10-12 years old. Homemade dual fuel kit, Climatouch 3 stage stat. Honeywell F200 media in the EAC cabinet. LOOOOOWWWW utility bills!

GW

what do you set the stages at? when does gas kick in and elec shut off? I've been interested in pitching duel fuel for a while, please tell me more

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Mike T., Swampeast MO

New meets old. Both boilers fully functional--not at the same time and fully isolated against one another of course! Big Red B&G circulator used only for the old W/M boiler. Vitodens fully piped but not yet wired in this shot--wiring only amounted to the power pack and outside temp sensor.

Notation shows where I sense the surface supply temp--insulated and with a dab of heat conductive paste around the sensing element.

Vito on third season. Can't give a current photo as there are a series of lally column across the area. There's a fireplace with wide cement and tile hearth above and the dead men didn't do the best framing job. Am slowly raising the three joists that dead end at a trimmer going across the hearth. They had slipped down nearly an inch below the trimmer and the trimmer itself had slipped down about 3/4". Nearly in position now (after a year and a half) and I'll secure everything with joist hangers.

Pat Clark_2

in my basement

Bought old 50's era house in 1989, immediately ripped out the electric baseboard and installed a 90% Trane Furnace with Honeywell EAC. Pulled that furnace in 92 or 93 and replaced with 90% Trane Variable Speed furnace, added humidifier and UV light (used to get sinus infections 1 to 2 times every year, can't remember when my last one was, but it was about that same time that I installed the UV light)

Need to add garage and small addition someday, will be putting in a mod/con boiler with radiant in addition, garage and retro existing den downstairs. Will also incorporate snow melt in driveway and walkway, and hot tub heating for new hot tub on new deck at that time.

Pat (Alaska Time) Clark

Unknown

For Obvious Reasons

I have a Burnham MPO in my home with an "Old School" Superstor that I've had hanging around my basement since the early 90's. Never installed just hanging around!

As you can see from the photo's I am currently experimenting with the Beckett NX on this MPO-147 chimney vented model. I ran the standard AFG with no problems and clean combustion for all of last winter. Put the NX on last March and piped the combustion air directly to the outside with PVC right to the burner housing. Performance has been outstanding. I have left the cover off the Electronic Aquastat because I have been monitoring supply water temperatures over the past 2 years. Haven't seen above 147°F yet with 4 zones of copper fin baseboard and no signs of condensation inside the boiler whatsoever.

I am also using an "Old School" Tekmar 250 control in conjunction with a priority relay system and Zone Valve Relay that I built. The entire system has two way override switches for the Outdoor Reset and DHW Priority and isolation valves everywhere so if something goes haywire while I am away all my family has to do is flip a switch and/or operate a valve to get things back on line again.

If you look real close you will also see that I have installed "L Vent" as an experiment on sound attenuation. It wasn't needed, mind you, because the boiler/burner combination is dead quiet, but I just wanted to see if it made a difference and it sure does.

I put in a Roth Tank this fall to replace the old 275 gallon "accident waiting to happen" tank. Single overhead line to the Garber Filter (with gauge) and then on to a Tiger Loop with dual flex connectors to the burner. You may also notice that the supply valve at the Roth Tank is closed and that there are 2 oil lines near the filter. That is because this picture was taken when my original tank (gravity bottom outlet) still was connected with about 20 gallons of oil still in it. We moved the old tank away from its original parking spot so that I could pour a new pad and get the new tank all piped up, filled with oil and ready to go. When the old tank got down to the last few drops, we changed over to the new overhead line and had the old tank taken away. I have to say that the combustion is smoother than ever before with that Tiger Loop installed! So smooth I can barely hear the burner run or ignite.

You will also notice that I have clipped the 3" PVC Combustion Air pipe to the side of the boiler with a 3" 90° elbow facing forward. If you look real close you will see a stove bolt sticking in the top of that elbow. I have 3" PVC coming out of the burner with a 90 and a Street 45 all made up as one piece. To swing the burner door open all I have to do is remove that stove bolt and pull the Street 45 out of the hub of the elbow attached to the side of the boiler. Lift the assembly out of the burner and swing the door open. Makes checking and servicing the burner and boiler a breeze.

Just to clarify, I am using the NX on this boiler as an experiment at this point in time to see how it performs as compared to the AFG. The MPO-DV Direct Vent boilers use this very same NX burner currently as standard build. I'll stack this boiler against any of the above mentioned Euro equipment any day of the week.

humidifer

have forced air american standard with ac .going to keep air and someday add some radiant sorry no picture I am switching electric dhw to gas .

humidifer

have forced air american standard with ac .going to keep air and someday add some radiant sorry no picture I am switching electric dhw to gas .

Brian_11

mine...

Installed last winter....Buderus GB-142, w/ vaughn 50 gallon in-direct. Have baseboard in some areas, some hydro-air in others and one towel warmer with radiant in tile areas. Sounds big but it's not. But we did add a heat exchanger and heating outdoor built in pool with same boiler. Works real well and very economical. A/C is conventional "Overhead" duct system from attic. It's an older Lennox 13 SEER with two motorized dampers for two zone. No snow melting 'cause I cheaped out when we did the driveway....got junior to shovel when it snows.

Happy New year to all.

Brian Gelber

Stan Gelber & Sons
Uniondale, New York.

Mark Hunt

My place


had FHA when we bought it. I had to live with the FHA for the first winter due to the seller jerking me around on the closing. Bid was accepted in August, closed two weeks before Christmas.

Following spring I went into the basement with a Corona in one hand and a 24 oz. hammer in the other. One whack and all the duct work was down.

Replaced the system with RFH. A mixture of Kitec and Onix powered by a W-M CG-4. The CG was used for home shows by the company I worked for then. It never saw water and they gave it to me. FREE! They were going to chuck it in the garbage!

So I have RFH on the first floor and a zone of HWBB in the room over the garage. I didn't feel like tearing the whole garage apart to put the RFH in.

I installed a B-W indirect when I did the RFH,(got that free too.....) but it failed after about 4 years. Now I have a Phase III Smart 40.

I did have to replace the gas valve on the CG after about two years of operation. Struck me as funny since it never saw service until I hooked it up.

This year will bring a new mod/con into the picture. I'll post pics of that install when it happens.

Mark H

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Darrell

My turn!

Gee, this is like "truth or dare" in Jr. High or maybe a pilot for a low budget reality show...but, I'm up for a turn!

I built my house, 960 square feet with a 400 square foot garage in '84. Moved my wife in and promptly filled it up with kids! I still have the original Burnham P-203, atmospheric and simple with one zone of baseboard. I moved it from the garage to the Crawl Space...which I hate...but, I needed to convert the garage into a master bedroom. I capped the garage floor and have Entran 3 out there. DHW is an Amtrol WH-7 that I rebuilt from spare parts scavenged from service calls. The radiant floor is a simple fixed four way..the secondary side circs constantly and the primary side is a honeywell zone valve.

The boiler is as clean as the day I bought it...still tests over 80% with the bacharach fyrite pro. My daughter is complaining of air in the baseboard...so I guess it's time to find a reputable serviceman to work on this servicemans equipment!

On a related note...one of my wife's favorite pictures is of me doing a late night service call on my own boiler, replacing the t-couple to be exact, wearing what I had gone to bed in.......hey, the naked chef has a TV show, maybe there's something here!

Perry_3

Viessmann Vitodens

Installed the Vitodens with the Vitocell hot water heater last fall: 45% energy use reduction to date from previous cast iron boiler and water heater.


Mid 1950's Monoflo T system, Cast Iron Baseboard, 1700 Sq Ft house.

Installed Vitodens 6-24 with outdoor temp sensor, Low Loss Header, RS Sensor (indoor thermostate - adjust which setback curve the Vitodens is operating on based on house temps), concentric vent kit through side of house, and Vitocell 300 hot water tank.

Perry

John Mills_5

Primitive!

The stat does the staging. I don't have an outdoor thermostat, I just turn it off manually when it gets too cold. Check out the Honeywell Vision Pro IAQ. Designed for dual fuel and multistage. Using the outdoor thermistor, it will shut off the heat pump at a preset temp and switch to gas. It will also lock out backup at a preset temp. So for staging, if between the 2 setpoints where both types of heat are allowed... if the temp drops 2 degrees the pump shuts off and stage one gas turns on. Another degree and 2nd stage gas comes on. If below heat pump weather, then it cycles the 2 stages of gas as needed.

The Vision Pro 8320 works with single stage gas backup (or staged using the board timer) but will not bring on the backup if warm enough for the heat pump.

We've done a lot of dual fuel, really saves the bucks in our area. Not one complaint about heat pump heat yet!

John Roberts

My System

Moved in to an almost 20 year old scorched air Lennox nat. gas furnace in a 1959 ranch in Southern Maine.Installed a Weil Ultra 80 with a Plus 40 indirect, Wirsbo 3/8 hepex with joist-trak and R-19 FG insul. all wood floors except a tile kitchen. Seems to work fine, if it ever gets cold here I'll find out if it will heat the house!

Supply House Rick

What's in my basement

A Capital One Credit Card, don't want a visit from the Bezerkers!!!

The Wire Nut

Sideways...

I like conduit on the Taco, nice touch, keeps the wiring neat and eliminates the BX snakes so prevalent.

But you need to get that Deadmans sticker oriented properly!

GW

What area are you in?

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GW

Article 54G of the Heating Alliance of the Great Federation clearly states you may not share or entice any fellow heating professional whether by itemizing your wares or by simple reference the idea of a German Manufactured heating array or assembly. Failure to comply results in removal of referred array or assembly and replaced with a Raypack or a GlowCore. Please obey your duties as a fellow Craftsman and attach appropriate files to internet at once.

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soot_seeker_7

Glenn - tekmar mounting ....

glenn,

you & i apparently have similar ideas when it comes to mounting little tekmars... ;-)

ss

Ted_5

New home 1999

When I built in 99 I used what (I thought to be the way) everyone said it should be done. The house is all radiant floor. Boiler was a SlantFine Concept 86% AFUE LP primary/secondary, injection mixing and a Boch 40 gal indirect. I had 6 zones using zone motors not pumps.
In the fall of 2002 I changed to a Vitodens 200 and a 53 gal Vitocell. Also, I've never hook the stats back up. The house is running on out door reset only. That first heating season I used 400 gal less LP and that winter was colder then the 3 previous winters. That was about a 30% fuel savings.

Ted

Bob Sweet

Like a lot of people here

we bought a older home with FHA but it never made it to winter. (Still use it 45 yrs old) as an AH for A/C)

Ripped it out and put in 5 zones HWBB. CGA 4 went in the first winter, added Tekmar 260 second year, and put in a WM indirect(free, thank you Dahl supply) the third year.


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Unknown

Alex

That little copper saddle was done about 21 years ago when I had the old brass and galvanized water piping replaced. That was done to get up and over the "old" fill pipe. The new fill pipe isn't in the way anymore.

Glenn

Unknown

Tekmar Mount

That was actually the same panel I was going to use then I found the hinged one at Graingers and added the lock and key just for kicks! Nice job!

Glenn