amature piping adventure

Scott Kneeland

Save money in the long run and hire a pro to do it. It will save you money and mega time when all is finished. And remember safety is my main intent here. As I have said before "this ain't a hobby".

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aji

I'm about to start installing the heating system in an old one-room schoolhouse that I'm restoring. I've collected some nice old victorian rads,(all tested), I got on old Oster Pipemaster threader with dies for almost nothing and I've tracked down a good deal on black pipe. So now I just need to know what the hell I'm doing!? :-)

Seems like a two pipe with seperate feed and return is the easiest/most logical piping layout.
I was just going to use 3/4" pipe for every run(no more than 4 rads)from boiler.
I know these are the sort of questions that drive pro's nuts but are there any major problems I could run into?
Anything I really need to stop and calculate?
I'll probably hire someone for the boiler piping and install but I need to save some cash on the rest.

From the boiler there be two seperate circuits, both with 3 radiators(about 12,000btus each)

Thanks

Also, are there any books(that I could understand) that would help?

fatty

best of luck

as a hydronics novice i can only offer you the bare bones of advice.

1. dan holohan's books... (which i think have something to do with this site - for me the books came first) are very good for laymen. they helped get me all bitten and obsessed.

2. threading and fitting pipe right is really... really, hard. its truly an art. i still look at some of the old jobs around philly here and marvel at the preciseness. you have to see a few steps ahead, as you turn pipe it in turn can turn the pipes that you have left turned behind you. phew. a crossed thread can send the pipe askew.

3. there is a lot to consider/measure. sounds like you're starting from scratch. building heatloss calculation? boiler sizing? system head? circulator size? projected delta T? balance? controls? these aren't inaccessible aspects of the job, but they can't be guessed at by any means. not by someone like us. but that can be discovered, and then you will at least be shooting in dim light... which does make a big difference.

JK_3

Do it right

I have been involved in 2 similar projects where both cost and wanting to learn were major factors. I suggest at a min. you start with a few books so that you can truly understand how involved the project is. next find a qualifed professional that is willing to work with you.Understand that he is a professional in bis to make a living and time is money.The 2 projects that i did like this I charged a fee to do all the heat loss calcs and system design. then each time the owner progressed so far they would pay me for a 1 hour consult to come look over what they have done an guide them in the next step. itt is very important that you proform any testing that they reccomend as you go to avoid redoing a lot of work as well as any safety issues. testing as you go may seem very time consuming but it can actually save time and problems that you may never realize.also if you find aprofessional willing to work this way with you it is better to not strain the relationship by thinking you know better. that would be like your auto mech telling you you need new breaks and you thinking you can just put your feet out like fred flintstone to stop instead. good luck and happy turkey day.

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