Now I have seen everything

Steve Ebels_3

Although I've said that before.......I think this truuuuuly takes the top prize for hydronic stupidity.



Got a call from a lady who wants to buy a Garn wood boiler and have it hooked up to her existing radiant floor system, so I went to see her and the system. From the several phone conversations we had prior to my site visit it was abundantly clear that she had some real "issues" with the installing contractor of her new home. When I got there and laid eyes on the piping I could see why. I wish I had taken my camera. The guy must have some kind of a thing about running pipes vertically. All of the boiler and zone piping runs vertically from floor to ceiling with zone valves stuck in here and there. The whole bundle is maybe 12" in diameter and tubes are so close together that it is impossible to get the covers off the Honeywell ZV's. I was standing there contemplating the mental capacity of the person who did the job and the inspector that approved it when I saw it.............<strong>It</strong> being the tubing he used for the radiant floor.  I looked down at the manifold for the basement floor and I count 1,2,3 loops of 1/2" Wirsbo and then a hunk of yellow 3/4" tube connected to it. What the............????   I got the flashlight out and on my hands and kness see the following printed on the yellow stuff. <strong> "for gas use only"  !!!!!    <strong>

</strong></strong>Then, with a sinking feeling I walked over to where the main floor manifold was located and sure enough, every one of the loops is yellow poly gas line. The homeowner and I had a little chat at that point. Turns out she was aware that the tube was not Wirsbo as she had requested but was unaware that it was not approved for hot water use. I looked again in disbelief at the green approval sticker on the 2 year old rusted hulk that was once a Trianco Heatmakerand wondered what twisted logic or sheer ignorance possesed the inspector who approved the system.



Here's the best part. The customer works at a medical office and one day she saw the original installer walk in........turns out he's a psychiatric patient.  Go figure..........



I have a feeling that I will probably get the job and if so I will take pictures of it before the sawzall surgery takes place. It is truly something to see.

DanHolohan

We should move this one

to the HeatingHell section. In America, everyone gets to work.

Steamhead

Can't make this stuff up

you think the inspector was Hector's cousin?



Bet she got a good price........

Paul Pollets

Same kind of week...

Steve, you'll like this...I was called on Monday to look at a job we fixed last year. The contractor tried to Install a Vitodens 100 and a staple-up. The loops (3/8"pex) were over 400 feet and no plates. We removed the staple-up and put in wall panel rads and installed the boiler, which was never installed. The contractor had never done a staple-up or a Viessmann mod-con.  The owner is a landscape architect. The owner just put an addition on the home and complained her water bill had doubled. It turns out the new contractor hooked the radiant manifold to the outlet of the indirect HW tank.  When I asked why she didn't call us to do the install, considering we did the forensic fix, she remarked that she was "worried about the cost'".  Go figure.  Stupid is as stupid does...

Big-Al_2

Careful . . .

"Here's the best part. The customer works at a medical office and one

day she saw the original installer walk in........turns out he's a

psychiatric patient.  Go figure.........."



About one in ten people will seek mental health care in their lifetimes.  Most of those who get the help will get their lives back on track and be more productive than ever.  Lets not paint with such a broad brush.  I'm sure there are people who visit this site who sought care and got healthy again.  Don't ever think it can't happen to you, because it can.



That being said . . . it sounds like the guy's work was a total fiasco. 

Steve Ebels_3

You're right Al

That was a very broad swipe re: the psych patient thing. Heck some in my extended family have sought counseling. ...........and many say I need it too



I have to say though that the piping looked like a Rorschach test where a bunch of lines and shapes are printed on a paper and a person has to describe what they see.

Big-Al_2

They say . . .

The ones who don't get help are the ones ya gotta worry about . .  hehehe.  I'm fine now.  Really, I am . . . Just don't ask my wife.



No cure for stupidity though . . . sounds like you've seen plenty of evidence of that . . .