Finally new system install, vaporstat question

Maine Vent

Got our new Weil Mclean SGO installed today. Great job, will share more later. I'm tuckered right out. I have build a similar pigtail to what crash had posted, I mounted a vaporstat in the middle of the gauges. I have been a faithful reader, and I take the Pros advice very seriously. We were getting ready to fire the boiler, and I said to my heating pro, should I add some water to the pigtail. He said no, you never add water to the pigtail. I think I know the answer, and I think he was wrong. I am just asking for confirmation on this topic. Dry pigtails and hot steam will ruin gauges and vaporstats correct.

Thanks to all for your advice over the years, especially to Al Letellier who guided me and who was going to help me with install.

Rod

Filling the Pigtail

Hi - I've heard it both ways. 1. "Don't bother adding water to the pigtail as when steam hits the cold pigtail, it will condense anyway and fill the pigtail". 2; "Might as well have your gauges protected right from the start. Install the pigtail and then add water before installing the last gauge.  The pigtail will accept as much as it has capacity for and the rest will flow into the boiler".  Myself, I'm cautious and would tak the second approach, however, I think either is probably okay.

Just my 2 cents.

- Rod

gerry gill

put water in it.

otherwise it might as well not be there..yes, it will eventually condense and fill..but nit right away.

Jean-David Beyer

If you think it is necessary to fill the pigtail, ...

... you should see what my former contractor did not fill, in  spite of the installation manual saying they must. That's right, the condensate trap. They said it would fill pretty quickly when they turned it on. Well, since the entire installation was new, and the indirect was cold (both the water jacket and the domestic water), it did fill rather soon. But since they did not set it up with a combustion analyzer, and since they put no water in the trap, they were probably filling my garage, where the boiler is, with carbon monoxide. Fortunately, the garage door was wide open. What if the boiler were inside my house?



Why are some contractors so proud of their ability to do things without using the manual? And where do the get these calibrated eyeballs that enable them to set  combustion screws by looking through that dime-sized peephole in the burner?

crash2009

Fill the pigtail with water

I did not fill my pigtail the first time I fired the boiler.  The pigtail got hot all the way to the gauges.  I had the old pressuretrol on there at the time.  The gauges still work, but I really won't know if I did any damage, until I have to replace the gauges prematurely.  I will not make that mistake again. 

My vote is to fill a new or freshly cleaned pigtail prior to firing the boiler.

I have snubbers installed, that may have acted as a cushion, and prevented damage   http://www.raysnubber.com/  I am using model 722BG 0-5000 psi.  I ordered the snubbers from pexsupply or thegaugestore.



So, how is your new system running?

Hap_Hazzard

Living in the past?

Maybe they think it's still 1970. The manual that came with my boiler says to adjust the burners by decreasing the air flow until the flame shows yellow tips, then increase it until they just disappear.

Jean-David Beyer

Living in the past?

Hey! 1970 was 40 years ago. Most of the techicians working today (not owners, but their employees) were probably not working then, or just beginning. The ones I was dealing with were not in their 60s, but probably in their late 30s, 40s, or early 50s. I guess they could have learned from their fathers, in some cases, and did not know how to read, so never read the manual for the boiler they were installing or maintaining. In the medical and psychotherapy business, licensed practicioners are required to take a required number of hours of continuing educatioin courses to keep their licenses. These courses do take time and cost money (why should the teachers work for free?).



I suppose if your flame is burning yellow (gas), adjusting it to be mostly blue could be a good first step. But I read the installation manual for my boiler and they do say what the flame should look like, but the caution you not to adjust the mixture screw without suitable test equipment.

Maine Vent

One issue

Start up went fine, still have to skim it on Tuesday. One issue today my honeywell thermostat, did not fire the boiler. It's a conventional looking honeywell, without the mercury filled tube. I am going to play around with it today and see how it responds to starting and stopping the boiler. I don't think this thermostat has a adjustable setting like the mercury filled ones do. I forgot the term for this adjustment, it does something with the milliamperage. I think. Other than that it's nice not to see steam coming out my chimney, and my radiators getting hot. I have a question for you crash, my gauges don't seem to reading my boiler pressure. do you think the snubbers can cause this. I got the snubbers from mcmaster, they are good ones. What do think? I'll post some photos after the weekend. Thanks for all your help.

crash2009

Thermostat and Gauges

Re-thermostat, see if you can find the model number on it or post a picture of it.  Somebody here will recognise it and tell ya all about it.  The term you are looking for is "anticipator".  Most steam systems are set to 1.2, I had to use a magnifying glass to read the numbers on mine when I set the anticipator.  Mine was inside, I had to take the cover off.



Do your gauges show anything at all?  Does the pigtail get hot near the bottom or anywhere on it?  Has anyone tested your  vaporstat?