How offen do you see this

solradman

Was called to inspect a boiler system in a house that was being remodeled.  House was 50 some years old and the boiler was 1982 or 84 Weil McLain VHE forced draft series.  Note the foil tape all over the b-vent.  Definitely needs new boiler and venting. Near boiler piping looks good, straight and clean, but pressure gauge reads zero and when opening the drain at bottom of return pipe no water comes out.  Pulled out the air tank to pressurize the system but air went out as fast as I could put it in.  Pulled out the hose to fill the system and in no time at all water started leaking out of most of the near boiler piping joints and from inside the boiler.  The galv. piping looked new but the more I looked at it the more something did not look right.  Answer, No unions.  Checking the upper horz. pipe with the sticker, noticed that the installer(?) tighten one end of the pipe into one fitting then backed it out to tighten the other side.  Both the hot out and cold return to the boiler were done this way.  That's what happens when you try to save a buck.

Steamhead

Proving once again

you can't fix stupid!

icesailor

WWorse that that:

That venting is illegal. That is a VHE boiler that is condensing. You must use SS venting. They used "B" vent with galvanized and aluminum liner for gas and then wrapped the pipe with aluminum tape. There is a condensate drain on the side of the boiler. When they were new, a lot were vented with Plex- Vent that was outlawed and if that unit had Plex-Vent, it may have been replaced with the "B" vent. It has a power vent fan and is not supposed to be vented into a masonry chimney.

That is one fine example of Hackaroo work.

solradman

your right

Your right it is a condensing boiler.  The condensate pump was hanging from the line just out of site.  The venting terminated to the outside through the rim joist. Tthe venting was totally shot and came apart with just a shake.  I'm holding it apart to take this picture.  Asked my Ferguson rep. and he said that with this boiler b-vent was a common fix.  Sreamhead's right.

gennady

boiler

Boiler probably was installed by lowest bidder.

Ironman

Maybe...

The homeowner did it himself. Home Depot will cut and thread galvanized pipe to your specs, but not black iron. They don't want the liability for black iron being used in a gas line.

Jack

Please post

A pic of the vent pipe when you take it apart. That should be interesting

icesailor

Common "B" Vent Fix:

"B" vent may have been the common fix for the Hackaroos but it was never a legal fix. "B" vent has never been approved for use on condensing boilers. You had to use Stainless Steel. It was and is more expensive.

It's fortunate that the homeowner didn't suffer a serious case of excessive CO inhalation.

There is a special condensate collector that should be on the side of the boiler. It isn't there. There is a special tee where the exhaust comes out of the boiler that has a special reducer on the bottom that collects the condensate, sends it through the trap and into the condensate drain. It isn't there. There isn't anything about that venting that will pass the smell or puke test.

Another "Expert" homeowner  or low bid installer.

It's like the installs I used to see in multi-million dollar houses with multi-head showers, marble and granite counter-tops, whirlpools, air handlers and AC, 100 gallon Super-Stor In-directs, all fed by a Weil-McLain CGI LP Gas boiler with a standing pilot, and vented into a huge chimney flue, like 16" X 16" with 3" galvanized single wall 28 guage smoke pipe..

Just plain Stupid.

But as my electrician friend keeps reminding me, "They're Smart. We're NOT."

icesailor

"B" Vent Redux:

****,

Is that the gas regulator under the exhaust? I seem to remember something about that. And an operable window within 4' of the exhaust and regulator? I don't see any pipe leading away from the regulator vent.

Is that install in Hicksville Notch, just East of South Fum Bluck? That sure couldn't have been inspected by any code authority having jurisdiction. And it looks like galvanized pipe outside from the regulator and into the building. Is that 3/8" OD the gas line feeding the boiler? I'll bet that the boiler ran just peachy in the winter time.

And judging by what appears to be a B&G P-3 high volume pump, the whole thing must have been a nightmare.

That my friend is a really nice Flustered Cluck. It belongs on the HVAC-Talk "Wall Of Shame" for all to enjoy.

Makes me realize again why I carry my personal CO detector with me when I go near anything like this. It could kill me. I have a customer who is a private pilot and has his own plane. He showed me his personal CO detector that is on a Key Chain that he carries on the keys to his airplane. He never flies without it. He paid less than $200.00 for it. It fits in his pocket. Anyone interested, I'll find out and post the info.

Stuff like this from Hackaroo's can kill us and we won't even know it's coming.

icesailor

Personel CO detectors:

Here is a link to inexpensive personel CO detectors that private pilots in small aircraft use.



http://www.aircraftspruce.com/menus/ps/carbonmonoxidedetectors_0portable.html

Ironman

Tree Branch?

Why is there a tree branch wrapped around the gas line? Is it real or artificial? Is there more to this story than what the pics show?

Jean-David Beyer

If he was trying to save money,

why did he use galvanized pipe when he could have used the stuff for electrical conduits?