Hello, My Name is Mark, & I'm A Wallaholic

knotgrumpy

OK, so how much of a nerd am I? I read the trouble shooting threads on here like they are Michael Connelly mysteries.  Surely there is help, somewhere, for poor souls like me?



Mark



PS - I have a 1950's 6 zone 1 1/4" Monoflow system piped **** backwards.  Black Iron Piping that was done by some real craftsman.  Went from coal, to oil and now a nat gas cast iron CGi boiler installed by a firm I trusted, but not so much anymore.  I have a trillion questions.



But not tonight. 

Gordan

Welcome!

Your system sounds a lot like the system I just finished ripping out of my house. Emitters were all convectors recessed into window boxes. Although I went with radiant ceilings and it didn't make sense for me to retain any of the original piping, it was a sight to behold, sturdy and well laid out. No zones on mine, though - in fact, it seems to me like zoning, the way it is usually applied, would be somewhat of a poor match for a monoflo system your size.



Anyway... ask away!

Gordo

Hi

Mark!

supt

trouble

my boiler vacuum system return has too much water. i have 2 new Gordon Piatt boilers.

nicholas bonham-carter

Try posting in the steam section

For a quicker response--NBC

knotgrumpy

Hi

Gordo!

knotgrumpy

Well, to start with

I have come to realize my system as the installer of the gas boiler set it up, has little in the way of low water temp protection.



He has an attempt at a bypass, but then installed an older Honeywell ODR control that has no provision for setting a floor for the water temp in the boiler.



Water temps in the 110 to 120 range not uncommon. Not hot enough for boiler protection, nor it seems, for good performance from the cast iron convectors.



The thermostats close relay, turn on zone pump, go through ODR and fire boiler to target temp. Water in boiler may have went to room temp - up it goes to whatever offset in ODR determines.



I've determined this to be the first issue I need to address.



I've watched a zone call for heat with water temp in boiler go down to 85f. I'm not a 'certified' boiler tech, but surely that can't be good.

Zman

Pictures?

Mark,

Do you have pictures of the near boiler piping?

Carl

knotgrumpy

For what it's worth...

You can see they just chopped the old large boiler out and attached the NG boiler in its place.



Pumps on return.



Unsure on boiler temp control.



No straight run before Air Scoop.



No type of strainer.



I have a mish mash of pumps.



He left me two stubs to plumb in a radiator/convector in bathroom. That 3/4" line a UPS pump is mine. His supply stub was before the well that held the temp probe for ODR. Almost made steam when I turned that loop on. Sensor never saw temp rise.



I moved his sensor.



I want to start from scratch on all the near boiler piping.



It is what it is now. It is not what I want it to be.

knotgrumpy

Sorry

They posted sideways.

Zman

Yikes!!

Mark,

That is quite a mess. Check out theses arrangements from tekmar http://www.tekmarcontrols.com/images/_literature/362_d_06.pdf

You can manage the outdoor reset temp to the zones and keep your boiler temp in range with one controller.

I would consider eliminating the zone circs and going to zone valves.

Carl

knotgrumpy

The Tekmar model I was looking at

was the 330, I think. 

I would indeed like to go to zone valves.  I can sell my B&G circs as antiques :-)

I am good with my hands, like to work hard, like to learn.  So I'm looking forward to the renovation once I am sure the direction to take.

I have two goals.  Make the system as elegant as possible.  And, since we are probably going to be selling this house to move to a smaller place, make the system 'saleable' to a home inspector as far as quality and simplicity.

Mark

Zman

Big project

Mark,

Are all your radiators the same type? Will they all need the same water temp?



To me, boiler piping is much cleaner if you can get it on a wall strapped up with unistrut.

It just looks nicer and is easier to work on than the 3 stooges a plumbing we will go routine.



This looks like a big DYI project. How is your pipe sweating skill?



Carl

knotgrumpy

Sweating skills

Are pretty good, I think. Not afraid of it.



I agree. All laid out logically on a wall. Not like a Timothy Leary bad trip.



The manifold that used to be above the old VW sized boiler I think made some logical sense at the time. May have been whatever state of the art was at the time.



The last two contractors have been butchers. The last one just basically cobbled together some sweat fitting to attach his boiler to so he could collect a check.

knotgrumpy

Radiators

Carl, three zones are radiators. Two zones are cast iron convectors. One is baseboard fin/tube with iron pipe for the tube, not copper.

knotgrumpy

And the cats

Are not to keen on ditching the convectors.

Zman

Trying to figure....

I was trying to figure if all your zones should be running at the same temp. You could do a room by room heat loss then try to guess at the output of the different temps. It would be difficult with older rads.

They are all running at the same temp now?

How hard would it be to make new homeruns to each rad?

Carl

knotgrumpy

All one temp

I have easy access to everything. I have all of the calculations on the emitters here somewhere.

I redid the pictures a bit. Might make more sense now.