Testing Honeywell Pressuretrols (with custom rig)

ChrisJ

Fred said:

ChrisJ said:

Fred said:

@chris, my Vaporstat and my usable gauge are actually on a separete pigtail. Like I said, That's my preference. I can see a water leak from the pigtail or the fittings around these devices much easier than I can see/hear and air leak. It's all good if your local code allows that set up and if Weil Mclain doesn't have a problem with it. I certainly don't. I just offered my opinion as to my preferences, as you so often do.

You don't need to see an air leak, it's easy.
Touch the pipe, is it hot? If so and towards the controls, you've got a leak.

You may be able to see a water leak, but you can't see a clog when you're in bed.

You can't touch the pipe from bed either and you can't feel a "Hot pipe" unless the boiler is in a heat cycle or shortly thereafter. Proper annual maintenance, something we always encourage, on this site, also precludes a clog.

Put a dab of heatsink compound on a bi-metal switch that is normally closed and set to trip at 180F. Mount this to the side of the pipe up high and wire it inline with the burner. If the pipe ever gets any steam in it, the burner will shut down.

BAM! safe from leaks now too and still clog free.


@Dan Holohan What do you think? Can I start my engineering career now?

KC_Jones

And you could connect it to an alarm in your bedroom to wake you up to take care of "the baby".

Fred

Or leave it on a pigtail and do the proper annual maintenance. I'm just sayin..... I'm not into adding additional components to compensate for a set-up that already works like it should. Again, just my perspective.

ChrisJ

Fred said:

Or leave it on a pigtail and do the proper annual maintenance. I'm just sayin..... I'm not into adding additional components to compensate for a set-up that already works like it should. Again, just my perspective.

I went this route because I had nothing but problems with the pigtail. That, and Dwyer's technical support agreed the pigtail was a problem and eliminating it should work with their devices set up as I have shown.


When you operate at low pressures, you'll find the trapped slug of water ends up pulling against the gauge and or switch showing a false vacuum. It also tends to trap moisture in the devices which also causes problems.

A few years back someone on here damaged their Wika 3 PSI gauge by constantly compensating it trying to re-zero it because their pigtail kept forcing the gauge to show a slight vacuum.

EBEBRATT-Ed

Myself I don't think there is a problem with @ChrisJ pressure control/safety valve set up.

Relief valve mounted stem up as required, close to the boiler with minimum fittings.

BobC

I think the only thing they check is that the pressuretrol opens at it's maximum set level. From an insurance POV that is all they are responsible for, what it does at lower levels is not their concern.

Bob

Mark Eatherton

Within the protocol for control standards, there is an allowable deviation factor. If their controls are within this range, even though we consider it sloppy, they are in compliance with the "standard". Bi-metal switches have the highest slop of any controls out there.

ME

LionA29

With all the emotions aside, just as @Sailah developed the " Bigmouth" and listen to the HH members (@gerry gill) for a better product why hasn't anyone or company developed something better than this inaccurate pressuretrol?

RomanGK_26986764589

EzzyT installed a trap instead of a pigtail when he re piped my boiler. Works well so far!

MarkS

ChrisJ said:

I believe both @MarkS and @KC_Jones have also eliminated their pigtails on their own secondary controls.

I have the (useless) pressuretrol on a pigtail. A 0-2" WC Magnehelic gauge and a 0-5" WC Magnesense pressure transmitter (for the modulating control) are on an 18" vertical standpipe. Any leaks would be readily apparent since the burner would run at high fire rather than modulating down on pressure increase.

EBEBRATT-Ed

Supply and demand.
Most of the country is heated with forced air (unfortunately). The remainder is hot water & steam which is a small portion of the total. And since steam has not been installed much since the 1940s it's a small portion of that.

If there was more demand someone would make it.

Maybe Barnes & Jones!!

EBEBRATT-Ed

@Hatterasguy your right, I remember that post now.

Just my opinion, but I don't think the vaporstat is necessary in most cases. If the boiler and firing rate are right in most but not all cases you can heat the building without building pressure. Especially residential.

Danny Scully

Life tip @Hatterasguy, it's considered inappropriate anywhere (not that I'm the one you're referring to). Professionalism is the trait most commonly practiced on this site (as well as in life) by most of the professional plumbing/heating contractors who advertise here.

Danny Scully

Why say something that has no meaning @Hatterasguy? That's not like you. I use emojis for that

Danny Scully

There's the @hatterasguy I know! Insulting people, good to have to back now THATS tongue in cheek!

ChrisJ

My boiler is only 500 pounds I think, so you're not talking about me.

That, and I use a single Dwyer switch set to trip at 1 ounce which makes the Ecosteam go into hold mode for 10 minutes. It's never happened, even during a 9 degree recovery.

KC_Jones

If @ChrisJ boiler ever hits 1 ounce of pressure I fear nationwide anarchy would soon follow that event.

ChrisJ

KC_Jones said:

If @ChrisJ boiler ever hits 1 ounce of pressure I fear nationwide anarchy would soon follow that event.

Gordo

If anything, the old mercury pressure controls, the L404A 1354 and the like, were worse!

These make the PA404 look great by comparison.

We had about 10 of these Hg controls in our stock at one time. Some were still in their factory packaging.

We tested them and found ALL of them to be way off by at least three pounds with poor resetting results at the lowest settings.

The only advantage to these controls was you could see the Hg bulb tip (or not) when they worked... or not.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JgdHYQsa5hg