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She's Steaming - Alan(CaliforniaRadiant)Forbes

Brian (Tankless) Wood
Brian (Tankless) Wood Member Posts: 222
in THE MAIN WALL
I really didn't know, and needed the input. Now that I make a mental comparison based on experience in dissmantelation (SP-Grin) of piping, you are right.

Thanks again.

Regards, from a more educated "Coonass" in Swampland.

Comments

  • Alan(CaliforniaRadiant)Forbes
    Alan(CaliforniaRadiant)Forbes Member Posts: 1,243
    For those of you

    who don't know, this was our first steam job. We skimmed the boiler this morning and turned it on expecting all the worst (i.e.banging pipes, leaks), but only got the best; the system came on as soon as we flipped the SSU and steamed without a problem. We had replaced the main vents and the radiators heated up extremely quickly.

    Thanks to Mad Dog, Mark Hunt and Dan H. for all the tips and answers to my many questions. And a special thanks to my supplier, Power Boiler Sales here in Berkeley; Bruce Tompkins and Jim Burkhardt were very supportive; Bruce came out once to size the boiler and then again to make sure the installation was going well and explain all the controls.

    If you guys see anything wrong with the installation, let me know.

    All the best,

    Alan
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  • Steamhead
    Steamhead Member Posts: 17,339
    Looks Good to me

    the only other thing I'd do is insulate the steam pipes. This will make the heat come up much fater and save a lot of fuel. You want the steam to condense and give off its heat in the radiators, not the pipes.

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  • Andy N.
    Andy N. Member Posts: 53
    nice job

    nice job on the install. just wondering, why did you use a prv on the make up line? where did you tie the make up water in at?

    nice work.
    Andy
  • Unknown
    Unknown
    Looks good to me also

    Looks like a Peerless gas boiler ? Great idea piping in a pressure reducer before the 47-2 LWCO . And the full size skim valve is a plus. Hey Alan , how many steam boilers do you see out there ? If this was your first one , there cant be many .

    We had some troubles using the 47-2 . On a few installs they flooded the boiler . Now we use the 67 with the Uni-Match feeder . With the built in delay in the feeder , and the price for both being alot cheaper than the 47-2 , it works out well . Good work Alan.
  • Unknown
    Unknown Member
    .

    Good job, Alan. Keep the steamers alive! Noel
  • Alan(CaliforniaRadiant)Forbes
    Alan(CaliforniaRadiant)Forbes Member Posts: 1,243
    We just finished

    insulating the pipes this afternoon, Steamhead; thanks for the reminder, though. And Andy, it was recommended that we install the PRV; make-up gets tied in on the return, before the Hartford loop. The boiler is a Peerless 61-05.

    Ron, Jr.: There's a lot of steam out here, but probably not as much as other parts of the country although I could easily keep busy all year just doing steam. There aren't that many good mechanics and they're dying off or moving away faster than they're training them. We haven't done more steam since we know plumbing and hot water hydronics a lot better and I usually overprice the steam jobs we see since I don't know it as well.

    By the way, I got a call from my Viessmann rep. re: this job; seems as though one of the owners is either related or is a good friend of Dr. Viessmann and they asked me to take good care of them. Unfortunately, Viessmann doesn't make steam boilers.

    All the best,

    Alan

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  • DanHolohan
    DanHolohan Member, Moderator, Administrator Posts: 16,598
    Hard to believe

    this is your first. Well done!
    Retired and loving it.
  • Boilerpro
    Boilerpro Member Posts: 410
    Maybe..

    > who don't know, this was our first steam job. We

    > skimmed the boiler this morning and turned it on

    > expecting all the worst (i.e.banging pipes,

    > leaks), but only got the best; the system came on

    > as soon as we flipped the SSU and steamed without

    > a problem. We had replaced the main vents and

    > the radiators heated up extremely quickly.

    > Thanks to Mad Dog, Mark Hunt and Dan H. for all

    > the tips and answers to my many questions. And a

    > special thanks to my supplier, Power Boiler Sales

    > here in Berkeley; Bruce Tompkins and Jim

    > Burkhardt were very supportive; Bruce came out

    > once to size the boiler and then again to make

    > sure the installation was going well and explain

    > all the controls.

    >

    > If you guys see anything

    > wrong with the installation, let me know.

    >

    > All

    > the best,

    >

    > Alan _A

    > HREF="http://www.heatinghelp.com/getListed.cfm?id=

    > 53&Step=30"_To Learn More About This Contractor,

    > Click Here to Visit Their Ad in "Find A

    > Contractor"_/A_



  • Boilerpro
    Boilerpro Member Posts: 410
    Feels good, doesn't it

    My only concern would to leave a little more pipe between the boiler riser and the first take off. May give the header more space to do its job....let the water drop to the bottom and steam head to the top. However, the experts have spoken (Steamhead and Dan), and it works. Nothing better than doing something new and having it work right off the bat!

    Boilerpro
  • Brian (Tankless) Wood
    Brian (Tankless) Wood Member Posts: 222
    Is teflon ok with steam

    The next steam job I do will be the first, would like to do it right first time.

    Nice work, Sir Alan.

    Brian in very steamy humid Swampland (installing lots of "Takagi's" down here for Cajun Coonasses")

    "Coonass" is a term of endearment depending on who you are talking to. To the wrong one's, it'll get you a permanent vacation in a a marsh with no return.....gulp!!! Fortunately, the locals have taken to my quaint, cute English accent, like my water heaters, and haven't used me for bait,,,,,,yet.

    Take care out there, and is teflon really ok on steam? or am I spending too much time in "Fred's Bar" where more women ride Harleys than men do? Outta steam, gotta go, a lady on a bike is calling.

  • Unknown
    Unknown
    Ive been using Teflon tape

    on steam fittings since 1986 , and never had a problem . Once you try taking apart a steam fitting without Teflon in it , well..... you probably wont get it apart . The thing I heard is that you want to stay away from petroleum based sealants for steam . Especially if the boiler is put together with gaskets .
  • ScottMP
    ScottMP Member Posts: 5,883
    A question

    Alan , just a thought, but should'nt the backflow preventer be installed Before the fast-fill ? I believe the fast-fill has a small check that would impeded the back-flows operation.

    Nice looking work, I dont mean to be picky but these wallies have made me look close at every photo. :).

    scott

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  • Mark Hunt
    Mark Hunt Member Posts: 4,908
    That wasn't

    so hard now was it!?!?!?!?

    Great job!!!

    Mark H

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  • Dale
    Dale Member Posts: 1,317
    How did your hours and parts cost estimate

    match your actual work? Estimating is always the interesting part of the job. How close did you do on your first one? I wonder how many correctly done jobs one needs to do before the learning curve flattens out.
  • Dale
    Dale Member Posts: 1,317
    How did your hours and parts cost estimate

    match your actual work? Estimating is always the interesting part of the job. How close did you do on your first one? I wonder how many correctly done jobs one needs to do before the learning curve flattens out.
  • Unknown
    Unknown
    We had so much trouble

    installing the backflow preventer with the vent - before the pressure reducer , that we switched to using the backflow without the vent. We use the Taco iron feeder , so we had no choice. Seems that when the temperature builds in the boiler , the pressure increases so much between the feeder and PRV , that it kicked the vent open quite a few times. It looks like Alan used an all brass feeder , so theres no iron that can be pushed into the system. The pressure reducers wont let flow go the opposite way - but if it affects the backflow , I dont know.
  • Mad Dog
    Mad Dog Member Posts: 2,595
    Your first steamer.

    Very well done...Love the "onion" right outta the tapping..and I loved how you "blew up" to a larger size. So???? Are you gonna start doing some more steam????? Not so bad right? Nothin' like working with manly sized fittings and wrenches!!! Teflon works, but I still love my lampwick and rector seal. Mad Dog

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  • Mike Kraft
    Mike Kraft Member Posts: 406
    Take a bow

    California dude..........Glad it went smooth........waiting to see #2.

    cheese
  • Alan(CaliforniaRadiant)Forbes
    Alan(CaliforniaRadiant)Forbes Member Posts: 1,243
    It always takes longer

    than you think it will, even when you double your estimate.

    Did I make any money? Yes, I did. I only loose money when I work for family, friends or my children's school. I don't go to church anymore so I can't loose money working for them.

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This discussion has been closed.

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