How I spent my week last week... (ME)

Mark Eatherton1

The control is a tekmar 664, with return temp sensing. The dampers are on the combustion air side of these sealed combustion boilers.

ME

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Mark Eatherton1

The big job continues...

Hey gang, Been up to my butt in alligators, and am still looking for the drain to the swamp. Here in the high Rockies, there are two distinct seasons. There's construction season and ski season, and the line between the two is VERY thin. Now, I'm being held hostage by the ski season, and I still have a lot (8,000 feet) of work left to do outside, including an outdoor boiler system. Glad I excluded snow removal a site preperation from my contract!!

Here's what I did last week with the help of a fine young German trained hydronics technician (Richard Graves)

Thanks Rich, it's been a true pleasure working with you.

ME

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Dave Yates (PAH)

If this were HR's job site...

that wheelbarrow would be giving off some radiant warmth too! Beautifully done ME, as always

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Dan Peel

Digitally enhanced

That's one full sized 4 way. Days with those can turn into weeks. See you in two.....Dan

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hr

Nice work ME

Looks like you put some serious heat to those fittings! Nice work with big stuff.

I have some good "deep snow" stories form 25 years in the Utah mountains. Spent a year on a condo project half way up Deer Valley ski resort. Just walking to and from the truck with tools was a chore.

The framers would cover the jobsite with large tarps every night. Then they would gather the corners and connect cables and lift a big ball of powder snow off the job site. Next came the huge front loaders and 10 wheelers to haul snow all day long to snow storage areas. The logistics of winter construction in a 400 inch a year snow country are incredible, Chaining up the 4wds just to drive up the pass in the morning, watching for avalanches as we broke trail through 2 feet of snow. Wild times Have fun,and keep a pair of snow shoes in the cab!

hot rod

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Steve Ebels

Control??

What kind of control are you using to keep those P-K's out of condensation territory? Also, are those stack dampers on the boilers or is that some type of outside air device? Are you using direct outside air for combustion or just doing it indirectly?

ScottMP

Boiler ?

Mark ,

I 've never heard of thermific ?? Who are they ? Whats the control package on the front ? Gas, Oil ?


More info Please ...

Scott


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Alan(CaliforniaRadiant)Forbes

Could we

get a picture of the torch you used on that 4" tubing; type L or M? VERY impressive solder joints.

Funny you could get a 4" solder 4-way, but not a 4" solder ball valve.

Anything driving that mixing valve?

Nice work, ME.

Alan

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Jim Walls_2

Groovey

Nice looking job!,,,, Just curious ,,, I see some grooved pipe behind the boilers , did you switch to copper solder because of past problems or just personal preference ?

[Deleted User]

The big 4 way...

was the choice of the menical engineer. I suggested a smaller mixer bit was nixed.

ME

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[Deleted User]

tekmar 664....

have return water sensor to keep the Thermifics in good shape.

2 stage boiler control, minimum return, blah blah blah...

Should work great!!


ME

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[Deleted User]

Thermific = Patterson Kelly

Big bang for a small foot print. 1.7 mill input per boiler at sealevel. (36% less up here at 9,000 foot ASL)

If you ever get a chance to wrestle with these babies, be prepared for a top heavy load (1,000 lbs each).

Think BIG, think TOP HEAVY, think slow movement...

Only almost tipped them over about 6 times...

ME

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[Deleted User]

The torch....

was an oxy-acetlylene rig. If felt like you were hanging on to a jet engine when you turned the O2 on. Kinda shook in your hand.

You're correct on the sweat 4" valve. None in town. Had to go with 4" MIP adapters. Thats the ONLY place I thought I was going to have problems, and didn't.

I would have preferred to use a Rigid Viega O ring compression fitting, but the enginear wouldn't approve it.

More lessons to be taught...

ME

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[Deleted User]

Victaulic....

made all the sense in the world on the long runs (450 foot one way) in the distribution system, but didn't make sense in the mechanical room where weight and speed were necessary. I paid a premuim for the copper fittings, but saved a ton on the most expensive commodity I have, my labor.


I figure I did the mechanical room in 1/2 the time it would have taken using shed 40 and Vic fitings.

As I said, I could have saved a WHOLE lot of additional labor using compression fittings, but am dealing with a group of stoic old engineers who have been doing it "this way" for a long time and are unwilling to change. It was like pulling teeth just to get them to approve Victaulic for the S&R mains.

ME

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Dave_4

expansion 450 foot one way....

do you prefer expansion loops, compensators, braided flex or swing joints?

ScottMP

Patterson Kelly ?

I take it thats an American boiler. Having not done alot of commercial work I am familiar with them. Did the engineers spec that ?

Why not a Buderus thermostream ? Again probable the specs right ?

What type of solder ?

Scott

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[Deleted User]

The engineer...

required conventional the use of conventional 4 el expansion joints with thrust blocks between EJ's.

Contraction is as much of a pipe mover as expansion...

ME

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[Deleted User]

Yes...

it is an American boiler. Big BTU for a rather small for print, and yes, it was specefied by the owners engineer.

I would have preferred to use a condensing boiler like a Munchkin or Viessmann.

ME

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Jim Walls_2

not groovey , but far out

Mark , I figured that was the deciding factor , makes sense to me ,but thought I would ask , just in case there is a problem lurking that I should watch for.
We do a lot of school work and several years ago purchased a Rigid Power Pipe Cutter Model # 258. Along w/ the newest grooving tool , the pipe cutter is probably the best investment we have ever made. The deciding factor for us now ,is anything below 2 1/2" or fitting intensive is not cost effective for groove . This is more based on material cost than labor. Insulation cost also goes up.
The biggest problem we have now is making sure that if grooved material is allowed in the specifications that we order all specialties , i.e. air seperators , pumps , valves , etc.... grooved

Henry_4

You can tell

so much about a professional by the cleanliness of the install. I tell guys all of the time that every project done is a calling card. There is no need to advertise when the layout speaks for itself. My compliments to the installer.

Henry

TK

PK

Try Thermal Solutions from Burnham instead of PK

[Deleted User]

The solder

is Harris Bridgit.

ME

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