What do you think about this?

Tom M.

What do you think would happen if you installed a cast iron steam boiler with the following modifications?

Remove all "insulation" from combustion area.

Do not install a draft regulator because it is a "dangerous gadget".

Fire burner at a rate other than that recommended by the boiler and burner manufacturer.

Use tankless water heater in a cold start/ on demand configuration that uses a 10 min. timer relay and a switch that must be turned on and off in anticipation of a need for DHW in the off season.

Do you think I am crazy? Apparently, by not aplying these concepts, I am providing my customers with poor service in an attempt to sell them more oil. Please read this:

http://www.petroretail.net/fon/2003/0305/0305eff.asp

My opinion is that the burner firing against bare cast iron in a cold start situation (maybe twice a day or more) will stress the metal over time. Also, the smaller firing rate with no combustion chamber would cause a lower flame temperature and incomplete combustion. There could also be condensation that would result in corrosion to the boiler, and possibly damage to the smoke pipe and chimney.

What do you guys think?

Tom M.

Strange concepts

What do you think would happen if you installed a cast iron steam boiler with the following modifications?

Remove all "insulation" from combustion area.

Do not install a draft regulator because it is a "dangerous gadget".

Fire burner at a rate other than that recommended by the boiler and burner manufacturer.

Use tankless water heater in a cold start/ on demand configuration that uses a 10 min. timer relay and a switch that must be turned on and off in anticipation of a need for DHW in the off season.

Do you think I am crazy? Apparently, by not applying these concepts, I am providing my customers with poor service in an attempt to sell them more oil. Please read this:

http://www.petroretail.net/fon/2003/0305/0305eff.asp

My opinion is that the burner firing against bare cast iron in a cold start situation (maybe twice a day or more) will stress the metal over time. Also, the smaller firing rate with no combustion chamber would cause a lower flame temperature and incomplete combustion. There could also be condensation that would result in corrosion to the boiler, and possibly damage to the smoke pipe and chimney.

Also, if ANYTHING happened in this house, the boiler and burner manufacturers would not back you up and your insurance company would probably drop you as well.

What do you guys think?

Tom M.

ed wallace

strange ideas

just read the full story in fuel oil news he also advocates no pressure reducing valveand a valve to isolate the system from the domestic water suppy evedently hes never considered what could happen with a lack of water in a hot water boiler best guess hes another engineer with his head up his you know what

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Tom Meyer

Probably he's an engineer

who heard you theoretically don't need fill water after the system has been correctly filled and brought into service.

Back when I learned the trade, there was a thought going around that if you left the fill water attached, you'd never know there was a leak. The whole idea was based on making sure you had a low water cut-off installed on the system.

I'm not endorsing this idea, but like many things hydronic, there are many different thoughts.

That being said, the rest of the "procedure" sounds like boiler voodoo to me.

Senior Designer/Trainer
Precision Hydronics Corporation
www.precisionhydronics.com

Mark Hunt

I wonder


if this guy worked at Chernobyl?

Mark H

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kevin

is ths a....

joke? 3/4 inch headers for a boiler? was this the April 1st issue? He must have worked at Chernobyl....this is sounding like amateur nite ...along w/ the radiant floor on another post that wasn't using any insulation under a staple up...kpc

MikeR

Who's fault...

Why was the article published? Maybe someone should ask the editor just what it was about the article that convinced him that it was worthy of their magazine.

Dave Palmer_3

gee, I wish he would clean my boiler

Dave Palmer_3

gee, I wish he would clean my boiler