Good Places for a HO to Learn about HW Heating?

Peter R in the Mtns of Colorado

I am a very expereinced DIY homeowner who recently bought a 3 year old home and it has hydronic in-floor heat. Many of the floors are wood. How do I find out more about how the heat and domestic hw works, should work, fine tuning, annual maintenance. It has a Crown ABF0210 boiler, Extrol Phase III Tr75 water heater, Tekmar 354 controler, Jaco circulator and HW zone valves (7).

The Crown Boiler manual was little help. The Tekmar Install manual was wonderful. And the Phase III a bit of info on annual maintenance.

I tried calling two "pros" and said I would like to pay them their regular rate to walk me through the system. When both found out the system was working fine, they told me they were to busy. I cannot find the original installer.

I do not want to make major repairs or rebuild the system, just learn about it, take care of it and have a clue what is going on when I a pro to fix it. Any ideas on a good source for that info?

I do not know if I should blindly trust the Crown or Tekmar manuals. It "appears" that the Tekmar was VERY incorrectly set: a hear curve of 1.8 instead of my calculation using the Tekmar chart of .75; a max supply temp of 145F was set when both Tekmar and Crown say 120F should be the max for wood floor/hydronic. The motor speed for the mix valve was set for 160sec but the controller test function calls for 230 sec to fully close the valve.

And, the pressure guage on the boiler indicates 20 PSI and I am sure I read that system pressure should be 12 or 15 PSI.

Thanks for listening!!!

sootmonkey

Peter

Man,... you picked the wrong time of year to call a pro to come out for a "talk through" (My term...ANY, time you use it, you need to send me 2 bucks :}) Has the system been serviced in the last 9-12 months? If yes, relax. If no, then call your oil guy/gas guy, for a tune-up and inspection. Just let them know that when they are DONE with the T&I, that you will have some questions for them. (just so they can plan the time in their day} Hope this helps.

sootmonkey

PS

DO NOT LOOSE THOSE MANUALS. Signed..."The Middle of the Night Service Guy"

Mr. Smith

if

you can find someone this time of year to go over your system with you, you are lucky. most companies are pretty busy, so have a little patience, you will find someone.

where are you located?

I keep a copy of all manuals in a binder of my own. after an installation, I copy the booklets before I give the originals to the HO. every once in a while I find one that I don't have, copy it and add it to my collection.

sure helps out when you need a little information, although the binder is getting very thick!!

Unknown

Did you try the Find-A-Pro link here?

In the Mtns of CO,

I'd be willing to bet the contractor who put your system in is still around. Ask around at the local Mtn. breakfast shops. Look here on HeatingHelp for a contractor in your area.

You'd be lucky if you could get one of ME & Tom Olds guys from Advanced Hydronics up there. How far West of the front range are you. Lots of good radiant jobs going on in CO. Like everywhere else, some bad ones too. Hope you figure it out.

Gary

To Learn More About This Professional, Click Here to Visit Their Ad in "Find A Contractor"

Greg Swob

Try contacting

the building inspection department for the region you are in. Generally, the permitting process would include
company names of various contractors who had part in the project along with inspection notes. As new as your dwelling is, this information shouldn't be buried too deeply in the files. Unless you are in a very rural area, it is unlikely a permit wasn't requried- most of Colorado is fairly regulated by zoning, codes, etc. From there, you should have no problem contacting the installing firm. If you want a contact number, let me know by e-mail what county, village or community your home is in. My Colorado building inspection office list is two years old, but I probably have names, phone numbers, addresses at your disposal if you so desire. As a taxpayer, this information should be made available to you.

Congratulations on owning a home heated by hydronics - if all was installed well, you will love it! Greg

Mark Wolff

Preventive Maintenance

It's nice to see a homeowner concerned about maintenance and upkeep. It will make your system last much longer.

Water pressure is not a problem at 20 psi. The pressure reduction valve/fast-fill for boiler make-up water is factory set at 12 psi, but can be adjusted. The pop-off (pressure relief valve) does not go off until 30 psi. If your expansion tank is working, your pressure should remain quite constant, if it is fluctuating wildly from 12-30 depending on the boiler temp, it should be replaced, otherwise, I usually run my pressure at 20-22 mainly due to my preference on circ pump orientation, but it seems to keep air pockets from forming in the loops and though I can't scientifically prove it (some may disagree) it seems that heat transfer in baseboard is slightly better. It is perfectly fine though to run it between 12-15 psi, a majority of basic systems do. If your house is multiple stories though, plan on a higher pressure because at whatever pressure you have downstairs, pressure upstairs will be lower.

Winter is by far the worst time to find a heating professional. The best ones are the busiest; I'd be careful about one that has lots of time to visit and chat.

As for the Tekmar, if it is set up according to Tekmar Application A-354-3 which accomodates low temp in-floor and high temp indirect water heating, the max temp should actually be 180-190 degrees when the indirect water heater calls for heat. With the floating action mixing valve, your injection water can be anywhere from 85* to 120* depending on many variables, mainly the original installers design ie. tubing size, spacing, concrete vs. gypcrete, floor covering, etc. I would definitely wait to adjust those perameters until a professional, versed in Tekmar programming (ask to see their certificate of training completion from Tekmar), can calibrate your system if needed. If one isn't available, contact Tekmar with your questions, they can either help or direct you to someone who can help.

If the system has worked for three years, I wouldn't be too concerned about it, and might even plan on waiting for a slow period (spring) to allow for an unhurried conversation with one of the best heating professionals in your area. You will learn more about your system, probably develop a better relationship with the contractor and will feel more confident adjusting things, since it won't be cold outside.

Hope this helps, let us know if you still have questions. Also, check the Find a Professional section of this website to see if there is anyone in your area.