Advice can be dangerous

Dave Yates (PAH)

If ever there were a time for heating pros to be worth their weight in gold - this is the time.

For homeowners who are wanting to play with boiler controls.

You are embarking on a potentially dangerous journey. Aside from voltage and shock issues, adjustments to internal water temperatures should be done by professionals who have the necessary training to take in and comprehend the entire system. If you superheat the water and inadvertantly release pressure, you may well find out that heaven or hell holds a place for you and your loved ones.

This cold weather pattern won't last forever. Bundle up and be safe. Call a pro and at least obtain a study of what, if anything, is wrong with your system. When the weather moderates, have the necessary alterations performed so that you can avoid a repeat of the cold chill you're experiencing.

Don't be insulted if you can't get much advice - we can't possibly know your level of experience and with liability being what it is in this lawsuit-happy country, I'm leery of advising anyone to play with controls that can result in injury or death.

Same goes for gas line work.

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LEAD PIPE

I like to tinker a bit

thats how I learn, but then again it would be heaven for me so ehhh.

Mark Eatherton1

Other cold weather tips...

Program your programmable T-stat so that it doesn't set back deeply until the cold snap passes. If you want to conserve energy, keep the stat set for 65 and wear sweaters.

Also, keep the cabinet doors open below sinks with water lines on outside walls.

Check your furnace vents and fired heating appliances to make sure there is adequate air to support the combustion process, and if it has snowed heavily, make sure your vent terminus is free to vent properly.

If a water lines become frozen, immediatly familarize yourself with your plumbing system to figure out where to shut off the water. It may not be flowing now, but when it thaws...

If you discover a frozen water line, turn up the heat, and if you MUST attempt to thaw it, use a hair dryer as opposed to open flame. Loosen any pipe flanges (escusheons)at the wall to allow warm air to circulate into the wall cavities around the frozen pipe.

Inspect the pipe whereever visible, and if you see a freeze break, shut of the water, call a plumber and see if you can get some safe warmth into the general vicinity of the break.

Most importantly, the next time you are out, get a carbon monoxide detector that shows actual concentrations in PPM. Night Hawk has one. Granted, it may not be THE best, but its better than NOTHING!!

Check up on your elderly neighbors and make sure that their thermostats aren't setting back either, and that everything else is OKay...

Always keep a pot of hot coffee available for your favorite plumbing/heating contractor.

Pray for warm weather.

ME

J.C.A._3

Thanks Mark,

That is about the best advice I've read so far. I wish there was a way to get you on all the local T.V. stations around the area yesterday. (I don't know why, but people believe it if they hear it on the news, but the heating professionals opinion holds no water !)

Mr. Milne , the second newest apprentice, and I spent the day thawing and patching pipe blow outs. Some of the frozen pipes were so stretched, circumfrencially, that we couldn't get fittings on for repairs. Tough day but I will stand on my previous statements on the Pro-Press tool. It has to be the biggest single time saver in this type of repair. Happy Heating, and be careful out there. Chris

Mark Eatherton1

Use it!!

Any one can use it if they take the initiative. Copy and paste it to a new letter and e-mail it to your local news station with your company credentials.

They will generaly give you free "mention" if nothing else.

Just be prepared to get really busy if it works....

ME

Dave DeFord

Talking about stretched copper..

I bought a motorhome that the previous owner had let freeze solid. Thought I was going nuts, all of the soft copper in the water system had expanded 1/16 inch. Was asking all over town for 9/16 and 7/16 copper until an old guy in a hardware store told me what had happened. Found a joint took it apart and low and behold it looked like a reducing coupling. One of the funniest things I had ever seen once I got it fixed. Still have the motor home and make sure I fill it with red pop about Oct 15th.

Dave Yates (PAH)

you can

"shrink" copper back in size by utilizing a flaring tool block or swedge it a tad larger with a refrigeration hammer-driven tool to accomodate one size or another.

Water has amazing force when it freezes!

If the hoses are still on the anti-freeze faucets - it's too late.

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Geo_2

advice

I would say this is not the time to conserve energy and I'm finding it's the people that are trying to do that (setting back at night) that are having most of the frozen pipes. We are breaking 130 year records around here and I'm putting the programable's on 70 and telling them to leave them there. P.S , don't you love the one's that still have there a/c's in the windows??.

Boiler Guy

Excellent

information. I think I may just reprint this for some of my Prperty Managers