help w/old convection system questions

clammy

Ran into this one yesterday loaded with promblems like a contractor who cut and ripped out alot of steam piping to convectors and ran 1 pipe to them .The wierd thing about this system is the rads which are quite large ranging from 4ft by 6 ft by 24 high are totally incased in brick from floor to cieling below the rads are 2 ducts entering on the bottom and a large arragement of round pipe from 8 to 12 inch stuff wrapped in abostose coming out above the raditor in another section of the basement is a complete air handler room with 2 blower set ups all if not most of the electrical controls for the fans have been removed .Now the bs begins i was called because of oil supply promblems there where oil lines all over the place doing nothing bottom line is they need a lift pump with pressure stitches and osv but hears where the promblem nothing is heating the guys who throw this stuff in have not a clue first off they have hv series pumps on the returns and are using 1 honeywell zone valves end switches as circ relays breaking the hot leg cycling the stat .Besides the boiler short clycing there are no air vents on the rads to bleed the air out plus the whole fan unit is non functional not to mention these rads at the very least are about 200 to 300,000 btus how do you get that many btus through a 1 pipe ?is it me am i missing something the home does not heat and the contractor is from bejing no english just a smile and yes we change we change but his price is increablable cheap and the quality is like a first timmer .The ho has stated that if we fix the oil supply promblem that we will be responable for the home and any damage the contractor gets off the hook my person feelings are to walk away but the co owner would like the big oil account the home is about 10 to 15,000 sq.ft it was a former monstery .Any thorghts on this brick encased formely steam convenctor that's converted to hot water my thoughs are at the lower rad temps 180 190 to steams 215 will badly effect the convection system espically with out the old blower system working thanks for any input peace and happy new year clammy

Weezbo

Dui boo chee. <{;) Woah Yoh e ga Banhg fa....

thats sorta "excuse me..i have a plan.."mandrin pu tong gua as it were...if the Thing is it needs the oil lines and pump to continue to "work "as it "worked" then do that. when it comes time to get paid say expensive is expensive but cheap is not cheap after you are paid. then say that you see some problems with the remainder of the system.( as to the idea that you are resposible for the rest of the system Uh.Uh, nope,...once you prove the oil...thats what they paid for thats what they got. oil running to the burner at the correct delivery pressure. I am not a lawyer however .....iread nothing about You starting or turning the power on....perhaps i am mistaken in this regard...however in the instance that you describe were theHO unwilling to come along with the fund ...and agree to T&M to follow your suggestions in the plan you have.i'd be out and thank him with the dont call us we'll call you...and you with due awe thatthey were even thinking of firing the thing back up..write on thier ticket that you noticed deficientcies and left the thing with the power turned off and notified the owner of the dangers of running it in that condition. put the ball right back in thier court.Oh...And get them to sign it..Zai Jian......See ya later.

clammy

The rest

The rest of the system have been gutted and changed to hot water besides the burners going off on reset even with the boilers running and piping hot the home is about 40 to 45 the old convection rads won't convect air past the rads the outside air grills and ducts are gone and the fan room which is my guess supplied air under the convectors have been dis connected for who knows why probably from lack of understanding or because of the absesctoes sitiutstion .My main question is will this rads convect air with much lower rad temps the old steam system was a 2 pipe with regular rad traps on the convectors and f & t at the mains ends from what i could see thanks and peace clammy

Steamhead

Walk away, Clammy

I wouldn't touch that customer with a ten foot pole. He and the original contractor created this mess and now he wants you to fix it for free.

The duct system may have been to supply some fresh air to the rooms.

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clammy

MY thoughts

Thanks for chimming in steamhead i've seen steam radator convectors before but nothing like this espically converted to hot water ?Would the overall lower operating temps of hot water effect thew convector rating and gravity air flow plus i've never seen one with a fan room which may not have supplied alot of air but in fact must have supplied some all the supply ducts are pitched away from the bricked enclousure i believe there are not rads in the home totally convectors thanks for the advise guys i do believe it will be a walk away and to think these chinese guys have a few more homes that there re doing on the recomenation of one of the local ho that used them i can't believe that people with big bucks would use these guys they don't even have a clue and prices so cheap they have to be stealing the materal ?peace clammy