Common Boiler Installation Mistakes?

Okay, here are a few:
1. Improper piping, particularly p/s piping. It seems plumbers have the hardest time of any grasping this. They seem to think its like piping a water heater and it doesn't matter how the flow enters or exits a Tee.
2. Improper venting. In this case it's more often the 80% appliance than the 90%+. Because the old 65% boiler vented into a masonry chimney, many think that the 80%+ can do the same with no modification, such as a liner or insulation.
3. Proper setup and commissioning. Combustion analyzers, manometers, etc are expensive, and therefore contractors are resistant to purchasing them. Let alone, learning how to properly use them. They usually tell the customer that "everything is set at the factory and no adjustments are necessary".
4. Steam boiler piping. Again, the "plumbers" are the worst offenders here. After all, they know how to put pipes together, so why read the I/O manual?
5. Which brings me to that point: read the instructions! There's something about us men that blinds us to seeing the need for direction. It's called pride. Let me also say that some mod/con programming instructions appear to be some kind of cruel joke being perpetrated on ordinary working men. Read the manual several times to try and grasp it. Go to the index to find the section that describes how to program the function that you want. Follow it carefully only to find that a some point you're instructed to go to another manual to find what you want. Go to that manual and go through the same process only to find it refers you to another manual. Go to that one and it refers you back to the first one. No wonder most techs don't setup ODR or attempt any programming. The Bosch FW200 and Lochinvar Knight are a couple to mention.

The younger generation of engineers and IT guys doesn't seem to grasp that we older men are NOT gonna even try to remember passwords, sequences and codes of how to access different tiers of programming. Especially when every appliance, control or thermostat is different. This to me is one of the biggest issues that needs to be addressed.

Okay, rant over.

Ray, thanks for your efforts here. They are greatly needed.

A few more: failure to use the correct pipe sizes on both boiler header and circuits; failure to install isolation valves for circuits or components; failure to use hydraulic separation on mod-cons with design flow rates higher than manufacturer's recommendations; failure to insulate piping.

Lack of good air elimination
Improperly cleaning systems
Lack of fluid quality analysis, and adjustments

I've learned over the past 8 years just how critical and neglected fluid quality is.

Failures in boilers, pumps, manifold actuators, zone valves, really every wetted component is directly related to what is in the system. be sure to make that known in your teachings

Pretty much al of the manufacturers of products have good info online. Rhomar, Fernox, Sentinel, Rectorseal, Hercules, etc for treatment. A large colorful graph like this is excellent for powerPoint slides, for example.

The content in Idronics is there for all to use. We ask the you credit Caleffi with any content that you copy, paste or use.

I always as permission when I copy content or pics , it's the polite thing to do.

Idronics 2 & 15 for air elimination. Idronics 18 for water quality.

Some other thoughts
I always tell my fitters to remember when they leave the job, they were the last one at that mechanical rm. Any thing not right must be identified at this time.
(a) Correct sizing of gas meter and gas piping
(b) Correct sizing of flue piping, the size of the boiler flue collar is not always what the flue size should be.
(c) Correct sizing of fresh air and combustion air into mechanical rm.
(d) Surveying the bldg. is a must, don't go by the boiler and components that are existing.
Recommend IAPMO code book.

I see a lot of over sizing and over pumping on the design side.
The best design covers the design day and is optimized for the typical day.
I had an Engineer tell me "over sizing is a misdemeanor, under sizing a felony". We installed a boiler plant 1/2 the size of his recommendation with priority zoning to keep the snow melt from taking more than it fare share and it works flawlessly.

Peer review of designs is a good way to control this. Hiring an Engineer that does not have thin skin helps as well.
Many Engineers are far more receptive to feedback from another Engineer or a knowledgeable Owners Rp than they are from a contractor.


I also see issues with the commissioning and the test and balance process.
Having the contractor self perform or hire the 3rd party T&B contractor is problematic. It works far better if the owner hires the T&B contractor and the Engineer of record oversees the work.

Somehow, in the last couple decades Engineer site visits and over site has been value engineered out of projects. I feel it is money well spent on complex projects.

My pet peeve and this one happens all the time. Commercial MOD CONs. It seems that the condensate drain from the boiler and the stack is usually so low that it's impossible in most cases to pipe it into the neutralizer unless the boiler is on a housekeeping pad and the neutralizier is off the pad.

Most of these boilers, buderus, lochinvar, viessmann need to be raised a minimum of 6" and that's probably not enough

The proper, professional methods of supporting and hanging pipe using strut, strut cushion clamps, split ring clamps and rod, clevis hangers, etc.

Starting every job with a piping plan, ideally a diagram. So many boiler rooms look like they just made it up as they went along and the end result reflects that.

boiler piping is a huge one

To HR's point. Installation of dirt traps and proper system flushing of the old system prior to putting the fluid to the new boiler.

rick in Alaska said:

Number one pet peave; Install the dang thing so it can be worked on! I can't tell you how may times I have come across a boiler that needs to be cleaned from the top,where the installer put all the pipes for the manifold on top. I don't care how pretty it looks, if I can't work on it, then I am going to be irritated.
Also, if you are going to put in control boxes such as Taco zone boxes, label the zones!!! One job I have with 2 zvc-406 boxes, and nothing labelled. And don't use a magic marker on anything.
Rick

Brings up the topic of system documentation. Even a handwritten drawing and explanation is better than nothing.

Copies of the CO analysis are a good idea also.

You could ask the engineers how they would react if the chosen expert contractor discovers some fault in their design.--NBC

Sorry my finger slipped anyway last sentence should be.
Major combustion/fresh air changes were needed that were not in the first quote.

@RayWohlfarth I find i extremely difficult for an engineer to design a system that will install easily, especially when in a space that is on the smaller side for the given equipment. As you would know, it takes many years in the field to draw a system that goes in easily, is serviceable, and works seamlessly.

Moe

I am not an installer. However, although a lot of the focus here is on piping, pumping and boiler programming, I find in looking at the boiler units of my neighbors that many of the mistakes I see are in wiring: wrong size wire nuts, sloppy wire routing, poor or non-existent grounding, wrong electrical termination fittings, etc. Also, lack of proper condensate discharge neutralizer on condensing units is a big issue.