Installation concerns

Pumping away from the expansion tank is better. It really depends on the resistance of the piping system if it will give you problems or not. Looks like your stuck with what you have. That's an expensive repipe

Look in the install manual, they show Pumping Away!

HVACNUT said:

Sometimes I wish I never clicked on a thread. Why? I don't understand why it was done the way it was done. Is the installer trying to prove a point of some kind? And it probably would've been cheaper doing it the correct way using IFC circs instead of flo checks. Things like this make no sense to me. 

Because he's been doing it wrong for 30 + Years!

@HVACNUT

Agree. Many are convinced the return side is the place for the circ. Wouldn't have cost any more to do it right.

Many old jobs work fine with pumps on the return it's all about the system pressure drop.

But why in the world on a new install they wouldn't pump away is beyond me?

It's because they don't know any better, and if they don't know "pumping away" what else don't they know

Well it's a nice system and it's not like it won't work. 
On another note, unless I can't see it, there's no draft regulator. It looks the the flue is piped to a pre fab chimney. 
Buderus wants draft set to 0 to slightly positive over the fire and -.02 at the breach.
You now need a good oil tech who can properly set up the burner and draft. Riello has OEM specs for your boiler and that looks like a package burner, but it still needs to be set up after the regulator gets cut in.
This tech should have a digital combustion analyzer, a smoke gun, a draft gauge (usually within the analyzer), and Riello pressure and vacuum gauges.

Time to cut the original installer loose. Put your new-found and recently gained knowledge of "selecting a good contractor" into high gear. I understand that it is not easy in "these times." However, you have gained some important information on this forum. 1.) read and follow the OEM manual.

Sno if you knew all of this before and didn’t discuss this with the installer before you hired him- that’s kinda lame. No one can read minds. Once in a while I get an “extra knowledgeable” home owner- and we just hash it out before the work starts. 

Guys, can't tell from the photo, does that aquastat have a low water cut off function built into it?

GW said:

Yes “chirping”. The HO had all this knowledge and didn’t exercise basic research skills. You know that pumps should go in the supply but hired someone that you “can’t see their installation pictures in the internet “? Why? 

@GW the homeowner (AKA "customer") hired a professional to do a job and has what seems to be a pretty reasonable questions about the design. I've had work done and kept my nose out of things only to find in the end that corners were cut OR they were unaware of some minor but unique detail about my home that would have been helpful for me to share at the beginning of work.

This "chirping" to me sounds more like a customer who wants reassurance that their money was well spent, and any professional should be able to do that with their expertise and experience and provide the explanation for their design - even if it's annoying!

I think a lot of pros forget that dropping serious cash on a job like this for our homes isn't a choice that we make lightly. Jobs like this affect our budgets for the whole year, if not longer! That's why we read about this stuff. And yeah sometimes we just don't know what we don't know and we ask stupid questions, but shouldn't that be reasonably tolerated if not expected?

You pointed out that the work pictured looks like a professional job and probably isn't as big a deal as some comments make it sound. But it just hits weird that you dismiss a client's concerns of not following recommended installation as "chirping" . I don't mean to be rude, but that's not an attitude I'd put up with too long from a contractor.