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Bad job pics

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Troy_3
Troy_3 Member Posts: 479
in THE MAIN WALL
But he is cheaper and he is givin me the same thing you are. WOW. If they even had a clue. I was shown the job of what a competitor installed after beating my price on a large motorcycle shop. I was appalled. And the owner was happy. I just left knowing my price was actually too low compared to the mess he paid for. You don't always get what you pay for, but you never get what you don't pay for.

Comments

  • Bruce Marshall
    Bruce Marshall Member Posts: 37
    Bad job pics

    Once again I am looking for some pictures of really bad jobs for next year's round of seminars. Last year some of you guys came up with some great ones that I was able to use. I want to show how NOT to do it. Please check and see if you have anything in your files and if you should happen to run across something that makes you say "Hmmm" take a picture and post it here or email it to me directly.

    Thanks in advance, Bruce
  • hydronx_3
    hydronx_3 Member Posts: 35
    burn'em

    Here is one for you. I can't remember what the "clearances to combustibles" were that were stamped on the boiler, but it doesn't quite have them. The zone valves were zip-tied open. The pressure relief valve drains down on to the exhaust fan and then on to the gas valve. System is all in-slab so for mixing control they had the aquastat set to 140 degrees (Piped direct to floor) And Yes that is a full 50 gallon water heater quietly resting above it on a single 2x4.

    --Glen
  • hydronx_3
    hydronx_3 Member Posts: 35
    burn'em

    Here is one for you. I can't remember what the "clearances to combustibles" were that were stamped on the boiler, but it didn't have them. The zone valves were zip-tied open. The pressure relief valve drains right down on to the exhaust fan and then the gas valve. The system is all radiant in-slab piped direct with the boiler aquastat at 140 degrees. And Yes that is a full 50 gallon water heater quietly resting on a single 2x4 above it.
    -enjoy
    -Glen Kauffman
  • GusHerb
    GusHerb Member Posts: 91
    terrifying

    thats the worst system ive ever seen
  • Guy_6
    Guy_6 Member Posts: 450
    Maybe

    Check with Chuck at HTP. When I was there I had saved a few beauties on my PC. They might still be there. My intention was to make them a screen saver for breaks in my training, being both informative and entertaining (which is MY goal when training!) The only downside to using them is when the expletives (HOLY S#*%) get out of hand, or if one was the work of an attendee...
  • J.C.A._3
    J.C.A._3 Member Posts: 2,980
    Bruce,

    I've got a GREAT 1 for ya. I hope you do some training on Taco ZVC's, cause this is the reason they were invented!

    BOO ! Happy Haloween...just a few days late! Chris
  • ALH_4
    ALH_4 Member Posts: 1,790
    holy cow

    Is the whole place polybutylene? If it is, I guess they can just abandon that boiler when it dies.

    Hope for your sake you took that photo as you were leaving, Glen. ;-)

    -Andrew
  • Timco
    Timco Member Posts: 3,040


    I have the old 'scariest installs thread saved, and will re-post it...

    Tim
    Just a guy running some pipes.
  • Josh_10
    Josh_10 Member Posts: 786


    This is a good one for a seminar. Domestic piped wrong, no pump after the mixing valve on the radiant zones, not shown is how poorly the oil burner was set up.
  • patrick_29
    patrick_29 Member Posts: 17
    Ugly Stuff

    This guy was having a problem with one of his zones. Guess which one?
  • patrick_29
    patrick_29 Member Posts: 17
    Scary Stuff

    Endless supply of good pics of bad jobs. After photos are available.
  • JimmyJam
    JimmyJam Member Posts: 78
    Here is our next repipe!

    Leaking Munchie got us on sight to enjoy this beauty!
    The 199 services basement, main and second levels of radiant floor heating with (2) Unico fan coils just in case.
    Oh yeah, and the total heat loss is 97,476BTUH on design day.

    Kinda gets fun after awhile!

    71Gibby
  • patrick_29
    patrick_29 Member Posts: 17
    And there is more

  • patrick_29
    patrick_29 Member Posts: 17
    And ther

  • J.C.A._3
    J.C.A._3 Member Posts: 2,980
    Bruce,

    You gonna give any learnin' on Taco ZVC controls? Thanks to Mark Etherton, (I couldn't find the picture in my files anymore), this is the nightmare that I will be addressing tomorrow. The installer was the home builder...an electrical engineer. Unfortunately, he's since gone to his reward and left this mess for me and my favorite electrician to figure out.

    I love it when they have 1 color wire....that day, and use it. We will be removing the chicken wire and fiberglass insulation in the basement to find the magic code to this madness.

    BTW, the lighting "diodes" no longer work, making things just a bit easier.

    Hail the BEAUTY of the Taco ZVC control!! Enjoy Chris
  • patrick_29
    patrick_29 Member Posts: 17
    And there is more

    But for some reason I get an error when posting. If any body wants some I can e-mail both before and after pics. Sorry about the first picture I posted very large (but clear).
  • Ted_9
    Ted_9 Member Posts: 1,718
    radiant piping

    I've posted this before, but here it is again.

    I found this attempt at radiant mixing. The 3 way had domestic cold tied to the cold side of the 3 way, then the mix to the future radiant and the other side to a circ. I don't know how that would have worked.

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  • paul lessard_3
    paul lessard_3 Member Posts: 186
    yea

    IT'S what you think.

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  • lchmb
    lchmb Member Posts: 2,997
    All the time

    Aww come on now..I see those all the time..:) Best part is I have 40 more exactly like that. And on top of that all of them were vented improperly...
  • rb_6
    rb_6 Member Posts: 222
    the horror, the shame....

    This is actually two photo's of the same system...will try to find the originals.

    The sad story is the people who own these systems are teachers, bus drivers, receptionist, and bakers...the people in our neighborhoods.

    [;@(
  • Ted_9
    Ted_9 Member Posts: 1,718
    Paul

    You can't make this up.

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  • Empire_2
    Empire_2 Member Posts: 2,340
    wow

    I'm tired from just looking at what some people think is acceptable...:-)

    Mike T.
  • Empire_2
    Empire_2 Member Posts: 2,340
    Hi Troy...

    What I usually say is"call me if you need help fixing it". That was sarcastic, but I do say,...."Call me if you have any problems". If they ask me what I think of the new install, well then I repeat the first comment.....:-)

    Mike T.
  • Mark_46
    Mark_46 Member Posts: 312
    Bruce

    Here's a link to the pics I posted of the mess I got. I think its a case study in how not to pipe a mod/con. The pics are about halfway down in the thread.

    http://forums.invision.net/Thread.cfm?CFApp=2&Thread_ID=40665&mc=40
  • Tim_33
    Tim_33 Member Posts: 83


  • Tim_33
    Tim_33 Member Posts: 83
    On a converted steam boiler to HW

  • Jeff Elston
    Jeff Elston Member Posts: 289
    Very Bad

    What can I say, it paid well at the scrap yard

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  • S Ebels
    S Ebels Member Posts: 2,322
    Got any..............

    After pics of that one?
  • Mark Wolff_2
    Mark Wolff_2 Member Posts: 76
    Upside down furnace

    I don't have pics with me, but I just bid on a furnace replacement for a guy that was concerned about his current system. The spec plate and all the stickers were upside down and he couldn't figure out what was wrong with the picture and why his furnace wasn't running very good.

    After explaining to him that his furnace was upside down, (they just turned the burner over!) I explained I could not work on his system for reasons of liability, and the chimney being UNDER the furnace really didn't help the efficiency or safety of the system.

    Sometimes you just have to wonder...
  • Jeff Elston
    Jeff Elston Member Posts: 289
    Yes

    I do have after pics I am just waiting until all 5 boiler rooms are done I think I only took pics of 2 rooms before rip out

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  • Mike Reavis_2
    Mike Reavis_2 Member Posts: 295
    ohmigosh!

    oh the humanity
  • Al Corelli_2
    Al Corelli_2 Member Posts: 395
    I alwys say...

    I always say:
    "We gladly fix all "low bidder" work."

    And then, I slowly back out of the boiler room.

    Some of these systems are scary.

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    There was an error rendering this rich post.

  • Mike Reavis_2
    Mike Reavis_2 Member Posts: 295
    you can only hope that the homeowner

    was a control freak! Or it was an apprentices' first side job. wow.
  • Mike Reavis_2
    Mike Reavis_2 Member Posts: 295
    Bruce,

    I have some really bad stuff filed on photos. E-mail me and let me know who you are, and what you are going to do with the photos.

    Mike
  • EBEBRATT-Ed
    EBEBRATT-Ed Member Posts: 19,625


    I couldn't sleep so I got on the WALL to look at a few threads and relax.

    Now I'm gonna have nightmares!


    ED
  • Wayco Wayne_2
    Wayco Wayne_2 Member Posts: 2,479
    Guy

    I had that happened to me last week. I was showing my hydronics class a picture of a Munchkin 140M that had been piped in 3/4 copper and not in primary secondary mode. Zone valves to divert from the indirect and the radiators. There was a sticker of the company that supposedly did it and one of my students worked for that company. The student got a little ribbing and I got a message the next class from the biz owwner denying that they did the job. So far nothing more came from it, but I'm walking on eggshells and trying to be more careful from now on. WW

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  • Bruce Marshall
    Bruce Marshall Member Posts: 37


    Mike, I am the Training Coordinator for Emerson Swan. We represent Taco, Heat Transfer, Watts Radiant, and a host of other hydronic manufacturers. I run a series of training seminars on controls, hydronics, domestic hot water, and radiant heating. We have just finished a very successful seminar season and are planning next year, hence the request for material. Anything you can contribute will be appreciated.

    Thanks, Bruce Marshall
  • Bruce Marshall
    Bruce Marshall Member Posts: 37
    nightmares

    Thanks to all who posted some REALLY scary pictures. You will see some of them in my seminars next year.
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