Tom Raymond

My guess is that it was placed at the front of the sink because someone very short or in a wheelchair uses that sink and shares it with someone too tall to be comfortable with lower more accessible counters. Accessible cabinetry has come a long way, but it is still not the most stylish stuff out there, and the best accessible design takes all of the occupants' needs into consideration. Tom

Every one of those direct vent rigs I see looks like that, there's one I drive by regularly that has the whole side of the house black with soot (I'm gonna have to go and get a picture now). They don't vent worth a damn, and the monkeys at the controls don't know how to burn a candle, let alone a fire. Although it's definately broken, it looks like about the best of those around here. Tom

Besides what Kurt has said, banks know even less about winterizing homes than they do about owning them. Do you really want to look at a boiler that was winterized by a tilt-o-whirl greeser, the laid off auto mechanic from across the street, or Larry, Daryl and Daryl? [:-yuck] Tom

They sure did build 'em breezy in 1870[] Tom

Three different brands of those had been recalled, the thermally actuated ones are no longer available as far as I can tell. I'll look for a good one and put in the best CO detector I can find. The boiler temp right? With my zone set up and mix of in floor and iron radiators I could probably get away with 140 to 160 boiler temps. It's running 180 now. That makes a lot of sense since I already throttle down the pex loops to around 130, why should I heat the water much hotter than that. The only thing not mentioned yet is the addition of a thermistor so the damned thing modulates. This is beginning to sound like a lot more fun than installing a new one. Tom

Fabry, are you serious or are you trying to kill me? I did a Bing search and roughly half the hits were for product recalls and CO poisonings. Tom

Did the WH run continuously while the sprinkler ran or did it only fire briefly? If it's the latter, then you have a low pressure condition. When the sprinklers open, the initial pressure drop is matched or exeded by the weight of the water column in the distribution pipe up stream of the WH and it flows backwards until the flow balances the system and the WH shuts down. Kind of the opposite of water hammer and nearly as fast. If it runs constantly then there is something forcing the WH to back flow. Are there tempering valves up stream of the WH? Poorly balanced pipe sizes and/or a faulty mixing valve could create that kind of flow. Either way a check valve will fix it. Don't tankless heaters require check valves on the inlet like storage heaters do? Tom

Yeah, I knew about that. I am shopping for my roof based on products that are eligable. I'd have to get a hell of a deal on a lifetime roof to ignore the credits, especially with the forcasted increases in asphalt prices this year. The roof is a project I can't put off any longer, and the primary reason I'm so concerned about what I put into the boiler. I just can't afford to throw good money after bad this year. Tom

My biggest concern is the condition of the burners. I disassembled and cleaned each tube and vacuumed the combustion chamber just a few months ago and it's all full of crap again. There is obviously some serious rust on the iron water jacket. It's been running fine since I relit it, as long as it stays running I'm thinking I'll tear it down in the spring and do a thorough inspection and cleaning. If the waterjacket is ok, it sounds like I should keep it. All I want is safe and reliable equipment. I don't think that pay back alone is a reasonable reason to replace it, and even with all the rebates and incentives it would be far too long to stomach. Thanks guys, Tom

I know it will be far cheaper to fix it, I'm questioning the logic of throwing money at a 30+ year old boiler, even if the service life is only half that. How broken does it have to be before it just makes sense to start over? That is what I'm really wrestling with. Tom

So long Brad, it's been great having you here at TIJ. We'll miss you now that you've gone over to the candle power forums with the rest of the flashlite junkies[:-dev3] Tom

I woke up to a cold house this morning, seems something tripped the gas valve on the old boiler. I don't know how long it was off, but the water jacket was below 60 degrees (the T&P gauge was bottomed out), and the house was around 50. It relit without any problems, but I was already late for work so couldn't stick around and wait for it to come up to temp and run a full cycle. I was back in the area about 3 hours later and it was still running, with the radiator zones at temp and the radiant floor zone almost there. My plumber showed up shortly after I had left again and checked things out. I bought the house out of forclosure and it had been empty about 4 years. Apparently someone put glycol in the system to winterize it. Plumber say's it is gumming up valves, and likely was automotive antifreeze (but admits that's just a guess). Remember last year I had to replace the zone valves because the gears stripped, so the theory makes sense. Here's his laundry list of repairs: -T&P gauge is faulty. -Relief valve is corroded and dripping. -Packing is shot on several isolation valves. -Expansion tank is bad. -Air scoop is corroded. -Burner and pilot tubes are dirty, despite the fact that I removed and cleaned them in September. -Thermocouple is questionable. -And of course the zone valves are still gummed up and the gears will fail again, eventually. The unit is a Utica 100K btu 80% efficient cast iron boiler. According to the model number it was built in the late 70's, but according to the paperwork I got with the house (including an invoice for the installation) it was installed in the mid 90's. My plumber says that based on the size of the house (about 1300SF) I can get away with an 80K btu high efficiency boiler with a boiler mate for DHW. I like the fact that I can loose the B vent, as it's not in great shape above the roof line and would need to be reworked when I replace the roof cover, probably this fall. There's also the fact that the new (gas) water heaters are taller than the old units and the 40 gallon short I have barely has enough room for exhaust now, more than an inch taller than I have would require a power vent. I'm very tempted to limp through the rest of the winter with it and deal with it when I don't need it running, but I hate to put money into something I'm gonna replace in the short term. Any suggestions? Tom

That almost certainly has to violate clearance requirements at the vent termination as well. At least that steel framing will hold the chimney together after the vibrations shake all the brick loose. Tom

That would be another debate entirely. Personally, I like a peppery cigar with a nice Port. Although it's been so long since I had real cigar it'd probably turn me green. Tom

Apparently advice is a close second, or maybe Terry intended to use the BBB's preferred spelling. Just so no one accuses me of being a smart ass, I'd like to disclose that I spell checked this post, and made the requisite corrections.[] Tom

Go back and look at the picture again. That floor is almost as hideous as the wall paper, and that metalic faux marble graining screams disco to me. I could be wrong, but then again it kinda goes with the Harvest Gold sink in his second pic.[] Tom

I'd call for listed direct burial connectors and a bucket o' dirt.[:-dev3] As far as the length of SEC cable inside the building, you're going to have to call the local AHJ of the utility for that. Despite what is in the codes there is significant variance from place to place. In Erie County, NY no more than six feet of SEC is allowed inside, but two hours east and you routinely find several times that. It would be oh so nice if it were simple, but that's why get the big bucks, right? Tom

That 'Scientist' is a boob. Everyone who is anyone in climate study has known that for a long time. What is astonishing is that the whole theory is based on his missing research and nobody has a copy! How in the hell is an entire field of science based on a missing document?[:-banghea Greener living is a good idea whether you believe in global warming or not. I don't think we should all be living in yurts, growing our own food, and making our own clothes, but a little less consumption isn't gonna kill any of us. Tom

Perimeter glued sheet floors where around in the 70's? I don't think so. What ever is under that floor has been there since at least the Carter Administration...Hey, maybe they're peanuts[] Tom

The species is unimportant, the remediation is the same regardless of species. The best thing that can come from sampling is that you paid for lab time that wasn't required. More likely, you will get an incomplete or ineffective remediation, and most likely they will not address any of the root causes of the conditions conducive to mold growth. Personally, I'd be listening to the scientist (CPC) and not the monkey with a specimen jar, but that's just me. Tom

If the bulk of the air leaks are indeed at the perimeter, the cheapest and easiest fix is to pull the interior trim and fill the voids with low expanding spray foam (not great stuff, unless they'll be happy with non operable windows), and a polymerized exterior caulk. I like NPC Solar Seal, and would choose clear for that task, but OSI Quad would work well, or any of the polyurethanes out there. Silicone doesn't bond well to vinyl and when it fails will be impossible to remove from the brick, none of the other sealants will stick to silicone so fresh silicone caulk every two or three years will be your only option. I have yet to see a butyl compound that doesn't become brittle and crack, I have no use for them. Of course, fixing the air infitration won't do anything for missing or botched flashing details, but you already know what's involved with popping off that veneer to get at those. Here's hoping they're high and dry! Tom

I have found that an infrared thermometer to be a very helpful tool for tracking down stuff like this. First know your spot ratio, then hold your thermometer at approximately that distance from the center of the glass from inside. Pull the trigger and note the surface temp, then slowly sweep out to the jamb stopping briefly at each change in material, again noting the temps. The center of the glass should be the warmest temp on the window, or within a few degrees of it. The glass will get cooler as you get close to the edge, but that is a high performance spacer system so not too much cooler. The weather stripping should be the coldest temp, but from your pics I would suspect that the joint between the window and the extension jamb is a very similar temp if not colder. It doesn't matter what the temps are, but they should all be within a range of about 5 degrees or so. Any variance greater than that wll steer you towards the problem area and you can ignore the rest. A simple test for Marc's theory would be to unlock the window. If the condition is localized humidity and poor air flow the condensation will clear quite quickly, if it's negative pressure it will get worse as the surfaces cool. Careful observation for say 30 -45 seconds should be enough to see a change in the surface condition, it will move slowly like watching your windshield defrost when the heater finally warms up. That is a crappy install, and I'd guess that there are several problems. Mid grade windows with mediocre performance numbers, missing caulk at the brick, likely improper or missing flashing at the nail flanges (or missing flanges altogether), insufficient insulation around the window. Your best bet would be to pull the trim off one and check it out. Tom

Are those bus bars live? I'm guessing they are or the cardboard shields wouldn't be there. That's a mess, I can't imagine an engineer taking credit for that[:-bigeyes I wouldn't change any of those recommendations until they provide proof that it was permitted and inspected. Tom

These guys are gunning for a TV show. It worked for the crew at TAPS[] Tom

"I mention this in reports on dwellings in which CO detectors are used to provide the primary defense against CO asphyxiation." Such as residential housing? In NY it is law that there be a CO dector on every floor. Tom