Terence McCann

There are a few pictures that aren't coming up in that article as well Bill. On a side note, I did read this aritcle, Your Sister is A Scab, in your old house blog. Funny stuff!

Is your unit heater approved for sidewall venting?

Yep.

A U.P.S. employee or an professional QVC shopper.

Got a call today from this company. They come out to your area with a guest speaker that does a business presentation to Realtors. The emphasis is on team building and being a one stop shop (for the Realtor). There is one appraiser, one home inspector etc. invited to be part of the presentation. The catch is you have to pony up about a grand (you and a few others are paying for the expenses). Anyone have any experience with this group?

If only the exhaust is piped outside then the furnace is getting it's combustion air from indoors. The furnace then falls under all the rules for proper room size for the BTU of the furnace (combustion air). I've seen this done quite a few times but now you're pulling conditioned air out of the home instead of outside air. Be careful too, I've seen the rubber boot still in place on fan (the one you would remove to attach the PVC to for intake air) when it was not piped outside.

I wish I had a buck for everytime I've seen that. HGTV and Lowes - yes you can.

Glad to hear the results Tom. So often when discussing problems you never hear the outcome. 28 lbs @ 160F the pressure is still high. While you're replacing the defective valves it would be a good time to properly fill the boiler. There is a screen on the city water reducing valve that should be cleaned too Tom. It is accessed from the bottom of the valve. After a while they get clogged. Honeywell hasn't changed the design of the zone valves much if any (at least up to 2000 when I got out of the trades). You should be able to keep the valve body in place and just replace the guts (as long as the valve body seat is not worn too badly). If I remember correctly there are 4 screws to remove to pop the top. That way you don't have to cut and sweat in a new one. Good luck!

The boiler, sitting at room temperature, should read 12 lbs pressure. If the expansion tank has a sight glass it should be 1/2 full (or there about). As you heat the water the boiler pressure goes up (but should not reach 30 lbs) and the expansion tank level raises a bit . I've been involved with quite a few boilers where the pressure relief valve has been change out due to the correct sized one always weeping. When a service tech does not know how to troubleshoot they install a higher pressure safety valve to solve the problem. If you're down around 9 lbs at 160F you have the opposite problem Chances are the city water makeup valve is not allowing water to enter the boiler. Manual shut offs closed, dirty screen in city water reducing valve, valve not adjusted correctly to name a few. This would manifest itself in the fin-tube or radiators at the furthest runs being cold. Might even be tripping a low water cutoff in the boiler which would be the answer to your problem. With regards to some tech catching a problem I wouln't assume that. Let's just say some are better than others - as in all trades. As to the original problem if the boiler is not firing and the controls are calling for heat your going to need your volt meter to find the open circuit.

Don't mean to sound like chicken little Tom but I'd call the boiler manufacture, with the model number of the boiler, and ask them what size relief valve should be on this boiler. I've never seen a residential boiler with more than a 30lb relief valve. You shouldn't need more than 20lbs of pressure to have good flow through out the home (unless you're living in a 50,000 sq ft home). If you installed the HW zone valves I'd look at the specs as well. Most motorized zone valve have a water inlet pressure operating range. They may not operate correctly with a 60lb inlet pressure. Bell& Gossett boiler PDF (very basic).

I take it the boiler is a hydronic system, not steam? 60 lbs at 160F is not normal. Most boilers have a 30# pop with a 12# city water makeup reducing valve. At best their running 26, or so, lbs at 200F. Have you changed out your safety valve for some reason? What is the boiler rated for pressure wise? To the problem: Can any of these zone valves call for heat through an auxiliary switch? The stat can open and close the valve but how is a call for heat initiated? Once a call for heat is initiated what is the controlling thermostat? Does the boiler have a operating thermostat and a hi limit safety? Is the boiler on an indoor outdoor reset of some kind? Obviously a VOM will find the open circuit which is what will be needed to troubleshoot. I'm concerned about the 60# pressure though. Something doesn't seem right here. Only time I've seen boilers with that high of an operation pressure is in a multi-story office building.

I love that picture. A cresent wrench, channel locks and a charge card for Lowes.

I'm looking for the wording that describes a Level 1, 2 & 3 fireplace inspection. Does NFPA have anything regarding this?

True. Some of the better hoods I've seen actually have MUA around the perimeter of the hood with exhaust in the middle. Goes a long way to negate the negative pressure problem. You don't typically see these at your local Ptomaine Palace however.

Had a thought Jerry (amazing isn't it), team up with a plumber if you want to branch out in this type of thing. Have him inspect it and put a 20% me too clause on it.

They are really nasty. We use to install them here and there. There is not much to them but they do need to be cleaned out before the inspection. All you're looking at is to make sure the baffles are intact. Do a Google search for a cut-away of a grease trap. If it's a restaurant do you include fire suppression systems for exhaust hoods and fire suppression systems for the main dining area? The biggest problem with restaurants, IMO, is the fact they have a lot of exhaust and little to no makeup air. The whole facility is usually in a significant negative pressure. The other big are of concern is the electrical system. Almost every restaurant is on a shoestring budget and COD with most suppliers. They invest little if any into the upkeep of the mechanicals. I'm not sure I'd tackle a restaurant, office building yes, restaurant no. I'm a big of a chicken.

It's done quite a bit actually. If, for example, he is running two 6" rounds into the attic just make sure there are a foot or so above the insualtion and there should be no problem. If it is the PVC that feeds the fan on the furnace same thing, make sure it's a foot or so up above the insulation. Also, if it is the later, the attic must meet the requirement for the CF per BTU.

As Kurt said, there is not enough information to go on. Is the home occupied or did you raise the t/stat, from a set back temperature, upon arriving at the home? Did you check air flow from each discharge air register? Were there butterfly dampers in the branch duct work? Air filter clean? You get the picture. On a side note, when I'm looking at an older furnace (with the furnace off) I reach my hand in and check the dirt build up on the blower wheel. The wheel is what's known as a squirrel cage and the fan blades are curved. With excessive dirt build up the curve of the blade becomes more flat than curved. This will have an impact on proper airflow for the obvious reason.

How old is your furnace Terry?

How long are they there doing that for 500.00?

Do you know if the liner runs the entire length of the chimney Gary?

Is the heater rated for sidewall venting? Probably should be a gas shut off valve on the line. At least in this neck of the woods we see drip legs as well. Not a great idea to lay the gas line on the flu. Is the flue the same style recommended by the manufacture? Have the proper clearances been observed? He has found out you can't drop a flue like that. Is the flue close to any windows where it terminates outside? Is the flex gas line run in an area by a work bench? Can it be inadvertently struck by something and break? This is where a gas valve comes in handy. Hard piped would be good too but flex is easier to install. Perhaps he can run a power ventor assist for sidewall venting if the manufacture approves. Does he know how to power wire it and run it into the control circuit? We now find out there are bedrooms above the installation. Etc. My point in this is that we can't see everything at the job site looking at one picture on a computer screen. Heating equipment, when installed incorrectly, is dangerous. A professional carries all this knowledge with him when he looks at your home. He knows what can be done and more importantly what can't be done. No one is being mean spirited when we recommend calling a professional. We know the dangers of equipment that is incorrectly installed and we don't want to see Mr. or Mrs. DIY getting hurt.

Craig, as John said, hire a professional. When I was in the trades a new tech would spend 8 years in training riding along with journeymen and spending countless hours in school. There are numerous safety issues when heating equipment is installed incorrectly, the risk of starting a fire and carbon monoxide poisoning to name a few. If I'm unsure how to do a job I call a professional. You should too. They are worth the money.

That's not nice John. The post police should be along soon. Sigh... I'll do it. I'm in Pedant Purgatory anyhow... TRANSMOGRIFIER Definition: someone or something that can change or transform its appearance to something else WJid="blue"> Twasn't aimed at you WJ.

That's not nice John. The post police should be along soon.