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March 3, 2009
New boiler install
After an unexpected crack in our old boiler (came with the house, guessing it was 15-20 years old) we had our usual plumbing service company install this one today. It's a Burnham Series 2 198k BTU standing pilot. After seeing MasterPlvmber's pics of his installs tonight I'm feeling less confident about this install. Everything works and the house is warm on all floors. Is there anything here that looks wrong? I saw the notes about no copper. Is this a blanket rule that no pipe size, joining, etc can compensate for? Is the coil from the vent damper wrapping around the pipes going to be a problem? These are licensed plumbers we used and have had good experience with them over the years. Hopefully somebody can put my mind at ease (instead of making me kick myself for not taking time out to get other bids)
Comments
THIS IS NOT A GOOD INSTALLATION.It seem that they just slap in the boiler with the existing near boiler piping.The boiler you saw in masterplumber's photo was a steam boiler while your boiler is for a hot water hydronic system.Whenever a new boiler is installed ,the near boiler piping has to be re-worked and set up for effective air removal,heating efficiency and serviceability.The electrical wiring should be neat and short runs on electrical cable from control to splice box.To the layman,the job should look like a work of art and reflect the original trade title of artesians,not a**es.The use of a spirovent air eliminator is well noted,but they could of put the expansion tank,feed valve and the isolation valves on the supply line and do a better job at re-piping.
Note:Not all plumbers know heating.
Posted by: birchwoodc at March 3, 2009 11:22 PM
Also you can use copper in hydronic systems,such as yours but i always recommend the use of di-electric unions to provide non-galvanic reaction due to dis-similiar materials of the piping.
Posted by: birchwoodc at March 4, 2009 1:18 AM
At least they waxed and polished everything...
Posted by: denton at March 4, 2009 6:28 AM
The installation is not terrible, but it is not what we consider a textbook installation. We can see from the picture that the piping is not properly supported and that the BX being draped across the boiler should be shortened. Burnham's installation manual has piping diagrams for optimal performance as far as pump location and air elimination, etc.. You might want to review it with your installer. All in all, the system will work, maybe not to it's greatest efficiency.
Posted by: Brooklyn Plumber at March 4, 2009 7:50 AM
I would have them do the above corrections, Using that small piece of copper pipe as a support is lazy. Not a very well hung job.
Posted by: IMBY at March 4, 2009 11:52 AM
Curious how large the house is. 198kbtu is a lot of heat.
Posted by: cmu at March 4, 2009 12:08 PM
Thanks for all the feedback. I'm particularly relieved to know that nothing seems dangerous or shortens the life of the unit. I've got a good baseline from which to call up the company and get them to fix the issues you mentioned.
Posted by: adiallo at March 4, 2009 1:50 PM
I know nothing about boilers, but I'll say this: That's a really nice picture you took, there.
Composition, lighting, balance...the masonry wall gives it nice feel and the color palate is perfect...very nice job.
Posted by: manofelt at March 4, 2009 3:14 PM
not dangerous, just sloppy...i guess the plumber did not want to do an ounce of extra work in removing and reconfiguring the old work...
Posted by: eman1234 at March 4, 2009 4:26 PM
I, too, am impressed with the exposure, composition and clarity of this picture.
And I'll take it as a compliment that the work I've featured here is the yardstick by which other installations are measured.
Technically speaking, you want a 198K BTU boiler to produce about 20 gallons of heated water per minute. The pump attached to that boiler is a Taco model 007 which is barely capable of promoting that amount of flow.
The Taco model 0010 would probably have been a much better selection, but there may be a reason they kept that pump (hopefully other than "it came with the boiler").
Posted by: Master Plvmber at March 4, 2009 5:02 PM
mp..i think that the answer is sadly that "it came with the boiler and we bid really low"..i want to note that i like to "pump away" (thank you dan holohan), i.e pump on the supply rather than the return side, but my beef w/ the install is why leave all the old piping in place, when you could have just broken the union and cleaned up the piping in an hour...not to mention the bx wrapped around the pipe and the temp support while soldering left as a permanent feature..on another note, i think that mp's installations have started a new trend called "boiler porn", because they are so hot...lol
Posted by: eman1234 at March 4, 2009 7:23 PM
I agree with you, eman.
There are at least a dozen fittings in that installation that could have been eliminated to save stress on the pump and secure the Client's confidence.
It looks like they even left the old gas shut off valve and broken-handled hose spigot.
All hail the low bidder!
Posted by: Master Plvmber at March 4, 2009 8:03 PM
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