DIY Boiler Photos (for fellow cellar rats)

For folks who like looking in cellars... Here's the photos I promised to post when everything was done.


http://i117.photobucket.com/albums/o46/radioconnection/boilers3.jpg

Biasi B4 with the T/L, odd box at end of the orange cable allows tech to do heat calls for each zone without needing jumpers. Uplugs when not in use.. Mechanics where I work built the custom stand it is sitting on.

http://i117.photobucket.com/albums/o46/radioconnection/boilers1.jpg


Biasi B4, VanWert OCF 90 mutlifuel, Amtrol indirect, and electric HWH for emergency backup or HW storage when burning solid fuels.

http://s117.photobucket.com/albums/o46/radioconnection/boilers5.jpg

Rear oil combustion chamber for the VanWert. A really, really poor design! Leaking domestic coil gaskets allowed water to drip on the combustion chamber, ruining many of the VanWerts that were in the field. The damage was usually hidden by the covers and shroud over the chamber. This is a new chamber installed last year. There's the delayed oil valve that was suggested on this board. Kunzel stat on flue pipe was required for positive interlock between boilers--if any hot flue gases are detected, it will lockout the the Biasi's burner. The woodburner is heating the house today. The Tekmar will control either boiler, although the VanWert uses a triple-aquastat and never goes below 140 when in service.


http://s117.photobucket.com/albums/o46/radioconnection/boilers4.jpg

Here's the Tekmar 260 outdoor reset controller. The two Taco zone relay boxes are being used for boiler demand contact isolation for the two oil burners, and one is for soild fuel over-temperature protection (A L4006 opens the zone valve for the main house and also runs circulator when the VanWert boiler water hits 200 degrees.) The lower switch selects either the Biasi Riello oil burner, or the VanWert Becket oil burner. Only one can be fired at a time per the State Modification of Code that was obtained for this setup. Each stat run is individually fused via the ATC fuse block on the board.

http://i117.photobucket.com/albums/o46/radioconnection/boilers2.jpg

Here's better view of the zone valves, wiring, LWCO, and piping... That odd bypass setup using two ball valves to the left of the zone valves is for gravity feed on power outtages when using solid fuels. This project used well over 30 ball valves. Everything can be isolated for sevice. There are boiler valves at both the supply and return end of each zone for bleeding air.

http://i117.photobucket.com/albums/o46/radioconnection/neutralizer.jpg

This is either the water treatment plant for the boilers, or my spare ball valve storage bin.. I haven't decided yet.

 

I really like the way everything is valved & color coded. Just a couple of suggestions if I may:
(1) Make up a color coded piping diagram.
(2) Make up a wiring diagram.
Laminate both & hang them on or next to the wiring connection board. Keep a copy for yourself in a safe place.

What kind of zone valves are those? Never seen any like them.
I noticed the "J" pump on the dual fuel. Is that a 1725 rpm burner? Real unusual to see a "J" pump on a 3450 rpm burner.

 

Do I see a tanglefoot trip hazard on those oil flex lines ? I'm skeert of that...

How are they connected to the fuel lines on the Riello ? Why not just run the flex line all the way inside ? Is it so if they leak, you wanna know about it ?

Why is there a vac gauge on the lines btwn burner and T/L ? Will that still tell you if the filter needs changing even though it's on the other side of the T/L from the filter ?

I'm axin' cuz I'm be doin' mine soon.

 

"[QUOTE=Grady]I really like the way everything is valved & color coded. Just a couple of suggestions if I may:
(1) Make up a color coded piping diagram."

Pipes are color-coded by zone...

"(2) Make up a wiring diagram.
Laminate both & hang them on or next to the wiring connection board. Keep a copy for yourself in a safe place."

2: Drafting them now with a CAD program, BEFORE I forget how I did it!!

"What kind of zone valves are those? Never seen any like them."

3: They say Grunfos "PowerZone", but I suspect they are rebadged Honeywell/Sparco "PowerTracks". They look exactly like the PowerTracks. Did you notice the tiny automatic valve on top of the expansion tank--looks like a brass hex-shaped union?

"I noticed the "J" pump on the dual fuel. Is that a 1725 rpm burner? Real unusual to see a "J" pump on a 3450 rpm burner."

4: It's a Webster pump on an 27 yr. old Becket AF burner. it does say 3450 rpm on the label. I'm pretty sure it was OEM on that burner, since I have another Becket with the identical Webster pump that I saved from my friend's VanWert when he retired it.

 

Pete, don't think that little details like lining up all the screws on the BX connectors are lost on us! dang son, I'd be proud to call that MY work !!!!

Got future plans for that relay in the upper left of the panel, next to the GFI outlet ?

Those remote switches, they look like the ones with the red spring loaded protection covers on them. Are they engraved and filled with the words " ARM " or " SELF DESTRUCT " ??

(I've got an indicator lamp in the kitchen that says " LASER EMISSION " that tells me when I've left the lights on in the crawl space ...)

 

"Do I see a tanglefoot trip hazard on those oil flex lines ? I'm skeert of that..."

They are pretty well sheltered from foot traffic. The water heater really blocks the path. I could velcro them back a bit...

"How are they connected to the fuel lines on the Riello ? Why not just run the flex line all the way inside ? Is it so if they leak, you wanna know about it ?"

The Reillo is European with metric threads. Those metal oil lines you see coming out are the metric to US adapters supplied with the Riello.

"Why is there a vac gauge on the lines btwn burner and T/L ? Will that still tell you if the filter needs changing even though it's on the other side of the T/L from the filter?"

I wanted to ask Grady about that.. It is on the suction side of the pump (oil supply from the T/L) and that's pretty much how Patriot Supply shows the gauge hooked up to a T/L in their advertising... I'm wondering if they really are seeing the vacuum draw on the T/L filter however. I suspect I'd have to install another filter in front and measure the vacuum on that one. Ignorance is bliss. The T/L literature don't give much guidance. But, if the filter clogged, I'd think it would have to start drawing a serious vacuum on the supply??? Grady???

"I'm axin' cuz I'm be doin' mine soon."

 

Got future plans for that relay in the upper left of the panel, next to the GFI outlet ?

Those remote switches, they look like the ones with the red spring loaded protection covers on them. Are they engraved and filled with the words " ARM " or " SELF DESTRUCT " ??

 

boilers2 is awesome!!!!!!!!!!!

I love that 4" (or is that bigger?) box with the terminal strips for the zone valve wiring, and the "umbilical" coming out.

How is that connected to the manifold pipe ?

Also, in boiler2, that must be one of the thermistors for the 260 under that insulation and ty-wraps, yes ?

What's the blue box on the right side (two rocker switches visible...) ?
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"Got future plans for that relay in the upper left of the panel, next to the GFI outlet ?"

It's the alarm output for the LWCO. It will be going to an input on a Sensaphone Cottage Sitter one of these days... Next project is a WaterCop, with a cutout relay for the pump.

"Those remote switches, they look like the ones with the red spring loaded protection covers on them. Are they engraved and filled with the words " ARM " or " SELF DESTRUCT " ??"

There were intended to emergency dump air on an end of train device in their first lifetime.

 

U-Bolt??

 

TOUCHE! ...

well water; me too. That's my next project. Here's a plug for my good friend Bob, hope this ain't against the rules:

http://www.pumpsandtanks.com there's a forum there also.

Masterful work Pete!

 

Yes, gentlemen, the vac gauge is installed properly. As long as it is downstream of the filter & on the suction side of the pump, it is fine.

 

Nice stuff! Of course, my favorite is the small blue box....

 

Can you imagine your average oil provider tech walking into something like this, and seeing a Tekmar for the first time??? My guy never saw a Tigerloop before.

I think I need to add a relay socket so someone can plug in a 24VAC relay so the system will cold fire and run the circulator on a heat call--just for emergency backup heat.... These new electronic controls can be scary if they fail.

Pete

 

Naaahhhh, use MORE electronics, and make it AUTOMATIC!

yeah, that's it, a dedicated PC monitoring the whole kaboodle, switching to hot spares, then old fashioned mode if the spare fails. Hmmm, the raid server of oil burners. Why not ? You've already got a spare boiler !

You mean the 260 doesn't have a "limp home" mode ?

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