Stoker Boiler Pipe Sizing Revisited

 
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StokerDon
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Posts: 7486
Joined: Mon. Nov. 11, 2013 11:17 am
Location: PA, Southern York County!
Stoker Coal Boiler: Gentleman Janitor GJ-5, Van Wert VA-600, Axeman Anderson130 X3.
Hand Fed Coal Furnace: Harman SF3500 reduced down to 3 grates connected to its own plenum
Coal Size/Type: Rice, Chestnut and whatever will fit through the door on the Harman
Other Heating: Noth'in but COAL! Well, Maybe a little tiny bit of wood

Post by StokerDon » Sun. Aug. 24, 2014 12:58 pm

Yesterday I pulled the PEX snake from the boiler all the way back into the laundry. That wasn't to bad. Then I went out and bought some 4" PVC, ran a 10' piece through the garage wall and then through the laundry. Then, I fed the PEX snake up behind the washing machine, through that 10 feet of PVC out to the garage. WOW! WHAT A WRESTLING MATCH THAT WAS!
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PEX re-run

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PEX re-run

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This is what I had planned on doing on the original install last winter but, I stuck the utility knife deep into the back of my hand when I started working on the PEX. SO, I was basicly one handed for a while. At that point it all just got U-clamped to the ceiling.

I also ran the 4" PVC all the way out to the boiler. This looks a lot better and will keep a little more heat in the PEX piping. I have the house zone plumbed back in now to.
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PEX re-run

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PEX re-run

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Yes, it has already become a laundry hanger!
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PEX re-run

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Next week will be plumbing in the Boiler Mate zone and domestic water.

-Don

 
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McGiever
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Posts: 10130
Joined: Sun. May. 02, 2010 11:26 pm
Location: Junction of PA-OH-WV
Stoker Coal Boiler: AXEMAN-ANDERSON 130 "1959"
Hand Fed Coal Boiler: BUCKET A DAY water heater
Hand Fed Coal Stove: Warm Morning 414A
Coal Size/Type: PEA,NUT,STOVE /ANTHRACITE
Other Heating: Ground Source Heat Pump and some Solar

Post by McGiever » Sun. Aug. 24, 2014 8:34 pm

Thermostatic mixing valve going in w/ the BoilerMate?


 
User avatar
StokerDon
Site Moderator
Posts: 7486
Joined: Mon. Nov. 11, 2013 11:17 am
Location: PA, Southern York County!
Stoker Coal Boiler: Gentleman Janitor GJ-5, Van Wert VA-600, Axeman Anderson130 X3.
Hand Fed Coal Furnace: Harman SF3500 reduced down to 3 grates connected to its own plenum
Coal Size/Type: Rice, Chestnut and whatever will fit through the door on the Harman
Other Heating: Noth'in but COAL! Well, Maybe a little tiny bit of wood

Post by StokerDon » Sun. Aug. 24, 2014 9:38 pm

McGiever wrote:Thermostatic mixing valve going in w/ the BoilerMate?
McGiever,

This time around I am just going to use the controls in the Boiler Mate to control the DHW temp. I have not forgoten what you had told me in another thread about Dishwashers and cloths washers running at higher temp. For this season (at least the first part) I will be happy to get normal hot water without having to pay PECO.

-Don

 
User avatar
StokerDon
Site Moderator
Posts: 7486
Joined: Mon. Nov. 11, 2013 11:17 am
Location: PA, Southern York County!
Stoker Coal Boiler: Gentleman Janitor GJ-5, Van Wert VA-600, Axeman Anderson130 X3.
Hand Fed Coal Furnace: Harman SF3500 reduced down to 3 grates connected to its own plenum
Coal Size/Type: Rice, Chestnut and whatever will fit through the door on the Harman
Other Heating: Noth'in but COAL! Well, Maybe a little tiny bit of wood

Post by StokerDon » Wed. Sep. 03, 2014 8:51 pm

OK, all of the plumbing and re-plumbing is complete!

I plumbed the red and blue 3/4" lines from the PEX snake into PEX "T"'s right above the electric water heater in the basement.
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Water heater

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Water heater

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Out in the garage, I plumbed the blue cold water line to the boiler fill and the bottom cold water inlet on the Boiler Mate. Hot water out of the top of the Boiler Mate goes back into the PEX snake and from there into the house domestic hot water above the electric water heater. I plumbed a zone into and out of the Boiler Mate using the pump from last year's garage zone. No garage zone this year, hopefully the boiler will keep the garage above 50 degrees.
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Water heater

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Water heater

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I "T"'ed in a valve with a hose fitting on the end of the hot outlet and cold inlet of the Boiler Mate. So, now I have cold AND hot running water in my garage!

Also, since I now have water in the garage, I back-flushed the DHW coil and some chunks of stuff came out. Now it seems to flow fine. So far, it doesn't seem to be leaking into the boiler. The coil currently has water presure in it and the boiler is empty.
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DHW coil

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DHW coil

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The next big job is doing all the wiring from scratch. Then I will put up the 8" chimney. Once I know there are no leaks, I will finish insulating the pipes and put some insulation on the boiler.

The Tri-Burner conversion is complete, there's 5 ton of rice in my new bin. In 2 or 3 weeks I'll be ready to fire it up for DHW!

-Don

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