Life in Alaska

[AKwelder]

3 minutes ago, Rainman said:

A pump for each zone?  I had 3 zones, one pump for a new tri-level back in 70's ...

No more zone valves.  Pumps are the same price or less than a zone valve and easier to replace.  Also, they have a common length so you can replace them with any brand/model.

Also, as more zones call for heat you get more flow for more even heating.

[Rainman]

1 minute ago, AKwelder said:

No more zone valves.  Pumps are the same price or less than a zone valve and easier to replace.  Also, they have a common length so you can replace them with any brand/model.

Also, as more zones call for heat you get more flow for more even heating.

Now as I remember, was only $400 upgrade from forced air furnace. Had zone valves replaced a number of times the 10 years in the house. Pumps make more sense like you said...

[TroyDairy]

10 hours ago, AKwelder said:

Just soldered in. They make servicing and working on the system easier. 
 

How so?  Do you have to cut whole she bang out to replace the 2nd valve for example?  

[TroyDairy]

Also... it it water?  Or a coolant type fluid?  It has to recirculate right?   Not dumping down a drain all that water.

Infloor in rare here.  Propane guys used to tell me they knew who had radiant heat vs forced air.  Higher usage....🤷🏼‍♂️

[hobbyfarm]

Just catching up on red power.  You should be proud of that install.  Very impressive.  We have had 2 of those type of boilers.  Weil McClain units.  The internet hates them but they worked well for us.  

[AKwelder]

5 hours ago, TroyDairy said:

How so?  Do you have to cut whole she bang out to replace the 2nd valve for example?  

The valves don’t get actuated very often so failure is fairly uncommon, when it does happen the copper has enough movement in it to get it out of the solder socket and install a new valve. the riser goes up and has a 90 and runs several feet, so you can make it move enough to replace items.

The green pumps are flanged in place and can be unbolted and swapped out in a few minutes with the isolation flanges used.  

Most people here use a glycol solution to avoid freezing the system if there is a problem, such as an open window or door.  Or loss of power.  My house uses water, each there own

these systems are closed loops and they do not get replenished on a regular basis, in fact the constant addition of water would add oxygen that can cause issues with the metal in the system.  
 

 

[AKwelder]

Forced air is great if you want AC, you get both systems. We rarely see AC in houses here.  Then boilers are usually easier to heat individual rooms as needed and balance comfort.

The interesting thing about radiant system is they seem so simple. But there are lots of little items that can greatly change the effectiveness of the system.  Placement and length of the loops, insulation in the slab, insulation around the slab, heating source, controls and piping, pump sizing and more.  The crazy part is someone can do most of those in an inefficient manner and the system will still heat a house, just poorly and not as efficient.

[TroyDairy]

9 hours ago, AKwelder said:

Forced air is great if you want AC, you get both systems. We rarely see AC in houses here.  Then boilers are usually easier to heat individual rooms as needed and balance comfort.

The interesting thing about radiant system is they seem so simple. But there are lots of little items that can greatly change the effectiveness of the system.  Placement and length of the loops, insulation in the slab, insulation around the slab, heating source, controls and piping, pump sizing and more.  The crazy part is someone can do most of those in an inefficient manner and the system will still heat a house, just poorly and not as efficient.

Thanks for the clarification...

 

Here AC is becoming much more common.  All new homes and ton being retro fitted.  Apx 50% of homes in the region have AC.  For some reason my dad put AC in in 1981.   Till i moved out I have no idea how the "poors" lived with out AC  .

That system we just replace in 2024.  100% OEM and pump quit.  NLA everything.  My FIL got AC prob 10 years ago, I walked in 1st time after and said 'so how is it?".  He said 'how the heck did we live 66 years with out it?" lol

 

COULDDDD you heat the glycol with wood?  Or is that a futile deal heating wood to heat water to heat air?

[SASW6]

7 hours ago, TroyDairy said:

Thanks for the clarification...

 

Here AC is becoming much more common.  All new homes and ton being retro fitted.  Apx 50% of homes in the region have AC.  For some reason my dad put AC in in 1981.   Till i moved out I have no idea how the "poors" lived with out AC  .

That system we just replace in 2024.  100% OEM and pump quit.  NLA everything.  My FIL got AC prob 10 years ago, I walked in 1st time after and said 'so how is it?".  He said 'how the heck did we live 66 years with out it?" lol

 

COULDDDD you heat the glycol with wood?  Or is that a futile deal heating wood to heat water to heat air?

That's what they are doing around here with the outdoor wood boilers 

[AKwelder]

13 hours ago, TroyDairy said:

Thanks for the clarification...

 

Here AC is becoming much more common.  All new homes and ton being retro fitted.  Apx 50% of homes in the region have AC.  For some reason my dad put AC in in 1981.   Till i moved out I have no idea how the "poors" lived with out AC  .

That system we just replace in 2024.  100% OEM and pump quit.  NLA everything.  My FIL got AC prob 10 years ago, I walked in 1st time after and said 'so how is it?".  He said 'how the heck did we live 66 years with out it?" lol

 

COULDDDD you heat the glycol with wood?  Or is that a futile deal heating wood to heat water to heat air?

Wood fired boilers work great. Lots of them out there.  Just need to think the system through so you size capacity’s and loads and pipe sizes.
 

The main gain with radiant floor systems is they need lower temperatures to heat, unlike baseboard which needs fairly high temperatures.  So an unnamed NW dairyman could use heat from maybe his milk bulk tank to heat the shop or milking parlor.  

[New Englander]

19 hours ago, TroyDairy said:

AC is becoming much more common

When we finally gave up wood and had an air source heat pump system with propane backup heat installed the resulting central air system is amazingly comfortable. No more lugging window units.

House was built before central heat or even electricity or plumbing. Hot air was retrofitted with rectangular ducts slid up balloon construction studs so distribution system is not ideal. HVAC guys did the best they could in the basement and the result only has a few problem areas. 

Why did we wait so long is often the thought. Well money was tight enough that wood heat was good option and the house had a wood/oil furnace from the '70s. Anyone considering any HVAC work should consider AC/heat pump. If I was younger I would have considered a ground source heat pump. It would be somewhat difficult as the house sits on a small hill and it would be some distance to relatively flat ground. House built nearby about has ground source on a well. It simply pumps back down but in real cold weather he has to dump water as the return water gets to ground water too cold. Another house on the bay hit a well with so much flow he has a total loss system - it just dumps into the bay but I don't think those systems are allowed anymore.

My vote for central air.

[Alan Dinan]

20 hours ago, TroyDairy said:

Thanks for the clarification...

 

Here AC is becoming much more common.  All new homes and ton being retro fitted.  Apx 50% of homes in the region have AC.  For some reason my dad put AC in in 1981.   Till i moved out I have no idea how the "poors" lived with out AC  .

That system we just replace in 2024.  100% OEM and pump quit.  NLA everything.  My FIL got AC prob 10 years ago, I walked in 1st time after and said 'so how is it?".  He said 'how the heck did we live 66 years with out it?" lol

 

COULDDDD you heat the glycol with wood?  Or is that a futile deal heating wood to heat water to heat air?

I have an outdoor wood burning stove, it heats the radiant floor in the shop and a heat exchanger in the ductwork in the house. It works great. Also have a gas furnace for heating the house when it’s above freezing. The wood stove only gets used for about two months a year.

[AKwelder]

2 hours ago, New Englander said:

When we finally gave up wood and had an air source heat pump system with propane backup heat installed the resulting central air system is amazingly comfortable. No more lugging window units.

House was built before central heat or even electricity or plumbing. Hot air was retrofitted with rectangular ducts slid up balloon construction studs so distribution system is not ideal. HVAC guys did the best they could in the basement and the result only has a few problem areas. 

Why did we wait so long is often the thought. Well money was tight enough that wood heat was good option and the house had a wood/oil furnace from the '70s. Anyone considering any HVAC work should consider AC/heat pump. If I was younger I would have considered a ground source heat pump. It would be somewhat difficult as the house sits on a small hill and it would be some distance to relatively flat ground. House built nearby about has ground source on a well. It simply pumps back down but in real cold weather he has to dump water as the return water gets to ground water too cold. Another house on the bay hit a well with so much flow he has a total loss system - it just dumps into the bay but I don't think those systems are allowed anymore.

My vote for central air.

I just installed a mini split heat pump in the new (to us) house.  Keeps the master bedroom livable with AC and humidity down.  Easier to make fit.  They have come a long way and are very nice now 

[AKwelder]

Alaska National Guard airlifting our fellow citizens out of harms way here

 

 

300 people on the plane. More on the way. All from Typhoon Halong making land fall on Alaska west coast

[CRVB91]

2 hours ago, AKwelder said:

Alaska National Guard airlifting our fellow citizens out of harms way here

 

 

300 people on the plane. More on the way. All from Typhoon Halong making land fall on Alaska west coast

Sending love across the pond! Have been watching this unfold 🙏

[Cool1566]

Wow! Hoping you and yours are ok?

[AKwelder]

3 hours ago, Cool1566 said:

Wow! Hoping you and yours are ok?

I appreciate you asking. We are several hundred miles inland. The storm was hard along the coast 

[AKwelder]

Been busy.  Working my day job and working my plumbing business.  
 

Picked up a truck on auction

 

 

installed a steam unit heater in an old building that is to be remodeled 

 

daughter gave me a grandson 

 

my best friend needed help so we flew down to his place he bought in the US Virgin Islands and replumbed it

 

Today I’m sitting here and it’s below zero, windy and cold 

 

[CRVB91]

2 minutes ago, AKwelder said:

Been busy.  Working my day job and working my plumbing business.  
 

Picked up a truck on auction

 

 

installed a steam unit heater in an old building that is to be remodeled 

 

daughter gave me a grandson 

 

my best friend needed help so we flew down to his place he bought in the US Virgin Islands and replumbed it

 

Today I’m sitting here and it’s below zero, windy and cold 

 

Ahhh, he is lovely AK, congratulations to you and the family - hope mama and baby are both doing well. 

[AKwelder]

23 hours ago, CRVB91 said:

Ahhh, he is lovely AK, congratulations to you and the family - hope mama and baby are both doing well. 

Thank you. Mother and baby are doing wonderful 

[New Englander]

Congrats granddad!

[TroyDairy]

Oh neat grandpa! 

 

My friends whom got "after it" rigghhtt after high school are now becoming grandparents.  One guy who been always pretty tough is just a huge kitty when his grand daughter and now 2nd are around!  We were chopping field next to his sons house and he was trucking for me.  When that ma and 2yo were on the lawn he moved faster than all day to that frt porch for some baby time😁

[Alan Dinan]

Congratulations AK!! Sure doesn’t look below 0 where you’re sitting in the last pic!! Maybe back home.

[AKwelder]

Up north working, we had some weather

 

going out from camp to start the vehicle 

 

the convoy to the job site

 

 

 

was a pretty good storm

 

 

 

[Cool1566]

You have to work in that???!!

I would call in sick….