That’s not the name of a southern rock band, but it could be. It would also make a great name for a project that Kelleher Heating and Cooling took on recently, just outside of Richmond, Va. Dating back to the 1700s, the historic Brook Hill estate has been home to dozens of Virginia dignitaries, and Read more
Taco
That’s not the name of a southern rock band, but it could be.
It would also make a great name for a project that Kelleher Heating and Cooling took on recently, just outside of Richmond, Va.
Dating back to the 1700s, the historic Brook Hill estate has been home to dozens of Virginia dignitaries, and has always been under the careful watch of a family descendant.
The 11,000-sq.-ft. plantation home, built in 1850, served as a Confederate field hospital. The basement was the final resting place of several slaves, and Route 1 used to run directly through the property.
It sounds a bit spooky, and looks the part, too. But despite the gothic mansion’s towering profile and dark colors, its sole inhabitant swears that the only frightening occurrence in recent years has been the arrival of the oil bill.
In heating season, the drafty old mansion generally consumed 1,000 gallons of fuel oil each month. Rated at 5 GPH each, two old boilers heat the home. One of the boilers had just recently sprung a leak, too.
From l to r: Cory Sandlin, apprentice plumber, Dennis Shiflett, master plumber, Lonnie Herman, master plumber, Peter Grainger, plumbing sales (master plumber), Tom Crampton, master plumber, Chuck Greenberg, plumbing, A/C and electrical supervisor.
While the drivers at Kelleher Heating and Cooling were happy to deliver the #2, Pete Grainger, estimator at the 40-person company, had suggested for years to retrofit with a natural gas system. After two rough winters in a row, the estate took him up on it in 2015.
System design began in the spring. The plan was to change the living space as little as possible; just add new T-stats. A dozen or more fireplaces were the original source of heat. Sometime in the past half-century, hydronic wall registers, fin-tube baseboard and a little cast iron had been added to create two big zones.
Trading high mass for low mass
The Kelleher crew went into demolition mode in late August. Lonnie Herman, who’s been with Kelleher for 20 of its 50 years, was lead installer on the job. He was joined by Dennis Shiflett, Tom Crampton, Chuck Greenberg and Cory Sandlin.
The oil tanks were hauled out and the two massive boilers were broken apart. One of the big units had recently developed a leak. At the same time, RE Michel delivered the two new, 95 percent efficient Burnham Alpine 399 boilers. The utility ran a gas line several hundred yards to the mansion, at which point Kelleher took over and continued for another 40 feet.
“The install was pretty straightforward,” continued Greenberg. “We piped and wired the boilers in a lead-lag configuration so that we have a 10-to-one turndown. The system can provide anywhere from 80,000 to nearly 800,000 BTUs. That’s a major asset here.”
But there was another big advantage to pairing condensing boilers with the old hydronic system: the two giant zones made for big temperature differentials and long condensing cycles. Generally, the downside to a big Delta T on a fin-tube system is a slight temperature variation across the different rooms on any given zone. But most of the mansion is uninhabited, so slight temperature variance is of little concern.
Given then old piping and radiation throughout the house, three Y-strainers were included on the new piping. The only real challenge was venting. The Kelleher techs ran pipe 35 feet to reach a suitable area. The thick stone and brick foundation took a while to break, though. The job wrapped up about two weeks after it began.
Lots of improvements
“This was only the second time I’ve installed an Alpine,” said Greenberg. “We’ve used Burnham’s cast-iron boilers for decades, and I really wanted to try the Alpine in a dual-boiler setup. The controls are friendlier than what we’re used to on a condensing boiler, and the support was fantastic.”
Throughout the project, Kelleher worked with Ron Beck at US Boiler Company, RE Michel Company, and Cindy Lau at ROI Marketing if a question came up.
With all that new stainless steel in the basement, it would’ve been a shame not to get rid of the old LP-fired, 80-gallon water heater. Kelleher installed a 50-gallon Burnham Alliance indirect tank as a third zone off the main loop.
“Most folks have no concept of what it takes to keep a place like this this intact,” said the anonymous caretaker with a smile in her voice. “With the new heating system, it’ll be a little bit easier.”
Components:
Two Alpine 399
Alliance 50-gallon
Taco Zone Controller
Taco 0014-30 Circulators
2″ Spirovent Air Separator
Two 1 1/2″ Strainers, One 2″ Strainer (Legend)
Amtrol SX-90 Expansion
Amtrol ST12 Potable Expansion
Maxitrol Regulators with Vent Limitera
4″ CPVC Vent Pipe
Zoned with 0014 Circulators and Check Valves
Standard Outdoor Reset
With tens of thousands of registered mechanical firms around the country, naming a new company isn’t easy. Each approach can have advantages and drawbacks. For example, giving it the founder’s name might avoid availability issues, but it could hurt when it comes time to sell the company years down the road. Acronyms can be great Read more
With tens of thousands of registered mechanical firms around the country, naming a new company isn’t easy. Each approach can have advantages and drawbacks. For example, giving it the founder’s name might avoid availability issues, but it could hurt when it comes time to sell the company years down the road. Acronyms can be great, but confusing if not done carefully.
Sometimes, the best names are a bit off-the-wall. But a unique, memorable name isn’t a ticket for a smooth ride into a lucrative market, as Keefer Rader learned after starting Outlaw Mechanical, LLC., in 2008.
Keefer and Dorian Rader co-own Outlaw Mechanical. Official “outlaw dog,” Kayla, oversees daily operation.
“With a name like Outlaw, the first year was pretty tough,” said Rader, whose four-man shop in Sandia Park, NM installs and services all types of residential HVAC systems. The company’s name and logo (a skull and cross wrenches, wearing a cowboy hat and bandana) definitely has a lot of “cool factor,” yet was disconcerting for some customers at first. However, the unusual name resonates with Rader.
“We’re industry ‘outlaws’ in our area because I don’t pay my technicians based on commission,” he explained. “That approach is pretty standard here in the Southwest, but it doesn’t align with our company culture. It’s the only way we can ensure our customers receive the highest quality and most honest service possible.”
Keefer Rader, of Outlaw Mechanical, prepares to fire a new Alpine boiler.
A self-admitted perfectionist, Rader has intentionally kept the company small. Any more than four employees, he says, makes it tough to maintain his high standards. “We install only the best equipment, period. If you want cheap, look elsewhere.”
Climate of extremes
As the crow flies, Sandia Park is 15 miles East of Albuquerque, with a slender mountain range between. Like many high-desert regions, both heating and cooling seasons can be intense. Outlaw Mechanical uses a -38°F outdoor design temperature for heating, and cooling systems are designed to handle long, dry days above 100°F. New Mexico is one of the few places where a technician may work on a boiler and an evaporative cooler — sometimes called a swamp cooler — in the same day.
“When most people think of New Mexico, mountains don’t come to mind,” said Rader. “But we have boilers installed from 4,000 feet above sea level to 9,000. They’re almost all Burnham Alpines, which has been a phenomenal product. My competition uses other brands, and all I ever hear them talk about is electrical problems. Meanwhile, we’ve had no issues at all.”
Outlaw Mechanical LLC., in Sandia Park, NM, used a Burnham Alpine 210 to increase comfort, but fuel expenses, and drastically reduce noise in a local church.
When the Alpine’s wireless outdoor reset control was introduced, Outlaw Mechanical probably appreciated it as much as any installer in the country. Southwestern homes are notorious for tight mechanical spaces located in the middle of the building, and with the “adobe” style being so prevalent, many homes don’t have an attic through which to pull a wire.
“Outdoor reset is critical in this area,” said Rader. “As is adjustment; I can’t tell you how many times I’ve walked into a home that’s 90°F inside, in March. With our big temperature swings from night to day, it’s easy to overshoot the slab on a radiant system if the outdoor reset isn’t set properly.”
Custom homes with in-floor heat make up a large portion of the company’s work. On occasion, they’ll take on a project that strays from their residential focus, but because the Alpine’s size range is from 80 to 800 MBH, it’s flexible enough for almost any application.
Hydronic conversion
A nearby, 5,000-square-foot church was plagued by a 40-year-old furnace. The obnoxiously-loud unit was installed adjacent to the auditorium, where worship services are held. Hours before church on Sunday, congregation members would fire the furnace, bringing the building up to nearly 80°F, then shut it off for the duration of the service so it wasn’t a distraction. In August, they decided to make a change for the coming winter.
Initially, the church planned to install a new furnace, but the old ductwork left cold spots in various rooms. After looking at a number of options, Rader proposed a plan to install hydronic baseboard as a quiet, comfortable, efficient alternative.
A month later, the facility had a new, seven-zone heating system, as well as a stub-out for the future addition of domestic hot water. From the new Alpine 210 condensing boiler, Rahau PEX was pulled through the crawlspace to feed 430 linear feet of fin-tube baseboard. Each zone was individually served by a three-speed Taco 0015.
Fits the room, fits the budget
According to Rader, there were two challenges: Installing baseboard in an existing building while limiting disturbance, and packing all near-boiler piping into a 48” x 48” closet.
For the first obstacle, Outlaw Technicians took their time cutting through walls to limit the damage to the structure. Moving slowly and carefully while assessing each wall penetration was key. As for the mechanical room, laying the piping design out before starting a torch ensured there would be plenty of room for all components.
The Alpine boiler was placed on a custom built equipment stand with all secondary piping overhead. The row of circulators wraps around a corner, with a Taco 4900 air separator installed on the supply.
“I don’t want my name on a messy or inferior installation,” said Rader. “So when the baseboard work drug out because we were being so cautious about cutting holes, we made it fit the budget by donating some labor to the church.”
Church members have been thrilled with the comfort improvements. There are no cold rooms anymore, and most importantly, the heat can be on during a church service without the roar of an antique furnace in the background.
“The old furnace was 50% efficient, and the Alpine is 95%,” said Rader. “They love the system already. Wait until they see the fuel savings this winter.”
Taco’s now-expanded ECM, wet rotor Viridian line includes the VR3452 high efficiency wet rotor variable speed circulator for chilled and hot water applications, offering up to 34 feet of shut-off head and 52 gpm flow. All settings are accomplished with the user-friendly interface. The permanent magnet ECM motor saves up to 85% of the electrical Read more
Taco’s now-expanded ECM, wet rotor Viridian line includes the VR3452 high efficiency wet rotor variable speed circulator for chilled and hot water applications, offering up to 34 feet of shut-off head and 52 gpm flow. All settings are accomplished with the user-friendly interface. The permanent magnet ECM motor saves up to 85% of the electrical energy compared to conventional pumps.
The circulator offers:
• Auto mode (default)
• Proportional pressure control
• Constant pressure control
• Constant speed
• Night setback turndown
• Available in 115 or 230 volts
The optional communication module provides: Ethernet and Modbus RTU communication, analog control input 0 – 10 V, three analog inputs/outputs, one relay output, main and standby operation.
In Eagle County, Colorado, local authorities not only promote energy sustainability, but insist on it. Any residential project that incorporates more than 200 square feet of snow melt, for example, must mitigate the load with an offset the draws upon a renewable energy source. So the county required owner to mitigate snowmelt energy draw Read more
In Eagle County, Colorado, local authorities not only promote energy sustainability, but insist on it. Any residential project that incorporates more than 200 square feet of snow melt, for example, must mitigate the load with an offset the draws upon a renewable energy source. So the county required owner to mitigate snowmelt energy draw with alternative energy or pay a hefty fee.
For Mustafa Aydin, president of American Plumbing Heating & Solar in Edwards, Colorado—an independent, family-owned plumbing and heating company that prides itself in personalized customer service—the county’s demand represented an opportunity for innovative energy planning. His client was gutting and rehabilitating a 7,000-square-foot home in the Red Sky neighborhood of Wolcott, Colo., completely redesigning its infrastructure to include radiant floor heating, 3,000 square feet of outdoor snowmelt, improved domestic hot water, and the comfort of a heated, year-round 1,500-gallon hot tub. The challenge for Aydin was to determine the loads for all the needs and design a system to support it.
In addition to a clean install, American PH&S had an artist come in and paint an aerial view of a motorcycle on the mechanical room floor to add a personal touch.
Before Aydin had consolidated his design options, he knew immediately where he would source the core components: “I’m a Viessmann installer and have been for many years, I won’t install anything else.”
For design support, Aydin turned to Eric Anderson, a hydronics technical support specialist at Ferguson Hydronics in Denver. He was tasked with creating a system that would integrate solar thermal—the renewable energy resource—with condensing boilers to serve all four loads seamlessly and efficiently.
The 7,000-square-foot home in the Red Sky neighborhood of Wolcott, Colo., completely redesigned its infrastructure to include radiant floor heating, 3,000 square feet of outdoor snowmelt, improved domestic hot water, and the comfort of a heated, year-round 1,500-gallon hot tub.
“At the highest level, we thought of the solar thermal contribution in two tiers,” says Anderson. “Its top priorities would be serving domestic hot water needs and the hot tub; at the secondary level, it would support the condensing boilers with the radiant heating and snowmelt loads.”
“When you have an involved project like this,” Anderson explains, “you start with a heat loss study to assess the loads. How much DHW do they use or need? What’s the load from the outdoor spa? Anderson ran a TSOL, a solar thermal computer simulation program that analyzes load within the context of the location’s climate and weather. The resulting analysis formed the basis for design that includes nine, 4’ x 8’ solar panels on the roof, and two Vitodens 200 wall-mounted condensing boilers. The solar system ties into two 120-gallon single-coil stainless steel tanks—one for DHW, the other to preheat water for the boilers (reducing their load)—a plate heat exchanger for the outdoor spa’s hot tub, and a 650-gallon stainless steel atmospheric tank that serves as a buffer for the solar thermal system, and as a contributing source of energy for the radiant heat and snowmelt loads.
Vitodens 200 wall-mounted condensing boilers.
This installation utilized a Caleffi hydro separator, iSolar control, a diverting valve, Z-one valves, 6762 Series thermo-electric zone valves, 132 Series QuickSetter balancing valve and a 573 Series AutoFill combination valve with backflow preventer.
In addition to supplying the panels, boilers, and tanks, Viessmann provided the panel line set and the boiler controls. The line set—prefabricated from stainless steel and pre-insulated—include sensor lines in the insulation for easy integration into the controls, and, says Anderson, “really solid, high-temperature O-ring connections for the panels, which means there’s no need for us to do soldering on the roof.”
Cascaded for maximum efficiency
A carefully planned mechanical room manages the flow of water, and allocation of energy, between the solar and boiler sources, using an integrated array of three-way valves and the intelligent application of the boilers’ controls. “We have the controller set for a cascading strategy that encourages the maximum amount of condensing,” says Anderson. The lead boiler usually fires at 25% to 30% of its peak modulation; when it exceeds 40% – 50%, the second boiler kicks in and the two modulate down again. “The whole goal,” Anderson says, “is to fire at the lowest rate for highest efficiency.”
While the system is complex, sourcing components from Viessmann made the project easier. “It’s the only boiler system I spec,” Anderson says. “Whether it’s solar, controls or boilers, everything’s thought out as a system. For me, that means peace of mind.”
American PH&S had an artist come in and paint an aerial view of a motorcycle on the mechanical room floor. Discovering that the owners are big motorcycle fans during his initial bid process, Aydin surprised them with the motorcycle design. The color just happened to match the first motorcycle the owner ever bought. They were delighted with the attention to detail. “I like to add a personal touch when finishing a project like this. In this case, the homeowner is a Harley Davidson fan, so we added the motorcycle image to the floor. It was a surprise gift for the homeowner and he loved it!” said Aydin.
Ultimately, the homeowner was satisfied to have an alternative energy source for his home and a snowmelt system in his driveway.
Inside the Job
Boiler — Viessmann
Water heater — Viessmann
Pumps — Grundfos
Relays — Taco
Piping — Copper and flex
Solar Panels — Viessmann
Hot Water Storage — Viessmann
Separators — Caleffi
Expansion tanks — Caleffi
The Italian word, “Avanti” means “forward.” In the sense of motion, it’s a fitting description of young business owner Anthony Tosco and his three-man company, Avanti Plumbing and Heating, Inc., just west of Philadelphia. Currently, the company offers plumbing, heating, hydronics and air conditioning to customers all over eastern Pennsylvania. Most work consists of residential Read more
The Italian word, “Avanti” means “forward.” In the sense of motion, it’s a fitting description of young business owner Anthony Tosco and his three-man company, Avanti Plumbing and Heating, Inc., just west of Philadelphia.
Currently, the company offers plumbing, heating, hydronics and air conditioning to customers all over eastern Pennsylvania. Most work consists of residential retrofits, but the occasional apartment complex and restaurant provides them with a blend of light commercial work.
Anthony Tosco, Avanti Plumbing and Heating, Inc.
“Sixty-five percent is high-end residential,” said Tosco. “We get jobs ranging from $50,000 to those over the million-dollar mark, but we also do work in the average household.” This past year, Avanti picked up 40 residential service contracts.
The firm has been in business since 2006, and its steady growth can be attributed to work ethic, finely-tuned attention paid to customer satisfaction, continual training and adoption of new technology.
Save time, resources, energy
A recent addition to Avanti’s product offering is domestic hot water recirculation — a convenience and resource-saver for businesses and homeowners alike. It’s especially applicable to high-end residences with sprawling floor plans.
Recently, Tosco was called to a beautifully remodeled and enlarged 1920s farmhouse. The newly-reconstructed kitchen with dining area is at the farthest point from the homes’ water heater.
Anthony Tosco, Avanti Plumbing & Heating, is taking his company to another level with outside-the-box solutions such as hot water circulation.
“We were always waiting for the hot water to arrive at the tap,” recalled the homeowner. “There were times it would take several minutes.”
“Waiting means wasting,” explained Tosco. “All the time they spent waiting for hot water to reach the tap, gallons of fresh water were going to waste. On top of that, they have a well pump that ran unnecessarily. This also meant that the property’s septic bed was receiving excess waste water.”
According to government studies, the average American family of four wastes about 12,000 gallons per year without a hot water recirculation system. Tosco says he has certainly witnessed that and more, especially in larger homes with numerous bathrooms and elaborate fixtures.
“We knew right away that a hot water recirc system would fix the issue at the farmhouse,” continued Tosco. The homeowner would save time, money and pure water, making life more comfortable.”
When Tosco wanted to know more about the latest in hot water recirculation technology, he reached out to an old friend and mentor, Anthony Reikow. Reikow is a trainer at B.J. Terroni, a manufacturer’s rep firm in nearby Bensalem. He suggested that Tosco look at Taco’s extensive lineup of recirculation products with various choices to fit applications with and without dedicated return lines.
After seeing the different options, Tosco settled on the TacoGenie system because the homeowner wanted the greenest solution. Plus, there was an existing electrical outlet under the sink, which allowed for a simple plug-in installation.
“The home owner chose a key fob to activate the pump, instead of the push button or motion detector that came with the pump,” said Tosco. “This allowed them to keep the fob in a cabinet, away from their young kids.”
“Watching the Avanti crew prep my kitchen for the installation was like watching a surgeon prepare for an operation,” added the homeowner. “The floor and cupboards were protected with drop cloths and they all had booties on their shoes. They were very methodical – and it was greatly appreciated.”
Tosco performs a diagnostic check on a series of Taco Bumblebee pumps.
“Homeowners can hire anyone they want,” explained Tosco. “It comes down to who they really feel comfortable with. We’re not just selling a service or product — we’re selling a relationship.”
No return line, no problem
Ten miles away at a 12,000-sq.-ft., radiantly-heated home, Tosco was hired to replace an old boiler and improve comfort to the many zones.
A 150 MBH wall-hung mod-con boiler now provides heat and DHW via an 80-gallon sidearm tank set as priority. Above the indirect is an ASSE-1017 Taco 5000 series mixing valve to protect the homeowners from scalding.
Because the home didn’t have a dedicated recirc line, Tosco installed a Taco Hot-Link recirculation system. “The homeowner liked that the Hot-Link is completely customizable to their hot water needs,” said Tosco.
“Hot-Link begins working when the timer-activated pump, which can be installed at the water heater, pushes hot water toward a one-way bypass valve beneath the furthest fixture in the house,” explained Tosco. “As long as the water in the hot line remains cool, the valve stays open and the cool water is circulated back to the water heater through the cold water line. But when incoming water reaches approximately 110°F, the valve closes. Hot water is then delivered immediately when any tap is turned on in the house.”
Hot water recirc, hot topic
In another high-scale Philly suburb, Avanti was called to a home with two propane water heaters – a 50-gallon unit dedicated to the master bathroom and a 75-gallon tank for the rest of the house. The home, having a dedicated recirc line that had never been used, received a Taco SmartPlus recirculation system.
“Installing recircs has given us a foot in the door for custom homes. The SmartPlus pumps don’t require any programming and they’re maintenance-free. Learning the water usage patterns of homeowners, the pump turns on automatically to make sure there’s hot water whenever it’s called for. Our customers want the smartest systems out there — and with technology like this — we’re able to deliver,” said Travis Beveridge, who’s been with Avanti for three years.
Tosco says that he uses only Taco components for their hydronic and hot water recirculation work. “I choose them because they’re an American family making American products to install in American homes. That’s something that makes great sense to me.”