Anyone with a military background will recall the U.S. Government’s penchant for acronyms. MREs, BDUs, MRAPs, the list goes on. Unfortunately, this dynamic is also present when discussing the efficiency enhancing feature known as outdoor reset. ODT, SWT, LWT, etc. It’s enough to cause a BM in your BVDs! Well, U.S. Boiler Company has once Read more
U.S. Boiler Company
Anyone with a military background will recall the U.S. Government’s penchant for acronyms. MREs, BDUs, MRAPs, the list goes on. Unfortunately, this dynamic is also present when discussing the efficiency enhancing feature known as outdoor reset. ODT, SWT, LWT, etc. It’s enough to cause a BM in your BVDs! Well, U.S. Boiler Company has once again developed a solution to make all this NBD.
First a few simple facts.
1. Flue gas will condense when temps are at or around 130° or less.
2. When vapor contained in flue gas condenses it releases a significant amount of heat.
3. Without question, optimal efficiency is achieved by heating a home using the lowest possible water temperature that will maintain the desired indoor target temperature, usually the thermostat set-point.
4. Using a Mod-Con, or high efficiency, gas boiler like the ALTA can take full advantage of the condensing action allowed by low water/flue temps.
Outdoor reset sensors do a wonderful thing. They enhance efficiency by matching water temperature to varying conditions. For example, one would want to maintain indoor design temp, normally 70°, during outdoor design temps (in CT normally 7-10 degrees.) Assume a 7° ODDT, and required SWT of 180. This means the boiler must deliver 180° supply water consistently at a 7° outdoor design temperature to maintain the desired indoor temp (IDT). This all simply means we need the hottest water when it’s coldest outside. Good so far?
As Paul Harvey used to say, “And now-The rest of the Story!” We now all understand (hopefully) what happens in our heating systems on the coldest day of the year. What about the rest of the time? Sure, that 180° water will heat the house just fine on a 50 degree day. But what about all the energy used to unnecessarily heat the water way past what would be required to keep the home comfortable? This is a net negative on many fronts, but most significant is the increased wear and tear on the heating unit.
So, your now asking “Tom, how low can my water temp be?” The answer will likely surprise you. Standard fin tube radiation works ok down to 130° water temps in most applications. Same with cast iron radiators. For the fin tube baseboard system in my house the minimum boiler water temp on my ALTAC-136 is 125 degrees. Hydro-air (hydronic coils added to or contained within hot air furnaces or air handlers) can often be run around 130° as well, depending on the occupant’s expectations. Remember, these SWT’s are typically targeted when the ODT is ~70°. We don’t need to transfer much heat to maintain indoor setpoints at these conditions. How does all this magic happen? Outdoor reset. Using a thermistor mounted outside, typically out of the sun on the north facing wall we monitor ODT and adjust SWT temp accordingly. So my personal curve used to be 180° SWT @ 7° ODT, and 125°SWT@70° ODT, but no more. My ALTA figures this out automatically without an outdoor reset sensor.
While outdoor reset simply monitors outdoor temperatures, rate-based reset works by looking at boiler run time, firing rate, and other parameters and adjusting accordingly. Here’s a few examples. Say it’s a beautiful spring day. Nice and sunny with a gentle breeze and 50° outdoor temperatures. The boiler run times are likely short, and the firing rate is likely low. The boiler knows from these conditions the heat loss from the house is minimal, and adjusts, incrementally dropping the boiler water temp until the minimum setpoint is reached, or our algorithm (the “secret sauce”) calculates that based on run time and firing rate the water temp will deliver enough heat to match the rate of heat loss and maintain indoor temp setpoints at the lowest possible SWT. As night rolls in and the temperature drops, average run times and firing rates increase, and once again, rate-based reset will adjust (increase) SWT’s to maintain indoor comfort and optimal efficiency. “Brilliant!” you say. I agree. But wait-there’s more!
Conventional ODR has limitations. Say the calculated water temp for a 45 degree day is 142°. It’s a moderately windy day. Consider two different houses, both 2,500 ft. The first has a well-sealed envelope, double pane windows, and effective insulation. The second has old single pane windows, minimal (or no) insulation, and is as drafty as old fence. The boiler doesn’t know what the indoor conditions are, just that it must target 142 degrees. That 142° SWT might be fine for the first, but far too low for the second. Now to be fair, all U.S. Boiler products with outdoor reset offer a “boost” feature that will automatically bump the temperature up every “X” (boost time value) minutes, default being 20. This means every 20 minutes with an uninterrupted call, the SWT will rise 10 degrees until the max setpoint is reached. The benefit of rate-based reset is we are always looking at indoor conditions and adjusting accordingly. Rate-based reset always uses the lowest possible water temp that will maintain the desired indoor temp, and then has the boost feature if an increase above the calculated target temp is required. Like a samurai sword: simple, elegant, and effective!
There are other benefits as well. Remember the test I mentioned? Here it is. What factors showcase the benefits of rate-based reset? See the answers below. Correct your test answers accordingly…
1. No sensor to install. Rate-based wins!
A) No sensor for landscape professionals to damage.
B) No sensor for contractor to install (or throw away!)
C) No wire required from boiler to sensor.
D) No worries about where the contractor will mount the sensor, if it will be impacted by the sun, or heat migration from the interior affecting the sensor calibration.
E) Enabled from the factory. No worries for homeowner regarding whether the contractor enabled ODR. The Alta boiler is set up for maximum comfort and efficiency right out of the box!
2. No Lemon Faces! Rate-based wins!
A) Always monitoring indoor temp. Onboard algorithms are constantly at work to meet heating demands while maintaining maximum efficiency. Tens of thousands of units installed with zero complaints about indoor temperature. When not writing informative and engaging articles such as this, I am a member of the renowned U.S. Boiler tech support team. I’ve honestly never received one complaint regarding rate-based reset. If you have, please contact me.
B) Not reliant on a technician with advanced, comprehensive knowledge of ODR curves. Works fine out of the box with no programming in most applications, and, where required, only minimal adjustments for almost all applications, including low temp radiant.
C) If the homeowner is made aware that during mild temperatures the radiators will not be the same temperature as the skin of the space shuttle during re-entry, and that these cooler temperatures mean more money in their pocket for candy/wine/shuffleboard, they will instead have smiles every time they touch the radiator. Or better yet, they will abandon the practice entirely…
3. Takes full advantage of condensing aspect of mod con boilers. Again, rate-based wins!
Regardless of ODT, rate-based reset always targets the lowest possible temp, thereby maximizing the potential for the boiler to run cool enough to operate in a range where flue gas condensation occurs.
I can almost feel grizzled old contractors firing up HP 386’s and waiting for the comforting squawk of their dial up modems connecting. I imagine most of the responses will begin with:
“Dear factory stooge/shill. Your article may fool the unwashed masses, but not me. My mom’s uncle’s grandmother has a hunting cabin with 1 radiator and 600 feet of ¾” pipe to connect the boiler to the house (it’s in the barn where we milk the squirrels). How does your new-fangled boiler work in my application? Hah!!! Gotcha!!!”
It will be this, or something substantially similar. There’s always at least one. For the rest of the world (and fortunately, most of the squirrels) these anomalies are rare. There is no magic solution for a poorly designed or installed system. But when a competent, capable, and progressive contractor is installing a new or replacement system, the advantage of rate-based reset over conventional sensor-based reset is clear. Reduced (or no!) programming required, no wires to pull, and no exposed exterior sensor susceptible to damage. Save time, money and aggravation. Go ahead and skip a step with ALTA.
For more information on the Alta boiler, visit our Alta Product Page.
GUEST BLOGGER: Tom Secondino is a Technical Sales Support Specialist for U.S. Boiler Company, a manufacturer of residential and commercial heating products, including condensing, non-condensing and electric boilers.
U.S. Boiler Company introduces the all-new Citadel and Citadel XL condensing boilers and volume water heaters. The Citadel is available in five capacities (399 – 1000 MBH) and the Citadel XL is available in 1250 and 1500 MBH capacities. AHRI certified and rated up to 97% thermal efficiency (98% for water heater), the Citadel is Read more
U.S. Boiler Company introduces the all-new Citadel and Citadel XL condensing boilers and volume water heaters. The Citadel is available in five capacities (399 – 1000 MBH) and the Citadel XL is available in 1250 and 1500 MBH capacities. AHRI certified and rated up to 97% thermal efficiency (98% for water heater), the Citadel is available in either a natural gas or propane configuration.
The new boilers save time, space and simplify design and installation. The Citadel can be stacked two-high without the need for accessory racking systems, while the Citadel XL can be stacked with a rack system. Zero side and top clearance optimizes the amount of BTUs that can offer per square foot.
Because the Citadel is designed for the widest variety of applications, it’s sold complete out of the box. Included at no additional cost are the low water cutoff and high and low gas pressure switch making the boilers CSD-1 compliant. A standard, reinforced 3-in-1 vent connector facilitates the use of polypropylene, CPVC or stainless steel venting on the Citadel. Venting of up to 300 equivalent feet (combined) of vent in AL29-4C, polypropylene or CPVC is acceptable. Modbus communication also comes standard.
In addition to standard 10:1 turndown and impressive 300 GPM maximum flow rate, an outdoor model is also available for all but the largest models at no additional charge. Citadel XL models are available with 208/60hz/1ph and 230/60hz/1ph electrical options.
For more information, please visit www.usboiler.net
The past few years have been good for contracting businesses, barring component availability and skilled labor woes. For anyone in the trades, operating a plumbing and mechanical company profitably looks different today than it did 20 years ago, but there are still plenty of similarities. Joe Tull, 36, founded Straight Plumbing, LLC seven years ago Read more
The past few years have been good for contracting businesses, barring component availability and skilled labor woes. For anyone in the trades, operating a plumbing and mechanical company profitably looks different today than it did 20 years ago, but there are still plenty of similarities.
Joe Tull, 36, founded Straight Plumbing, LLC seven years ago, and feels as though he’s settled into a sweet spot. Right now, that includes running two trucks and focusing on Maryland’s Hartford County and northern Baltimore County. The company used to be bigger, but not necessarily better, according to Tull.
Roughly 30 percent of Straight Plumbing & Heating’s work is hydronic heat. The rest is residential and commercial plumbing service.
“I’ve always preferred quality over quantity,” he explained. “When I had more employees, I spent a lot of time going behind them and fixing their mistakes or shortcuts. Right now I have a fantastic apprentice, Robert Howard, who’s been with me four years. He’s always respected me and done things my way, which simply means not cutting corners. I’d hire 20 like him, if I could find them.”
Joe grew up working for his father’s plumbing company, but after a while, the two Tulls couldn’t see eye to eye. So Joe left and spent several years on the plumbing service crew for a large company before hanging out his own shingle in Jarrettsville, Md.
Specialization
“Specialization gives the people . . . the opportunity to go further in any direction of study than any other human has gone before.” – Ryan North
“Service is what I knew best, and what I could build a reputation on most rapidly,” said Tull. “Service work also provides the greatest opportunity to solve people’s problems. The new construction side of the business is more volatile. So I specialized in plumbing service, and as soon as I was up and running, I dug into hydronics to expand our offering.”
Joe Tull founded Straight Plumbing, LLC in 2016, after working for his family’s company and several other plumbing firms in the area.
Today, 30 percent of Straight P&H’s work is hydronic heat. The rest is plumbing service, both residential and commercial. Due to the rural nature of his territory and the presence of hard and harsh water, many of their service calls involve well pumps and water conditioning. A deep understanding of water quality has infinity improved Tull’s hydronic and plumbing work.
Forging relationships
“Technology does not run an enterprise, relationships do.” – Patricia Fripp
Tull learned early in his career that relationships are critical to the success of a business. In addition to learning from his father, he had mentors at supply houses, rep firms and within his social circle.
“I had a lot to learn when I first started installing boilers” said Tull. “Jim Bull, at Thomas Somerville became a mentor. He has a wide range of heating knowledge and was always generous with that information. He’d even stop at my jobs in the evening and set me straight if I was in a bind.”
Relationships are as important to Tull today as they were then, when he was still building his portfolio of experience.
“I try to be an information sponge and do my best to become an asset to the people who add value to my life,” said Tull. “Over the past three years, I’ve worked closely with the reps at ROI Marketing, specifically Dan Byrne, district manager, and Dave Raabe, sales manager. Those guys are never more than a phone call away.”
Byrne has known Tull for more than 20 years, but has only been his hydronic rep for about three years, after helping Straight P&H sort out some technical issues on a particularly challenging project. Tull installs their line of U.S. Boiler Company condensing and cast iron boilers, ComfortPro PEX, State water heaters and Webstone valves. Some of that equipment comes through Jordan Mitchell, at Northeastern Supply, while some is sourced at other supply houses throughout the area.
Straight Plumbing & Heating used to be a larger company, but Tull intentionally reduced it to two trucks for the sake of quality and consistently.
“Dave and Dan rock,” said Tull. “Their support, and the help I’ve received from the factory tech support at U.S. Boiler has been outstanding. I’ve used other boiler brands with less success and non-existent customer service.”
Byrne and Raabe visit Tull’s jobsites a dozen times or so each year, often on the front end, to provide sizing assistance, system concepts, etc.
“What I observed when I first met Joe was a young guy that wanted to install stuff properly,” said Raabe. “He’s very talented and his work is extremely professional, yet he’s humble and not afraid to ask for help.”
“I wish all our customers were like Joe,” added Byrne. “He takes real pride in his work.”
Referral marketing
“Courteous treatment will make a customer a walking advertisement.”
– James Cash Penney
“I left my previous job because I saw customers being taken advantage of,” Tull said. “I don’t hard-sell anyone. I present their options along with fair pricing and let them decide what they prefer. I want customers for life. If I’m fair and I do the job to the best of my ability, my customers become my salesforce.”
Tull doesn’t just talk the talk. His 38 five-star reviews on Facebook are proof enough. One review states, “Joe came to my house and fixed me up. After I got estimates from other plumbers that were way too expensive, Joe fixed my old water treatment system without pushing me to buy a new one. He simply stated ‘Please think of me when you decide to upgrade.’ And you bet your butt I will.”
Create value
“You don’t get paid for the hour. You get paid for the value you bring to the hour.” – Jim Rohn
Straight Plumbing and Heating creates value as well as anyone in the business. Homeowner Steve Shelley learned this when he first hired Tull to solve some minor plumbing issues. Years later, when it came time to replace the home’s oil-fired boiler, Joe was his first and only call.
“Joe is very responsive, knowledgeable and thorough,” said Shelley. “He doesn’t try to oversell, he’s happy to answer questions, and he’s never in a rush to get things done. I didn’t have to think twice about hiring him to convert our home from oil to propane, which we did mainly for the energy savings.”
The combi boiler system Tull installed heats the home through a hydronic air handler, while also providing more hot water than the homeowner had ever had in the past.
The home is heated by hot water fan coils, and the existing boiler used to provide DHW through a 40-gallon indirect tank. Shelley estimates that the unit burned 800 gallons of oil each year, or roughly $3,200.
Tull buried a large propane tank in the yard, replaced the existing unit with a 200 MBH Alta Combi boiler, and sidewall vented the new unit.
The retrofit took place in June last year, giving Shelley nearly a year to calculate the energy savings that Straight Plumbing and Heating had provided.
“We used 400 gallons of propane over the winter, and I’m sure we’ve consumed a little more through the fall and spring for hot water,” he Shelley. “With LP at $2.00 per gallon, we’re saving somewhere around $2,000 per year.”
Tull replaced an oil-fired boiler with a new Alta condensing combi boiler for an annual savings of $2,000.
Shelley also noted that the family used to run out of DHW quickly. Now they can shower as long as they want and run multiple taps.
“We have all the hot water we need,” Shelley explained. “We can’t smell oil in the basement anymore, and we don’t hear the boiler start up like we used to.”
“We have about a dozen Alta boilers in the field,” said Tull. “They work very well on LP. Most of the installations in Hartford County are on propane. The Alta is also easy to clean, and access is fantastic because the side panels are removable.”
There’s another reason that Tull installs the Alta. Much like other models in the U.S. Boiler Company lineup, the Alta is available at a variety of local supply houses, including Northeastern Supply, Thomas Somerville and R.E. Michel.
“When it’s cold and a customer needs heat, I can’t come up empty-handed on parts and product,” said Tull. “Having equipment that’s readily available is extremely important.”
Overcoming challenges
“A challenge only becomes an obstacle when you bow to it.” – Ray Davis.
Last heating season, Straight Plumbing and Heating installed 35 boilers. This year, only 20. He suspects the economy has something to do with that, but he’s certain there’s another reason.
According to Tull, many big HVAC companies are pushing homeowners toward inexpensive heat pumps. There are lots of “house flippers” in his territory, as well. Typically, flippers install the cheapest heat pump on the market.
Straight Plumbing & Heating has a dozen Alta boilers in the field, and he’s found them to be reliable and very easy to work.
“I’m not talking about high-efficiency, low-ambient temperature systems,” he said. “I mean the cheap, undersized unitary systems. I’ve had homeowners call me after buying a house with a new heat pump, asking if I can install ‘a real heating system.’ Once winter hits, they’re uncomfortable and their electric bill spikes because the units constantly run on emergency heat.”
It’s hard to sell a premium system against a budget option when the customer doesn’t know the difference before signing the contract.
“I know it will all come full circle,” said Tull. “You only make that mistake once. If I was trying to grow rapidly, I’d be concerned about it, but I’m happy with where the company is. It’ll grow gradually. We’ll continue solving harsh water problems and creating extremely comfortable heating systems. If we do that and remain transparent with our customers, the company will continue to do well.”
By Jason Richards, Hajoca Corp. I’ve seen a lot of creative ways to provide emergency heat to buildings during no-heat situations, but maybe none as original as a project we became involved with early this year at an upscale rural property near Reading, Pa. The 12,500-square-foot building, one of many on the 100-acre property, houses Read more
By Jason Richards, Hajoca Corp.
I’ve seen a lot of creative ways to provide emergency heat to buildings during no-heat situations, but maybe none as original as a project we became involved with early this year at an upscale rural property near Reading, Pa.
The 12,500-square-foot building, one of many on the 100-acre property, houses a heated pool, spa, full size tennis court, kitchen and locker rooms. When the old sectional boiler used to heat the facility failed mid-winter, maintenance staff turned the pool water temperature way up. This not only held the natatorium at a safe temperature, but waste heat from the pool heating equipment kept the adjacent tennis court from freezing.
With 37 employees, Summers & Zims serves southeastern Pennsylvania from their headquarters in Atglen, Pa.
Mechanical contractor Summers & Zims, Atglen, Pa, was called in January to handle the no-heat call. The 37-person company had served the property owner in 2013 when they installed an extensive snowmelt system.
Joe Henderson, plumbing project manager, responded to the call and found that the large boiler was beyond repair; a replacement was needed immediately.
“Jason Richards, at Hajoca, and I began designing a replacement,” said Henderson. “There was a 500-gallon fuel oil tank on the property for the hydronic system and backup generator, and there was also an LP tank for the pool heater. The problem with replacing the original oil boiler with a propane unit was that the existing LP tank wasn’t large enough to handle the additional load. Plus, a second LP tank wasn’t immediately available.”
We didn’t know it then, but that was the first instance we experienced where major product availability issues would impact our decisions during the design process. Luckily, the supply chain challenges ultimately resulted in an even better system than we planned for initially.
Collaborative design
We continued the design with a multi-boiler approach. The original plan was to install a single large sectional boiler, but supply chain issues caused some trouble. I consulted with Dave Raabe, at ROI Marketing, and we learned that the boiler we wanted wouldn’t be available for a few weeks.
“This project took place at the height of the product availability challenge,” said Raabe. “The larger boilers weren’t available, so we looked at using three smaller MPO-IQ boilers, made by U.S. Boiler Company. These were immediately available. Ultimately, installing three boilers provides three stages of heat input for higher efficiency, and it also provides a level of redundancy. The smaller boilers also meant that the units could be wheeled into the mechanical on hand carts, instead of being field-assembled.
As a result, the design team selected three, 189 MBH boilers.
“We’ve come to love the MPO-IQ,” said Henderson. “We’ve installed tons of them. At 87 percent, they’re the most efficient, dependable oil boiler we’ve ever used.”
This design yielded a three-stage oil-fired system, which is uncommon in a residential/light commercial application. It provides some redundancy and, more importantly, allows the system to fire at lower input based on outdoor reset.
Controlling the boilers became the next question. Summers & Zims’ HVAC trainer and in-house tech support, Kenny Walker, has a great deal of experience with tekmar controls and had used the tekmar Boiler Control 274 for staging multiple boilers on numerous occasions. The property owner also wanted to remotely monitor the system through WiFi, so the new tekmar Smart Boiler Control 294 was selected.
Using the Watts OnSite web or mobile applications associated with the tekmar Smart Boiler Control 294, Kenny Walker can monitor the boiler system from his desktop or mobile device.
Rapid installation
Summers & Zims, originally Summers Brothers Plumbing & Heating, has been in the business since 1930. They merged with Zim’s Sales & Service in the 70s, forming the company it is today.
I’ve known a lot of their people for a long time, and can speak to their professionalism. They’re what I’d call “do the right thing” kind of people. Joe Henderson and I go back 25 years, even before I joined Hajoca. He’s a very sharp hydronics guy. When it came time to install the system in a hurry, I knew they could handle it.
For the install, Walker was joined by Todd Lease, head plumbing technician, Andrew DiEugenio, journeyman plumber, and Austin McGhee, apprentice.
The boilers were rolled into the mechanical room and a primary-secondary piping configuration was used to connect them to the system loop. The fuel supply line to each boiler features a Tigerloop fuel oil deaerator.
“We install a Tigerloop on every oil-fired system we install,” said Walker. “They cut down on nonsense service and emergency calls by cleaning up ignition and burn, which creates less soot in the heat exchanger. We also like that they allow us to use spin-on oil filters, which catch small dirt particles and reduce nozzle failures.
Kenny Walker, Summers & Zims HVAC trainer and in-house tech support, installs a Tigerloop Ultra oil line de-aerator.
“If the homeowner isn’t attentive to the amount of fuel they have left in the tank, running empty isn’t such a big deal,” he added. “The Tigerloop provides a two-pipe system from the oil pump to the unit. This way, the oil pump will self-prime, meaning the owner or the fuel delivery tech can simply hit the reset button on the primary control once oil has been delivered.”
Flexible fuel lines were used from the Tigerloop to the boiler’s Beckett burner. To provide easy access to the three-pass heat exchanger, the MPO-IQ features a hinged front door, where the burner is located. By using flexible lines instead of hard pipe, service techs can open the boiler without removing the fuel fitting at the burner.
“Providing deaeration is even more critical on a multi-boiler installation like this because the more times you Tee off of the fuel line, the more opportunity there is for air to enter the fuel supply,” continued Walker.
Venting the boilers was done as deliberately as supplying the fuel. The existing chimney was large enough, but common venting the three units had to be done carefully.
“We couldn’t just run three, six-inch vents into a common stack, because the distance between the boilers and the main stack were slightly different,” explained Henderson. “The first two boilers join into an eight-inch vent, which increases to 10 inches as it picks up the third boiler and exits to the chimney.”
Control
When the original boiler failed, the homeowner decided that he wanted to monitor the heating system regardless of where he was, and he also made the decision to sign a service agreement with Summers & Zims. For both of those reasons, Henderson wanted to find a control solution to stage the boilers and provide web-based monitoring. That said, they also wanted to avoid the use of a complex, costly building automation system.
“Jason had recently told us about the new tekmar 294,” said Walker. “So when we bought the boilers from Hajoca, we also bought the control. The 294 is similar to the 274, but with more features, a touch screen, and most importantly, remote monitoring capability. It can also send me texts, emails and push notifications for a wide variety of alerts.”
Kenny Walker installs the tekmar Smart Boiler Control 294.
The control stages and rotates the boilers, as well as handling outdoor reset, DHW priority, warm weather shutdown, etc.
In a typical MPO-IQ boiler installation, the onboard boiler control features optional plug-and-play cards to provide outdoor reset, low-water cutoff and aquastat. In this system, the tekmar 294 replaces all but the low-water cutoff card.
“The 294 was easy to install, and I can pull up and make setpoint changes to the customer’s system at my office or on my phone,” said Walker. “Right off the top of my head, we have half a dozen other systems in the field that would benefit from the use of this control. Each one can control four appliances, and they’re expandable to 16.”
Within a week of the old boiler failing, the new hydronic system was heating the building, and the pool heater was turned back down to its normal operating temperature.
I think this job—and the speed at which it came together despite supply chain issues—is a testament to Summers & Zims. The whole company shows up and honestly tries to do the very best they can.
Quarryville, PA, is home to a true hydronic savant. Tom Soukup, owner of Patriot Water Heater, Co., used to do general plumbing and a variety of HVAC work. However, over the past few years, he has transitioned to a sole focus on hydronic work. “Hydronic heating—and cooling for that matter—is a truly universal form of Read more
Quarryville, PA, is home to a true hydronic savant. Tom Soukup, owner of Patriot Water Heater, Co., used to do general plumbing and a variety of HVAC work. However, over the past few years, he has transitioned to a sole focus on hydronic work.
“Hydronic heating—and cooling for that matter—is a truly universal form of space conditioning,” exclaimed Soukup. “What other medium has as much ability, and flexibility? I can heat your building, your spa, your DHW, melt snow, create process water, and just about anything else. And I can do it with nearly any fuel source you can think of.”
Soukup has done hydronic work since he got his start in the trades 25 years ago. Still, his recent move to all hydronic has been so deliberate that he even created a new brand, EcoDronics.
Tom Soukup, president of Patriot Water Heater, arrives to a jobsite.
“EcoDronics is our ‘unconventional’ hydronic brand,” he explained. “Think greenhouses, swimming pools, and snowmelt. It’s different than general home comfort, so the new brand reflects that.”
The move into unique water-based heating applications doesn’t mean that the company turns down typical boiler projects. Last month, a nearby homeowner asked Soukup to give a second opinion on a dying mechanical system.
Patriot Water Heater’s answer was the same as the first company that visited the home: a complete system replacement of the LP-fired boiler system was needed. The difference is how Soukup came to the conclusion, and the results he could deliver throughout the home, not just the boiler room.
“I make a point to spend a good deal of time asking what the customer wants in regard to the system as whole,” he said. “Noise, comfort, control… and whether or not there areas of the house that go unused? I need to know what the homeowner really wants so my team can deliver it.”
Murphy’s Law
This customer’s system was 25 years old, and it’s a wonder it lasted that long. Anything that could have been installed wrong, had been.
“There was no primary/secondary piping, no air elimination, no feed valve and the pump was on the return side of the boiler,” said Soukup. “The water returning to the cast iron boiler was too cool and the heat exchanger was condensing. The combustion chamber had collapsed, sections were leaking, the flue pipe was rotten, oil use cost over $3,000 per year, and the home was horribly uncomfortable. Long piping runs and high head pressures created by strange piping were causing both condensation and comfort issues.”
Soukup appreciates that U.S. Boiler Company provides a full hydronic solution: K2 boiler, Sage Zone Controls and the Alliance sidearm tank. A boiler with a 10-1 turndown ratio is complemented nicely by variable-speed pumps, making the system very responsive to the needs of the home.
The house was zoned horizontally, right down the center, instead of being zoned upstairs and downstairs. The upstairs was sweltering hot while downstairs occupants froze. The parents ran an electric space heater in their downstairs bedroom so that the kids, upstairs, wouldn’t sweat all night.
When the first contractor visited the home, they condemned the boiler but had no interest in addressing the comfort issues, or how the fin-tube radiation had been piped.
“My apprentice and I spent 16 hours analyzing and diagnosing issues before we gave a bid,” said Soukup. “First we performed a Manual J and an EDR. It became apparent that scrapping the boiler and rebuilding the mechanical room was the easy part. Rezoning the house was another story.”
Rubber meets road
Over the course of four days, Patriot Water Heater completely revolutionized the heating system. Aside from the baseboard and some copper pipe, everything was replaced.
“As is usually the case when you think things through before grabbing a pipe cutter, the install was relatively straightforward,” said Soukup
He and his apprentice, Ben Dyson, installed a K2 condensing boiler made by U.S. Boiler Company. The unit features a 10-1 turndown and provides 95% AFUE. They also used two U.S. Boiler Sage Zone Controls, which are expandable to 16 zones.
Patriot sets the big items first: K2 boiler and Alliance SL indirect tank.
“U.S. Boiler hit a home run with the K2 boiler,” said Soukup. “It’s a ton of functionality in a small box, and the controls are lightyears ahead of the competition. For example, the Sage Zone Control communicates directly with the boiler. I think being able to provide an integrated solution is important.”
Soukup and Dyson, who is a Marine reservist, broke the existing supply and return piping into six zones. A seventh was added for domestic hot water. A 35-gallon U.S. Boiler Alliance SL tank was used for nearly limitless hot water, long service, and the fact that the tank features top connections. The existing electric water heater was removed.
Fine-tuned success
“I visited the home on the morning after I fired the boiler, and the customer mentioned how nice it was to have even heat throughout the house,” said Soukup. “At the time, the outdoor temperature was 31°F and the boiler was running at 20% input. Nonetheless, there was still a little room for improvement.”
Through the K2 boiler’s touchscreen display, Soukup accessed the zone-by-zone runtime data and noticed that the living room was calling for heat too often. So, he lowered the anticipated BTUs slightly on the Sage Zone Control, and set the programmable thermostat’s temperature differential from one to two degrees. That solved the issue, and comfort levels haven’t changed.
“That’s what I love about the Sage Controls,” said Soukup. “Once I program the control, I can get really granular by looking at individual parts of the system. It allows me to fine-tune the system. Plus, if you’re going to install a modulating boiler, isn’t that the ultimate goal?”
On commercial projects specifically, Soukup has begun installing a meter on the gas valves of the systems we will be retrofitting, sometimes a year in advance. It’s a fantastic way to compare the energy use before and after a retrofit, and he can use those concrete numbers to sell the next project.
“For residential jobs like this—which don’t typically provide us with enough data collection time on the front end—we use the owner’s records,” explained Soukup.
On this job, the owners knew they’d used 2,200 gallons of fuel oil (308,000 MBH) the previous year. The year following the retrofit required 800 gallons of LP gas (73,600 MBH). Those number don’t include DHW production, either, as DHW had previously been supplied by electric, and are now provided by the boiler via the sidearm tank. And an electric space heater is no longer used in the master bedroom.
That’s a staggering improvement, but at the end of a cold winter day, it is pretty hard to quantify comfort.