You guys are scaring me.

[geez53]

Just finished installing a Quietside DPW-120A. It was an emergency situation with no money for frills like replacing the flooring yet or buying one of those fancy prefab control panels (we're $69/mo. too rich to get the gubment to help).
What's been scary about some of your posts is the reliability of these units. My old W/M lasted nearly 30 years. It was a simple system, one pump, one boiler and way too much base board radiator (engineer sized everything by what the structure was at the time and didn't account for new windows, wall and ceiling insulation, new doors and lowered ceilings with 2 foot dead air space).
HVAC installer was my first real job, so i appreciate the no DYI rules, but would it be a breach of site etiquette to post a pic of the install? The people who installed and service my AC (independent system) are not yet up to speed on condensing boilers and i've already had one nightmare from listening to retailers.
Just by browsing your comments i was able to find out what was wrong with my first stab at a primary/secondary feed system (the retailer inspired primary loop was too short, too undersized in volume and the purge tee was aligned wrong).
What i'd really like to hear is that this unit is not going to blow chunks before i can get back to work and have my pros redo it.
http://i250.photobucket.com/albums/gg255/geez53/QSinst09_1.jpg

[larobj63]

I'm confused at what you are saying and/or asking.

The gas line aint right. No dirt leg, and is there a shut-off?

I hope that there is a circulator inside the boiler???!

I suspect this thread will get closed down. :callpro:

[geez53]

Dirt leg and shut-off are out of frame (behind water heater). And yes, unit has internal primary.

I was wanting an opinion on releiability of the QS-120A from anyone who has installed them. No one around here has, that i can find.

[mwjhvac]

I have had a few DIY calls from these I tell to call Menards where you bought it. They love selling them but can not back them. HUH

[Integrity Aire]

how much brasso does it take to charge that thing?

[snupytcb]

Just finished installing a Quietside DPW-120A. It was an emergency situation with no money for frills like replacing the flooring yet or buying one of those fancy prefab control panels (we're $69/mo. too rich to get the gubment to help).
What's been scary about some of your posts is the reliability of these units. My old W/M lasted nearly 30 years. It was a simple system, one pump, one boiler and way too much base board radiator (engineer sized everything by what the structure was at the time and didn't account for new windows, wall and ceiling insulation, new doors and lowered ceilings with 2 foot dead air space).
HVAC installer was my first real job, so i appreciate the no DYI rules, but would it be a breach of site etiquette to post a pic of the install? The people who installed and service my AC (independent system) are not yet up to speed on condensing boilers and i've already had one nightmare from listening to retailers.
Just by browsing your comments i was able to find out what was wrong with my first stab at a primary/secondary feed system (the retailer inspired primary loop was too short, too undersized in volume and the purge tee was aligned wrong).
What i'd really like to hear is that this unit is not going to blow chunks before i can get back to work and have my pros redo it.
http://i250.photobucket.com/albums/gg255/geez53/QSinst09_1.jpg

there are a couple people on here that like these boilers and will defend them. but i have not heard much good about reliability or parts availability. did you buy this off the internet?

[geez53]

how much brasso does it take to charge that thing?

Only 1/3 of a can, it's 90% effecient.

[geez53]

there are a couple people on here that like these boilers and will defend them. but i have not heard much good about reliability or parts availability. did you buy this off the internet?

Thanks, i'm getting the feeling this a cross-your-fingers situation.
And yes, it came from an outfit in New Jersey, Tony Soprano and Sons i think :couchhide:

[geez53]

I have had a few DIY calls from these I tell to call Menard's where you bought it. They love selling them but can not back them. HUH

Nail-on-the-head, Menard's is where i got the original idea, but they didn't have any in stock. If this one shoots craps, i'll have to sell the car and get someone to put in a W/M Ultra or equivalent i guess.

Not entirely a DIYer, i'm that skinny kid all you wide-bodies out there would hire to run duct work, black pipe and refrigerant lines in the 10 inch crawl-space jobs. Cut my teeth and elbows at a company called K&K Heating, pipe wrench in one hand trenching tool in the other. Oh yeah, they also "let" me insulate the duct work in the fab shop, you know the itchy black fiber glass stuff held in with the yellow guerrilla snot. The rest i've picked up from the old-school fitters and plumbers i've worked with since.

[jimmy k]

I never worked on one of these type of boilers. Where's the relief valve? What is that gray tubing coming out of the bottom and coiling up at the bottom of the photo?

[Senior Tech]

If you installed this and your not in the business...you need to be.

[larobj63]

If you installed this and your not in the business...you need to be.

Yeah - not too shabby, right?

[geez53]

I never worked on one of these type of boilers. Where's the relief valve? What is that gray tubing coming out of the bottom and coiling up at the bottom of the photo?

Gray tubing is drain for condensate the unit produces. Not much is produced, so i'll probably just vent to the out side or sump when i can fix the floor.

There's a combo relief valve/pressure guage (came w/unit) on the lower left (return from primary loop), there is another on the primary supply (lower right) that the jobber sent as a make up gift for late shipping of unit.

[snupytcb]

Gray tubing is drain for condensate the unit produces. Not much is produced, so i'll probably just vent to the out side or sump when i can fix the floor.

There's a combo relief valve/pressure guage (came w/unit) on the lower left (return from primary loop), there is another on the primary supply (lower right) that the jobber sent as a make up gift for late shipping of unit.

that was mighty nice of him. you should have asked for an extended warranty instead.:couchhide:. just kidding. where do you live? will the condensate freeze if you pump it outside? that's why we can't do it here.

[geez53]

If you installed this and your not in the business...you need to be.

That is high praise,thank you. But i think i'd starve to death waiting to find a customer who wouldn't mind paying for 2 days work that should only take 2 hours.:LOL: Can't lift much without a handful of pills that make me stupid, had to wait days for someone to lift boiler in place. I do enjoy it though, especially the part where you try to figure out what you did wrong, then you make it right. There is so much new stuff to play with now, i envy you guys for the things that are now possible for residential.

[geez53]

that was mighty nice of him. you should have asked for an extended warranty instead.:couchhide:. just kidding. where do you live? will the condensate freeze if you pump it outside? that's why we can't do it here.

Southern Illinois, we don't have that much trouble with hard freezes, but you're right it could happen, so i'll probably go with the sump idea. The bucket i've got it in now stays dry in between cycles so we're not talking much water so far. It'll be a while before i can fix the floor (next month's budget maybe) so i'll watch it for a time to see what comes out.

[geez53]

Yeah - not too shabby, right?

Thanks, i know the old school guys frown on polishing the pipes, but i couldn't help myself. you should see my wife's Revere Ware pots and pans. ;}

[snupytcb]

Southern Illinois, we don't have that much trouble with hard freezes, but you're right it could happen, so i'll probably go with the sump idea. The bucket i've got it in now stays dry in between cycles so we're not talking much water so far. It'll be a while before i can fix the floor (next month's budget maybe) so i'll watch it for a time to see what comes out.

around here it's a couple gallons a day. but they run allot more too.

[geez53]

around here it's a couple gallons a day. but they run allot more too.

A couple gallons a day? That's more than my AC unit does on a humid day. I'll have to keep an eye on it when it gets colder or wetter outside. Got a 55 gallon rain barrel w/drain if it gets too bad.:oops:

So you pipe it into city sewer? Our washer drain is only 6 feet away and pretty easy to get to.

[Miller Plumbing]

Hi, I would update gas line to 3/4" piped in with hard pipe or gastite. Proper gas supply will eliminate alot of problems.Also check delta T pump is usually set at 20 degrees supply/return temp difference. Medium speed on the pump seams to be where it ends up most of the time.

[qwerty hvac]

I have never installed one of these boilers but doesn't have to be calibrated with a combustion analyzer? I know the NTI and Baxi are supposed be setup that way just wondering if this one does also.:anyone:



I also wanted to comment on your piping. Good job with the soldering, There are pros that can not do it as well.LOL

[geez53]

I was wondering about that too, but i think most of the concern is with the Quietside oil boilers. This unit has a bare minimum of adjustments for the gas supply. But i am going to have the guys who maintain my AC unit check it when they're here. So far it's running flawlessly with a 152 degree max. temp.

Don't be too impressed with my solder skills, i cheated a bit by doing a lot of the assembly at the bench (especially the brass fittings) so i had a min. of in-place joints that cause you to hold your mouth just right and pray a lot. ;}
Plus, that whole manifold will rotate out and away from the wall so you can get to the back of a joint easily. I get impressed by the pros i learned from who can stand on their head, on the top rung of a wobbly ladder and still make a perfect joint on a 2" tee, 3 pipes inside a maze of copper.

[geez53]

Hi, I would update gas line to 3/4" piped in with hard pipe or gastite. Proper gas supply will eliminate alot of problems.Also check delta T pump is usually set at 20 degrees supply/return temp difference. Medium speed on the pump seams to be where it ends up most of the time.

I was just thinking about the gas supply this morning. The drip leg is on a "tree" on the other side of the water heater (about 5 pipe feet away from that flex line). Think i'll replace that last L (before the flex) with a tee and make a drip leg that much closer to the unit. Our gas supply has been so clean and dry, for so many years, that i'd have to educate our codes inspector as to what a drip leg is. But I'll feel better about it.

Right now delta T is 25 degrees (150 supply, 125 return) in the primary loop. Quietside mandates no more than 45 degrees (more would cause short cycling problems according to their training literature). This is a retrofit into a system that always had too much radiator, so it's doing good so far at 150 degree max. temp. If it starts falling behind when real cold weather gets here, i can reset it as high as 176. After your comment i reset the indicator needles on the temp gages so i can watch it.

My main worry was that the unit had not been producing ANY condensate in the over flow, but in the last 2 weeks or so it has finally been keeping that bucket bottom wet (temporary until i repair the floor). So for now, at least, everything is rosy.

[Joe Harper]

We dont have boilers where I live but I think you did a good job. The piping joints look good. Like Senior Tech said you should be doing this for a living.

[geez53]

We dont have boilers where I live but I think you did a good job. The piping joints look good. Like Senior Tech said you should be doing this for a living.
Thanks Joe, i've been giving it a lot of thought as a new job. If i can get my back fixed, or at least get away from the pain killers, this could be a way back to making money, instaed of draining our retirement account. There are a few companies around here that could be hiring when the housing situation improves.

Also been reading a lot here and elsewhere about geo thermal systems too. Not many around here are breaking new ground (technologies) yet, so there should be plenty of room for an old New Guy.

[pfeifer]

looks like you did a good job installing the system now dont forget the preventative maint. on your system and keep an eye on the water readings ph etc

[geez53]

Thanks pfeifer,

Already made up a maint log, will keep it and all the tech sheets that came with the boiler (and all the other components), close to the boiler in case someone else starts maintaining it.

Already cleaned both traps twice, will check and clean again in a week or so. Trap in the secondary was nearly choked with rust scale the first time, and had about a tablespoon full the second time. Primary trap was pretty clean both times.
After the W/M boiler blew up, i took it apart just to see how bad it was, and why the relief valve was clogged. The second boiler section had 3 or 4 long, skinny pieces of cast iron floating around in it (so long i had to break them in two to get them out). looks like they were in there from the factory (29 years ago).

[Nick11210]

Which traps did you clean?

I am thinking to install the same boiler.
Send me some pics please to Nickempire@hotmail.com

Is that a DPW 120? Whrere is the connection for the domestic hot water?


The pressure relief valve that came with the unit you installed on the "return line" and the other one you install it on the supply line. Right?

Do you have to install back flow on the return line?
How do I have to connect the relay for the pump? I will have only one zone.
I am thinking to use the old cast Iron radiators and make straight line looping with 1/2 pex. Its one apartment with 5 radiators and the DPW will be installed on top of the steps on the same level.
Inform me please...Thanks to all....

[Nick11210]

Could you send me some more pics of the unit and the piping.
I plan to install the same boilet.
1. There is an expansion tank inside the boiler. Do you nee another one outside?
2. Are the only three connection under the boiler? could you send me pic please?
3. I have cast Iron radiators. Can I use the old ones?
4. Can I run the straight loop with 1/2 Pex?
5. Did you install something to collect the dirt from the old radiators? What is it called?
6. Can I install the second pressure relief valve on the supply for the heating loop?
7. The instruction say I have to make the primary loop with 1 1/4 piping. Right? or 3/4.

[Joe Harper]

Nick. Not knowing you personally, and based on your posts. It might be a wise decision for you to call a professional on this. Lacking the basic understanding of how the system works can lead to a catastropic failure.

See this----> http://hvac-talk.com/vbb/showthread.php?t=408212

[bill 1954]

only problem i see is, primary loop should be 1 1/4" according to specs.

[bill 1954]

here are photos from my install, working great plenty of heat and hot water