Having new boiler installed, want plug for generator
jimrac
11 years ago
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Ron Natalie
11 years agoalan_s_thefirst
11 years agoRelated Discussions
General question on plug fouling
Comments (11)Thanks for all the quick replies guys! I really appreciate all you've offered, but am still puzzled about some things. I'll try to explain below. Bill: Engine runs perfectly once a new plug is installed. Both cylinders fire, and the engine runs smoothly. Your response reminds me of the pre-takeoff procedure in an aircraft....checking both the left and right mags beore pouring on the power. I understand. Weak vs bad coil? Maybe? Head gasket leaking? That's why I loaned him my compression gauge on a hunch that he may be losing compression and getting incomplete combustion on that cylinder. Jim: I understand the dirty filter/choking effect. That's why I told him to spend a few bucks and get a new filter and pre-cleaner. But why would this affect only one of the two cylinders? One is running very clean and efficiently. Horse of course: No change in oil consumption. The fouling problem is definitely carbon, not oil fouling. I sincerely appreciate all your responses. I have a lot of past experience in small engine repair, but a long time ago and absolutely none with twins. With a single carb and a single intake manifold and filtering arrangement, I'm still puzzled as to why a twin would suffer plug fouling on only one side...unless it's a combustion issue, i.e., compression leak or some such thing. Again, thanks for your kind responses. After elaborating a bit on the problem here, I'd still greatly appreciate follow-ups if you can think of something new or not covered here. I'm out of ideas...except for the compression issue and possible head gasket leak. My friend may get back to me in the next day or two on what he finds with compression check. I'll let you know. Regards, Hal...See MoreAC Install with Heat Pump and remove oil fired boiler?
Comments (5)To get a true electric rate, you need to calculate in all the surcharges and adjustments on the bill which can be substantial. If you have a bill from that company, just divide $/kWh and use that figure. Maybe they have a sample bill on their web site that would allow the same thing. Is nat gas available where you live? What kind of shape is the boiler and tank in? The Hudson Valley covers a surprisingly large climate range or is Hudson Valley the name of a burg? No matter, Mike_home's statement about the need for calculations is correct. (Maybe crazy) idea for the pros here, but could the oil boiler be kept used for backup heat with a coil for the forced air? It might be worth considering for three reasons, first, cost could be favorable to electric strips, second, heat could be powered by a small generator in case of outage, third, you could use the oil of domestic hot water if gas is not available....See MoreNext Door Neighbor Installing Outdoor Wood Boiler - WWYD
Comments (62)I know this is an old post but I felt I should chime in for any future readers. We purchased a house three years ago that was heated with an outdoor wood boiler. We live in rural Ontario, Canada where February is typically -35 Celcius. We had never heard or seen these things before but heating sources in the rural area are limited to wood, electric heat, or propane. Here's my experience with them after three years or using one every winter: The very first time you fire up the boiler each fall there will be lots of smoke for an hour or two (just like when you light a fire in your fireplace - there is lots of smoke out your chimney upon first start). After the boiler is at temperature, and you're burning seasoned wood, there will be VERY little smoke. IF the boiler is a gassifier (re-burns the gas before it exits the chimney) then there is practically NO visible smoke at all - EVER. Most boilers have thermostats that ONLY open the dampers and turn on the down draft fans when the water temperature goes below a set value (160 degrees usually). For my boiler, in the dead of the winter here in Canada (-35 degrees C), the boiler will turn on once every 45 minutes and stay on for 10 to 15 minutes to re-ignite the wood (this is the only time that smoke would ever come out the chimney if it wasn't a 'smokeless'/gassifier unit.), then close the dampers and the fire is put out, leaving only red hot wood embers/coals. You WILL, however, smell the wood... which most people think smells nice (think of a campfire on a cold night, or cuddling up to a fireplace with a hot chocolate). However, if you dont like the smell of a wood fire, then this will put you off. The pictures that others have posted above could be 1) People burning something that they're not supposed to be burning like garbage 2) burning green/wet wood - so you're seeing STEAM in those pictures 3) the first start up on the boiler (either of the year OR maybe they turned it off while they were away on vacation and re-fired it when they returned). As a home owner with a boiler for my heat source I can say that I envy those with natural gas. A boilers is a LOT of work, a LOT of maintenance, and takes a LOT of energy/time to cut, stack, and load the wood (not to mention the ash clean out every two days). BUT.. for us, its half the price of propane and 1/6 the price of electric heat....See MoreNeed New Boiler recommendations
Comments (20)Thanks everyone for all your advice!!! The installation was done on Wednesday. I think they did a really good job. Nice and neat, well thought out. Removed all the old parts, repositioned new boiler to a better place in boiler room. Crew of 4 came in at 10:30am and finished up around 8pm. By the way I went with quote #1 from my previous post. The installers could not have been more professional! I will try and post before and after pix when I get home from work this morning. Can I post the here or should I post to a hosting site? Any suggestions? Thank you everyone for your suggestions and input....See Morelbpod
11 years agogreg_2010
11 years agoweedmeister
11 years agojimrac
11 years agoRon Natalie
11 years agoalan_s_thefirst
11 years agolbpod
11 years agoRon Natalie
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jimracOriginal Author