[AT] another new shop

[Mike Sloane]

Cecil E Monson wrote:


> He said a friend of his has one and he heats both his house and his shop 
> with
> it. He said the guy fills the firebox a couple times a day and when the
> pressure builds too high, it blows off the excess pressure by blowing the
> relief valve on the furnace. This doesn't sound right or safe to me. I've
> always had hot water heating systems - for the past 50 years anyhow - and
> the pressure in mine is never over 8 to 10 lbs and certainly no where near
> high enough to blow a relief valve on the furnace. I'd be willing to bet 
> you
> don't run yours that way. Wouldn't a normal expansion tank and air control
> on the outside furnace let it function the way any other furnace would
> operate?
I can't imagine any hot water circulating furnace that is operating 
properly would build up enough pressure to activate the relief valve. 
The system should have some kind of automatic damper control to cut back 
the heat before the pressure rises to that point. It sounds like he just 
runs it wide open all the time. I don't see how the furnace or piping 
could last very long operating that way. (I suppose he could have a 
defective relief valve that opens prematurely.) Tractor reference: just 
like the radiator cap on a "modern" tractor engine.

Mike

-- 
Mike Sloane
Allamuchy NJ
Email: (msloane at att.net)
Website: <http://www.geocities.com/mikesloane>
Blog: <www.mikesloane.blogspot.com
Tractor images: <www.fotki.com/mikesloane>
Work: none - retired

"Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it."
  -  George Santayana (1863-1952); US (Spanish-born) philosopher.