Steve excellent video man. working on commercial equipment all the time we don't always see stuff like the residential all the timel. your videos are great education for me.
Great Video Steve, I really enjoy watching these videos on Hydronics heating. I don't mean to sound like a know it all but I just wanted to mention something. Do those pipes get hot enough to burn you if you touch them? If they do I just want to pass on a firefighters safety tip, if you would like to use it. Try touching the hot surfaces with the back of your hand, you should be able to feel the temperature the same if not better. That way if it is too hot your hand will pull away by reflex, and keep you from getting burned. They teach us if we touch a hot surface with the palms of our hands, the reaction is your hand will clamp down on the surface and create a worse burn. I only wanted to mention it because I hate to see anyone get burned, and from experience I cooked my hand during a structure fire. Anyway I just wanted to share a bit of my knowledge. Great videos, I really enjoy being a part of your channel. Have good weekend!
Rudy P wow i never know about your hand closing on a hot /pipe ,surface i never tryed torching the pex i am sure it will fry up with a torch ..we can not use pex or pvc in a comercial building because the fireman say the fumes will kill them ... so its only ok in houses
steven lavimoniere Its just a little safety tip I wanted to share with the community. I learned the hard way I had my hand stick to a steel door latch during a fire years ago. I know everyone in HVAC and Plumbing deal with a lot of hot surfaces and pipes, so it might help all the pros out there by keeping you from getting a pretty nasty burn. I didn't think it was true myself until it happened you reflexes do some pretty funny things. I just wanted to contribute something to the channel, I hope it helps you guys out there.
Emin HVAC Just a safety tip for you guys working hard keeping us cool in the summer and warm in the winter. I hope it helps you all. We appreciate what you do, Stay safe out there.
Hi Steve help me please a question if I turn off the switch and close the gas supply for the furnance Hydronic heat for the heat season. Can I still have hot water for the faucets in my apartment unit I don't want to damage nothing my landlord tell me if I want to I can do it help me please
Was that oxygen barrier PEX? The stuff that I usually use is orange in color I can't figure out why he didn't do it the same way you did to start with . I always wonder what the people were thinking when they put stuff like that together
justin henning you can't use it on heat??? its a big thing up my way .i rather run copper .it makes a better job the pex really expandes and you have to put a ton of hangers on it ,,,but it has its place were its good
Hey Steve, what type of cutting wheel are you using for the grinder? I have a bunch of XH 4" cast iron to cut out and I was going to try your angle grinder technique. No way to fit a snap chain around the stack I have to remove. I know some of those blades tend to explode if used to hard. Anyway, nice job cleaning up that kink.
***** i buy my cutoff wheels at a welding supply house there designed for cutting metal there like 5 1/2 inches so i have to remove the gard the ones i buy never break apart there is a fiber mesh in them so no way there going to break apart. the only thing with them is they will make a mess and splatter stiff everywere so be ready for some splater but cuts right through cast like butter were a dust mash and long sleave shirt ,and gloves because the grinder will whip black muck on you ...
Thanks! I'll go by the welding place tomorrow. I'll try not to eat to much old sewer dust. After dealing with grease traps and urinals, soil pipes smell like potpourri!
pro press snap cutters.. if you are snapping it theres no better way.. zip disc grinder works well too, you can finish the back side of a pipe in a wall with a chisel. put the tip in the cur mark and twist it hard to POP the back. still connected peice.
Nice job Steven! Pex? ProPress? What ever happened to just using "tried and tested" copper pipe and solder fittings? I have never used Pex tubing or fittings before, and don't intend to in the future, until they stop making copper pipe. I realize on this job you were backed against the wall and had no other choice but use the Pex.
Brad1237202 well with the angle between baseboards pex was a good thing to use ,,i like copper my self but i will use pex if the jobwill work with pex its fast to install it has its place ,,,not all jobs will work good with pex
Looks like a 1 1/4" pipe feeding that single upstairs radiator? Would that have been a gravity system originally? All the mains are that size. All my cast iron radiators have 3/4" and the small ones 1/2" feeding them and they all heat evenly.
I knew PEX is used for radiant in-floor heating loops, but this is first time seeing it on conventional baseboards. Which type/brand of pex do you prefer? (I know there's lots of opinions out there, but I come from the copper mindset like you)
Dwight Bennett i use pex on some jobs heat pex and water pipe pex is different.the only problem with it is its never straight its like speggeti you need a ton of hangers and it expandes like crazy
I like things to be neat and straight, not spagetti, but the most compelling reason behind using PEX is that it flexes and can be run through framing easily with no fittings between the two ends of the run. What I was curious to know is which type of PEX tubing you prefer to use for water (PEX-a, b or c). I've never worked with the stuff, but that's about to change, so I'm researching the various options before buying any tools. The biggest difference that I've been able to discern so far is that type A uses an expander and the fittings have less flow restriction than the barb fittings for type B or C.
Dwight Bennett i will have to look on the pex and see i but the watts pex from the supply house not sure if its a,b,or c .i know the heat pex and water pex is different for sure .you can not use heat pex for domestic water lines ...
The pump is weak for 1st floor pipes, 2nd floor pipe is larger for a reason, may not be a overkill. A more powerful pump(head feed number) to pump water through smaller pipe helps.
In Canada, we mostly heat with natural gas. Oil burners are a pain in the ass. And radiation heat is nearly a thing of the past. ( Wow, I'm a poet and didn't know it! LOL) Radiation mostly used in commercial buildings here.
Hey steve, Plumber for over 25 years here... never seen an oil Boiler though ( not common at all around here ) Im curious what kind of oil they burn.. kerrosene ?
hey steve, nice video. what is the tool called that crimped the metal clamps together on the pex tubing? thanks you like those clamps better than standard hose clamps?
If you still have that piece of kinked uponor hit it with the heat gun until it turns clear and watch the magic happen. You probably know about it already. You can tie it in a knot and twist it. Just hit it with some heat and it will unwind and go back to its original shape. Awesome stuff.
Its made that way.It has 100% memory. I went through a class from the Uponor distributor up in WA state. He tied the pipe in a double knot and twisted it with pliers. Take a heat gun to it until it turns clear and it will untwist back to perfect. Thats the only pex I use. The expansion is a way better connection too. you do not have to fiddle with clamps on the connections. You expand it then make the connection. I love that stuff for its cool points. Still cant get over the spaghetti look of it though.
This is an added expense due to price shopping. How much cheaper was the wrong job. When you factor in the correction repair job. This is why price and quality are to different words. There are many family full Service oil companies in all areas, that this should never have happened. Add wrong job and correction repair to get true price of that original installation. Search for the right mechanic , not the right price and you will always get a better job. Thank you
Why would anyone mix non Ferrous and Ferrous Radiation without two separate systems? Cast Iron Rads operate at a lower temp than Non Ferrous Baseboards and there is a big difference in GPM and resistance to flow -Invariably The free standing cast Iron rads give off heat and the slant fin baseboards never get hot enough. There are so many Cowboys out there who constantly screw up good old fashioned converted Gravity systems with poor piping and incompetence. I hope that was Oxygen Barrier Pex that you were using for that system.
It's Like The Wild west out there when it comes to Hydronics-I had a case the other day where a clueless contractor added a radiant floor system to a converted gravity system -(3200 sq ft) by removing a cast iron rad and installing a pex loop (with no oxygen barrier) with no separate pump or mixing valve and set it in cement and tiled the floor-it runs at the same temp as the cast iron rads ! -no separate thermostat or different system-needless to say it doesn't work and the kitchen floor is buckling and cracking from the excessive heat!
Steve, Good Job. your plumbing/ gas/oil firing furnace videos are preparing me for my move back up north in a few yrs
S Sam good luck with your move
Steve excellent video man. working on commercial equipment all the time we don't always see stuff like the residential all the timel. your videos are great education for me.
Emin HVAC its just on a smaller scale is all same basic idea .
No agree. The concept is the same but the controls can be different.
Wow lol what causes someone to leave crap work like that, gee no wonder why that loop never worked. Good job catching it and making the proper repair!
needmorediesel thanks for watching @ commenting brother
Nice Video Steven, nice clean up of that hack job. Glad you got it working for the lady. Keep up the good work.
Ray
Over50TXtech it was crazy to leave a bent pipe like that for the people the guy took his money and would not come back to fix it ..so i was called in
Nice video and repair Steve. I guess everyone is getting ready winter up there in your part of the country.
DC Rickerson its been getting cold at nights up my way,thanks for watching d.c.
nice job Steve, never did much work with PEX products. Looks fairly easy to work with.
Rich Rada pex has its place .. it is fast for sure
Great repair Steve, looks like an old house.
teh60 yes its a old house
WHAT!! Did I just see Steve not wearing his gloves! Unbelievable.
Great Video Steve, I really enjoy watching these videos on Hydronics heating. I don't mean to sound like a know it all but I just wanted to mention something. Do those pipes get hot enough to burn you if you touch them? If they do I just want to pass on a firefighters safety tip, if you would like to use it. Try touching the hot surfaces with the back of your hand, you should be able to feel the temperature the same if not better. That way if it is too hot your hand will pull away by reflex, and keep you from getting burned. They teach us if we touch a hot surface with the palms of our hands, the reaction is your hand will clamp down on the surface and create a worse burn. I only wanted to mention it because I hate to see anyone get burned, and from experience I cooked my hand during a structure fire. Anyway I just wanted to share a bit of my knowledge. Great videos, I really enjoy being a part of your channel. Have good weekend!
Rudy P wow i never know about your hand closing on a hot /pipe ,surface i never tryed torching the pex i am sure it will fry up with a torch ..we can not use pex or pvc in a comercial building because the fireman say the fumes will kill them ... so its only ok in houses
Cool that's good to know. I will try that.
steven lavimoniere Its just a little safety tip I wanted to share with the community. I learned the hard way I had my hand stick to a steel door latch during a fire years ago. I know everyone in HVAC and Plumbing deal with a lot of hot surfaces and pipes, so it might help all the pros out there by keeping you from getting a pretty nasty burn. I didn't think it was true myself until it happened you reflexes do some pretty funny things. I just wanted to contribute something to the channel, I hope it helps you guys out there.
Emin HVAC Just a safety tip for you guys working hard keeping us cool in the summer and warm in the winter. I hope it helps you all. We appreciate what you do, Stay safe out there.
Great repair Steve!
Terry Dowell thanks for commenting terry
Hi Steve help me please a question if I turn off the switch and close the gas supply for the furnance Hydronic heat for the heat season. Can I still have hot water for the faucets in my apartment unit I don't want to damage nothing my landlord tell me if I want to I can do it help me please
Steve good workmenship
cant imagine leaving a kink like that
Al Gregory ya the guy was a ass never would come back after he got his money what a looser
This was long time ago now, but why restrit this with the plasic, and not just use copper for more flow???
Was that oxygen barrier PEX? The stuff that I usually use is orange in color I can't figure out why he didn't do it the same way you did to start with . I always wonder what the people were thinking when they put stuff like that together
Great job steve!
You had a easy one, but in that humid weather you sure earn your money.
Steve saves the day..
Do you often travel to Rhode Island for work?
Can you connect black pipe to copper? I thought it causes corrosion?
Prolly scrapped some nice cast rads too.
Good job steve. Cant believe they left it kinked that way thats ridiculous
awsom70 i was shocked also .and the installed refused to come back and fix it after he got paid ... i helped the guy out and got her going for him
Wish I was allowed to use pex , nice repair Steve .
justin henning you can't use it on heat??? its a big thing up my way .i rather run copper .it makes a better job the pex really expandes and you have to put a ton of hangers on it ,,,but it has its place were its good
We can use it on heat here but my boss only allows us to use copper that's the only reason I said I wish I could use pex lol.
its good for curtain jobs i would say.. its nice to have the oppion
Yea I see that , it worked out real nice on your job and I have no issues with them besides guys bending them and causing no heat curculation lol
Oh that's no good
Hey Steve, what type of cutting wheel are you using for the grinder? I have a bunch of XH 4" cast iron to cut out and I was going to try your angle grinder technique. No way to fit a snap chain around the stack I have to remove.
I know some of those blades tend to explode if used to hard.
Anyway, nice job cleaning up that kink.
***** i buy my cutoff wheels at a welding supply house there designed for cutting metal there like 5 1/2 inches so i have to remove the gard the ones i buy never break apart there is a fiber mesh in them so no way there going to break apart. the only thing with them is they will make a mess and splatter stiff everywere so be ready for some splater but cuts right through cast like butter were a dust mash and long sleave shirt ,and gloves because the grinder will whip black muck on you ...
Thanks! I'll go by the welding place tomorrow. I'll try not to eat to much old sewer dust. After dealing with grease traps and urinals, soil pipes smell like potpourri!
measure your grinder shaft it should be 1/2 or maybe 5/8 so you get the right cut off wheels
pro press snap cutters.. if you are snapping it theres no better way.. zip disc grinder works well too, you can finish the back side of a pipe in a wall with a chisel. put the tip in the cur mark and twist it hard to POP the back. still connected peice.
Nice job Steven! Pex? ProPress? What ever happened to just using "tried and tested" copper pipe and solder fittings? I have never used Pex tubing or fittings before, and don't intend to in the future, until they stop making copper pipe. I realize on this job you were backed against the wall and had no other choice but use the Pex.
Brad1237202 well with the angle between baseboards pex was a good thing to use ,,i like copper my self but i will use pex if the jobwill work with pex its fast to install it has its place ,,,not all jobs will work good with pex
Looks like a 1 1/4" pipe feeding that single upstairs radiator? Would that have been a gravity system originally? All the mains are that size. All my cast iron radiators have 3/4" and the small ones 1/2" feeding them and they all heat evenly.
Progrocker70 not sure what was there years ago .its possable it was a old pancake boiler gravity system . no way to know
I knew PEX is used for radiant in-floor heating loops, but this is first time seeing it on conventional baseboards.
Which type/brand of pex do you prefer? (I know there's lots of opinions out there, but I come from the copper mindset like you)
Dwight Bennett i use pex on some jobs heat pex and water pipe pex is different.the only problem with it is its never straight its like speggeti you need a ton of hangers and it expandes like crazy
I like things to be neat and straight, not spagetti, but the most compelling reason behind using PEX is that it flexes and can be run through framing easily with no fittings between the two ends of the run.
What I was curious to know is which type of PEX tubing you prefer to use for water (PEX-a, b or c). I've never worked with the stuff, but that's about to change, so I'm researching the various options before buying any tools. The biggest difference that I've been able to discern so far is that type A uses an expander and the fittings have less flow restriction than the barb fittings for type B or C.
Dwight Bennett i will have to look on the pex and see i but the watts pex from the supply house not sure if its a,b,or c .i know the heat pex and water pex is different for sure .you can not use heat pex for domestic water lines ...
The pump is weak for 1st floor pipes, 2nd floor pipe is larger for a reason, may not be a overkill. A more powerful pump(head feed number) to pump water through smaller pipe helps.
Nice fix Steve
Rob Johnson thanks for the support rob
In Canada, we mostly heat with natural gas. Oil burners are a pain in the ass. And radiation heat is nearly a thing of the past. ( Wow, I'm a poet and didn't know it! LOL) Radiation mostly used in commercial buildings here.
hydronic heating system repaired
steven lavimoniere next time open the orifice on the second floor radiator stealing all the heat
Hey steve, Plumber for over 25 years here... never seen an oil Boiler though ( not common at all around here ) Im curious what kind of oil they burn.. kerrosene ?
Fuel oil, it’s like diesel
hey steve, nice video. what is the tool called that crimped the metal clamps together on the pex tubing? thanks you like those clamps better than standard hose clamps?
gregory .sadowski its just a standard pex crimper
If you still have that piece of kinked uponor hit it with the heat gun until it turns clear and watch the magic happen. You probably know about it already. You can tie it in a knot and twist it. Just hit it with some heat and it will unwind and go back to its original shape. Awesome stuff.
Ryan Dugger i never tryed that ..
Its made that way.It has 100% memory.
I went through a class from the Uponor distributor up in WA state. He tied the pipe in a double knot and twisted it with pliers. Take a heat gun to it until it turns clear and it will untwist back to perfect. Thats the only pex I use. The expansion is a way better connection too. you do not have to fiddle with clamps on the connections. You expand it then make the connection. I love that stuff for its cool points. Still cant get over the spaghetti look of it though.
another great vid......''''''as always'''''''
Babaji Fahim thanks for the support
nice job as always steve what do you think when you see crappy work from other people like the line hanging
Michael Szweda i just shake my head ... and then try to fix it the best i can
Very impressive
Why didn't you have your gloves on?
Where are the gloves towards the end of the video?
Steve, what is the travel on a zone valve? from off to on, is it a 1/4 or 1/2 turn?.
1/4
Gotta tell the pex cowboy that he can use a ell now and again, maybe even a hanger or two.
This is an added expense due to price shopping. How much cheaper was the wrong job. When you factor in the correction repair job.
This is why price and quality are to different words. There are many family full Service oil companies in all areas, that this should never have happened. Add wrong job and correction repair to get true price of that original installation. Search for the right mechanic , not the right price and you will always get a better job. Thank you
Why would anyone mix non Ferrous and Ferrous Radiation without two separate systems?
Cast Iron Rads operate at a lower temp than Non Ferrous Baseboards and there is a big difference in GPM and resistance to flow -Invariably The free standing cast Iron rads give off heat and the slant fin baseboards never get hot enough.
There are so many Cowboys out there who constantly screw up good old fashioned converted Gravity systems with poor piping and incompetence.
I hope that was Oxygen Barrier Pex that you were using for that system.
+David Laird some people just are clueless and install stuff like this,, it never work right ,i see this alot
It's Like The Wild west out there when it comes to Hydronics-I had a case the other day where a clueless contractor added a radiant floor system to a converted gravity system -(3200 sq ft) by removing a cast iron rad and installing a pex loop (with no oxygen barrier) with no separate pump or mixing valve and set it in cement and tiled the floor-it runs at the same temp as the cast iron rads ! -no separate thermostat or different system-needless to say it doesn't work and the kitchen floor is buckling and cracking from the excessive heat!
Nice work
wink hvac thanks for the support wink
I don't get it why do you wear gloves???
They had to know that hose was kinked WOW.
codymon100 i believe so the guy would not come back after he finished the job..so i was called in to help out if i could ..
Once it got to full temp the pex probably expanded enough to kink
Nice work. I don't know why they just didn't tie it in like you did in the first place. Just stupid.
Rob HVAC thats what i would have done tied it in above .. thanks for watching rob
"It ain't easy bei'n Cheesy Mama!! @@stevenlavimoniere
Nice work Steve
Harry Dickson thanks harry
Shouldn't those hydronic lines be that orange oxygen free tubing?
BlackManOps oxygen barrier yes but the color doesn’t matter they make it in white.
Those are some weird looking radiators. Just some fins stuck to a pipe? Is that common over there?
Hot water baseboard heat common in the US
Cut back on the orifice on the second floor Steve