Out with the Old

Weinkauf Plumbing swapped out my boiler today.  Paul, the tech, arrived at 8:30 and left just before 3:00.  He had to cut out the old version and replace it with the new one.  I helped him bring the new into the building and muscle the old out to his truck.  Those puppies are heavy!

As I mentioned in an earlier post, the first Bobcat leaked, and SlantFin decided simply to replace it.  That's easier said than done.  Paul explained that you normally set up a boiler and then build the pipework.  If you have to replace the boiler, you must cut the pipes and then reconnect everything.  The guy who originally installed the Bobcat did not provide unions, which would have made the job much easier.  There isn't a lot of "give" in the piping, so at a couple points Paul had a lot of work with hammer and torch and other tools getting the pipes seated and the connections solid.

The old, leaky boiler will go back to the
manufacturer for analysis.

Paul puts the new edition in place.  Note all those
pipes which have to be reconnected.

Paul, torch in hand, reconnects an uncooperative pipe.
The smoke set off all my smoke alarms, again and again!

When the new boiler was up and running, Paul tested the zones and discovered a lot of air in the lines.  That accounts for the noise — a swishing, gurgling sound — that I'd noted earlier.  He was able to remove most of this, but some additional work will be needed.  Meanwhile, I'll wait to see if this version of the Bobcat does a better job holding its water. •••