First-World Problems...Part Vinte E Três

That is a 16-year-old radiant heat pump that gave up the ghost, I suspect as a result of very hard water, an inefficient air removal system, and bad luck.

One of our resident chemistry professors suggested that the stuff is actually magnetite, which is simply rust that has taken the next step. It's rock hard and impossible to clean out of the pump without damaging it. Besides, the pumps are not hugely expensive, so once it was removed there is no reason not to replace it with a new one. And all of the other pumps as well, because they were just as bad. And the air purge valve too. And the pressure gauge. And one of the thermometer/mixing valves.

Yeah...hard water is a bitch.

What was interesting about the problem was that the system functioned fairly well right up to the point that it failed. That tells me that the system is so efficient that if even a small percentage of the hot water that is intended to warm the floor gets to the flexible pipes it will do its job.

But...this was one of those plumbing jobs that kept getting more and more complicated. My plumber is very, very good, so he planned to put in additional valves so that each loop could be flushed. That made perfect sense, but it required some real planning. And then of course the obligatory loud snap as he removed the main line out of the boiler. That was fun. It sheared well inside the enclosure, and I had visions of having to replace the whole thing. But he kept calm and carried on, and the only damage was to his schedule.

It was a pleasure watching him work, because each step was planned, and as new issues appeared he reevaluated the direction of the repair.

There is absolutely nothing so marvelous as someone who knows what he is doing, and does it well.

posted by CBD at 02:00 PM

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