Greetings All,
Finished plumbing a bathroom on my house last week that the plumbers started a couple months ago. They had tied pex into the boiler for hot supply and I tapped into a cold line.
Anyhow, the long and short of it is the water from the hot line tastes pretty bad. I’m not talking just a little plastic, like water sitting in a HDPE bottle for a few days, but almost overpowering.
The cold line doesn’t have the same problem. I’m not sure what the boiler’s set to, though the hot water comes out hot, which I’m wondering if this could be a conributing factor?
Anyone know if there is differences between pex manufacturers in this area? Any post-install treatment I can run through the line? It would be pretty easy to replace the run from the boiler to the sink as well, if need be.
Thanks in advance for your answers and thoughts.
Replies
A $60 tempering valve would drop the hot temps to the domestic hot water piping and that's a great thing to do for safety reasons. It will probably help with the taste too.
Hot water heat boilers typically run at about 160 degrees....way to hot for the shower.
Currently the suggested setting for domestic hot water is 120 or less to be safe from scalding.
Dave has the correction....and it would do the whole house domestic hot water.
...................Iron Helix
PS....Who drinks HOT shower water?
Edited 9/27/2004 6:31 am ET by Iron Helix
OK, so the hot water supply is too hot, which is a no brainer. I'd just as soon crank back the boiler since it seems to me (though could be quite wrong) that less heat == less oil being burned.
I also have BBHW heaters; do these need the 160 water?
I wouldn't say I 'drink' the hot water as much as brush my teeth with warm water as I have sensitive gums =)
Thanks again for your replies!
when you say they tapped into the boiler for the hot water.......you mean they are heating the water in a storage tank using the boiler. There's a thermostat on that tank that you can adjust. As to the basebd heat, I run mine about 140 using a tempering valve, the boiler still runs to 160.Remodeling Contractor just outside the Glass City.
Quittin' Time
Not really; there's no boilermate or other tank on the system; the line is a direct feed tapped into one of the other supply lines coming out of the boiler.
We just bought the house in Feb and are still finishing the remodel, which as always is over budget ("while we're at it..."), so we didn't put a tank in there though we will in the next couple of years.
I just got off the phone with the plumber and he says the water temp needs to be where it is, though there needs to be a mixing valve on the coil, which has either malfunctioned or was never installed. Go figure. He's coming to look at it tomorrow.
Thanks again for all the replies!
Just so you're not using the boiler water for your DHW...........that might give it a bogus taste.Remodeling Contractor just outside the Glass City.
Quittin' Time