Recent content by meplumber

I am a plumbing, heating and cooling contractor and the two tests that we use are simple. The first is looking for the country of origin. If it is made anywhere but Europe or the US it is a no go. Asian tools are a universal standard for cheap outsourcing. The second is the weight...

I am a plumbing, heating, and cooling contractor in Maine. 100,000 btu/hr is normal for a house up here with a -10 design temp. We use 12,000 btu's per lb for bulk or bag coal. It has always worked for us.

Thanks again for everyone taking the time to respond. This is from the University of Maine's website. http://www.physics.umaine.edu/programs/degrees/undergrad.htm It says, as we were told during our visit, that their B.S. in Engineering Physics is the only such program that is ABET...

Thanks to all of you for taking the time to post. The information has been very helpful.

Thank you for the information Astronuc. Very informative. I recall thinking that I was smarter than my father when I was a teenager. In my son's case he really is smarter than his father. Any idea on whether an BS in Engineering Physics meets the criteria for being a licensed...

Thanks for the information. He seems to view math as a necessary evil. He is good at it, but doesn't overly enjoy it. His natural interest in physics is in the theory and the attempt to understand how everything fits together. He has done the work. AP high school math and science...

Thank you Highway.

I am the father of an excellent young man. He is a junior in high school and is starting to look at colleges and possible majors. His natural interest is in pure physics, but he is smart enough to realize that engineering provides more career opportunities. Since money is an issue with his...

Have you checked for a leak on the suction side? I have had that happen a time or two. It usually shows up as a slight decrease in discharge pressure.

Sorry. Just re-read the post and realized your phase changes.

Looks like an over complicated cooling tower and industrial air washer to me. But hey I am just the guy that has to fix this stuff when it breaks. Your most efficient heat transfer occurs at phase (state) change. Where are you changing state and what kind of temps are we talking about?

As a plumber, we use standard 95/5 plumbing solder (available at home centers and plumbing supply houses). It is used on water and heating copper with pressures below 125 PSI and temps below 210 deg F. For pressures and temps above those levels we use Silver Solder. And yes Silver Solder is...

Traditional cast iron is what you are looking for in my humble opinion. Think about the cast iron radiators in a hydronic or steam heating system. The radiators heated relatively quickly and then held their heat and emitted it over time due to the large thermal mass of the radiator. The...

I am not an engineer, just a plumber. Water treatment has become higly gov't regulated in both the US and Canada. Most manufacturers only publicize the contaminants that they can remove above the federal mandates. Which for most contaminants is the 97% that you mentioned. I cannot speak...

I will preface my answer by saying that I am not an engineer. I am a Licensed Master Oil Burner Technician and Master Plumber. I have been a Plumbing, Heating and Cooling contractor for over 20 years. Mr. Watters is correct in his logic, but slightly off on his numbers. The average btu...