MexConnect.com Forums: Specific Focus: Home, Garden & Construction in Mexico: Maybe for water hammer?: Page 2

Forums > Specific Focus > Home, Garden & Construction in Mexico

1 2 View All

Papirex

Feb 10, 2012, 10:02 AM

Post #26 of 33 (2065 views)

Shortcut

Re: [YucaLandia] Maybe for water hammer?

Can't Post | Private Reply

As far as I know, thermopiles are not sold as a separate unit. All of the thermopiles I encountered were installed by the manufacturers of various water heaters and heating units as standard equipment. They were all intended for indoor use. What you are calling a thermocouple may very well be a thermopile.

They were very widely used back in the 1950s and 1960s in wall furnaces, and the now illegal floor furnaces., they are still used in most water heaters. Since the voltage is measured in milli-volts, it is far less than one volt. We used to run a wire to a wall mounted thermostat for floor furnaces. It used to drive the electricians nuts, since no electrical license was required to work on voltage that low.

They all seemed to be a single unit device. The main advantage to them is that no external power is required for them to work. Today, there is probably not one uneducated plumber in 100 that has even heard of a thermopile, even though they may have installed hundreds of units with them pre-installed.

Many sheet metal workers installed those units too, since it depended on which sub-contractor had the contract to provide the heating in a project to determine who would install the heating units.

Rex
"The supreme happiness of life is the conviction that we are loved" - Victor Hugo

(This post was edited by Papirex on Feb 10, 2012, 10:05 AM)

RickS

Feb 10, 2012, 2:14 PM

Post #27 of 33 (2048 views)

Shortcut

Re: [Papirex] Maybe for water hammer?

Can't Post | Private Reply

There is a difference between a thermopile and a thermocouple.

See: http://wiki.answers.com/Q/What_is_the_difference_between_thermopile_and_thermocouple

Papirex

Feb 10, 2012, 6:37 PM

Post #28 of 33 (2032 views)

Shortcut

Re: [RickS] Maybe for water hammer?

Can't Post | Private Reply

Yes, there is a big difference, but you usually cannot tell one from another just by looking at them in the pilot flame.

I have probably installed thousands of them. I will ask anyone posting here, how many do you think you have installed, and where did you get your education concerning thermopiles? I used to make my living by being informed about things like this. No guesswork, we had to know. There was no Internet in those days, we had to go to school every time a new device was created.

Rex
"The supreme happiness of life is the conviction that we are loved" - Victor Hugo

whynotwrite

Feb 11, 2012, 6:19 AM

Post #29 of 33 (2011 views)

Shortcut

Re: [Papirex] Maybe for water hammer?

Can't Post | Private Reply

thermopile:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thermopile
Thermopile:http://www.thefreedictionary.com/thermopile
and....http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/thermopile
are we building rockets here or changing the thermocouple on the water heater? Thermocouple, thermopile...blah, blah, blah. They sell a thermocouple and pilot light assembly here in our town for less than 60 pesos. I have swapped out a lot but still working on the thousand mark, a goal I have no desire to obtain.

stevebrtx

Mar 2, 2012, 6:05 PM

Post #30 of 33 (1911 views)

Shortcut

Re: [stevebrtx] Maybe for water hammer?

Can't Post | Private Reply

Here's an odd one, my comment earlier about my water heater thumping and banging - seems to have cleared up when we installed a new pressure pump last week. The CFE had pretty much worn out the old one, so a new one arrived and I got to noticing no more banging? - the only thing I can think of is that somehow the old pump was pumping air into the system because I did notice that it happened even when I turned on the cold water in the Mbath. MXN plumbing is possessed as is the wiring, but I have an air admittance valve on order for my trip to TX next month which hopefully will help the kitchen sink nightmare. Maybe I should just build a house of my own rather than rebuild a rent house.
http://www.chapalaweather.net

chicois8

Mar 2, 2012, 9:47 PM

Post #31 of 33 (1887 views)

Shortcut

Re: [stevebrtx] Maybe for water hammer?

Can't Post | Private Reply

what does an air admittance valve have to do with water hammer?????

stevebrtx

Mar 3, 2012, 5:32 AM

Post #32 of 33 (1878 views)

Shortcut

Re: [chicois8] Maybe for water hammer?

Can't Post | Private Reply

Nothing, that's a separate nightmare living under the kitchen sink. Only two minor problems, the outlet from the wall is too high and no vent stack. But at least the thumping was inadvertently cured by the new pump.
http://www.chapalaweather.net

stevebrtx

Mar 19, 2012, 10:37 AM

Post #33 of 33 (1703 views)

Shortcut

Re: [stevebrtx] Maybe for water hammer?

Can't Post | Private Reply

I'm now the proud owner of 2 air admittance valves, now all I have to do is get under the sink, or pay someone to install them.
http://www.chapalaweather.net

1 2 View All