ALASKAPF185 said:J.B. Ward fitting are all we use, they don't have pin holes in the fittings, and more importantly they are threaded square to the fitting, unlike the asian made units that are rarely true tee's and 90's. Never use Megalok pipe dope in any application , it has the highest failure rate, it truely has to be the worst pipe dope on the market. Gasoila , gimmie the green stuff- or white version, any teflon tape will do on brass and copper joints, steel threads are not recommended for tape unless you use both tape and dope. If your not doing the work yourself, make sure whom ever you hire has plenty of references and experience working on boilers, most failures and problems are a direct result of unqualified installers. Follow all manufacturer's recommended installation instructions exactly, especially if you want to have a valid warranty. When you spend this kind of money, your supplier should also include an approved system design, any reputable sales agent here does for free. This covers you on the flip side. Make sure the products your investing so much money in are atleast ASTM,ASME,UL approved and rated for your application. There is plenty of info below to answer most hydronic questions correctly, don't always rely on internet forums for accurate info/opinions. Good Luck
(broken link removed to http://flopro.taco-hvac.com/flopro_u.html) Flo pro university, many short videos on everything hydronic related
(broken link removed to http://www.taco-hvac.com/uploads/FileLibrary/SelectingCirculators.pdf)
(broken link removed to http://www.lochinvar.com/_linefiles/BT-03.pdf)
(broken link removed to http://www.lochinvar.com/_linefiles/INS70069) Rev C.pdf
http://comfort-calc.net/tech_area_index.htm#HWB
I guess living in the states you have access to something other than chineses fittings. I looked around my area pretty hard and could not find any american made Black iron fitttings. I used teflon tape and thread sealant on all fittings. I only had leaks at unions ,which a little thread sealant fixed. I own an EKO which isnt UL or CSA approved . But it is in it own separate boiler room.
Huff