ASSE 1017/1016-truly fail-safe?

JimH

Thanks for your reply, that's exactly the sort of thing
I was looking for. I have to remind myself that most of
the Wallies are in the northeast, where pipes are freezing
and boilers are crapping out.

-JimH

JimH

tempering valve failure modes

Hi, I'm doing my research to determine if I want to replace
my 60 year old American Standard boiler with a mod-con/
indirect. The amount of additional complexity this would
introduce is daunting indeed, considering all I've had to
do to maintain the stone-axe like dependability of the old
A-S is to vacuum the scale out of the combustion chamber,
drain the expansion tank, and bleed the radiators.

One aspect of this complex new system which I'm contemplating which concerns me is the longevity and failure modes of the ASSE 1016/1017 tempering valves which
the code will require me to install in connection with
running the indirect at the recommended 140*.

They are (of course) supposed to be "fail-safe", but I'm
wondering if (and if so, how often) you've seen these valves fail in the full hot position, and what their typical lifespan is when used with slightly hard municipal
water.

thanks,
-JimH

JimH

hello, anyone home?

Bueller? Anyone?

Is the widespread use of these valves simply to recent a
phenomenon to judge what their lifespan is, and how they
fail in the real world?

Can anyone suggest a better place to dig? I read all the suff about scalding on the Watts website, and am suitably
terrified. Just looking for a little anectdotal evidence
or statistics that support the conclusion that these valves
perform as advertised.

Is this the right website to ask this question?

Thanks for reading this far.

-JimH

Unknown

Jim we usually do not

answer right away as we are out working. To answer your question these controls are very dependable. I would hope that Dave Yates who has made a very strong arguement for the use of "point of use controls" will answer you with some real world results that his company has had with these.

The magic 140 degree water temp is important as I am sure you learned at the Watts sight for protection against legionaires disease. It also helps to kill just about any bacteria harmful to humans. Point of use controls allow you to then satisfy the anti-scald concerns.

They are dependable and work very well. I have them in my son's new home (5 years old) and so far no problems.