Gas forced h/w baseboard.

Brad White_27

To your first question:

Properly and normally, any closed hot water system (what you have) should never need any more water once you have it filled, pressurized it and have bled all of the air out of it. This last part is possible only after several firings to high temperature to "boil" the air out, raising the temperature which releases latent air.

Long term and going in to a new installation, you want a couple of principal, non-negotiable things:

Pump should pump away from the expansion tank, not towards it.

You should have an air separator or "microbubble resorber" being the current best available type, after the boiler and before the pump(s), to scrub the air from the water.

The only time you should ever have to drain a closed heating system is to work on it, affect a repair, add to the system, replace the boiler.. or if you have a leak. Water belongs in the pipes and should stay there is the best way I can think of to state this.

The notion about draining and refilling the system? I have no idea where that came from. Once the free oxygen is driven from the water, there is little in it that will enable corrosion. Treat that deoxygenated water like gold. Some practitioners when draining their systems recover it and pump it back in after filtering.

When you drain and re-fill the system you are again introducing fresh, free oxygen into the system for another cycle of corrosion.

To your second question: I do not know a thing about Fitzgibbons units. Not a clue.
But I will sit back and learn from others here...

Enjoy the day-

Brad

Garry_2

Gas bs/brd w/h system

I have a gas h/w baseboard heating system that is about 30yrs. old. I don't know too much about it. I have heard
that it is a good idea to drain and change the water in
the pipes. Is this a good idea and if it is how is it done?

Second, if I decide to someday to replace the Fitzgibbins
unit thats there, what are my options, type, brand, price
etc.
Thank you,
Garry.
P.S. I bought the plase 3.5yrs ago. I don't know
what was done before that.

Mitch_6

The only reason to

flush out the water on a FHW system would be if there was something like antifreeze in it since it can brake down and has to be treated or flushed out and re charged periodically.

You could have the boiler water tested for corrosives and PH. If all is in specification leave it alone.

Mitch S.