Monoflow fitting

Ken_40

sanitary fitting - not designed for heating, rather a drain, service weight and typically galvanized. Is it painted galvanized? Or is the bluish tint an abberation?

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Norm Harvey

Could anyone help me identify this fitting, and if it was commonly installed on the supply, or on the return.


Thank you

http://www.newcastleadornments.com/tee.JPG



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Unknown

Norm,

That was known as a "3-way elbow" or "double-branch elbow", commonly used(at one time), as a drainage fitting. It is CI.

Dave

Norm Harvey

What the picture does not show at the top is a little handle on each branch to control what is likly a butterfly type valve inside. It is painted green.


I am having trouble buying into the drainage fitting theory. Why would drain branches need valves inside restricting the,... yuck!

I know what this valve does, or rather what the original installer wanted it to do. What I don't know is if his thinking was that it would work better on the supply or the return.


The story:
Replacement boiler installed by another contractor, now some of the monoflow convectors do not heat that well.

I am thinking he reversed the supply and return piping during his replacement. The basement has finished ceilings in all areas besides this valve pictured so that I can not access any monoflow tees to check direction on the tees themselves.

Also of note he reduced the 1.25 supply and return piping to .75 which I plan to up to the original 1.25, but I would like to make sure of the supply and return piping when I repipe this mechanical room.



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Ken_40

What makes you think...

the pipe size the last contractor used is wrong?

The size of the pipe CANNOT be determined by what's there, what WAS there, or cold rooms. It can only be determined by doing the math.

To do this, you need a few pieces of the puzzle. First, how long is the circuit. Second, what's the "load" of the circuit. Third, what's the GPM and head capacity of the present circulator. And last, if that funky tee in the picture has a valve on it, it is NOT a DWV fitting. It is a manually set diverter tee. Probably used to control flow between two circuits of the one pump, and make the system balanced!

You may solve the cool room issues by first bleeding them all - then adjust the diverter until a thermo-gun tells you the return water temp on BOTH circuit legs are equal (or where you wnat them).

I'd be willing to bet the pipe size is adequate, the manually diverting tee needs adjustmet and the circulator's on the return - instead of the supply.

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Unknown

Sorry Norm,

at first glance, I thought it was a CI drainage fitting! Never saw one like this before.
My apologies.

Dave

Norm Harvey

Seriously,.. nevermind

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clammy

hyave seen

I have ran into these fitting usually on the supply splitting them in 2 direction usually i have only spotted these on the supplies and most did have a divertor on them which one would use to increase or decrease flow to which ever side need more flow or heat ,i have had to remove them in one or two cases because of remodling and finishing of basements but it's definently a blast from the past peace and good luck clammy

Rich Kontny_4

From.....

a cold system, start up the boiler and use the old sense of feel to determine which pipe{s} get warm first. If the smaller lines heat up before the feeder than you know the flow has been reversed.

The drainage guess was an honest misstake as even plastic manufacturers make a directional tee like this which allows two horizontal lines to drain into the same vertcal line at the same elevation.

Rich K.

mtfallsmikey

Is it a..

Early form of balancing valve? Never seen this one before.