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HOT WATER FLOW

john_181
john_181 Member Posts: 93
in THE MAIN WALL
Is there a way to tell if this is backwards? When the water exits the bottom it is only luke warm and the boiler is still very hot (130 degrees). It seems like it is not working right - wasting gas. The boiler has 2-3" pipes on the top and 1-1 1/2 pipe on the bottom. I have another newer boiler that works more like I think it should and it heats up the rads in about 1 hour. This boiler never got the rads hot even after an hour and a half.

Comments

  • john_181
    john_181 Member Posts: 93
    HOT WATER FLOW for a boiler system

    I have a hot water boiler from the 30's and I understand the past owner had a new circulator pump installed last year. What should the direction of the water flow be? My knowledge tells me the cold should enter the bottom pipe and the hot water should exit the top pipes - correct? Now the cold is entering the top and only luke warm water is exiting the bottom ??????? please help!!!!!!

    ps. I have a picture of the system if you need to see it - please email me - jwmirz@aol.com

    Thank you
  • Brad White
    Brad White Member Posts: 2,399
    Typically

    cold in at the bottom and hot out at the top. This pre-dates forced hot water and was the basis for gravity hot water.

    In this age of ModCons, the pattern remains somewhat the same (although many do pipe off the bottom so it may be academic). The point here being that the hot water leaves as the hottest flue gasses enter, while the cooler entering water makes a final wring-out to the cooler leaving flue gasses.

    Different reasons, same pattern.
    "If you do not know the answer, say, "I do not know the answer", and you will be correct!"



    -Ernie White, my Dad
  • Brad White
    Brad White Member Posts: 2,399
    John, can you post a diagram?

    Also give more parameters such as circulator size or model. It could very well be that you have very high flow (low resistance), same amount of BTU's more or less, just spread out over more water so it never seems to get hot.

    Just need more information to fill in the blanks-

    Brad
    "If you do not know the answer, say, "I do not know the answer", and you will be correct!"



    -Ernie White, my Dad
  • john_181
    john_181 Member Posts: 93
    -----PICTURE OF BOILER------

    The boiler rating is 432,000 BTU (input). In this picture, the pump pushes the water UP.

    If you have any questions-please let me know.
  • Brad White
    Brad White Member Posts: 2,399
    In that photograph, this is what I see

    Tell me if I am correct:

    If the pump is pushing water up as you say, it is drawing off the bottom of the boiler but it also seems to be drawing from a bypass coming off the supply header to the right.

    There may well be more motive force of gravity flow than pump flow with all of those large pipes but the circulator seems to be fighting it.

    Do the pipes get hot anywhere? When it is firing do you notice a pattern of colder to hotter water? Does that bypass entering the pump suction side from the left take hot water while colder water comes out of the bottom of the boiler?

    Hard to tell from here but it does look odd to me. Any other circulators on the system?
    "If you do not know the answer, say, "I do not know the answer", and you will be correct!"



    -Ernie White, my Dad
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