plain english piping for Munchkin

steve b_27

Is it absolutly necssary to pipe a munchkin boiler in primary/secondary fashion or is header type ok .If you pipe it p/s how is it benificial to the boiler in over all preformace.If you pipe it header type step by stepwhat could happen when sysem runs.

[Deleted User]

Que sabe mi Munchinado compadre....

If the flow for a given circuit is too low, you will boil the water in the heat exchanger, and the boiler may go off on its internal high limit. The reason the manufacturer calls for P/S is so the boiler knows what the only constant in the hydronic world is, that being flow across its heat exchanger.

If you could guarantee that the boiler would NEVER see less than the required minimum flow, then it would not be necessary to use P/S piping.

Also, if you want to retain ANY kind of warranty, you WILL pipe it per the manufacturer. If warranty and safety are not a concern, then have at it bubba. Just don't blow yourself and your neighborhood up in the process.

ME

hot_rod

I prefer hydro-separators

to P/s piping. They seem to return a bit cooler water to the boiler offer air separation, and a few other benefits.

hot rod

Mark_46

Yes

Steve,

Once upon a time, the installation manaul for a Munchkin included a drawing that was not P/S...a header configuration as you described. That drawing has since then been removed in the later versions of the installation manual and all drawings now specify P/S.

Boilers of this type have high head, low mass and low water volume. Ensuring proper flow through the boiler are the main reasons why to use a P/S configuration.

Theoretically if you had one zone of space heating, no DHW, and the needed flow in the heating zone would meet or exceed the minimum flow through the boiler at a given boiler BTU input, you could pipe wihout P/S. Of course, the likelyhood of that is slim.