replaced circulator pump, but system doesnt seem to be refilling

Ed_55

gauge is both psi/F
last night had 10 lbs., lifted relief valve, air came out, held open till it stopped and gauge showed 0 psi., watched it go down at times. replaced pump a coupleof years ago as well, and ive been releasing steam periodically when in use cause teh pump would start to scream. so i have been thinking this purging i was doing was the right thing to do. but started hearing ppl say the opposite, so i stopped, problem is still there, i dont have a gauge to use either, but i do believe is working properly, and when the other pump was on, and it was screaming, i would lift the relief valve and i would not get liquid, but steam realeased, and now its at 0psi. and of course nothing comes out, and I dont see any type of drain plug either, unless its inside somewhere, havent taken sides off yet. this morning, i was lookingat it, and noticed that the expansion tank was a little loose, i tightened it a bit, but would that have an effect also? and if its constant feed, why isnt it refilling? cause ive yet to hear the sound of moving water anywhere in the system. there is also a little canister that sits atop the purger/expansion tank gig, is there ever a need to add air to begin/"jumpstart flow" in a process such as this?
thank you for your time

Ed_55

loop system doesnt seem to be refilling

i have an old sears boiler, loop system. i live on a slab of concrete. i just replaced my pump and there seems to be no water in the system. when i took the old pump off, i let the water drain, cause i was told that this would be a good idea. but since replacing the pump, and fired the furnace up, i could tell there was no water. there is a dedicated water line hooked in between the expansion tank (below the water line) and a purger above it. but that too seems empty. how or when does a system like this refill itself? i really dont see a way, but is there a way to manaually fill it? when i fired it up, pressure went to 14psi., that was last night, and this morning when i awoke, it was still at 14psi. when the pump turns on, it just sounds dry as well. any advice will be appreciated

tim smith

No water & firing up?

Not, don't run boiler until your sure there is water in boiler. If you lift safety relief handle, do you get any water out. The gauge may be defective so can't trust it unless you have a test gauge to screw on hose bib. Send picture on this post of boiler etc and we may be able to help a little regarding this but don't run yet! Tim

burnerman_2

purge air

we changed a circulator last year and had a heck of a time getting all the air out we purged that thing over and over after we got it out we had plenty of heat as said the pressure gauge may be wrong see if u have water at drain or if u pop the relief vaue and it goes to 0 then back up to 14 it is probaly ok if there is a boiler drain put the fast fill on fast and watch the pressure and purge royboy

Mike T., Swampeast MO

I have a strange feeling that the system is not filling with water because you're not letting the air out!

Depending on the piping refilling a system with water and removing nearly all of the air can vary from quite easy to incredibly frustrating.

There are two general strategies:

1) Vent the high points of the system.

2) Put water in one end of a loop where it has no choice but to force the air ahead of it to leave via a vent at the other end.

The latter generally requires proper manipulation of valves installed just for this purpose. Some systems use a combination of the two methods.

Unfortunately it's almost impossible to make suggestions without being able to see the entire system. "Try to think like air" is my best suggestion. If you continue to have problems, I highly suggest calling a heating pro.

burnerman_2

over your head

sorry i think u r in over your head u need to spend a little now or pay a lot later if u have a hot water boiler you should not be getting steam unless the high limit is not working and if its set to high also the feeder valve may be plugged up but unless i was there i am guessin a valve may be shut u need a experienced guy or u may be buyin a whole new boiler your choice royboy

Ed_55

Ed_55

i figured out how to refill, working better than ever before, thanks for all your advice!!

Mark Woll_2

be very careful, there is possibility of explosion

When I did fire and explosion consulting work for the insurance companies, I came across an almost completely destroyed house in Philadelphia where the cause was determined to be a steam explosion in an improper hydronic installation. Under no circumstances should steam be created in hot water system.