Pumping away variation

joe_94

Please help me advise my good neighbor.
He called Saturday night while I was eating at a restaurant and said he was set upon the idea of tearing out a boiler and system in a house his son just bought. He said it looked "old". He knew I like hydronics. After I used the word stupid 3 times I relaxed and agreed to look at it the next day. He had already disconnected it but did no harm.
It is a perfect, well maintained 1941 monoflo system. By this tine he had stayed up till 2 AM reading on the Wall as I directed him and was already forming pride in what he had. The Wall saved this guy's kid thousands of dollars.

Q: The fresh water fill feed enters a separate hole on the top of this box shaped 1940"s Bryant conversion? gas boiler. The compression tank pipes up off this small feed line.[Not to be confused with the supply pipe ]
The Grundfoss circulator is low, on the return.

If we move the circulator to the single main supply line which is off the top of the boiler , do we get the benefit of pumping away? Or, Do we need to put the the compression tank just upstream [ i.e. 18 inches or so] of the circulator? That is the question.

Personally, I would add a B&G inline air separator ahead of the pump, as well, and pipe the fresh water feed into it's bottom port , and the pipe to the compression tank out the top.

This boiler could have been built to use oil or even coal , and has a higher door cemented shut.] Its very clean gray and dry inside . Probably not so efficient, but no basket case. at all.] The kid has limited money and the bride has him moving some walls as her priority.

Thank you. joe

Gordy

old system

First off if that boiler is from the 40's its probably only 50 t0 60% efficient. Break ya now or, slowly break ya later in light of ever rising fuel cost.

Pumping away can be on the return side of the boiler, as long as the compression tank is on the return side of the pump. Simply put you want to pump away from the compression tank.


All though having the compression tank, air seperator, and pump on the supply side of the boiler will facilitate better air removal. Because the hotter water will promote better air seperation.


Gordy

EBEBRATT-Ed

I like the supply because I prefer to pump away from the boiler relief valve

Ed

joe_94

Thank you

Thanks for help. I had sort of a thought that pumping away from the big boiler itself [where the compression tank is piped off a port on that] gave the fundamental "pumping away" benefit.

But, heck, if we are going to move one element we may as well do it all. Oh, I owe my neighbor an apology for my initial intemperance,but I am old and constipated, albeit helpful.