Spirovent

Eileen Olive

Just installed a new mod/con boiler, with all new near-boiler piping, and a fresh out-of-the-box Spirovent. At start up we fired the boiler and waited to hear (or see) air sputtering out the top of the Spirovent, but nothing happened. I sort of expected to hear or see something thst indicated air was being expelled from the system. Nothing, not a drop or fizzy spirt. Is this normal? The Spirovent is installed per TT's directions, on the return piping. It is an 1 1/4 Spirovent bushed down to 1" with the expansion tank piped beneath. Could it really be THAT good?

Norm Harvey

Stupid question,.. but do you have flow through the pipes, or is there a valve shut off somewhere?

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Tim_41

flush

Did you flush the system out? Sometimes flux will get caked on to the float and cause it to bind up. After flushing the system with hydrosolve, I unscrew the vent cover and clean the float. I always find a ton of stuff stuck to it. Once clean, reinstall and you should be good.

Eileen Olive

Gave it a good flush

After piping out the unit I flushed the system again. I doubt flux is the issue because I piped mostly with black pipe and was very careful with the teflon tape. It just seems strange to me. The system runs smoothly with no air noises, but still I would have expected something to be sputtering out of those little holes on the tip.

Bill_55

my Spirovent is quiet too!

I've had a Spirovent Jr. for twelve years. Once in a long while, I might hear a little "psst" from it but that's it. It's almost like it has to accumulate a certain small amount of air before it releases it.

I used to have constant problems with air on the first and second floor (hot water baseboard)-- not enough to make it air-bound but enough so that I could hear water running in the baseboard and enough to produce an irritating thump-thump-thump in the living room when the circulator first started. A year or so before I put in the Spirovent, I changed all the automatic vents (Maid-O-Mist) but the air problems continued. Once I installed the Spirovent, everything got quiet.

Since then, I added a separate zone in the basement-- cast iron radiators with manual vents. After the initial filling and bleeding, I haven't had to touch them either-- no air problems at all.

The literature for the Spirovent called it "the ultimate air eliminator" and that's what it's been for me!

Mad Dog_2

It depends.............................

I've had Spirovents do all kinds of crazy things including spewing water like a spigit...just purge the system as best you can and let the Spiro-T-Agnew-vent do its thing. I still won't use ANY substitutes...love them. MaD Dog

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Home Depot Employee

You mention TT as in Triangle Tube Prestige?

You installed an autovent on the top of the boiler alongside the relief valve?

You would be amaized how much system air is removed at the top of that built-in standpipe.

Home Depot Employee

Bill,
Prior to your spirovent install, too many autovents, especially in the wrong places can introduce more air into the system.

(high torgue/high rpm, circs with quick starts would suck the floats down briefly till the water got moving within close proximity of the autovent, introducing air)

Unknown

I had that problem...

took me a few tries to figure out the hissing I heard was air being sucked INTO the system by the Spirovent. LOL...

Pump output pressure was so high it would lift the 30 psi relief valve outside where I couldn't see it and if system static pressure got too low because of it the vents, being on the return side of the pump(s), would start sucking air. Meanwhile I think it's air being let out. I had to put a 50 psi relief on it cause 30# was too light. Live and learn. This was on the fancy Robur heat pump system not a regular boiler so relax. It's a whole different animal.