Welcome! Here are the website rules, as well as some tips for using this forum.
Need to contact us? Visit https://heatinghelp.com/contact-us/.
Click here to Find a Contractor in your area.

Can I raise system to compensate for NOT away from PONPC?

LarryC
LarryC Member Posts: 331
Can I raise system to compensate for NOT pumping away from PONPC?  Oil fired HW baseboard.  Three loops, overpumped by a Taco 007 on each loop.  Each pump discharges to the inlet of the boiler.  Expansion tank on the discharge of boiler.

To minimize the air being sucked into the system by the pumps, my thought was to raise the pressure measured in the boiler to approximately 18 psi when warm and ensure the maximum pressure when the system is fully hot does not exceed 25 psi.  Will cause other problems?

I understand not to get too close to the 30 psi setpoint for the safety relief valve.  The total vertical height to the highest point in the system is less than 20 feet. 

The system pressure came to my attention when I realized that one of my air vents leaked out enough water to drop the entire system pressure down to 0 psi.  When the system fired up for heating, there was alot of air noise in the loop pump and one loop was air bound.  After power purging to force the air out and replacing the vent, I still was purging air for several days.  That is when it occured to me that raising system pressure could prevent the pump inlets from going below atmospheric pressure and sucking air into the system.

Comments

  • Mark Eatherton
    Mark Eatherton Member Posts: 5,852
    Yeah...

    It's not the right thing to do, and it won't keep air from coming out of suspension due to being exposed to lower pressure created by the pumps, but it should keep from sucking air in to the inadvertent vacuum breakers (A.K.A. auto vents).



    COnsider it a patch until you can do the right thing, which is to move the PONPC or move the pumps so they pump away from the PONPC.



    IMSMC, the curve for a 007 is relatively flat, so you shouldn't have to raise the pressure to much..



    ME

    There was an error rendering this rich post.

  • PaulR
    PaulR Member Posts: 25
    edited October 2009
    IMSMC?

    I was in the Army for quite a few years and grew accustomed to acroynms but the IMSMC has me stumped.

    Paul



    Edit:  Just came to me.   "If My Memory Serves Me Correctly"



    Gilda Radner: "Nevermind"
  • Mark Eatherton
    Mark Eatherton Member Posts: 5,852
    If Memory Serves ME Correctly....

    It's a NEW one, I just invented it:-)



    ME

    There was an error rendering this rich post.

This discussion has been closed.