Hot water loop on steam boiler help

ChrisTow

I've found some post on this fron the past, but the lsuggestion links aren't working, so here goes:

<span style="font-size:12pt">I could use some help getting my hot water loop working correctly.  Last winter I bought a 1928 2-story colonial in NJ.  The original house has single pipe steam (which is another series of questions/ problems).  An early 90’s addition off the back has two in-wall cast-iron convectors (Arco circa 1940’s?) (in family room) and two toe-kick heaters (in kitchen) on a hot water loop tied into the steam boiler (Williamson GSA150NSP, installed 2008).  There is only one noticeable thermostat, which is in the original house and is wired into the boiler.  </span>

<span style="font-size:12pt">I had a plumber out a couple of weeks ago to perform annual maintenance/ start-up on the boiler and he mentioned that the HW loop wasn’t installed correctly and he couldn’t tell what was controlling the HW loop.  There is currently a relay attached to side of the boiler (Honeywell RA832A1066) that turns on the circulating pump (Taco 007-f5).  Control wiring runs from the relay up to a transformer at the ceiling and then across the basement up into the kitchen wall.  From there it heads up towards the kitchen ceiling, but I have no idea where it goes from there or what it might connect to.  Any help or insight here would be great.  </span>

<span style="font-size:12pt">So last week the hot water loop stopped heating.  I different technician came out to fix what I assumed was a broken relay or pump.  He determined that both of those were working and that it must be the thermostat/ controller – whatever and wherever it might be- was bad.  His recommendation was to just install an additional thermostat to control the HW loop in the addition.  Does anyone foresee any problems with this if I don’t know what’s controlling the HW now?</span>

<span style="font-size:12pt">He also mentioned the HW loop was installed incorrectly and told me that I should have the following installed: two flow check valves, and expansion tank, an air separator, a pressure reducing valve, a backflow preventer, a new temperature control and a new switching relay.  Are all of these items required, or is this a belt and suspenders approach?</span>

<span style="font-size:12pt">I read Dan’s article “How to add a hot-water zone to a steam-heating system – successfully” and not everything above is listed.  I’m also not sure that I have a bypass line btwn supply and return lines for the HW loop to reduce water temp.  Any help would be appreciated.  Thanks.</span>

<span style="font-size:12pt"> </span>

<span style="font-size:12pt">Chris</span>

DanHolohan

Have you looked in this section of the site?

http://www.heatinghelp.com/article/17/Hot-Water/76/Condensate-Hot-Water-Heating

ChrisTow

Gravity hot water loop?

Is it possible for a hot water loop to work off of gravity?  The reason I ask is that this morning I have heat running through the pipes, radiators and toe-kick heaters, but the pump and thermostat controlling it aren't turned on.  Is it possible for the hot water to start it's own cycle through the loop, (ie hot water rising and pushing cold water back into boiler which then runs through and continues the cycle) ?

DanHolohan

Yes,

and the flow-control valves on both the supply- and return sides are supposed to stop that gravity flow. 

Mark Eatherton

Yup....

Welcome to the world of hydronics!



It can be overcome with the use of spring checks on the supply and return (at the expense of the loss of head due to resistance of the checks) or you can install a zone valve.



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