Honeywell Zone valve placement

Lungs

I'm following "pumping away" to repipe a new slant fin eutectic boiler. My question is that the instructions say honeywell zone valves should be on the return side but but Dan Holohan says to place the zone valves on the supply side. So where should they go?

Thanks

ChasMan

It's not for me.

It is not for me to speak for Dan but I did read his book and the title, Pumping Away menas that the pump goes on the supply side and pumps away from the boiler. Placing the zone valves on the return side keeps them as far away from the pump as possible where they see the coolest water. Isn't that what it says to do in the book? Thats the way I did my lil Slant Fin, which one did you get by the way? Care to share combustion numbers when you are done? The only thing I don;t like about pumping away is that massive ball valve that ends up in the system. Its a failure waiting to happen right in the main line but what are you going to do? I can purge my system in a few minutes this way. Only one hose and no hose shuffling.

Alan (California Radiant) Forbes

What's wrong

with the ball valve?Do you think it will somehow fail?

JStar

What I do.

I always put the zone valves on the return, and pump on the supply. You avoid some unwanted noise and pipe vibration that way by having the zone valve's ball-stop close with the flow of water, as opposed to against it. 

ChasMan

Possibly

I do think it is a possible point of failure that is introduced. It is a difficult thing to replace if needed. I realize there are many other difficult things to replace but this is the only one introduced with pumping away. Not a big deal but It calls for a lil failth in that big ball valve. More faith than I would normally put in a ball valve.

Charlie from wmass

Buy better ball valves!

I have lots of faith in my Apollo ball valves.

ChasMan

Hmmm.

Well, I will get some of those valves for my next project. All the wholesalers around here sell the same crap as Home Depot.