Flush & Bleed My Hyrdonic Baseboard System

Enolasfinest

I am wanting to replace a section of baseboard fins in my house.  Before I open up the system, I want to be sure I understand how to do so properly.  I have included a diagram of my system and a few photos of the components and valves in the system.  This is a 1960 ranch with just one zone.  It appears that there is no way to shut off a loop, since there is no valve near the wye where at the start of the return.  

My questions are:

A) Can I simply shut off the supply water, then drain some water from the system by attaching a garden hose, then do my baseboard replacement, then refill, and then bleed the air at the baseboards?

B)  Do I need to bleed at the base board, when I have an automatic air bleeder just past the wye on the return line?   

C)  The screw on cap on the air bleeder is not currently on.  Should it be?

D) Do the arrows on my diagram appear to be correctly depicting the flow of water?

Thank you! 

Nick 

Mark Eatherton

Why?

Why the wye... Kinda like whatha whatha, except slicker.



In all of my 1/3 of acentury of working on and looking at closed loop hydronic heating systems, I have never seen an actual Y employed in the piping scheme. I knew they (Nibco) made them, but have never seen them deploy.



To boot, I have never seen a siamese balance port return T. It looks like an early Thrift Balance product, and if so, will not act as a positive shut off.



Without seeing a whole bunch more photos of the near boiler piping and distribution piping it's really difficult to make recommendations.



Now to the Why question. Why are you replacing the baseboard? The fins look fine. If you need a cover, there are numerous companies on the net that make all different kinds and shapes of hardwood convector covers. I'm partial to the Cherry wood ones. :-)



Even with the dented fins, you probably have twice as much heat as you'd need in real life.



Google wooden baseboard covers and see what pops up.



Thanks for sharing the pictures of those unique fittin's.



ME

wholesalerbill

bleeding

While your dropping the system down and replacing some baseboard think about installing a Spirovent air bleeder in the system. All your time spent going from room to room to bleed the sucker will be saved by installing one of these puppies. It'll be worth every penny spent. Every customer I've ever sold one to use's nothing less when they install a new boiler or have issues with purging a system.

STEVEusaPA

pic 6?

never seen one of those, but there appears to be a name on it.  Just pixilates when its blown up.  Any chance for a closer pic, or just tell us the name on there?

Thanks.

bill_105

The fittings

Was this at one time a government,like a military property? That's the only place I've seen such different stuff.

Mark Eatherton

Steve...

Click on the PDF icon at the end of his post, and you will see that it is a Thrush Balancer.



To the original poster, now that I have seen your drawing, it tells me that it is a mono flow, one pipe system. On the return of the baseboard circuits, where they re-enter the main, there should be a special fitting. This is a venturi fitting, which induces flow from the side branch into the main. These puppies are a royal PITA to purge, and you will have to bottom fill and manually bleed/purge each individual circuit. You cannot purge with the pump running, or you will be chasing bubbles forever...



The ball valve and purge cock were not an original part of this system and appear to have been installed by someone in an effort to make it easier to purge.



Set up right, these systems work wonderfully. Set up wrong, they can be problematic, and very few people really understand the dynamics and how they are supposed to work.



ME

STEVEusaPA

Tanks Mr. E

First time I clicked it, it never opened....good call.