Any good/bad with Taco Hydro-Sep?

JeffGuy

For an oil to gas conversion of an old radiated gravity system, it was recommended here that I use a hydraulic separator in order to get a good primary/secondary unit with included good air and sediment removal. I looked at the B-G/Caleffi (I think they are the same?) but would have had a three week wait for that unit, plus they are more expensive. So I ordered a Taco Hydro-Sep 1-1/4 instead.

Here's a link to the Taco info sheet showing the Hydro-Sep "Typical Installation"

picture. Link here:

<a href="http://www.taco-hvac.com/en/products/products.html?current_category=377#">http://www.taco-hvac.com/en/products/products.html?current_category=377#</a>



1. Does anyone have any experience with the Taco unit? Good or bad?



2. The Taco info sheet "Typical Installation" picture includes a second air separator, connected to the expansion tank. Is this necessary? I thought I didn't need to order an air separator if I got a hydraulic separator?



3. In this picture, are the pumps and tank in the correct locations? I thought all pumps were supposed to pump away from the expansion tank?

JeffGuy

Sorry

That was the wrong link. The correct one (with the picture) is here:



http://www.taco-hvac.com/track_file.html?file_to_download_id=17547

STEVEusaPA

ah...much better link

answers to questions.....

1. Sure you could use it, works great, but you don't have to pipe it that way.

2.  I would leave both air separators in there. There may be some debate over whether you need the one over the expansion tank. You definately need the one over the separator, because that's where water will be moving the slowest.  The one over the  expansion tank is  a great one to have, especially if between the separator and the expansion tank is where you should connect your makeup water line, catching/removing the air as you add water to the system.

3. The pumps are pumping away from the expansion tank.  The one next to the expansion tank is pumping away, and the pump serving the zones is both isolated and pumping away.  If you removed the separator, and made 2 loops--primary thru the boiler, and secondary, connected to the primary with closely spaced tees, you would pump away from the primary loop.

Happy piping!

CMadatMe

I Think

I've used close to 100 of them in the last couole of years. Zero problems and haven't had to piggyback another form of air removel yet.

JeffGuy

Now I need to find one..

Thank you both. I just heard that the Hydro-Sep I ordered is actually back ordered, so I may have to go without it unless I can find one close by in stock. Sounds like a good unit so I hope I can find one.



As far as pump location, it would look better to me if the primary pump was on the bottom leg of the primary loop - pumping away from the Hydro-Sep instead of pumping into it. The way I look at the diagram as it is now, it looks like the seconday pump isn't close to the tank since its always going through the primary pump first. Am I thinking about it wrong?

CMadatMe

I Have Them

What kind of boiler are you installing this on? Where are you located? Pump should be pumping away from the point of no pressure change. If this is a cast boiler the. pipe as per the diagram. The pressure drop is greater at the LLH then in the boiler. Also must remember velocity slows down inside the LLH to about 1.7ft a sec. That's why debri falls to the bottom and air rises to the top.

JeffGuy

Burnham Alpine

It's a Burnham Alpine 210 mod-con so I need the Taco 1-1/4. Boston area - where are you?



The way I look at the picture, the secondary pump isn't at low pressure point - because its on the receiving side of the primary pump. Maybe that doesn't matter or the primary pump is "invisible"? Would there be any reason not to leave the secondary pump and air tank where they are, but put the primary pump so its pumping from the header on the lower left header branch?