Mud Leg

vinceM

Hello again,
I was looking for a definitive answer in the forum and literature to this question: Where precisely, is the mud leg located?
I have narrowed it down to this area (see pic). I located the Hartford Loop, return valve, and equalizer, so I know I'm in the vicinity of the mud leg. Also, without a King Valve, is there any other way to flush out the return leg.

Thank you.

JUGHNE

That black pipe with the cap on the bottom (next to the ball valve) could qualify as a mud leg. But we need another picture from farther back to see where it goes, include the piping on the top of the boiler also.

Fred

You don't have one from what I can see. Mud legs on wet returns are typically there when the piping is 12" or so above the floor and the leg is actually a capped stub that drops down maybe 6" od so witha cqap or valve at the bottom that can be opened and cleaned periodically. Their intent was to let dirt drop into it as the water passed over the mud leg on its way back to the boiler. Most new/replacement piping, like that copper wet return on your system, typically have drain/flush valves at strategic locations to allow them to be cleaned.
There is a mud leg, of sorts on boilers. Your boiler drain valve drains from the lowest part of the boiler floor.

vinceM

Jughne and Fred, are you referring to the two gate valves on the copper return on the floor. The one next to the water heater near the yellow wall on the left and the other valve closer to the boiler on the right side?

vinceM

I guess my specific question is where do I access the return line so I can flush it?

Fred

JUGHNE said:

That black pipe with the cap on the bottom (next to the ball valve) could qualify as a mud leg. But we need another picture from farther back to see where it goes, include the piping on the top of the boiler also.

@JUGHNE That looks like an elbow on the end of that pipe to me that goes into the bottom of the boiler.

Fred

vinceM said:

Jughne and Fred, are you referring to the two gate valves on the copper return on the floor. The one next to the water heater near the yellow wall on the left and the other valve closer to the boiler on the right side?

Do those valves have spigots on them or are just valves to isolate the returns? If they have spigots on them, then you can shut the boiler down, close the ball valve on the Hartford loop put a hose on one of those spigots and carry it over to a floor drain. Put a hose on the other one and attach it to a faucet and run water into it to flush out. That will clean the wet returns near the boiler out but you will need to go further out to the ends of the wet returns (where they drop from the mains/dry returns) to flush the entire length of wet return out. If there are no vales at those ends, Maybe by taking the vents off and running water through that opening (if there are vents in that area).running water

JUGHNE

Fred, Yes now I see what you mean, I didn't look that closely and was hoping for more pictures showing the upper piping. And now if that is the boiler inlet/return, which is really on the bottom, Any drain on the other side of the boiler might be helpful in flushing sludge out of the bottom.