Low Cost Dearator Question

usndave03

I have a question on the subject of adding fresh cold water to my boiler. I find that regular weekly blow downs, ocasional draining of my system has required the addition of fresh water via the auto water feed more times than I like. I understand the risk that this poses to the boiler's life becuase of the excessive mineral deposits. I read in Dan's book that a clever way to get around this is to get a small domestic water heater and good hydronic micro bubble separator to make a low cost dearator piped between the AWF and the boiler. I happen to have a 50 gallon domestic water storage tank sitting right next to my boiler. The storage tank gets hot water from a heat exchange process taking place in the boiler's tankless heater coils and ultimately provides hot water to my house. I was wondering if I could tee off the storage tank's hot water feed to the house followed by the micro bubble separator into the automatic water feed and then into the boiler. If this works...it would save me getting another mini water heater and the cost of heating it up to temperature. In essence the minerals will settle in the water storage tank that already is being supplied with cold city water anyways. Any thoughts, suggestions or warnings?

Dave

KC_Jones

Why are you blowing it down weekly and why are you occasionally draining it?
The only thing that would require weekly blowdowns would be a float type LWCO and unless I am missing something (pics in your other post) you have a probe type.

I really see no need for what you are doing. Basically you are trying to solve a problem that you are creating, unless I am missing something really obvious.

usndave03

Your right KC, i just recently baught the place and have been working to figure out how my system works and I have been troubleshooting the system. My AWF failed so my system flooded and I had water leaking out of my main vents 2 months ago...so i had to drain it and serviced the pump. Additionally my water was dark brown so i started draining some water out of the bottom of the boiler to clean it up each week. Its alot better now. This weekend im going to install one of those VXT auto water feeds with the digital feed meter so i can make sure that i know how much fresh water is feeding. I misspoke with the blow down comment...but i have been adding feed more than i like becuase of the issues im working. So I was wondering if this dearater idea will help with the minerals and degradation at the boilers waterline if more fresh is added in the future...im sure there will be and some point or another.

KC_Jones

Others may chime in, but I think what you are proposing would be major overkill. Your efforts are better spent making the system as tight as possible. If you don't lose anything you don't need to add anything.

DanHolohan

That technique I described is generally for places where they use a LOT of fresh water, like a restaurant or a bakery. What KC said.

usndave03

Ah Ok, Thanks guys!

EBEBRATT-Ed

and you wouldn't want to feed hot DHW to a boiler without using a backflow preventer & it doesn't sound like a good idea anyhow