make up water meter question

JohnBeemer

I have a tiny leak near my make up water valve. I was thinking about installing a make up water meter while I do the repair. I have a small RBI hot water boiler in a townhouse. They are fairly inexpensive.
Do you guys think it's worth the effort? How much make up water is normal for a small hot water boiler? What are the advantages of know how much make up water your boiler is using?

Thanks for any info.

JB

Jamie Hall

Ideally a hot water boiler shouldn't use any makeup water at all. Any significant loss indicates a leak somewhere, which you really truly don't want. So... I suppose a water meter might be useful -- provided it's sensitive to very low flows.

JohnBeemer

Thanks for the info. I guess I'll skip the water meter to measure the makeup water. If there's a leak I'll be able to see it soon enough. All of the pipes are exposed in the basement and I would notice any kind of leakage at the radiators.

JB

JUGHNE

Perhaps a better investment would be a low water cut-off.
Some owners have this feature, have their system full and then shut off the water supply valve.
The disadvantage is if you have a loss of water the heat shuts off.
The advantage is you do not flood the house or in your case the neighbors property.

JohnBeemer

That's a good idea. I will see what I need to buy in order to get that done.

Captain

Another option is to install a System pressurization unit (SPU) like an Axiom DMF150 ( http://axiomind.sasktelwebhosting.com/dmf150.php ). They're commonly referred to as Glycol Feeders, but they're a good idea on any system. This way you can removed the connection from the domestic water supply and monitor the level of fluid in SPU tank. Then you will know exactly how much make-up fluid your system is using. The SPU will maintain proper pressure in your system and if your leak does turn into gusher you won't flood the residence. Only the contents of the SPU tank will be pumped into the system (4.5 gallons).