How do you adjust the bypass valve in a hydronic system?

coloradojeff

My 20 year old house has a functioning 5 zone system. Water returns from each zone controlled by a thermostat and is collected in a manifold. That water is then pumped by a single speed grundfos circulator pump through my 163 MBH burnham gas boiler to a hot water manifold that supplies the finned baseboard radiators. Between the two manifolds there is a bypass with a gate valve in the middle. Both manifolds and the bypass are 1.25” copper.
How should the bypass valve be set? Both mechanical contractors in my small town have had a look but neither has provided a good answer. Closed and open seem like wrong answers. There is no easy way to measure flow or pressure in the system other than the temp/pressure gauge coming out of the boiler. I need a simple answer to what I am sure is a difficult question. Slightly open? 1/3 open? Half?

coloradojeff

The valve in question is on the left, just above the WH

HVACNUT

If the bypass is piped near the inlet side of the pump (circ is on the return from your description) then the objective is a 20° difference between the supply leaving the boiler and the return south of the circulator on the discharge side.
Assuming the system has a large water content, it's the poor mans answer to regulating return temperature at or near 140° to help prevent shocking the cast iron block with cold return temps and possibly short cycling of the circulator.

There are better options for thermostatic regulation.

coloradojeff

Like a differential bypass valve instead of a old gate valve?

Zman

I am not convinced you need it at all.
Cast iron boilers are not very finicky about low flows and it would take over 175' of baseboard to make the boiler condense (assuming about 7,000 elevation)
Is the circ a taco 007?

hot_rod

WAG, a guesstimate as flow will change as zone valves open and close. With low mass heat emitters really not a lot of value

Gilmorrie

coloradojeff said:

Like a differential bypass valve instead of a old gate valve?

In any case, a gate valve is not well suited for that purpose, which is throttling. A globe valve would be preferred.

mark97564

Turn the valve off... Close all the zone valves in your home. Now open and close each 1, 1 at a time. Do you hear the pipes bang? If you do then open the bypass valve little by little until you don't hear the pipes bang when each zone valve is opened and closed 1 at a time. Also, the valve could be used to control the return temp of the system..

I prefer to use a differential pressure bypass valve to prevent the pipes from banging when 1 zone is open and closes and then using a 3 speed pump to get my delta temp... You get more control doing it that way.. most systems run a 20 degree delta between supply and return so you could also adjust the valve to get that delta.. so use the valve to get your 20 degree delta and to prevent any pipes from banging.. if you ever replace the boiler, I would have a differential pressure bypass valve installed instead along with a 3 speed pump or a digital grundfos pump that gives you even more control..