Equalizer Return

ethicalpaul

There is the pressure from the end of the main, right?

If the only path from the main to the return is via traps (I don't know if this is the scenario on some systems or not), then yes, the water level at the end of the main would rise to reach equilibrium.

But based on what I've seen with my own eyes vs what people with decades of experience think/thought would occur on a one-pipe system, you'll please pardon me for not committing 😅

EBEBRATT-Ed

@ethicalpaul

I have changed a few water heaters where there was no floor drain and I didn't have a pump with me and was not going to lug buckets of water up the stairs or out a bulkhead.

I would cut the hot and cold coming out of the tank and cap the hot water run a hose outside (higher elevation) from the drain and put pressure on the cold water line to the tank with air or nitrogen depending on what I had with me.

The higher pressure will indeed force the water out through the hose. I admit I am using a lot more pressure than most steam boilers run at but the principal is the same

As I mentioned above and you have proven an equalizer may not be needed on some jobs . But why take the chance? On some jobs they will be needed to drain the header , equalize the pressure or both.

ChrisJ

@EBEBRATT-Ed I believe Paul has said multiple times that he has never said not to use an equalizer, or ever install any piping that isn't as per the manufacturer's recommendation or code compliant.

He is simply trying to understand why we do, what we do. And such understanding often makes things better.

Asking questions should never be a bad thing.

And this goes right along with the question the op asked. Why do we do what we do……..

The manufacturer's instructions must always be followed. Period.

EBEBRATT-Ed

@ChrisJ

I agree with what @ethicalpaul has done and find his experiments interesting and intriguing. Jobs that are not piped right probably need the equalizer/header drain more than the ones that are piped right.

ChrisJ

https://forum.heatinghelp.com/discussion/comment/1813820#Comment_1813820

And those are the ones that more often than not don't have it at all.

ethicalpaul

It definitely makes a good drain!

EdTheHeaterMan

And we must all remember that paul has glass pipes and videos that prove his point. And we all know that EVERY boiler operates exactly the way that Paul's boiler operates, wether you put the pipes in the correct way or not…. And Dimension "A" is just another Hoax! Yous don't need no stinkin' 28 inches!

ethicalpaul

You saw it just like I did, Ed, I don't get the sarcasm at this point. And of course there are infinite other systems out there, but in a 1 pipe residential system at least, it doesn't move.

ChrisJ

In all seriousness, can't we all just be nice?

HeatingHelp.com

https://forum.heatinghelp.com/discussion/comment/1813866#Comment_1813866

Thank you, @ChrisJ. Well said.

Please be mindful of what you post and don't pick fights.