My 3-way valve is not working

KennethC

Hi

I have some problems with my automated 3-way valve. I have just changed it because the other one was broken. I have bought the exact same product and installed it precisely as the previous one (both with pipes and wires).
The problem that I experience is when I power on the Heat Pump and the valve is trying to switch to hot water (buffer tank) then it just clicks all the time and it sounds like it's trying but can't.

It was not be that has been installing it to begin with neither piping, heat pump or anything but I have a suspicion that something in the piping has been made wrong because when I look at others piping with 3-way valves I see that everyone has "AB" from Heat Pump but the plumber that helped me has set the pipe from Heat Pump to A in the valve. Could this be the reason?

And if this IS the problem then how come my Heat Pump has be running for three years now without problems (until now)?

I hope anyone can help me solving this problem.

hot_rod

What brand valve ? Was it supplied with the HP?

KennethC

https://forum.heatinghelp.com/discussion/comment/1847347#Comment_1847347

The original brand was a chinese brand and the new one is NBE but it's both a motorized 3-way valve with the same power consumption.

KennethC

https://forum.heatinghelp.com/discussion/comment/1847347#Comment_1847347

I don't know chinese but I have taken a picture of the drawings on both of the valves. Can you see it i's different?

LRCCBJ

The problem that I experience is when I power on the Heat Pump and the valve is trying to switch to hot water (buffer tank) then it just clicks all the time and it sounds like it's trying but can't.

I don't believe anything in the system would produce a "sounds like it's trying but can't" as you explain it. A defective valve from the manufacturer seems the most likely.

hot_rod

it look like a 3 way motorized ball valve, remove the cover and see if maybe a drive gear is stripped inside

It is a 240 v motor, so you need to get a close replacement

Usually when the strip gears, the ball or valve inside needs to be disassembled and cleaned

EBEBRATT-Ed

The pump is pumping into the heat pump. On the outlet of the heat pump is your three way valve. The AB on the three way valve has to be connected to the heat pump. AB is the common port. You shutting off the flow to your pump.

Which port you connect A or B to depends on the wiring and which port is open with no power applied to the valve.

AB is the common port which has to be piped to the pump. The valve then selects to send water to A or B which is the buffer tank or the heat pump tank.

I don't understand either wiring diagram on those valves.

Do you have 220 volts to the valve?

EBEBRATT-Ed

Also the valve says 50hz. Where are you located? Not in the USA?

KennethC

https://forum.heatinghelp.com/discussion/comment/1847432#Comment_1847432

I'm located in Denmark. It's 230 volt / 50 Hz going to the valve.

Kaos

@EBEBRATT-Ed I think the diagram is off. If it was plumbed like that, it would not have worked.

The two valves are not the same. The original (which is typical for air to water) is a power open, power close. The new one is spring return. They also come in L or T porting, you have to make sure that also matches. Might be good to post some picture of the existing valve body and how it is plumbed (try to label pipes as sometimes hard to see) and we can try to figure out what you exactly need.

Luckily spring return will also work in this case but you might have to swap the power signal to either the space heat or hot water output depending on which way it is plumbed and you have to connect a neutral to it. It doesn't explain why it is making noise, if the valve free hanging is making strange noise and not actuating, most likely it is defective or something stuck.

EBEBRATT-Ed

Need to figure out which is the common port on the new valve is. In the original valve they are pumping into the A port which doesn't seem right.

To me you have to figure out which is the common port on the valve and connect that to where the A port is piped on the original drawing and then change the wiring or maybe you will need a relay to make it work.

hot_rod

you would need to look at the valve body to determine the flow pattern

it looks like one actuator is a power open/ close, the other is a spring activated , so I don’t know that those actuator are swap able unless the body was changed?