forced water boiler maintenance

Glenn Harrison

I hate to correct you, but do you really want the pump running while the return valves are closed, causing the pump to cavitate, or do you have something in mind that I am missing?

Thanks, Glenn.

ekodish

forced water boiler maintenance

Its the start of the season. And I have a few questions as I am new to having forced hot water baseboard heat. Non the the baseboards have bleed valves.However on the return there are two spickets so I hooked them up to a hose and bled them.

Should I Turn off the system and bleed it entirely?

Should the auto water feed valve always be left on?

Should I turn off the auto feed and bleed the boiler?

If i called out a professional , besides inspection what would be normal maintenance?

Like most home owners I am not really being proactive but I am having trouble with the second zone banging in the walls when the circulator is on. Very loud.

Thanks

Unknown

Hard to say W/O knowing setup.

It's doubtfull air is causing the "banging" The system may need to be purged from any air because of poor installation practice.IE; (Not Pumping Away™)
*Its hard to say EXACTLY how to purge your system w/o knowing how it's piped. Useually you would connect a garden hose to the draw off below a ball or gate valve which should be in the CLODED position on the return. Open the DO and pull up on the fast fill to allow more GPM trhrough the system keeping close watch on the pressure gauge. It should NEVER exceed 30 PSI. Toggle the static fill pressure by holding the hose in your hands and pinching it off till you reach about 29PSI then release. Do this till you hear or feel no more air. Repeat as nessissary.

* like I said, You gotta understand what you know;-)
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ekodish

questions

So if I close of the valve that allows the return to go back to the boiler and turn on the auto feed valve it should force the water out. Originaly I left the valve back to the boiler open and the auto feed in auto mode.

Last plumber I had out scared me into thinkning that autofeed valves should be left alone or they tend to brake. I think i am talking about the right thing. Kind of bell shaped lever in all the way left when water is flowing left to right.

Should the heat be on or off while doing this. Wouldn't it need to be all the way on so the circulator motor is running?

Unknown

Q1 Yes it should. Just think about it. Where is the water commong in. Where is it going out? (the hose right) Close everything else off. Do one at a time.

Q2 Auto feeds "Kind of bell shaped lever" usually don't leek . Your thinking about the relief valve. (should be blown out every year yet nobody does it.

Q#3 Use the circulators differential pressure to add to the static fill pressure. I turn the gas valve to pilot and run circ.

This Helping?

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Unknown

Why not use the pump to help?

Q1 Yes it should. Just think about it. Where is the water comming in. Where is it going out? (the hose right) Close everything else off. Do one at a time.

Q2 Auto feeds "Kind of bell shaped lever" usually don't leak . Your thinking about the relief valves. (theyshould be blown out every year yet nobody does it)

Q#3 Use the circulators differential pressure to add to the static fill pressure. I turn the gas valve to pilot and run circ.

This Helping?

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ekodish

yes

it's becoming clearer. When i get home i will look at turning it to pilot and if there is a setting to turn the circulator on.

besides too much pressure . is there ever a reason to let the water directly out of the boiler?

Unknown

Not really

Other than to change out a failed device.

*Leave the automatic feeder off if you have a low water cutoff. If not, I suggest you leave it on. This is a contraversial issue among us Wetheads here. This is only my humble opinion.

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ekodish

thanks again

thanks again but i am not sure what you mean by low water cut off.

Unknown

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ekodish

I wasn't able to turn on the circulator anyway but i think the air is out of the system. It wasn't very cold this weekend but of course the banging is still there.

It wasn't this bad in the spring so i hate to think it is the whole size.

any other suggestions.

what about "outdoor air reset control". I think i caught that being mentioned a few times. However every time the circulator turns on it continues to bang. Not just for the first few seconds.

Finees M. Casado

Purging A Loop!

Gary,
Thanks for posting how to purge a loop. Your instructions were indeed valuable to me. I solved a major problem, because I thought my circulator was not powerful enough to circulate 220 feet of copper, but the real problem was air in the loop, which was preventing the water to circulate back to the boiler.
Thanks again!

Finees