Pumping Away

Neil Fay

I just bought & read Dan Holohan's book "Pumping Away" and was pleased to get a coherent discussion of air issues in forced hot water heating.

I have 2 questions:

1. Do I need a flow control valve on a single pump one-zone system after the circulator as shown (on pg. 48 and discussed on pg. 50?) How big an issue is gravity circulation with a pump impeller in the path? And I don't know what "short-circuiting" is (as per pg. 50).

2. I have a space issue above my boiler so an in-line air separator will be difficult to plumb. You do not discuss the B&G ABF boiler fitting. Will this work as well as an in line air separator in tight quarters?

I have chronic high pressure (near 30 lbs.) and waterlogging issues and must constantly bleed the radiators on the 3rd floor. Once waterlogged, I must set the high limit switch to 140 degrees.

Background: I have a Peerless JO-4-PF-WU (175,000) oil (converted to gas) boiler with radiator piping originally plumbed for gravity circulation (2 1/2" down to 1" piping); later (circa 1980) replumbed for 1 B&G Series 100 circulator (on the return side of course!) with all manifold piping reduced to 1 1/4" pipe, and a 30 gallon compression tank with no ATF control piped into a vent fitting from the "built-in" air separator of the boiler.

Neil Fay;
Frederick, Maryland

kevin coppinger_4

well...

sounds as if you have some problems. I'll give it a shot...Q1-Yes you must have some type of a "flow-check" to keep the system/zone water flowing/working by gravity.
Q2- an air seperator will alway work better than the traditional air scoop especially where space is an issue. Most air scoops require 18" of straight pipe in front of them to work properly.
Sounds like you do have air issues. The compression tank to work right musr be sixed right (they must be bigger w/ gravity converted systems)The tank sounds like it piped right but I am not sure if the top of boiler tapping is for air removal...some are some not. I would switch to an air seperator(spirovent AND a bladder tank et60) hopr this helps.kpc

Neil Fay

Thanks Kevin C.

Can you recommend a flow check valve that is no longer than 5" in length (1 1/4" IPS)? I have a space problem.

Neil Fay

DanHolohan

The ABF

fitting is obsolete. B&G hasn't made it in years. Thanks for reading my stuff!

Kal Row

flow check

use a TACO 007FCI or a gunfoss 15-58FC
both with builtin flow checks - the grundfos 15-42fc
doesnt have the same flow rate as the taco 007FCI and
acording to taco, the 007FCI has a better pumping curve
than a reg 007 pump and a check valve seperatly - the 007FCI is only a few bucks more than the regular one which is 57 dollars at the HOME DEsPOT. the grundfos is a much better unit, but will cost you 40 dollars more even at plumber's prices

acording to John Siegenthaler PE (known on the wall as
Ziggi) you can even get gavity ghost circulation in one pipe
he has them sprinkeld librally all over his diagrams in
pm magazine (hot water rises,cold water sinks, get over it)

I cant stress enough about how much grief a spirovent will save you, try to fit it in, - make a horizontal square loop
around the boiler if you have to, but do it!!!