Help - proper shut down and restart

J. Fairweather

Hello- I'm in a jam. I've got a series loop hot water heating system (three zones) and I need to move some of the convectors. I am nervous about starting and stopping the furnace (Trianco Heatmaker Mark II), and the process of getting the air out of the system. I know how to shut my furnace off, and I can shut the water supply to the furnace off as well. The furnace appears to heat both the hot water that I use and the hot water for heat in two separate loops.

After I shut the system down, what is the best way to drain an individual loop. As each returns to a common pump, is this even possible? Will I have to drain the house before cutting the convector pipes. The convectors I want to move are on the first floor.

After I am done with the pipe movements... how do I fill the system and bleed the air if there are no bleeding valves at each convector. I appear to have only one item that looks like a self-venting valve, which sits on top of my Vent-Rite VR-30 expansion tank. Does the system self-vent?

I also am curious about the drains that are in the return lines of each loop right before the bump. These drains are typical blue handled water valves, but in the same bronze casting is a small flat head screw that looks like a needle valve. What do these small needle valves do?

Thanks for any help that this group can provide.

James

John@Reliable_9

Not hard, but easy to screw up too!

What you want to do is heating 101. But easy to screw up, that said. The best thing for you to do is find a contractor to work with.He would drain system , add temp. bypass for hot water maybe, suggest some upgrades (add purge,ballvalves,etc. while system is down, and once you are done rehook up piping for you and purge system. Hope this makes sense, John@Reliable

Ken D.

Venting-

Those valves are for purging air from system. I agree with John. This should be handled by professional. You are in for a lot of headaches if it is not installed properly. The purging itself is easy, its everything else that can be a problem.

lchmb

another thought

The trianco heatmaker also had a number of issue's with it and if work is needed it may be a good time to have a trained tech look it over..IMHO. They can run through the unit, explain what you need and get you on the road to a safe heating system...:) good luck