Radiator (Hot Water) Balancing Fittings

Steve Seaney

Hello,

I am remodeling the basement of our one story bungalow. I noticed that the 'balancing valves' used in our hot water system are a mix of balancing fittings, ball valves, and gate valves. I strongly suspect the previous homeowner did the upgrade himself and 'cobbled' together a mix of valves based upon what he had on hand.

The system seemns to work fine right as it is plumbed. Is there any reason to replace the ball and gate valves with balancing fittings?

Thanks,
Steve

Blackoakbob

If your happy...

that's all that matters. It's not necessary to have balance valves if your satisfied with temperature throughout the house. One thing I've done lately, on single systems like yours, is to run the circulating pump all the time and start and stop the boiler on the thermostat. This seems to give a more comfortable, even heating with a lower than normal setting on the thermostat. It also can eliminate the noise of the baseboard heating up and cooling down. Best Regards,