Erie control question

Empire_2

The tic/tic/tic leads me to believe that there is something wrong with the cam gearing inside. I would replace the head which should solve the problem. obstruction from the original installation could have also aided in this malfunction, but I can't be sure. If you try to manually try to open the Zone Valve and you feel or here a quick zip or tension then no resistance I would think the previous statements are possible.

Mike T.

ross_5

help with long distance diagnostics

Hi. I am trying to help figure out what's wrong with my sister's heating system from a couple thousand miles away (i'm in Indiana, she's in California). I don't have pictures because she hasn't figured out how to download pictures from her digital camera. She is in an apartment with a screwy heating system. The main reason I don't like it is it sounds like it uses the domestic hot water for heat... no intermediate heat exchanger or anything. I don't like the use of domestic water heaters for space heat anyway, but to use the same one for your domestic water? Yuck. Anyway, that's not the heating issue at hand. The water has a loop to an air coil that blows in the apartment. The water loop has an Erie control thing and a Grundfos circulator on the return side. She had trouble with this system not working right all last winter and looks like will have similar problems this winter. Last year they replaced the water heater and did stuff with the fan coil. This year they replaced the old thermostat with a digital Rite Temp 8050C. It sounds like the thermostat is trying to do its job, but the unit is blowing cold air most of the time. I think the problem is in the control of the water loop, because she tells me the supply water line is cold when they aren't getting heat. I figured the Erie box was a temp controller for the pump, but after hearing the following description I'm not exactly sure what it is (if you can't tell, I'm not a contractor). When the building maintenance guy comes over he mostly unplugs and plugs in the Erie thing. When it is "working" it goes "tick tick tick" and the supply line gets hot. It has a little metal lever that can slide back and forth that is labeled L and R. The maintenance guy will wiggle the little lever around and says it is supposed to be loose and sometimes gets stuck or stiff. My sis couldn't find a model number for me and gave me the following generic data off it: system psi 300; 24v 50/60 Hz; 2-way; 6.5 watt. I can't find much about Erie, but from her description it sounds like this:

http://www.eriecontrols.com/docce/zp2.htm

So, some kind of control valve? What's it doing? Any help is appreciated.

old oil man

erie

Ross,

From the discription, sounds like a Erie zone valve. A picture would be nice. If in fact it is a zone valve the lever in question is the manual opening lever, used to manually open the zone valve if the motor is defective allowing temperory heat when other zones are calling. If the motor is operating properly the lever will move back and forth with no tension when the stat is calling. when not calling for heat you will feel tension on the lever as you try to push on it. We've had a lot of trouble with the "end switch"on these valves. The end switch signals the system heat is needed after the motor opens. If this is the case the motor assembly snaps off the valve body for replacement, no need to drain water from the system for replacement.

ross_5

erie zone valve

Thanks guys, that helps. Believe me, I wish I had a picture too! Does it really make sense to have both a zone valve and a circulator for a single heating loop?

brucewo1b

zone valve and a circulator for a single heating loop?

Not usually but it will give positive shut off and sometimees they are used for that reason as in a check valve allowing ghost flow.