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Corn Fired / Fuel Oil Back-Up Primary Secondary Boiler System Concept - Please Check My Work?

blumeri8
blumeri8 Member Posts: 18
Hello All,

I currently have an old school Triad fuel oil boiler that is plumbed / controlled old school as well. The boiler is plumbed directly to the zones (not primary secondary), has one pump that is controlled by aquastat, and the boiler is fired by one central thermostat. I have 10 zones, however its acts like one big zone as I have no zone valves. I have one large return manifold with a row of 10 gate valves to manually balance / throttle the loops. (Like I said, old school.)

What I want to do:

Since I live on a farm, I would like to plumb in a corn-fired boiler in parallel with my existing fuel oil. The fuel oil would be the back-up. I plan to use primary/secondary piping because the corn boiler does not like flue gas condensation. I also plan to have the zone circulator controlled by the thermostat and boilers controlled by aquastat the same way most modern systems are controlled.
Please take a look at the file I have attached.
I detail my piping, calculations, operation of the corn boiler, and the control system. (The fine folks at Tekmar are really helping me out.) I would like some general guidance as to whether I am missing components in my system or am on the wrong path. I have been reading the Dan Holohan books so I hope I am close.

My main questions include:
-Do I need additional bypass lines in my boiler loops to further protect against low return water temps? ESBE valve?
-Do I need a balancing line between my main zone supply and return lines if I choose to not add electric zone valves to my system? I think I can just use the existing manifold gate valves I have to throttle/balance to achieve target 40 delta T?
-If I chose to add zone valves, I would group my 10 loops into 3 sub groups with 3 "sub manifolds." I feel that one zone valve / thermostat per floor is sufficient. Would I then add a balancing line between the main supply and return? What valve would I put in this balancing line? Are gate valves suitable to balance with? I have seen expensive "circuit setters" with flow meters, but don't know much about them.
-Are my purge stations in the correct spot? Goal is to be able to purge zones separately from boiler/ primary loops.
-Do I need a ball valve to close off my zone loops when purging the primary loop? Or will the closely spaced Tees be enough to keep the purge in the primary loop?

Any help is appreciated!

Thanks!
-Adam

Comments

  • blumeri8
    blumeri8 Member Posts: 18
    Bump
  • hot_rod
    hot_rod Member Posts: 22,018
    I can't seem to open your attachment, try again or take a pic and post.

    Do you have a buffer tank planned for the corn fired boiler? Most solid filed boilers work best with some buffer.

    if not, a hydroSep is a good way to connect multiple boilers, it gives you 4 important functions. Air, Dirt, magnetic, and separation in one component.

    Yes the corn boiler would need return protection, unless the onboard control provides that to the tekmar?

    The cover shot shows a typical piping. The buffer tank could be exchanged for a hydrosep.

    Balance valves or globe style are preferred for accurate balancing.


    https://www.caleffi.com/sites/default/files/coll_attach_file/idronics_10_0.pdf
    Bob "hot rod" Rohr
    trainer for Caleffi NA
    Living the hydronic dream
  • ScottSecor
    ScottSecor Member Posts: 849
    Blumer has a bunch of documents he attached in his power point. I am not too computer savvy, but I'm hoping the his sketch shows up. I did not attach the other pages.


  • blumeri8
    blumeri8 Member Posts: 18
    Thanks for the replies guys. The buffer tank is an item I had not considered or was even aware of. I skimmed thru hotrod's attachment (will read thoroughly when I have a chance) and it looks like the purpose of it is to help prevent the corn boiler from overheating which was one of my concerns. It looks like buffer tanks are quite large correct? Space might be an issue. As for the hydraulic separator: wasn't really aware of these either. At first glance, (will research further when I have the chance), they appear to be a cousin of the closely spaced Tee. My initial plan was to utilize these in my system. Basically I followed pg 109 in Dan Holohan's "Primary/Secondary Pumping Made Easy!"
    Please see the below pictures of my initial plan for system control. I was going to run pumps P2 and P3 continuously during corn burner operation. Pump P4 comes on as needed from thermostat call. I was hoping by running P2 and P3 constantly, it would help move some water and hopefully help to prevent boiler overheat. I realize these are short loops of pipe right within my boiler room and may not lower the temp much. I was planning on having a Tekmar 150 over ride the thermostat and activate P4 to remove heat from the corn boiler before it over heats and shuts down. How often that happens, I was not sure, but was hoping I could adjust the variable BTU setting on my corn boiler to minimize this and not overheat my house.

    Do you guys think my plan could work? Would a buffer tank be a better option? How does a hydraulic separator (seems similar to closely spaced tee) substitute a buffer tank storing heat to prevent boiler overheat as hotrod implies?

    Also, why is an additional bypass and boiler protection valve needed in the boiler loop to blend and raise return water temp? I though this already happens when the zone heat returns to the primary loop? Holohan's book also suggests this and I never understood. Is this like a belt and suspenders kind of deal? Just an additional protection? Thanks for the help!







  • blumeri8
    blumeri8 Member Posts: 18
    Ok guys, so I've been reading thru hot rods attachment and understand hydraulic separators a bit better. Seems like a hydraulic sep will not only combine air eliminator and strainer, but basically eliminates my primary loop and P3. A couple questions: is a circulator and boiler protection valve basically interchangeable to the thermoblock? The thermoblock looks to very expensive. It looks like figure 6-14 in hot rods attachment is the way to go. They claim that pellet furnaces may have enough control to not need a buffer tank. Since my unit has a variable BTU timer I think this will be the case. So in conclusion, it looks like figure 6-14 and my initial design do the same thing. It's just a matter of cost. Is having an expensive hyd separator cheaper overall than having another pump, another loop, and separate air/dirt separators. Also , with figure 6-14, how to size the headers and boiler loops? I was going to use 1" on my original system. Also, I assume the circulator in thermoblock still runs continuously ? Thanks guys!
  • hot_rod
    hot_rod Member Posts: 22,018
    Correct, the buffer tank serves multiple functions. Witlessness short cycling of the boiler on low load days, can be an overheat zone, and performs the same task as primary secondary. 80- 120 gallons would be a good start.

    Pumps really only need to run when there is a clan for heat, or the boilers are running.

    This attached drawing is a good example of what you are trying to design with boiler protection shown also.

    An a link to a bit more reading and drawings, etc.

    Bob "hot rod" Rohr
    trainer for Caleffi NA
    Living the hydronic dream
  • blumeri8
    blumeri8 Member Posts: 18
    Wow, am I getting my education today...thank you very much for all the reading material...a lot of good stuff here...I now understand how buffer tanks work. I understand they help all solid fuel systems run more effiencently however their necessity seems to depend on the type of system. It seems that solid wood systems need a buffer tank more than a pellet system because they cannot control their output like a pellet system. Also, it makes sense that a highly zoned system needs a buffer tank because there is a possibility of only 1-2 zones calling and therefore increasing the chance of overheat. However, my system seems to have a couple things that help it. First is that this particular boiler (LDJ Amaizing Heat) has a variable capacity BTU which basically adjusts the length of the high fire cycle time. The boiler can adjust from 80000 to 165000 BTU. ....Based on how many feet of baseboard I have, I calculated 116000 BTU hour system load based on 170 degree average water temp. Also, while I do have 10 loops, I really only have one big zone because my system has no zone valves. The entire system gets heat every time the thermostat calls. Therefore, I gotta ask...is there any sure fire way to tell if you absolutely need a buffer tank to avoid overheating before installing the system ? I honestly don't really want to deal with the expense and hassle of a buffer tank. Furthermore, I really don't have the extra space for it. I would rather just install a 1" hydraulic separator. On the other hand, I don't want to have to tear apart my new system, and spend even more time/money to take out the hyd sep and replace with a buffer tank if I find out that I have issues. Given the specific boiler I am installing, calculated heat load, and the fact that I have essentially one whole house zone with 10 balanced loops, what is your opinion? Do you think I'll be ok going with the hyd sep? Thanks again...
  • hot_rod
    hot_rod Member Posts: 22,018
    It's hard to give you an exact answer on the value of a buffer. If the boiler output is that controllable it may not be absolutely required. Even with modulating pellet boilers many manufacturers still suggest some buffer capacity.

    With a automatic feed and modulation I would not worry about over-heating, but more short, inefficient cycles that wear components prematurely.

    Keep in mind your design load may only be a few weeks a season, so the boiler needs to modulate to the load on the other 80% of the heating season.

    At the very least use a hydroSep, it will add a bunch of nice features and assure efficient hydraulics.

    Then again, you might find a 120 gallon insulated tank for about the same $$?

    A tank like in this drawing is a fairly common off the shelf tank, 2" connections are needed for the separation function up top.

    The piping is a 3 pipe direct to load method. When load and input match all the boiler output goes to load. If loads modulate off a portion of flow goes thru tank. Boiler(s) run until tank reaches setpoint temperature.

    A flat plate HX could also provide DHW from the tank.

    A return protection valve on the corn boiler, the oil boiler may have a protection mode or the tekmar could provide that.

    Control options are shown in the reading I attached. Corn boiler is stage 1, oil would only fire if the corn was unable to keep up, or it failed to light off. A fairly simple control logic.

    The loads could also be fed via an outdoor reset function to maximize storage and keep efficiencies up.
    Bob "hot rod" Rohr
    trainer for Caleffi NA
    Living the hydronic dream
    SuperTech
  • blumeri8
    blumeri8 Member Posts: 18
    Hot rod,

    A couple questions ,

    Can you please share an example of this off the shelf 120 gal tank that is of similar cost to the hyd separator ? It's seems the hyd separator I would use would be like a calleffi 548006A 1" separator. Just over $400 on Supply House.com. The calleffi Thermocon tanks are $1500- $2000. Unless this 3 pipe method you are referring to requires a different type of tank? This is my next question...can you detail the 3 pipe method? The files you sent only cover the 2 pipe and 4 pipe method...this 3 pipe method u show has pipes going into the top of the tank. I thought the flow had to remain horizontal so the hot and cold water stays separated in the tank?
    Also, is there a dirt separator inside these tanks like a hyd sep? Or do you need a separate one? Are these pressured tanks nothing more than an insulated tank with fittings in the correct locations? Just wondering if a person could make one by welding fittings into say an old propane tank mounted vertically and then cover the tank with insulation . thanks!
  • hot_rod
    hot_rod Member Posts: 22,018
    You are correct in the pricing difference. i was think more like a Sep 4 price around $500.00.

    A plain steel tank at SH in 82 gallon is around $500 also, but you would need to insulate it.

    Idronoic 17 explains 2 versus 4 tank piping, and thermal storage in general.
    https://www.caleffi.com/sites/default/files/coll_attach_file/idronics_17_na.pdf

    3 pipe adds one more feature in that return, lowest temperature is directly to the boilers for best efficiency. With 3 pipe there is less blending of the tank.

    The 2 pipe originated in Austria, it is how pellet boilers are piped to storage. John Manning devised the 3 pipe to drive heat pump efficiencies with lowest return temperatures, same for boilers.

    The benefit I see for a buffer in your system is the low load days. the boiler charges the tank ti180F. The zone pulls from the tank via a mixing control based on outdoor temperatures. On less than design days the temperature to the baseboard would modulate down. This provides less boiler cycling.

    If the baseboard is sized correctly and meets the load on design day with 180F, for example, anything less than design could use a lower supply temperature.
    If adjusted properly you may get constant circulation on the baseboard.

    Where are you located?


    Bob "hot rod" Rohr
    trainer for Caleffi NA
    Living the hydronic dream
  • blumeri8
    blumeri8 Member Posts: 18
    500 bucks for a tank is more like it. What do you recommend for insulation? ...also I think I understand the 3 pipe a bit better after I stared at your schmatic a bit more. Basically the flow is still horizontal because you have a Tee at the top of the tank, not an elbow ...correct? Also, you say the TEE at the top needs to be 2"? Does the rest of the main piping need to be that large or just the tank outlet? I was going to have 1" mains. Also I have some questions about the tank you specified...the size tank we are looking at has 1" fitting at the top...do we need to find another tank? Also, the specs say the tank is rated for up to 140F...is that an issue? Lastly, where would I place the upper and lower sensors in a set up like this?. I live in southeast Michigan an hour north of Detroit, so it's cold, but not insanely cold. -Adam
  • skalor
    skalor Member Posts: 13
    blumeri8 said:

    Hot rod,



    A couple questions ,



    Can you please share an example of this off the shelf 120 gal tank that is of similar cost to the hyd separator ? It's seems the hyd separator I would use would be like a calleffi 548006A 1" separator. Just over $400 on Supply House.com. The calleffi Thermocon tanks are $1500- $2000. Unless this 3 pipe method you are referring to requires a different type of tank? This is my next question...can you detail the 3 pipe method? The files you sent only cover the 2 pipe and 4 pipe method...this 3 pipe method u show has pipes going into the top of the tank. I thought the flow had to remain horizontal so the hot and cold water stays separated in the tank?

    Also, is there a dirt separator inside these tanks like a hyd sep? Or do you need a separate one? Are these pressured tanks nothing more than an insulated tank with fittings in the correct locations? Just wondering if a person could make one by welding fittings into say an old propane tank mounted vertically and then cover the tank with insulation . thanks!

    If you haven't already I would check out the boiler section on hearth.com. A lot of knowledgeable guys over there as well and most are DIYers. It's quite popular to utilize old propane tanks as buffer tanks and they are readily available and cheap.

    I have a propane and pellet boiler in parallel with a 120 gallon buffer running a 4 pipe arrangement. I don't have any return temp protection on the pellet boiler but the propane boiler kicks on if the buffer drops below 140F. Only happens in single digit temps because my pellet boiler is undersized but I wanted it that way. Looks like you have a well thought out system so far.

    blumeri8
  • blumeri8
    blumeri8 Member Posts: 18
    Skalor,
    Thanks for the advice . I was at first thinking an old propane would be a good cheap solution ....then a guy at work made a big point I hadn't thought of...when you put water on the inside of a propane tank, how do you handle the rust that will likely occur? Probably shouldn't run rusty water thru the circulators...does a dirt strainer help this? A treatment that can be added to the water? How to clean the tank prior to install?

    This had me thinking that propane tanks were a bad idea, but if you say a lot of people do it, it must work. I would sure like to as it is a cheaper alternative unless I go a DHW approach

    what are your thoughts on Ergomax ? Seems like a reasonable alternative because they are similar cost to a manufactured buffer tank...so why not save the space and combine with water heater . I was just hoping to maybe find a reverse unit like Ergomax that also has a electric /gas burner supplement . I don't want to run boiler in summer time. Right now I have electric hot water heat and my current boiler is fuel oil. Eventually I will replace with propane, so maybe I should get a propane / indirect hot water heat now. Trying to plan for future but $$$$$$, lol.
  • hot_rod
    hot_rod Member Posts: 22,018
    edited May 2018
    I have a 500 gallon LP trank as my buffer, mounted vertically. I imagine the boiler is just plain steel. If it is a closed system, once the O2 is consumer there will be no rust or corrosion. The open system OWF use corrosion inhibitors for protection as they see constant O2 ingress.

    I priced this 82 gallon galvanized tank yesterday, around $382 in my area, 1" connections. HW tank wraps at the box stores run about 40 bucks.

    I have a whole selection of scratch and dent insulated tanks if ever you are in the SW Missouri area :) 35- 120 gallon, 200 bucks.

    I don't see all the spec on the boiler, looks like it holds 18 gallons ? 1" connections?

    Bob "hot rod" Rohr
    trainer for Caleffi NA
    Living the hydronic dream
  • leonz
    leonz Member Posts: 1,095
    Save your money install a steel compression tank sized for your system and airtrol valve for you combined system. Dan talks about them in his book "Pumping Away" from page 52 to page 56. He also mentions them in his book "Classic Hydronics" as well. He has the same steel compression tank that was there when he and Mrs. Holohan moved in to the house.

    If you contact AHONA in New York they offer insulated re purposed used propane tanks that are guaranteed, pressure tested, plumbed and insulated with sprayed foam insulation and ready to work. they also offer stacked foam insulated propane tanks for hot water storage.
    SuperTech
  • blumeri8
    blumeri8 Member Posts: 18
    Ok guys,

    So as you know, I'm torn between two routes:

    1. Thermal Storage tank to combat boiler overheat in idle mode.
    2. No tank and Hydraulic separator in its place. Control system and auxiliary aquastat to override thermostat to turn on zone pump when needed to dump boiler heat into the house during extended periods of idle mode to prevent boiler overheat

    I'm convinced that there are affordable alternatives for buffer tanks, therefore cost of the tank seems to not be an issue anymore.

    Space is in fact still an issue but I could probably make it work.

    I have talked to the fine folks and Big M manufacturing (the company that currently makes these boilers) and was told the following:

    They use method 2. He claims they know a guy that has a large thermal storage tank and he uses more corn overall to heat up that large quantity of water. I understand his point, however, on the flipside, once the stored water is at temp, the boiler won't have to run as much to heat the house. So I honestly don't know which theory to believe.

    I do know this: The guy at Big M told me that Idle mode, the boiler makes roughly 15-18K BTU. This isn't much, but given the boiler holds only 18 gallons, it will overheat. Granted, the loop going from the boiler to the Hyd separator would run 24/7 and would remove a little heat. However, with method 2: It seems that when the controller tells the pump to dump boiler heat, the house should remain fairly comfortable. The fact that we only have 18 gallons of near hi-limit water to get rid of and only 18K BTU sent to 116K BTU of baseboard all at once ( no zone valves) that I should have little worry of my house getting to warm during "heat dump" cycle. It seems like I have plenty of baseboard to absorb the 18K BTU.

    What do you all think?
  • hot_rod
    hot_rod Member Posts: 22,018
    The manufacturer should have the best feedback for actual operation. If the unit can modulate that low, or go off completely I would not worry about over heating or a buffer tank.

    I've only installed one corn burner boiler in my years. The Kansas corn he used turned into a sticky mess, maybe not cured properly?
    Auger, feeder and burner cup issues almost daily. He switched to burning pellets from that first experience on. Corn is a tricky fuel to burn efficiently, too many variables. Pellets are dried, blended and compressed for a high energy fuel source.

    Over-heating prevention is super simple to add with a NO zone valve and some fin tube, shown below. Use a large diameter with a slight pitch to facilitate no power thermo siphon.

    If you follow the wood burner chat rooms, over-heating is a rare occurrence unless a door is left open or door gaskets fail. More an operator error problem. With an auger feed and fan inducer that boiler should stop quickly like a fossil fueled type.

    The buffer, in my mind is more for storage and lessen cycling on mild, low load days, not over heat protection. Tanks make it nice to use outdoor reset and just supply the required temperature at all conditions.

    True the buffer tank jacket loses some energy to the space. Is the installation inside the building envelop? If so it is not really loss.

    Keep in mind the very best place to store your energy is in the un-burned corn :) Once you start combusting, and energy transfer a portion continues to slips away.

    I would still use a separator, eliminate one pump from a P/S piping and add the other required functions all in one component.

    Bob "hot rod" Rohr
    trainer for Caleffi NA
    Living the hydronic dream
  • blumeri8
    blumeri8 Member Posts: 18
    Excellent , looks like I'm going with the hyd separator ...a few more questions:
    What is the rule of thumb for the near boiler piping? Can I get away with black pipe up to the hyd separator? Then copper begins out into the zones OR should all my near boiler piping be copper?

    Fill valves/ combo backflow preventers : I've heard Watts 9D is good...what's the diff between expensive ones like that and the cheaper ones like Watts series 911?

    Check valves : per the reading material provided by hot rod, the corn boiler gets a swing check and the fuel oil gets a spring check. Can someone explain to me the difference between like an expensive Taco 219-4 Flo check and a cheap Bluefin Slct 075 spring loaded check....is the only difference the fact that you can manually override the Taco? What situation would each type of valve be used for?

    Pressure relief valves: I was going to replace the used relief valves on the corn and fuel oil burner for safety sake...the corn burner has the small kind like what you'd find on a water heater ( like a watts 335-M2)....and the fuel oil has a much larger one (like a watts series 740 boiler pressure relief ) what is the difference in these types of valves and which should I use?

    Thanks for the help!
  • hot_rod
    hot_rod Member Posts: 22,018
    165,000 BTU at 80% efficiency, so you want to flow 12- 13 gpm through the boiler. 1-1/4" would be best, 1" copper or steel is probably sufficient . If you use a Caleffi 548 or Sep4 no additional air purger is needed in the piping.

    Most all circulators have check valves included, any of the small 3 speed circs would work, a Grundfos 15-58 or equivalent in any brand. Grundfos Alpha or the equivalent brands if you want to got to high efficiency circulators. Use isolation purge valves like the webstones to simplify purging and circ pump service.

    Of course I'd recommend the Caleffi 573002A fill valve combo for example:)

    Swing checks on solid fueled boilers so they can circulate under no power conditions. A swing check will open and allow thermosiphon. I really don't think you need over-heat protection with the controls on the corn boiler. No harm in adding a 3 way thermostatic return protection valve for added insurance.

    Safety relief valves are sized by the BTU/ hr rating on the label. A common 3/4" 30 psi valve for example. I'd go a step up from the small price point valves.

    With a hydrosep and all low mass heat emitters I don't know that you need a boiler protection valve. The tekmar control you choose may include a return protection function. Or the boiler(s) may have that function, which basically turns off the circ if the boiler temperature drops too low.

    And an expansion tank,use the free online calculator at Amtrol, probably a #60 size?

    Bob "hot rod" Rohr
    trainer for Caleffi NA
    Living the hydronic dream
  • blumeri8
    blumeri8 Member Posts: 18
    Thank you for all the advice.... A few more random questions come to mind:

    -Supply water: My current boiler supplier water is unsoftened/hard water. Someone told me this is better for the boiler. Is this true? And if so, why? Or should I re-pipe so that the boiler is fed from soft water?

    -Boiler piping: Is it a rule of thumb that the hot water leaving the boiler should exit the top of the tank and the return cold water enters from the bottom ? I know the hydrosep instructs you to pipe hot on top, cold on the bottom. This makes sense since heat rises. My current boiler set up appears piped backwards, as the supply to zones is on bottom and return is on top.

    -temp gauges: As described earlier in this thread, I currently have one large zone and one pump with 10 loops. Each loop is balanced/ throttled at the return manifold with a row of 10 gate valves. My goal was to observe the return temp of each loop at the return manifold and adjust the gate valves as necessary to achieve the target delta T for each zone on the coldest day of the year (not sure if I will add outdoor reset yet)....to accurately observe the return temp of each loop, is it worth my time/ effort/ money, to cut apart each of the 10 loops and sweat in a temp gauge above each gate valve? Or would a strap on gauge that I could move from pipe to pipe be sufficient ?...looks like there's mixed reviews for the strap on gauges....



    Thanks !
  • hot_rod
    hot_rod Member Posts: 22,018
    Sample your water hardness, if it is under 6 GPG I would not soften it. It's also good to know TDS, if you have a way to test that. It's possible to have soft water but still high TDS. TDS being all the dissolved miners in the fill water.

    You really should only need to fill and purge the system once, so you are not really adding fresh water, and scaling minerals on a ongoing basis.

    I do like to add a hydronic conditioner like Rhomar or Fernox to protect the metals. The conditioner will lock up some hardness, balance ph, and add O2 scavengers and film providers, worth the cost once you have a tight, purged, leak-free system.

    What is your final piping method? Dual boilers to a hydro-sep, like this attachment?

    Generally on a manifold with multiple loops, flowmeters are used as an indication of flow rate to balance by. Flow rate is adjusted based on the size and length of the loop, & BTU requirement. A radiant design should give you that flow rate needed for each loop. The ∆T will move around a bit as system runs and approaches setpoint, balancing by flow is more typical.

    The issue with flow meters is the glass window gets dirty or cloudy and it not so easy to see the flow after a few weeks of running. They are kinda a one time gauge :)

    Or you could just balance by feel. Adjust by measuring or feeling the S&R and the comfort of the rooms the loops serve. It's really more about occupant comfort in the various rooms, than numbers on a gauge.

    If you have areas with passive gains, it may be better to separate those zones. It's hard to balance an entire home with multiple rooms with varying loads, especially south facing rooms with potentailly lots of solar gain.

    Bob "hot rod" Rohr
    trainer for Caleffi NA
    Living the hydronic dream
  • blumeri8
    blumeri8 Member Posts: 18
    Hot rod,

    Balancing by flow does seem to make more sense as I did all my calculations to find the required flow rate for each loop. However, I appreciate that you pointed out that flow meters are basically a waste. I'll just balance by feel as you say.

    Also, is it true that I should have the supply exit at the top of the boiler and the return water enter at the bottom?


    Attached is the piping scheme I am working towards.

    Another big question I have with the hydraulic separator setup is how the initial purge works . With closely spaced Tees , there is a ball valve between the tees for purge . With a hyd separator I don't have that. .....Do I need 3 ball valves?..one at each outlet of the hyd separator that does not contain the water supply to basically force the purge water where it needs to go? More specifically , to purge the boiler loop, I would close the supply on the zone side and the supply on the boiler side to force water around the boiler loops and to each purge station. Then to purge the zones, I close the supply and return valves on the boiler side to force purge water only thru the zones? It seems none of the piping diagrams show all those valves at the hyd separator, but it's the only thing that makes sense to me on how to purge ..,,,also, I am installing the Calleffi boiler protection valves ...,how does the purge work with those? With the water being cold, the bypass line will be open, letting some purge water come back around ....do I need to add a valve to close off the bypass during purge ? Thanks!
  • hot_rod
    hot_rod Member Posts: 22,018
    Correct supply from top connection of the boilers, return to bottom.

    The HydroSep will do the heavy lifting for air removal all the way down to micro bubbles. all you need to do is assure you have flow in every loop and circuit.

    A Webstone valve at the HydroSep makes easy work of system purge.

    Boilers typically have float vents at the top, or add them to purge air from the boilers before you start the circulators.

    Bob "hot rod" Rohr
    trainer for Caleffi NA
    Living the hydronic dream
  • blumeri8
    blumeri8 Member Posts: 18
    Hot rod,

    I know above you say that I should have my water tested and if it's under 6 GPG you would not soften it...is there any harm on not bothering to test and just pipe it with soft water anyway ? Or is softened water in some way harmful and should be avoided unless your natural water is excessively hard?

    Also, as I am following figure 6-14 attached , should I remove the check valve that's inside my grundfos circulators on the boiler loops since the piping contains spring/swing checks? ....I believe I would leave it in for the zone circulator, but not sure on the boiler circulators .

    Also what are your recommendations for expansion tank positioning ? Does the tank have to hang vertically ? Something is telling me it does, however there's a bunch of these pre-made heat panels that Menards sells in which they have the expansion (bladder type) tank mounted horizontally . (Pic attached) .......Is there any issue with having a the tank hanging from a short line that is Tee'd off the fill line? Or should it hang directly in the fill line? Also, due to space constraints, is there any issue with having the tank on a portion of the fill line that is about 8 feet away from where it joins the main system? Or should I try to keep the tank as close as possible to the main system?

    Thanks!
  • blumeri8
    blumeri8 Member Posts: 18
    Bump
  • hot_rod
    hot_rod Member Posts: 22,018
    Test your water see what the GPG is. At some point soft water may be better that excessively hard water, the lesser of two evils.

    When you soften water you exchange ions, removing the scaling minerals but adding the brine in the ion exchange. This increases TDS and can lead to corrosion. Ideally DI, RO or distilled water are examples of pure water.

    If you used a Caleffi ThermoBlock it has a check inside add a swing check up top as shown on the pellet boiler. Both these swing checks could open in the event of a power outage to avoid over-heating the pellet boiler. The pellet boiler could thermo siphon as long as there are no spring checks in the loop.

    Although most pellet boilers shut down quickly if power goes out, pellets stop feeding and the inducer fan will stop, so don't get too crazy about over-heat protection, spend the energy on protecting against low temperature operation instead. Remove pump integral checks if you added additional checks in the piping, they cost you a small amount of pressure drop.

    I have been mounting expansion tanks horizontally all my career. I don't have any evidence it shortens the life of them. Attached is Amtrols mounting info.

    Physically the tank can be mounted anywhere and piped to the PONPC connection with copper or pex.
    Bob "hot rod" Rohr
    trainer for Caleffi NA
    Living the hydronic dream
  • blumeri8
    blumeri8 Member Posts: 18
    Thanks for the reply, hot rod. I'll have to get my water tested to determine the TDS. However, in the meantime, I found a screen shot of a water test that I had done when I bought the house. (Attached). It says my hardness is 553mg/L as CaCO3. I think that converts to about 32.3 GPG? (553/17.1). Therefore, It seems pretty conclusive that I should supply with soft water as I am well over your 6GPG guide line. Correct?

    Also, in the midst of piping my system I have changed my mind and decided to add low water cut offs based on some of the scary things I've read on here. I don't know much about them other than there's the real expensive float type and the much more reasonable electronic type. I was told that the float type is more for industrial applications. Anyway, I'm looking for your advice on manual vs. auto reset and placement location. Please see the PowerPoint file I attached. I have some pictures to try to explain what I have in my system so far and to better illustrate my questions on placement location.

    Also, if you have any recommendations of a make / model of LWCO that would be helpful. I was thinking Taco LTA-2. I plan on working with the folks at Tekmar to determine whether I need a 120V or 24V model.

    Thanks for the help!
  • hot_rod
    hot_rod Member Posts: 22,018
    If in fact the 553 mg/l is correct, I would not use that water, soften or deionize it.

    Run a cleaner thru the entire system first, clean out all the oils and flux, etc, check for leaks while it is cleaning.

    Then drain and fill with the best water. I'd add a conditioner also.

    Any of those locations is fine for the LWC, above the top of the boilers is what you want to protect.

    I prefer in a pipe with flowing water to keep the probe clean. Sometimes in a dead end pipe they can air lock of scale the probe.

    If you get a 120V and it has adequate relay switching, plug everything into it, boilers, pumps, relays, so everything drop out if the water level drops.

    I'm not sure one brand is better than others, I always used the B&G Guard Dogs and had good luck.

    Plumbing looks nice.
    Bob "hot rod" Rohr
    trainer for Caleffi NA
    Living the hydronic dream
  • blumeri8
    blumeri8 Member Posts: 18
    Hi Hot Rod,

    Thanks for the compliment on the plumbing , however, looks like I've got a big problem with it and just looking to confirm with you...

    This whole project is getting pretty tough as I'm as struggling with the controls folks to get a solution ( didn't expect what seemed t be solid controls plan to fall apart this close to cold weather) ....anyway, while I'm trying to figure that out, I'm quickly trying to wrap up everything else, which includes checking the plumbing for leaks...
    I pressurized the zone side, all is well...then I try to fill the boilers...no water...

    At that point, I went back and looked at a cutaway of exactly how the caleffi boiler protection valve works...I then realized the problem...

    I followed figure 6-14 from idronics exactly, however I now believe that layout is flawed..

    With the location of the fill line, the fact that the protection valves are closed due to cold water, and the presence of the check valves, there is simply no way fill water can enter the boilers as figure 6-14 is drawn...

    This is a big problem as it is getting cold out and I'm under the gun to get done ....no time to tear all the plumbing apart...

    The one way to get around this problem for now is to take a garden hose with double female ends, hook one end to the boiler loop purge outlet and the other end to the boiler drain...the purge station injects water into the boiler drain until 12 psi ....

    As far as a permanent solution, the only thing I can see is to make a short little bypass line with a valve in it that goes around the protection valve for filling and is then closed off for normal operation.

    Do you agree? Or am I missing something?

    Thanks!
  • hot_rod
    hot_rod Member Posts: 22,018
    correct, you will need a bypass around the checks to fill. Once the system warms up, and the thermostatic opens, the system will be all the same pressure.
    Bob "hot rod" Rohr
    trainer for Caleffi NA
    Living the hydronic dream
    blumeri8
  • cutter
    cutter Member Posts: 292
    blumeri8 said:

    Hi Hot Rod,



    Thanks for the compliment on the plumbing , however, looks like I've got a big problem with it and just looking to confirm with you...



    This whole project is getting pretty tough as I'm as struggling with the controls folks to get a solution ( didn't expect what seemed t be solid controls plan to fall apart this close to cold weather) ....anyway, while I'm trying to figure that out, I'm quickly trying to wrap up everything else, which includes checking the plumbing for leaks...

    I pressurized the zone side, all is well...then I try to fill the boilers...no water...



    At that point, I went back and looked at a cutaway of exactly how the caleffi boiler protection valve works...I then realized the problem...



    I followed figure 6-14 from idronics exactly, however I now believe that layout is flawed..



    With the location of the fill line, the fact that the protection valves are closed due to cold water, and the presence of the check valves, there is simply no way fill water can enter the boilers as figure 6-14 is drawn...



    This is a big problem as it is getting cold out and I'm under the gun to get done ....no time to tear all the plumbing apart...



    The one way to get around this problem for now is to take a garden hose with double female ends, hook one end to the boiler loop purge outlet and the other end to the boiler drain...the purge station injects water into the boiler drain until 12 psi ....



    As far as a permanent solution, the only thing I can see is to make a short little bypass line with a valve in it that goes around the protection valve for filling and is then closed off for normal operation.



    Do you agree? Or am I missing something?



    Thanks!

    Blumeri8, I had the same problem you are having now. Only I wanted to use up a 1 1/4" x 1 1/4" with a 1/2" branch Tee and put it between the boiler and the spring check on the conventional boiler. That Tee came in real handy when I made the same discovery that you did on filling the boilers. I was able to put in another Tee when I plumbed in the wood boiler and pipe water to both the boilers. Also if you use the same expansion tank I used the directions than came with the tank says to hang it vertically. Here are a couple of pictures of what I did.



  • blumeri8
    blumeri8 Member Posts: 18
    Hi, glad to hear someone had the same experience I did...question for you...what did you seal your pipe thread with?...I see you have a lot of black pipe in your system...I used 90% sweat copper so I could cut to length...I don't have a thread cutter and would have to buy all those set length nipples at the store....only thread I have are the threaded copper fittings going into galvanized bushings going into my boiler...half of the bushings and plugs leak...I was using rector seal true blue when I bought it for my fuel oil line and liked the way it worked...then I noticed it's not hi-temp, so I switch to the yellow rector seal 5 slow dry....in the large inch and a half bushings I used copious amounts of Teflon tape AND lots of pipe dope ...still half leak...any ideas? Personally I think it's these garbage Chinese bushings from the big box stores with garbage pipe thread is mostly to blame....any thoughts would help! Thanks !
  • cutter
    cutter Member Posts: 292
    blumeri8, I bought the pipe thread sealant from Ferguson (they are a plumbing supply company, they might be nation wide) It is Rectorseal also, non setting thread sealant. At Ferguson it is labeled T plus 2. Temperature range is -15* F to 350* F. I had two fittings at the back of the boiler with a whisper leak. One where I had to heat up a flange to get the existing pipe out of, in doing so most of the threads in the flange were gone. I used a 1 1/2" tap to get to the threads that were at the bottom of the flange. Putting it together with a new fitting I used the dope and several wraps of teflon, I would have used a few more wraps but my spool ran out. The other was another whisper on a 1 1/2" fitting. I was going to fix them but wanted to light off first and see how the system operated. They were in a very easy spot to get to. After the boiler and water heated up one time the two leaks stopped. On the 1 1/2" and smaller I used the dope and two raps of teflon, Tighten fairly snug and had good luck.

    I do not have a pipe threader either all the nipples came from Ferguson, I ordered them as I figured out the length of each nipple. which added days and weeks to the project.

    From posts on this site and what a fitter at work said , I figured the extra cost of USA made fittings and pipe were worth the extra cost of not having to experience the problems with Chinese made products.

    I am a welder by trade, I worked with fitters years ago at work. In my Navy years I was a welder/shipfitter (pipefitter). But that was a long time ago. Not sure if you can see but in the picture where there was not room for a Tee I would drill a hole in a nipple and Tig weld a coupling in that I had cut in half and coped out.
  • cutter
    cutter Member Posts: 292
    blumeri8, I forgot something, check your message box.