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Zone valve

1234fred
1234fred Member Posts: 11
When the thermastat is calling for heat I get 24 volts to the zone valve terminal block but just as soon as I hook up the zone valve the output of 24 volts goes away even though its calling for heat..

Comments

  • Solid_Fuel_Man
    Solid_Fuel_Man Member Posts: 2,646
    Define "hook up the zone valve".

    Do you mean connect the 2 wires you previously had 24vac on?
    Serving Northern Maine HVAC & Controls. I burn wood, it smells good!
  • 1234fred
    1234fred Member Posts: 11
    yes
  • 1234fred
    1234fred Member Posts: 11
    That happens on all four zones
  • 1234fred
    1234fred Member Posts: 11
    The light on the board that shows it calling for an output also goes out.
  • Zman
    Zman Member Posts: 7,561
    What model valve and controller?
    "If you can't explain it simply, you don't understand it well enough"
    Albert Einstein
  • 1234fred
    1234fred Member Posts: 11
    2000
  • 1234fred
    1234fred Member Posts: 11
    will have to get back to ya its at a friends house
  • 1234fred
    1234fred Member Posts: 11
    Energy Kinetics and the zone valve is Taco
  • HVACNUT
    HVACNUT Member Posts: 5,803
    Not sure when EK used Honeywell zone valves but it seems there's a back feed or a secondary 24v power source on that circuit.

    Disconnect the zone valve wires for the problem zone at the Manager and check for 24v at the Manager terminals Z? and 24v with and without a heat demand. Without the load of the ZV motor it should read 24v and 0 respectively.
    Then check Z? to ground and 24v to ground.

    Is that zone connected to an air handler or other device?
  • szwedj
    szwedj Member Posts: 66
    Was the manager or zone valve replaced? What may be happening here is that the newer managers have built-in protection on the outputs and if there is and over draw, the output will actually shut off. If the Taco zone valve is the heat motor type, they tend to draw more current then the manger output is rated, you will either need to isolate it with a relay or change the zone valve to a non heat motor type. Hope this helps. Joe
    Joe Szwed
    Energy Kinetics
  • Zman
    Zman Member Posts: 7,561
    Old 3 wire Tacos? Do you have a part number or schematic for the EK?
    "If you can't explain it simply, you don't understand it well enough"
    Albert Einstein
  • 1234fred
    1234fred Member Posts: 11
    Thanks I will check it out and get back to ya
  • STEVEusaPA
    STEVEusaPA Member Posts: 6,506
    This post has the slowest dribble of information...
    steve
    Solid_Fuel_Man
  • Solid_Fuel_Man
    Solid_Fuel_Man Member Posts: 2,646
    @1234fred if you take us some pictures of the boiler, and valves when you are there we may be able to tell a lot of this stuff from them.

    Get a few general overall pictures and some of the specifics as well.
    Serving Northern Maine HVAC & Controls. I burn wood, it smells good!
  • 1234fred
    1234fred Member Posts: 11
    Its got a new manager. The old was was same brand but a 2000

  • Zman
    Zman Member Posts: 7,561
    So all the white wires from terminal 2 on the zone valves are tied to the 24 VAC terminal on the energy manager and the red wires from terminal 1 are tied to their respective zone terminals?
    Where are your multimeter probes when the voltage goes to zero.
    "If you can't explain it simply, you don't understand it well enough"
    Albert Einstein
  • rick in Alaska
    rick in Alaska Member Posts: 1,457
    My guess is your 24 volt power supply has a really bad connection leaving it and is not sending any power out. Check all the wire connections. If for some reason there is, say, just one strand of a stranded wire that is hooked up, then it won't be able to handle much of a load on it, but will show 24 volts with no load on it.
    Rick
  • HVACNUT
    HVACNUT Member Posts: 5,803
    New Manager new problem?

    Wallies, can that type Taco zone valve ground out internally? It's never happened to me before. Just wondering.
  • Solid_Fuel_Man
    Solid_Fuel_Man Member Posts: 2,646
    Sure it can ground out. It's a metal case.

    @1234fred didnt you say it was all of the valves doing this? Or just this one problem child?
    Serving Northern Maine HVAC & Controls. I burn wood, it smells good!
  • szwedj
    szwedj Member Posts: 66
    @1234fred That new manager has the current protection on the outputs that I mentioned previously. Older mangers did not have this protection and would sometimes work with heat motor zone valves like you have. To use these zone valves you are going to need to isolate them with relays and power them with their own transformer. To be honest, while they may have worked previously, Energy Kinetics has never recommended using heat motor zone valves because of how slow they are to open. Literally the the burner can fire on a call for heat, preheat the boiler and shut off on temperature all before that zone valve would open. Your options in this case will be to isolate them or replace them with the faster opening valves like the Erie/Caleffi/Honeywell style zone valves. We have drawings available that show how to isolate and wire them if needed.
    Joe
    Joe Szwed
    Energy Kinetics
    MikeL_2Solid_Fuel_Man
  • 1234fred
    1234fred Member Posts: 11









    Thanks szwedj I am thanking the same way you are. haven't done it yet am leaving it up to the owner to make the decision
    It will be cheaper and a lot less work than changing out the zone valves Its been below zero at night also

  • 1234fred
    1234fred Member Posts: 11
    Thanks for all the input
  • EBEBRATT-Ed
    EBEBRATT-Ed Member Posts: 15,452
    @1234fred I agree with @rick in Alaska about the 24 volts. Either the transformer is too small, bad, or you have some bad wiring. At least that what it sounds like

    Sounds like you have power and then put a load on it you loose it.

    That's a problem with digital meters, they will pick up ghost voltage and don't load the wiring
    Zman
  • szwedj
    szwedj Member Posts: 66
    @ebebratt-ed while it’s definitely a good idea to check the wiring and verify the voltage of the transformer (we use a 50va xfmr for up to 5 zones). That manager will still turn the outputs back off (over draw protection) when heat motor zone valves are used.
    Joe
    Joe Szwed
    Energy Kinetics
    Zmanrick in Alaska