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Question about Erie zone valve

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Comments

  • skyline137
    skyline137 Member Posts: 75

    https://forum.heatinghelp.com/discussion/comment/1896668#Comment_1896668

    Great point , think you figured this out! the original paddle definitely had some play in that valve. It wasn’t noticeable with the new paddle and 0 rings. The 0 rings were worn out in the original paddle so there probably was some metal to metal contact. The close up photo shows wear in the bore. It didn’t come from the factory that way! Thanks for your input.

    IMG_6071.jpeg IMG_6072.jpeg
  • skyline137
    skyline137 Member Posts: 75
    https://forum.heatinghelp.com/discussion/comment/1896628#Comment_1896628

    You were right about the bore being worn. I had to really get a close up to see it. Thanks for your input.

  • hot_rod
    hot_rod Member Posts: 27,838

    wear on the shaft has more to do with a leak around the stem. The spring will pull the paddle tight enough for the few psi that your system pump develops. Even with a few thousands of wear or play in the shaft

    If the old paddle had a good imprint, then it was sealing.

    If the paddle gets brittle after time and a chip come out like your early post showed, then you can get leak by.

    Screenshot 2026-05-16 at 11.49.42 AM.png

    If something else is going on like some reverse flow condition, you may need to wait until all zones are running and the system gets hot.

    Ghost flow and reverse circulation (gravity flow) like discussed below is usually a thermally driven condition, hot water rising up, cold flowing down in the same pipe even with a flo control or zone valve on the system..

    In some rare cases you need a zone valve and a check on the other side of the circuit to stop ghosting

    This is usually a very slow condition, more apt to see if the system is running long hours, design condition days, maybe. Or always hot boilers like tankless coil installations.

    Screenshot 2025-11-17 at 3.15.00 PM.png
    Bob "hot rod" Rohr
    trainer for Caleffi NA
    Living the hydronic dream
  • skyline137
    skyline137 Member Posts: 75

    I’m going back some now to when I fist discovered this. The furnace was cold and I put one hand on zone 1 and one hand on zone 5. I had my wife put the thermostat for zone 1 on 80. Inducer, boiler and zone 1 light turned on then circulator, light on zone 5 didn’t light. Both zones got equally hot. Within a minute it was too hot to keep my hand on either. The same result with every zone or hot water. I don’t know if the timing matters but that’s what happened. I tried everything nothing worked. 5 new valves and actuators did work. Hey, they were 17 years old anyway!

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