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New Caleffi 132 Balancing Valve / Flow Meter Not Showing Flow. Missing a Part?

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crj
crj Member Posts: 2
in THE MAIN WALL

I recently replaced the 60 year old gas boiler on a large 4 loop Monoflo system. The loops are 1" steel pipe in the basement and 1/2" copper risers to the convectors. I had them use 3/4" Taco ZoneSetter valves, since they have higher Cv than the 1" version.

I had the tech install a Caleffi 132 1-1/4" 5-19 GPM flow meter in the supply as a sanity check on the flow through the system with various combinations of zones open.

I have a Taco 0011 pump, so I figured that I would have at least 5 GPM to register flow on the meter. With the shortest zone only, I get no measured flow, and with all 4 zones open I get no measured flow. The system heats fine and the circulator sounds fine, so there is definitely flow.

The installers had never installed one of the valves, since I asked for it to be installed. When they took it out of the box, a cylindrical brass piece about 2" long and 1" in diameter fell out from inside the valve. It had an O-Ring and on the flat end and a conical flare on the other. I saw the part sitting on top of the boiler, so I'm almost positive that they installed the valve without the cylindrical insert in place.

My guess is that this piece not optional and that it is it required to provide the pressure differential that drives the flow meter. Does anyone know if this is the case?

Is there any possibility that a Taco 0011 would not provide a flow above 5 GPM with all 4 zones open?

Chris

Comments

  • mattmia2
    mattmia2 Member Posts: 17,780
    edited August 3

    Looks like there should be a venturi in the body of it and you have to pull the ring for it to read anything:

    https://s3.amazonaws.com/s3.supplyhouse.com/product_files/Caleffi-132772A-Brochure.pdf

    https://www.supplyhouse.com/Caleffi-132772A-QuickSetter-Balancing-Valve-with-Flow-Meter-1-1-4

    How is the balancing valve set? if it is closed or partially closed you could have less than 5 gpm.

  • EBEBRATT-Ed
    EBEBRATT-Ed Member Posts: 20,726

    @crj

    @hot_rod

    is the Caleffi expert on this site and I am sure he will see this post and respond shortly.

    I agree it sounds like that part needs to be installed.

    Maybe the attached will help.

    Caleffi-132772A-User Guide.pdf
  • hot_rod
    hot_rod Member Posts: 28,018

    It takers a bit of force to get this spool out of the body? Matt took on off the shelf to see how it would disassemble.

    Was it separated in an unopened box?

    It definately needs to be in the body to read.

    Screenshot 2026-08-04 at 11.31.24 AM.png
    Bob "hot rod" Rohr
    trainer for Caleffi NA
    Living the hydronic dream
  • mattmia2
    mattmia2 Member Posts: 17,780

    i'd imagine unless there is something supporting it that bouncing in a truck for a few hundred miles at just the right angle could pop it out of there.

  • GGross
    GGross Member Posts: 2,023
    https://forum.heatinghelp.com/discussion/comment/1901357#Comment_1901357

    You'd have to see how they are in the box, not entirely supported necessarily, but they are wrapped in a form fitted foam insulation and pretty well secure. I would have never even known that part could come out if I didnt just see it for myself and i sell a couple dozen of these each year. I'd think its a bit more than bouncing on the roads. either a factory mistake or someone took it apart, put it back in the box and returned it to the vendor.

    mattmia2
  • hot_rod
    hot_rod Member Posts: 28,018

    Did he question what the part was for if it was separated when he opened the box?

    Bob "hot rod" Rohr
    trainer for Caleffi NA
    Living the hydronic dream
  • crj
    crj Member Posts: 2

    Bob,

    Thanks for the answer and the picture! The cylindrical part on the right is exactly the part that fell out of the box when it was opened. The box and the valve looked new. It was ordered from a highly rated online supplier, so it did get a bit of "truck time" during delivery.

    I verified with the contractor that it was not installed. During installation, looking at the installation videos they saw nothing about installing the "extra" part. Looking at the installation instructions myself, it seems that it is not ever expected to fall out, since it was not obviously called out as a separate part.

    Could the part getting dinged up by rattling around inside the box during shipping affect the ability to re-seat it or the measurement accuracy?

    Looking at the cutaway view below from https://www.caleffi.com/en-us/blog/how-clean-balancing-valve , presumably the part goes in flat end first? Does the rotational orientation matter at all, i.e. does the slot in the cylinder need to point toward up as shown in the cutaway view?

    image.png

    Chris

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