Which Valve for Keystokers by-Pass Loop?

I will be installing Keystoker's by-pass loop on my Kaa-2. Should I use a ball, gate or something else. I want to be able to use it as a flow restrictor if I have to. Thanks, Ed

Why use a valve? I do not have one on my boiler. It seems to work fine.

My plumber buddy won't use anything but ball valves. You can see at a glance if the are open or closed or partially either and they are more durable.

Kevin

If a valve is installed in the bypass loop it would seem to me that the overheat aquastat should be located somewhere other than the bypass loop.

I am still having overheat issues. Probably always will. When it's very cold out I turned up the feed rate. I had to turn it down when the outside temp went back up.

Clearly in my situation if the overheat aquastat was not able to do it's job, the pressure relief valve would have popped!

Ed, I'd use a full bore ball valve. A little expensive, but worth it.

I didn't install the bypass loop. I have a series hook-up. My take on it is that if you don't use the K2 or K6 as a "stand alone" heating appliance, there really is no need for it. My plumber had the same idea. But, now I'm wondering if it would be more efficient to have it since my return water would be a little hotter.

You sound like Freddie! Next few dozen solenoids, relays, gravitational latitudinarians diverters, and a well placed "Bucket Valve" should cure the 'Muffler Bearing' short cycling. If you can maintain a negative bias to the operational cavity pressurization, the sulfur smell should be relieved and acceptable levels of CO2 will be observed!
Stop playing with it, it will grow. I know you are wearing glasses already.....back off!

whistlenut wrote:You sound like Freddie! Next few dozen solenoids, relays, gravitational latitudinarians diverters, and a well placed "Bucket Valve" should cure the 'Muffler Bearing' short cycling. If you can maintain a negative bias to the operational cavity pressurization, the sulfur smell should be relieved and acceptable levels of CO2 will be observed!
Stop playing with it, it will grow. I know you are wearing glasses already.....back off!

So maybe use the K.I.S.S. theory and forget the by-pass?

Machinist wrote:If a valve is installed in the bypass loop it would seem to me that the overheat aquastat should be located somewhere other than the bypass loop.

I am still having overheat issues. Probably always will. When it's very cold out I turned up the feed rate. I had to turn it down when the outside temp went back up.

Clearly in my situation if the overheat aquastat was not able to do it's job, the pressure relief valve would have popped!

Right, I don't plan on putting the overheat in the by-pass. I thought I would install the by-pass with a valve so I had the flexabity to try it, and see if it made a difference. I think it might help the boiler with overshoot. Did you put the overheat in the by-pass?

sterling_40man wrote:Ed, I'd use a full bore ball valve. A little expensive, but worth it.

I didn't install the bypass loop. I have a series hook-up. My take on it is that if you don't use the K2 or K6 as a "stand alone" heating appliance, there really is no need for it. My plumber had the same idea. But, now I'm wondering if it would be more efficient to have it since my return water would be a little hotter.

Bob,hows the K-6 working for you? Do you have it fine tuned yet? I have seen my hand fired boiler struggle with three zones calling and then overshoot after. Someone said you can't use a ball valve for flow control, thats why I was asking which valve would work best in a partially closed position. Whats a full bore ball valve? Full bore= more flow? Thanks, Ed

efo141 wrote:Bob,hows the K-6 working for you? Do you have it fine tuned yet? I have seen my hand fired boiler struggle with three zones calling and then overshoot after. Someone said you can't use a ball valve for flow control, thats why I was asking which valve would work best in a partially closed position. Whats a full bore ball valve? Full bore= more flow? Thanks, Ed

It's working great Ed. I've got it set to 12 turns out, no pins in the timer, 160* low and 180* high with a 10* dif. I've burned about 550lbs of coal so far. 91lbs per day average. I'm burning more than I should because I didn't insulate my piping in my garage and it's keeping the garage anywhere between 30*-45*. I'm sure I'm losing at least 10* of water temp from the K6 to my oil boiler. Once I get a Modine heater, I'll insulate the pipes.

A full bore ball valve let's the same amount of water flow through. When you look through the valve, it's the same inside diameter as the pipe that you're hooking it to. There are other ball valves out there that don't do that. When you open those valves and you've hooked it up to let's say 1 1/4" piping, the hole is probably 1/2" less thus restricting the amount of water flowing through. Hope this helps.

There will be no easier time to install the bypass loop then right now, and you certainly can use a full bore ball valve to throttle the flow if for nothing more than a testing phase with the boiler. When you have tweaked the boiler and are comfortable with it, you can alter the piping if necessary. If you want to, it is nice to have a couple unions in critical sports to make dis assembly and re-assembly easier. I think the bypass (or Hartford) loop was more appropriate for steam heat, and I have not seem one in a hot water system. Surely it must have a purpose of some merit, especially to blend/condition return water and the feed supply water in a solid fuel unit. It sure isn't like dealing with a 'low mass' boiler with some 50 gallons of water in circulation through most coal boilers.

sterling_40man wrote:

efo141 wrote:Bob,hows the K-6 working for you? Do you have it fine tuned yet? I have seen my hand fired boiler struggle with three zones calling and then overshoot after. Someone said you can't use a ball valve for flow control, thats why I was asking which valve would work best in a partially closed position. Whats a full bore ball valve? Full bore= more flow? Thanks, Ed

It's working great Ed. I've got it set to 12 turns out, no pins in the timer, 160* low and 180* high with a 10* dif. I've burned about 550lbs of coal so far. 91lbs per day average. I'm burning more than I should because I didn't insulate my piping in my garage and it's keeping the garage anywhere between 30*-45*. I'm sure I'm losing at least 10* of water temp from the K6 to my oil boiler. Once I get a Modine heater, I'll insulate the pipes.

A full bore ball valve let's the same amount of water flow through. When you look through the valve, it's the same inside diameter as the pipe that you're hooking it to. There are other ball valves out there that don't do that. When you open those valves and you've hooked it up to let's say 1 1/4" piping, the hole is probably 1/2" less thus restricting the amount of water flowing through. Hope this helps.

Bob,Thanks for the info. Can I ask where you put the overheat aquastat on your K-6? Keystoker wants it in the by-pass. I don't want to do that if I end up not using it.

efo141 wrote:Did you put the overheat in the by-pass?

Yes my overheat aquastat is in the bypass.

whistlenut wrote:There will be no easier time to install the bypass loop then right now, and you certainly can use a full bore ball valve to throttle the flow if for nothing more than a testing phase with the boiler. When you have tweaked the boiler and are comfortable with it, you can alter the piping if necessary. If you want to, it is nice to have a couple unions in critical sports to make dis assembly and re-assembly easier. I think the bypass (or Hartford) loop was more appropriate for steam heat, and I have not seem one in a hot water system. Surely it must have a purpose of some merit, especially to blend/condition return water and the feed supply water in a solid fuel unit. It sure isn't like dealing with a 'low mass' boiler with some 50 gallons of water in circulation through most coal boilers.

Keystoker Says: "Install by-pass loop as per figure 2 with a minimum of 1" pipe size and a tee which will allow installation of the immersion well of the 4006B high limit (shipped with your controls) Into the full water flow of the loop as per figure 2-page 5. Our 35 years of experience installing Stoker fired equiptment has shown to us that the installation of the above mentioned by-pass loop and the limit control is absolutely necessary for optimum performance of your system". This is under the hot water piping instructions. They talk about this loop like your boiler won't heat without it. I thought I could put the overheat in the supply line a foot or so up from the top of the boiler. I will not put it in the By-pass. Any info will be helpful, people like me that know just enough to be dangerous need all the help they can get. Thanks, Ed

efo141 wrote:Can I ask where you put the overheat aquastat on your K-6? Keystoker wants it in the by-pass. I don't want to do that if I end up not using it.

Ed, take a look at this pic of my K6. It's on the flue end, just above the baro damper, right next to the HW coil. There was a hole to screw it in. I don't know if the K2 has the same.