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Help/Suggestions With Boiler Design/Installation

Posted: Mon. Mar. 13, 2017 11:33 am
by skobydog
I've been piecing together a boiler system over the past couple of years. For now I just want to use the 3/4" manifolds and zone valves I already have (pics) and will expand later.

I'm pumping to the boiler because it will be easier for installation and no other reason.

I'm trying to figure out what else I may need or could improve on.

Questions:

Water coming in from house through pressure reducing valve - Install on supply or return or does it matter where?

Do I need a check valve in the system? (Current circulation pump is older 007-F5).

Initial boiler fast fill/purge - Will Webstone 48615 work in this configuration?

Bleeding individual zones - Will the current individual purge valves work?

Air eliminator valves - One on each return zone and one above air scoop - Enough?

Temperature Gauges - Placement ok? Do I need any additional ones?

Unions (black malleable) - Any reason to not use them or is there a place where I should? (i have a few free ones around)

Am I missing any significant shut off valves?

Any suggestions on improvements or what else I may need would be helpful

Re: Help/Suggestions With Boiler Design/Installation

Posted: Mon. Mar. 13, 2017 12:20 pm
by BigBarney
In the first drawing I don't see any pumps and the bypass loop is not connected to

anything.

BigBarney

Re: Help/Suggestions With Boiler Design/Installation

Posted: Mon. Mar. 13, 2017 5:18 pm
by McGiever
Hopefully others will follow and share their thoughts as well...
skobydog wrote:
Questions:

Water coming in from house through pressure reducing valve - Install on supply or return or does it matter where?

commonly enter @ bladder tank location

Do I need a check valve in the system? (Current circulation pump is older 007-F5).

?

Initial boiler fast fill/purge - Will Webstone 48615 work in this configuration?

Work, but there are cheaper ways...


Bleeding individual zones - Will the current individual purge valves work?

Yes

Air eliminator valves - One on each return zone and one above air scoop - Enough?

Good. Doing power purge gets the bulk of the air out. You might look at Spirovent Types for micro bubble removal.


Temperature Gauges - Placement ok? Do I need any additional ones?

Your choice...

Unions (black malleable) - Any reason to not use them or is there a place where I should? (i have a few free ones around)

They are excellent...put them anywhere you wouldn't want to use a hacksaw later to take pipe apart.

Am I missing any significant shut off valves?

No

Any suggestions on improvements or what else I may need would be helpful.

Wye strainer before the pumps.


Re: Help/Suggestions With Boiler Design/Installation

Posted: Mon. Mar. 13, 2017 7:41 pm
by StokerDon
skobydog wrote:Questions:

Water coming in from house through pressure reducing valve - Install on supply or return or does it matter where?
Unless you are going to use an auto fill valve, I would skip the pressure reducer as it will make power purging the system or a zone impossible. Water supply connects to the bottom of the air scoop with the expansion tank.
skobydog wrote:Do I need a check valve in the system? (Current circulation pump is older 007-F5).
If all of your zones have zone valves, then, no.
skobydog wrote:Air eliminator valves - One on each return zone and one above air scoop - Enough?
That should be enough.
skobydog wrote:Temperature Gauges - Placement ok? Do I need any additional ones?
You don't "need" any, the tridicator on the boiler is enough. I like to put one in the supply and one in the return were all the zones come back together.
skobydog wrote:Unions (black malleable) - Any reason to not use them or is there a place where I should? (i have a few free ones around)
Yes, black iron is probably the best thing to use.
skobydog wrote:Am I missing any significant shut off valves?
On your drawing, before and after the air scoop, in case you nee to isolate the boiler or a zone. One on the expansion tank, in case you need to replace it.

-Don

Re: Help/Suggestions With Boiler Design/Installation

Posted: Mon. Mar. 13, 2017 7:49 pm
by skobydog
Questions:

Water coming in from house through pressure reducing valve - Install on supply or return or does it matter where?
commonly enter @ bladder tank location
001.jpg
.JPG | 18.3KB | 001.jpg
Do I need a check valve in the system? (Current circulation pump is older 007-F5).
?
I asked because some circulators have inline check valves.

Initial boiler fast fill/purge - Will Webstone 48615 work in this configuration?
Work, but there are cheaper ways...
Something like this with a hose on the boiler drain?
002.jpg
.JPG | 17.4KB | 002.jpg
Any suggestions on improvements or what else I may need would be helpful.
Wye strainer before the pumps.
Not sure I understand this.

Re: Help/Suggestions With Boiler Design/Installation

Posted: Mon. Mar. 13, 2017 8:12 pm
by skobydog
StokerDon wrote:
Unless you are going to use an auto fill valve, I would skip the pressure reducer as it will make power purging the system or a zone impossible. Water supply connects to the bottom of the air scoop with the expansion tank.

-Don
002.jpg
.JPG | 17.4KB | 002.jpg
StokerDon wrote:
On your drawing, before and after the air scoop, in case you nee to isolate the boiler or a zone. One on the expansion tank, in case you need to replace it.

-Don
Ok, good points, thanks

Re: Help/Suggestions With Boiler Design/Installation

Posted: Mon. Mar. 13, 2017 8:15 pm
by McGiever
There are PRV (pressure reducing valves) w/ a flip handle just for purging and then flip back for normal PRV use. ;)

Wye strainer passes all water through a fine mesh screen (strainer). This collects particals of rust often present in used boilers that commonly sit stored for a time from collecting these particles in a pump rotor or elsewhere.

Re: Help/Suggestions With Boiler Design/Installation

Posted: Mon. Mar. 13, 2017 8:21 pm
by skobydog
McGiever wrote:There are PRV (pressure reducing valves) w/ a flip handle just for purging and then flip back for normal PRV use. ;)
ok.....still not sure the purpose of the wye though

Re: Help/Suggestions With Boiler Design/Installation

Posted: Mon. Mar. 13, 2017 8:23 pm
by StokerDon
Your Tee at the expansion tank for the water supply is perfect.

Your idea of bypassing the pressure reducer/fill valve with a single ball valve will work for power purging.

A wye strainer is basically a filter stuck into a "Y" connection. Keeps crap from reaching your pump.

-Don

Re: Help/Suggestions With Boiler Design/Installation

Posted: Mon. Mar. 13, 2017 10:15 pm
by coaledsweat
An end of the wye allows you to remove the screen to clean it.

http://www.supplyhouse.com/Watts-0379113-1-LF777SI-Lead-Free ... DQodBnYFKg

Re: Help/Suggestions With Boiler Design/Installation

Posted: Tue. Mar. 14, 2017 5:41 am
by Rob R.
McGiever wrote:There are PRV (pressure reducing valves) w/ a flip handle just for purging and then flip back for normal PRV use. ;)

Wye strainer passes all water through a fine mesh screen (strainer). This collects particals of rust often present in used boilers that commonly sit stored for a time from collecting these particles in a pump rotor or elsewhere.
The fast fill valve on the Taco and B&G autofill valves I have used has been fine. If you need a more serious power purge, I have also connected a garden hose to a boiler drain in the appropriate location - this gives you instant full-pressure water for purging. If you pipe the system correctly, air removal is only done once.

I have never used a Wye strainer, but I think it is a good idea. At some point we will all be running ECM circulators, and they don't like debris. That brings up a good point - is the plan to use that 007 Taco? If so, you will may get some velocity noise in the system without a pressure differential valve (it allows some of the volume from the pump to return to the boiler, rather than trying to force it through a single zone). I had that issue with my own system, and decided to upgrade to a "smart" circulator. It has performed very well for me.

Grundfos Alpha Installed

Re: Help/Suggestions With Boiler Design/Installation

Posted: Tue. Mar. 14, 2017 9:40 am
by skobydog
coaledsweat wrote:An end of the wye allows you to remove the screen to clean it.

http://www.supplyhouse.com/Watts-0379113-1-LF777SI-Lead-Free ... DQodBnYFKg
Got it now, thanks
Rob R. wrote: That brings up a good point - is the plan to use that 007 Taco? If so, you will may get some velocity noise in the system without a pressure differential valve (it allows some of the volume from the pump to return to the boiler, rather than trying to force it through a single zone). I had that issue with my own system, and decided to upgrade to a "smart" circulator. It has performed very well for me.

Grundfos Alpha Installed
I have a number of heating configurations I want to try but I believe the 007 will probably be an overkill until I'm through burning nut coal upstairs. If this happens I'll probably skip the pressure differential valve and look into a smart pump. Probably better off with a newer pump anyway.