Need help understanding and adjusting temp on boiler system pics included

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Siber303

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We bought a new house this year with a boil system for heat and water.. seems really efficient compared to a furnace system, I'm really liking it so far! But we also had a kid so I need to turn the water temp down, I've tryed adjusting the knob on the bottom of the big blue tank marked .. hot water maker tank.. but it did not seem to effect anything? Then there is a smaller blue tank.. I'm assumming that's a pressure tank?? Then I have a rain soft water softer after that.. other question is what do the three boxes coming out of the furnace control they are marked upper level .. lower level .. and water heater? Are these the thermostate for each level? Any help any understanding and adjusting this system would be great help! Thanks in advance!
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Dana

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The blue indirect water tank looks like some variation of an AmtrolBoilermate , and the knob you turned should indeed be the aquastat controlling the tank's temperature. But most recent installations will have a code required tempering valve or thermostatic mixing valve at the output of the water heater that determines the temperature of the water delivered into the house plumbing. We'd need a picture of the near-tank plumbing to see what's going on.

Is this similar to what you have?

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If yes, the lowest kinda-safe setting from a pathogen growth point of view would be 120F (the tick between 2 & 3 on the dial) , but that may still too hot for comfort & safety for small children. A tempering valve on the tank's output can reduce the temperature to a much saver 110-115F, and you can bump the aquastat on the tank up to 4 or 5 to keep stuff from growing inside the tank, without raising the temperature of the hot water delivered at the taps.

A typical inexpensive tempering valve looks like this, and can be adjusted by the knob:

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A typical thermostatic mixing valve looks more like this:

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Siber303

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The blue indirect water tank looks like some variation of an AmtrolBoilermate , and the knob you turned should indeed be the aquastat controlling the tank's temperature. But most recent installations will have a code required tempering valve or thermostatic mixing valve at the output of the water heater that determines the temperature of the water delivered into the house plumbing. We'd need a picture of the near-tank plumbing to see what's going on.

Is this similar to what you have?

2704z37-6-2.jpg


100_8062.jpg


If yes, the lowest kinda-safe setting from a pathogen growth point of view would be 120F (the tick between 2 & 3 on the dial) , but that may still too hot for comfort & safety for small children. A tempering valve on the tank's output can reduce the temperature to a much saver 110-115F, and you can bump the aquastat on the tank up to 4 or 5 to keep stuff from growing inside the tank, without raising the temperature of the hot water delivered at the taps.

A typical inexpensive tempering valve looks like this, and can be adjusted by the knob:

70A-F.jpg


A typical thermostatic mixing valve looks more like this:

17390.jpg
First of all.. thank you for taking the time to help me out!
That is what is what I have for a boiler tank, I've taking a few better lit pictures of tank and pipes running into it don't see any valve like this.. they all seem to be just shut off valves? They seem to be all set wide open.. could this be the reason our water is boiling hot out of the tap? I did turn the temp on tank back up where u recommended.. I took a few more pics of furnace side of things.. any idea what the 3 boxs do they have an adjuster laver on bottom .. says "open"in one direction??
Hopefully you can see something in these new pics! Thanks again! I'm a new home owner lots to learn I can't afford to call someone out ever time I have a question!
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Jadnashua

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The boxes that say 'open' are zone valves...when the thermostat (or aquastat) call for heat in a particular area, that valve gets opened to allow boiler water to heat that area (or in the case of your indirect, that tank). Now, it's possible that one of those is stuck, and always open which could cause the indirect to get too hot. Once the tank is hot, that valve should close. It's also possible that the aquastat is no longer working, and it could be telling the boiler and the zone valve to open.

From what I can see, you do not have a tempering valve in your system. It might have been to code when installed, but at least where I live, any new or remodel/replacement would call for one to be installed. I think that should be your first line of attack - add a tempering valve.
 

Siber303

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The boxes that say 'open' are zone valves...when the thermostat (or aquastat) call for heat in a particular area, that valve gets opened to allow boiler water to heat that area (or in the case of your indirect, that tank). Now, it's possible that one of those is stuck, and always open which could cause the indirect to get too hot. Once the tank is hot, that valve should close. It's also possible that the aquastat is no longer working, and it could be telling the boiler and the zone valve to open.

From what I can see, you do not have a tempering valve in your system. It might have been to code when installed, but at least where I live, any new or remodel/replacement would call for one to be installed. I think that should be your first line of attack - add a tempering valve.

Thanks for the help! that I'll defiantly start with the tempering valve seems the best way to regulat hot water to the house! What pipe is the right one to put the valve on? I'm not sure what pipe is the hot water supply to the house.. thanks again for the help!
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Dana

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You don't have a tempering valve, and the aquastat is set to 5, which is a temperature WAY above the 120F point (the line between 2 & 3).

Until you install a thermostatic mixing valve or tempering valve, turn the aquastat down to at least 3. Hopefully that would still give you enough capacity to fill bathtubs, and the scald risk will be much lower.
 

Jadnashua

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A tempering valve has at least three ports:
- cold water
- hot directly from the WH
- mixed (tempered) that then goes to your hot runs in the house.

Some add a fourth port so you can plumb in a hot water recycling system. If you get one with that port, and don't want to deal with hot water recirculation, you can insert a plug in that port. They usually come adjusted for 120-degrees F, but are adjustable on-site.
 
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