Widgit Maker
Member
No, heat traps only impede the re circulation. Indeed that is what they are designed to do.Should I put back in the heat trap on the hot side of the first WH and the cold side of the second WH?
No, heat traps only impede the re circulation. Indeed that is what they are designed to do.Should I put back in the heat trap on the hot side of the first WH and the cold side of the second WH?
I have 2 possible explainations:Still wondering why switching from the first HW to the second HW made such a difference, anyone have any ideas?
That theory could be tested by turning off the first WH for a day.More likely that the check valve is still not working as it should. Before the water moving up the recirculation line was the cold water coming in. Now the water moving up the recirculation line is coming from the bottom of the first tank, which is the hot water coming in from the second tank.
I should also mention that the heat is set to Hot on the first WH and Very Hot on the second WH but this should NOT make a difference as long as the check valve is doing it's job.That theory could be tested by turning off the first WH for a day.
In my experience we have design a vertical check valve design with a negative buoyancy washer to balance the gravity circulation. We always install a flush valve for air in the lines but in design the vertical valve will purge the air with usage but takes several times before all air is flushed out completely. Check the heat traps on the water heater they can restrict flow. Check patent Grav-Flow design. This should help you with the cold pockets unless the line has a drip in the feed line, this slows and can even stop the thermo lift side of the therm o-siphon system.I realize I’m late to the game here, but I will give my advice, anyways.
I have been installing gravity circulation systems for close to four decades. The trick here is to install a standard swing check valve at 45 degrees (or somewhere else between horizontal and vertical) before the loop enters the bottom of the tank. This keeps the gate open to allow the convection to occur, then, when there is demand and flow tries to pull water out of the bottom of the tank, the gate closes keeping the water from the bottom of the tank drawing back into the loop.
With the installation of two water heaters in series, you must connect the loop to the first tank for it to be most effective since the water at the bottom of this tank is going to be colder than the water at the bottom of the second tank, making for a more effective convection due to the difference in temperature.
It’s also a great idea to insulate the entire loop. The branches aren’t so important.
This is awkward, but...
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