Andrew Gibbons
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Flow control or just a check valve?
Balancing valve, What type of valve is this?
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Fitter30
Well-Known Member
Is this system only have one pump and might be a floor radiate?
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Andrew Gibbons
New Member
yes. only one circ. pump, 3 Taco zone valves, hot water baseboard.
Balancing valve used to regulate the flow
Normally on the return line there is a thermometer for each zone and by adjusting the flow for each zone you can control the return delta so each zone return should be close to the same temperature
Normally on the return line there is a thermometer for each zone and by adjusting the flow for each zone you can control the return delta so each zone return should be close to the same temperature
Fitter30
Well-Known Member
Flow control valve
wrong
It is NOT A flow control valve It is a valve to (manually) adjust how much volume goes to each zone normally installed on the return
A "Flow control" is used to prevent stratification of the hot water rising uncontrollably .
Decades ago fitters used over sized the piping knowing hot water rises and cold water being denser causes circulation without any mechanical means
BUT as fuel costs have risen as well as materials plumbers reduced the piping diameter and used a circulator to circulate the water BUT to prevent heated water from rising when the thermostat did not call for heat a "flow control valve" was installed and to prevent hot waterrising until the circulator came on and over came the weight inside the CV
Hot water systems have long been a preferred way of transferring heat from a central point (a boiler) to remote spaces or rooms where heat is needed. The first hot water heating systems were gravity systems. When water is heated, it increases in volume; hence it becomes lighter and rises. Simultaneously cooler, heavier water falls. This is the principle on which gravity circulating systems work. Gravity systems have many features to recommend them. They produce an even heat, are quiet, use low temperature water, are reliable, very efficient, and are virtually maintenance free. There are many buildings still using gravity hot water heating systems, some over 100 years old! The disadvantages of gravity systems are: They require very large diameter piping for supply and return mains. The low temperature water provided a heat emission rate of only around 150 BTU’s per square foot of radiation per hour. Consequently, radiators had to be large.
As labor and material costs went up, gravity systems became very expensive to install. People no longer would tolerate large bulky radiators needed with gravity systems. To accommodate 6, 8, even 10-inch pipe for mains became prohibitively expensive. The gravity system’s slow response time to changing demand was also a detriment.
The invention of circulating booster pumps in 1929 overcame all the objections of the gravity systems, while retaining all the advantages of heating with hot water. The booster pump so greatly speeded up the movement of water that smaller radiation could be used, supplied by much smaller piping. Forced circulation systems allowed design using higher water temperatures resulting in higher emission rates. A radiator of 60 square feet with an average water temperature of 170°F will emit heat at a rate of 150 BTU’s per square foot per hour, or 9000 BTU’s per hour. A radiator of 45 square feet with 197°F water will emit 200 BTU’s per square foot per hour, producing the same 9000 BTU’s per hour.
The use of automatic firing devices and more accurate controls made use of higher water temperatures without sacrificing good design practices
As labor and material costs went up, gravity systems became very expensive to install. People no longer would tolerate large bulky radiators needed with gravity systems. To accommodate 6, 8, even 10-inch pipe for mains became prohibitively expensive. The gravity system’s slow response time to changing demand was also a detriment.
The invention of circulating booster pumps in 1929 overcame all the objections of the gravity systems, while retaining all the advantages of heating with hot water. The booster pump so greatly speeded up the movement of water that smaller radiation could be used, supplied by much smaller piping. Forced circulation systems allowed design using higher water temperatures resulting in higher emission rates. A radiator of 60 square feet with an average water temperature of 170°F will emit heat at a rate of 150 BTU’s per square foot per hour, or 9000 BTU’s per hour. A radiator of 45 square feet with 197°F water will emit 200 BTU’s per square foot per hour, producing the same 9000 BTU’s per hour.
The use of automatic firing devices and more accurate controls made use of higher water temperatures without sacrificing good design practices
The reason many buildings in in NYC opted for a one pipe steam system is as follows
1- One pipe is cheaper to install supply and return from one pipe
2- Air vents are cheaper then a steam traps
3- No need for a vacuum pump to pull condensate back
4- If someone inadvertently causes a leak such a breaking the air vent then only one room /apartment is destroyed instead of a major flood on the upper most floors pouring water and wiping over several apartments
Draw back is the way to adjust the temperature other then a non electric zone valve or an adjustable air vent NOT to close the supply valve half way as it traps the condensate returning and causes hydraulic shock which can rupture the piping
1- One pipe is cheaper to install supply and return from one pipe
2- Air vents are cheaper then a steam traps
3- No need for a vacuum pump to pull condensate back
4- If someone inadvertently causes a leak such a breaking the air vent then only one room /apartment is destroyed instead of a major flood on the upper most floors pouring water and wiping over several apartments
Draw back is the way to adjust the temperature other then a non electric zone valve or an adjustable air vent NOT to close the supply valve half way as it traps the condensate returning and causes hydraulic shock which can rupture the piping
Fitter30
Well-Known Member
wrong
It is NOT A flow control valve It is a valve to (manually) adjust how much volume goes to each zone normally installed on the return
A "Flow control" is used to prevent stratification of the hot water rising uncontrollably .
Decades ago fitters used over sized the piping knowing hot water rises and cold water being denser causes circulation without any mechanical means
BUT as fuel costs have risen as well as materials plumbers reduced the piping diameter and used a circulator to circulate the water BUT to prevent heated water from rising when the thermostat did not call for heat a "flow control valve" was installed and o prevented hot waterrising until the circulator came on and over came the weight inside the CV
<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<< This is a FLOW control valvvalveUOTE]
Schematics. B&G calls their valve you show Flo- Control used like you stated. Balancing valve is a circuit setter with ports for pressure drop and a chart showing pressure drop to gpm that that is built more like a globe valve that has linear flow and not like a ball valve. Thats why i called it a flow control valve and not a balance valve.
My heating system was originally coal and had a 13 section pork chop HB Smith boiler with over sized supply and return got gravity feed and return
Around the 1950's it was converted to oil and a circulator was installed with 4 balancing valves and a thermometer on the return and a valve resembling a gas cock (plug valve)
By watching the return temperature the system was balanced by reducing the flow from the over heated sections so each section would be almost the same
When I replaced that monster which heated 16 room and a basement with 15 feet ceiling I installed 2 package boilers separated each floor and installed non electric zone valves
The old boiler burned 2 GPM of oil which was between BTU 276,000 - 280,000 to Natural gas and both boilers are under 200,000 BTU input
I also readjusted the balancing valve to allow for full flow as each CI radiator has a non electric zone valve with I used to balance the heating system
Today with a hot water system unlike steam we can paly lots of games and even undersize a boiler considerably
Around the 1950's it was converted to oil and a circulator was installed with 4 balancing valves and a thermometer on the return and a valve resembling a gas cock (plug valve)
By watching the return temperature the system was balanced by reducing the flow from the over heated sections so each section would be almost the same
When I replaced that monster which heated 16 room and a basement with 15 feet ceiling I installed 2 package boilers separated each floor and installed non electric zone valves
The old boiler burned 2 GPM of oil which was between BTU 276,000 - 280,000 to Natural gas and both boilers are under 200,000 BTU input
I also readjusted the balancing valve to allow for full flow as each CI radiator has a non electric zone valve with I used to balance the heating system
Today with a hot water system unlike steam we can paly lots of games and even undersize a boiler considerably
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