boiler filter

[Donald]

My hot water kick heater has clogged more than once and when it does it almost never comes on. The plumber back-washes it and it works (for awhile).

I have well water so it could be grit from the well water or it could be other stuff that forms in the boiler water. I have all copper pipe baseboards, no cast iron radiators. The boiler water has been treated to be pH neutral (or close).

So what about one of these?

http://www.boilermag.com/products/domestic/

 

[JTK]

Is the make-up water to your boiler filtered?

 

[BigCahuna]

Your not getting anything from the copper pipe, and unless your pumping sludge into the boiler, anything that's clogging things up has to be coming from the boiler itself.Has you plumber tried giving it a good flush?.,,,

 

[Donald]

Originally Posted By: JTK
Is the make-up water to your boiler filtered?


No - I could filter it, but its unknown whether crud forms in the boiler water or the domestic water coming into the boiler has some grit in it.

The plumber was suggesting a circulator pump after the MonoFlow tee and before the kick heater.

 

[Donald]

Originally Posted By: BigCahuna
Your not getting anything from the copper pipe, and unless your pumping sludge into the boiler, anything that's clogging things up has to be coming from the boiler itself.Has you plumber tried giving it a good flush?.,,,


He has a flush on his (my) list for warm weather. Does not want to drain entire boiler when its 14F outside unless its critical.

He can smell some old really diluted Cryotek antifreeze.

 

[JTK]

Donald, not that the system should need make-up water other than when you're flushing it, but I wouldn't want unfiltered well water going into it. Is yours a low pressure system?

On my natural gas fired hot water baseboard heat system, I think anything less than 6-8psig causes make-up water to feed in from my municipal water supply until that pressure is satisfied. I replaced that water feed pressure regulator a few years ago on mine. I check the system press gauge from time to time but keep the make-up water valved-off in the event one of my baseboard runs springs a leak (got a lot of wrecking-ball kids).

Anyway.. the few times I've opened the low-point drain on mine, some dark/cloudiness comes out, but the water doesn't look/smell bad at all.

 

[fdcg27]

+1
A hydronic system should never need makeup water.
You pressurize it, you bleed the convectors and you're done.
The water comes out surprisingly clean after many years.
After all, there's only so much reactive stuff in any water supply.
Once that stuff is used up, any further corrosion or debris buildup ceases.

 

[Chuckinator]

Your kick space isn't getting sludged up. It's air bound. You must either have a leak or an air elimination that's allowing air to enter the system. I'll bet your circulator is on your return and there is a cheap can vent somewhere in your boiler room. In 10 years I've never seen a hydronic system sludge up. Steam yes. It's a mechanical issue. All the filters in NY won't help you. Find where the air is entering the system and your problems will go away.

 

[Donald]

Originally Posted By: Chuckinator
Your kick space isn't getting sludged up. It's air bound. You must either have a leak or an air elimination that's allowing air to enter the system. I'll bet your circulator is on your return and there is a cheap can vent somewhere in your boiler room. In 10 years I've never seen a hydronic system sludge up. Steam yes. It's a mechanical issue. All the filters in NY won't help you. Find where the air is entering the system and your problems will go away.


Not sure its sludge as much as its small particles (unknown) that collect in the small diameter tubes of the kick-heater.

After the plumber back-flushed the kick-heater, he did bleed air from it.

Circulator is on the feed. Six circulator pumps in this system, all on the feed.

 

[JTK]

Originally Posted By: Donald

Circulator is on the feed. Six circulator pumps in this system, all on the feed.


That's a heck of a system! Our home is a 2800sq/ft 2-story and our system uses a single tiny Grundfos pump. It's an old Bryant "boiler" (rebadged Dunkirk). We've got 2-zones. One for the basement and one for the rest of the house. 24VDC switching valves can separate the two zones.

 

[Donald]

Originally Posted By: JTK
Originally Posted By: Donald

Circulator is on the feed. Six circulator pumps in this system, all on the feed.


That's a heck of a system! Our home is a 2800sq/ft 2-story and our system uses a single tiny Grundfos pump. It's an old Bryant "boiler" (rebadged Dunkirk). We've got 2-zones. One for the basement and one for the rest of the house. 24VDC switching valves can separate the two zones.


In addition it has a Tekmar controller to adjust the boiler's temp via the outside temp.

 

[JTK]

Sounds way more complicated than it needs to be IMO.

 

[Chuckinator]

Circulators are before or after the expansion tank. And if your kick space was having a problem with any foreign material you would have problems with your circulators your aquastat and your flow controls wether it's an ifc pump or cast iron flow control. All boiler water is dark and nasty that is normal. Think about all the iron and steel on a boiler. If there was an issue of sludge or any kind of debris it would be from oxygen in the water. Ferrous metal is much more reactive to oxygen then copper is. Air is getting introduced into the system.

 

[Donald]

Originally Posted By: JTK
Sounds way more complicated than it needs to be IMO.


Multiple zones is all about saving oil when you can avoid heating certain areas when no one is living in them. A control that factors in the outside temp is all about saving oil also by lowering the boiler temp when its not frigid outside. Multiple circulators are a better design than zone valves.

 

[mattwithcats]

First, I would put a whole house water filter on the main supply line. Look for a clear housing, and buy 4-6 extra filters. A sediment (string wound filter) is needed, not a taste or odor...
http://www.lowes.com/pd_636039-57478-WH-...se#BVRRWidgetID

Next I would put a coolant filter in the circulation system somewhere.
NAPA 4019 of Wix 24019 is the housing, NAPA 4070 or Wix 24070 is the filter. A slightly shorter one is 4069/24069 (inch shorter). These are the plain, no additive filters, stay away from the 4071-75/24071-24075 filters.
http://www.amazon.com/Wix-24019-Filter-M...=coolant+filter