Taco zone valve

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99% sure that this is a "go to Home Depot and buy a valve and swap" but wanted to verify:

4 zones on my boiler for home heating. One zone quit. With thermostat turned down, zero volts on terminals 1&2. Turn thermostat up to call for heat, have 22V on 1&2. Wait 2 minutes, nothing. I measure 26V across terminals 2&3. The manual lever is very stiff and after 2 minutes, will not easily go to the open spot.

I twisted the head off. Here's where I go off the rails: terminals 2&3 go to zero volts and the heat kicks on. I took a pair of pliers and pushed down on the valve, and got hot water to circulate through. Twist the head on and the furnace kicks out.

I haven't come across this in the various links I've hit up so I'm confused. I think it just means the zone head is bad and that is just three wires (kill power and swap) but I'm not sure why the switch wouldn't work installed. I think it means that whatever wax pellet it has inside is not melting with enough force to push the valve, but with enough to close the switch when it's removed.
 
Originally Posted by atikovi
What does Taco mean?

What does google mean?

Taco zone valve

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Originally posted by supton
"What does google mean?"

"Google it", when thrown back into someone's face is an insulting term meaning "I don't have time to answer your legitimate question" or "You're not worth the time and effort for me to express my situation clearly."

How would the OP feel if the first response to his problem was, "Hey man, call a plumber".

As has happened before, that one hits a nerve.
 
Before you go buying a new one picture of the old one is really dead and not just stuck. An old plumber showed me that trick of taking a hammer handle when it's calling for heat and slapping on the side of the pump housing repeatedly. Quite often it's just locked in its last position and hung on a tiny piece of rust. I fix mine a couple of times that way in there 25 years old
 
Originally Posted by supton
99% sure that this is a "go to Home Depot and buy a valve and swap" but wanted to verify:

gh. Twist the head on and the furnace kicks out.

I haven't come across this in the various links I've hit up so I'm confused. I think it just means the zone head is bad and that is just three wires (kill power and swap) but I'm not sure why the switch wouldn't work installed. I think it means that whatever wax pellet it has inside is not melting with enough force to push the valve, but with enough to close the switch when it's removed.


I havent has zone control valves since the 60's with a gas boiler. I recall they were problematic.

I have TACO circulators for each zone. I removed a zone on the 3 season porch, so now i just have that unused one hanging there.

Im sorry I havent trouble shot this.

Just make sure your Aquastat High limit is not too high - at maybe 180 > 185 MAX and the low limit is set 20 below that . Also low limit differential should be at 10 if your low limit is only 20 deg below high limit. Many dont know there are differential around the high limit and the low limit on a call for heat and a built in 10 deg diff on a boiler temp fall when calling for heat off the high limit. So it doesnt fall to the low limit it falls 10 deg from the high limit if achieved. Usually during really cold, drafty weather.

Sorry i cant help here.
 
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Originally Posted by Kira
Originally posted by supton
"What does google mean?"

"Google it", when thrown back into someone's face is an insulting term meaning "I don't have time to answer your legitimate question" or "You're not worth the time and effort for me to express my situation clearly."

How would the OP feel if the first response to his problem was, "Hey man, call a plumber".

As has happened before, that one hits a nerve.


From the title I first thought this was going to be about a Toyota Tacoma. And when I Google Taco, I get Taco Bell and assorted taco food related hits. Yea, call a plumber, or the next post will be, "How do I dry a flooded basement."
 
5 minute job. $91 and change at Home Depot. I suspect it had been failing for a while as the heat has felt wonky, but as it's just for the master bedroom it wasn't a problem--until it was.

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Opened it up.
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At first I thought I could see some wear on the plastic bushing that follows the ram:
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but then noticed something rattling and out fell a chunk of wax.
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I think I'll buy a spare to have, think about maybe even replacing proactively. I'll check the records on the furnace and see if there are any prior workorders replacing, and put in my own supton receipt. I wonder how much I should write the bill up for...
 
You have heat in your bedroom? Its about 50f in our house at night.

Sheet + blaket + down comforter + extra optional poly comforter.

= sweat at night in a cold room.

How is you fuel cost.

A pretty warm season averaged 3.5 gal/ day fuel oil on a 1800 sq ft two story log cabin with minimal to NO insulation.
 
Not sure how much oil we burn yet, first winter here. We guessed around 1,000 gallons for the year. No idea on the oil price, we get on Dead River's plan and spread the cost out over 10 or 12 months, and the wife handles those details.

Our old house, the master bedroom was not heated, but it was on the second floor and heat would rise up anyhow. At both places I'm finding that, at 66F I'm comfy with a comforter and flannel sheets, but at 64F I tend to pull a sheet over my head as I'll be cold. Darn old age, gonna have to wear a hat to bed before long.
 
Good job Sir!

Mine is a 2 zone. One for the whole house, one for the basement.

My motorized valves are different though. Mine have a small can shaped motor actuator and the valve bodies are smaller.

I livened up one of them with a shot of 3&1 oil years ago and she's still working. I did mail order a new motor which is still in the box in the rafter above it.
 
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