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[kybaseball]

Thanks for the info. I do understand that.

[kybaseball]

So pretty much i can't heat my up stairs cause the water will push out the top of the stove?

[RSI]

No, you may be able to heat the upstairs without pressurizing the upstairs loop but will probably have a lot of issues with air in it. If you put it in series with all the other heat exchangers you might loose heat on your entire system if you get an air lock.

The best way to do it is use a plate heat exchanger expansion tank and pump for just the upstairs. Use a plate that is plenty large to not add too much additional restriction in your main loop.
Also like I mentioned before, you may need to replace the existing plate heat exchanger with a larger one to reduce the head pressure on the main loop that will be increased from the added heat exchanger.

[mlappin]

Kybaseball, how is the upstairs heated now? Forced air, radiant or baseboards?


It might be possible, I may have an ideal to try before we make it anymore difficult than required, won’t take much to do and if it doesn’t work you’ll already have some parts for your closed loop.

[kybaseball]

Forced air

[mlappin]

You could try a secondary loop, T into your existing line, attach a pump to it and run your loop upstairs, T the return in after your t for the pump. Install a manual air vent at the HX and see what happens, if it doesn’t work you already have a pump, HX and loop in place, just need another FPHX and a few components to make your closed loop system. I’d also add a ball valve at the t on the return, once you get it bled then you can shut the return T, then the isolation valves at the pump, then turn it off, won’t loose all your water then from the loop going upstairs. Start in opposite order, start the pump for the OWB, turn the secondary pump on, open the isolation valves the return valve.

May work, may not, but like I said, if not, your better than half way to having a closed loop.

T in like this:

[mlappin]

Actually this is a better picture, just wire your pump to run all the time.

[kybaseball]

Thats kind of what i was thinking about. Putting the pump on the line to draw from on a as needed thing. Next problem i am having is how to get the pump to run as needed?

[mlappin]

Thats kind of what i was thinking about. Putting the pump on the line to draw from on a as needed thing. Next problem i am having is how to get the pump to run as needed?

I don’t think I’d go that route, once it shuts off water is going to drain out of the lines to about the level of water in the boiler and you could have air issues again, get a three speed and run it just fast enough for the job if electric consumption is a concern.

[shepherd boy]

We do this on a regular basis.The water in the top unit will not run down unless it can get air.We put a ball valve between the two tees. closing the ball valve will allow the primary pump on the stove to help bleed the upstairs unit. Put a small  low head pump to push the top air handler.Once it is bled out there is as much water pulling down as up and head is 0 except for line friction. If you never have a leak up top your water will drain down and your pump will not have enough head to dump your water upstairs. you will also need a check valve in your return, we like to put them just before the second tee, so you don't get ghost flow. We put in a double throw double pole relay in the air handler to with a second t-stat to bring in the fan and the pump together.  You got a good stove, we got to make it work.

One other thing we do, use 3/4 pex going upstairs- it's easier to bled out and it gets enough flow to heat on that short a run.

[shepherd boy]

After discussing your situation with you, I see I was reading your total pipe length wrong. A 26 99 pump is strong and putting that loop direct upstairs will be worth a try. It will be simple and you can always go back to a secondary pump if needed. Keep it 1" all the way and get the air bled out. It may not be high tech but who cares if it works.

[kybaseball]

After discussing your situation with you, I see I was reading your total pipe length wrong. A 26 99 pump is strong and putting that loop direct upstairs will be worth a try. It will be simple and you can always go back to a secondary pump if needed. Keep it 1" all the way and get the air bled out. It may not be high tech but who cares if it works.

That's right nothing high tech here just trying to save a dollar. Thanks for the help and the questions that i asked and i will update how it turned out asap. 

[duramax]

Heck even I got that Marty, great explanation without getting technical!

            X2 on that one

Here is my 2 cents worth with some explanation of why.  I heat my house with base board hot water from a propane boiler, Like Marty said this is a pressurized system. It has three zones and three circulator pumps, one is for indirect heated hot water and the other two are separate heat zones, one for the first floor and one for the second.  My OWB is  10 feet down hill below my walkout  basement and is 50 feet away. It has a single circulating pump and the system has a thermostat ( like a car) that will open above 150*, this is so that below 150* the water goes in a loop back to the OWB so that the boiler temp comes up quicker. Once the thermostat opens it circulates into my existing boiler loop. So I have  one heck of  a height to circulate the water, the 10 feet up to the basement and then one floor up to the 1st and another one to the second. So roughly40 feet from the OWB to the second floor. I tried to run my whole system With the OWB pump with no pressure but I couldn't do it. If The OWB went out I had air in the system and it went right up to the 2nd floor. I had to put in a 50 plate heat exchanger in the basement just before my house system. So now the OWB is an open loop no pressure and the house can run a separate pressurized system. .
Now if you run a heat exchanger and a pump from your main OWB line  to bring heat to the second floor You just eliminated any circulation problems and you now you could run a base board heating zone