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[brink1963]

I have two zones in my house each running on separate pumps from the owb. The heat exchanger in the attic seems to drain back to the owb after each time the zone calls for heat. When the thermostat calls for heat you can here the pipes filling with water until they are full then it is silent until the heat shuts off then you can here a siphoning sound for a few minutes. I have tried a check valve at the pump side of the line for that zone and it seemed to make the siphoning sound go to a higher pitch and it would last longer. The attic heat exchanger sits about 25 feet above the owb. Does anyone have an idea of what would be a solution for this?

[willieG]

im not sure if this would be the answer or not...if youmean you have a heat exchanger in the attic, is it water to air with a blower behind it? if so then i take it you have the pump on a thermostat/ if so perhaps you could put a zone valve in the return line where it goes into the header (or at least lower than your boiler) this should work as it would trap the water between the check valve and the zone vale. when your thermostat called for heat it would start the pump and open the zone valve and circulation would begin?

there may be other ways and i am sure some folks that have the same situation will be able to be more help

[jerkash]

You could also run the pump continous if you have a heat exchanger

[brink1963]

Thanks for replying. It is a water to air system. I suppose an electric valve would work on the return line I would be a little worried about adding a potential fail point though. Maybe I will get used to the noise the water lines currently make, kind of like how you get used to the sound of a fan running in the summer.


I thought of running the pump continuously, but I had concerns about the wear on the pump, and the pumped water would also lose more heat and cause more wood to burn. I guess I'm cheap.

[RSI]

No valve should be needed to keep the pipes full. If it is draining out then you have an air leak. (may be too small to leak water)

The only other way it can possibly do it is if you have the return above the level in the boiler which is not good for the pump.

If you have auto bleeders you need to either remove them or close them because they let air in under vacuum.

[MNRVGuy]

My furnace is in my attic, and I have a water to air exchanger and I run my pump 24/7 works like a champ in my 100+ year old farmhouse. Best part is that I'm not going to pen $5,000.00 in LP this winter! The hardest part was that I had to tear open the side of my house to run the lines in. But a few good thing come of that new window in the kitchen where there was not one (wife loves that), put insulation in a wall that had none (no more frozen pipes in kitchen), and new cement siding on that part of the house(the rest is brick).

[muffin]

No valve should be needed to keep the pipes full. If it is draining out then you have an air leak. (may be too small to leak water)

The only other way it can possibly do it is if you have the return above the level in the boiler which is not good for the pump.

If you have auto bleeders you need to either remove them or close them because they let air in under vacuum.

I agree, your system shoul be fine if you have a check valve.  You must have a leak somewhere or the autobleeders

[donahuej]

My second exhanger is in my attic, one story house so closer to boiler level than you.  My pump runs 24 x 7 and I have maid-o-mist a the highest point in the attic to bleed any air out...no issues been running for six months.

[rhugg]

I have a Water to Ait HE in the attic.  I only run the circulator when the thermostat asks.  I have a Taco air valve at the high point.  I figure my rise from the water level of the OWB to be 23'.  The tough part was getting the air out but now I have no problem.  If you have no leaks the water can't fall down into the OWB (like putting a straw in water and then covering the end with your thumb).

I run a Taco 00R with the built in check valve on medium speed.  If I let the Taco air valve open it would let air in and I'd lose prime on the circulator (actually you lose the column of water returning that helps the pull the water from the circulator up).

See http://outdoorwoodfurnaceinfo.com/forum/index.php?topic=1120.msg8277#msg8277