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[Scott7m]

i can understand your situation...like when i buy something and they try and talk me into the extended warranty...i tell them if they think i need the extra warranty they must either think the thing is gonna break down OR they think it wont and try ing to get some extra cash from me..either way i tell them if you think i need that, you keep it and i will shop down the street..lol

My point exactly....  If i start justifying all these extra valves that aren't in the manual or other designs they've seen, they think I'm trying to sell them added insurance or "warranty" and there flags go up fast

I would say 1 out of every 20 customers can appreciate isolating everything and actually think it's a smart move 

[dwneast77]

I completely agree with you.  Better to be safe than sorry.  Unfortunately, I'm one of those guys who usually falls in to the catagory of "just need to get it going fast" or "I'll add the extras later" or "I don't have the money to do it right at the moment".   When that happens I do try to make it right later.  I am a believer in this,  "Do it once, do it right, and never have to do it again."  Sadly, It just doesn't always work out that way.

[mlappin]

When that happens I do try to make it right later.  I am a believer in this,  "Do it once, do it right, and never have to do it again."  Sadly, It just doesn't always work out that way.

Amen

[Sprinter]

When that happens I do try to make it right later.  I am a believer in this,  "Do it once, do it right, and never have to do it again."  Sadly, It just doesn't always work out that way.

Amen

This is one of those situations where if they can't afford to do it right, then maybe they shouldn't have one at all. There's plenty of stories where it was all supposed to save them money and it doesn't or it takes to long to pay back. When you have problems with a striped down system it's always more problems or more expensive to repair than if it was done right the first time. Valves or $50/ isolation flanges at each circ shouldn't be the determining factor, if you can afford it. Never heard of anyone complaining about them when they changed a circ or device.

Pump location is all preference, it doesn't matter to the pump where it's at as far as performance. This includes that no part of an open loop zone should be above the waterline.

[Scott7m]

When that happens I do try to make it right later.  I am a believer in this,  "Do it once, do it right, and never have to do it again."  Sadly, It just doesn't always work out that way.

Amen

This is one of those situations where if they can't afford to do it right, then maybe they shouldn't have one at all. There's plenty of stories where it was all supposed to save them money and it doesn't or it takes to long to pay back. When you have problems with a striped down system it's always more problems or more expensive to repair than if it was done right the first time. Valves or $50/ isolation flanges at each circ shouldn't be the determining factor, if you can afford it. Never heard of anyone complaining about them when they changed a circ or device.

Pump location is all preference, it doesn't matter to the pump where it's at as far as performance. This includes that no part of an open loop zone should be above the waterline.

Haha you need to come to ky a while.  I was cussed like a sailor about an hour ago for pricing a guy a stove for $5995.  He said ok, thats not bad someone else told me $9000.  Im like ok but this is just the stove price, id have to come see your place or talk to you in great detail to price it all to you. 

oddly enough it infuriated him and he used an analogy ive heard a few times, he said u dont sell someone a blankity blankin new car without the wheels.  I tried to explain but gave up, he left cussin like a sailor... 

Thats the kinda customers you don't want anyway.  Had another lady here saying she would never buy a water furnace because everyone she knows says they freeze up when you need them most. 

if my customers have the option of buying all unions and all the valving I think they should have, most always skimp, but they end up paying for it later one way or the other, and to them, its usually fine because they didnt have it to begin with. 

[skorpyd]

Well, I'm a DIY'er and did put in a bypass and unions at the furnace heat exchanger.   I also put in unions at the boiler inlet and outlets and isolated my pump which is in the basement.  I also will be hooking up a sidearm to the DHW and left in place a by pass to hook that up when I get my new water heater, hopefully this week.    I also put in tee's with dry wells for in and out of the boiler temp gauges.

This was all due to research and help from this site and the very helpful people on it.

[oldchenowth]

I did mine myself and isolated everything I could think of.  Just like any other plumbimg job, I put a few extra shut offs in line for future expansion or failsafe.

Scott, you are right that noone at Home Depot or Menards will know what you are looking for, but they do sell the stuff.  All of mine were bought at Menards, but I had to search 4 different places for the components.  Ball valves in 1 area, flanges in another, pex fittings two aisles over.  I laid mine out right on the floor of the store to make sure I had everything and bought extra this or that to cover my sorry butt when I was neck deep in the basement.  Thank God for a good return dept.