Outdoor Wood Furnace Info

All-Purpose OWF Discussions => Plumbing => Topic started by: allis48 on November 28, 2013, 05:02:38 PM

Title: fitting leaking lok at this
Post by: allis48 on November 28, 2013, 05:02:38 PM
Inside of the one end is all pitted and the other end looks fine. This is only two years old going on third season. Bad fitting otr something else causing this?
Title: Re: fitting leaking lok at this
Post by: slimjim on November 29, 2013, 05:00:28 AM
I'm going to bet there was a pocket of air at that fitting that never got removed.
Title: Re: fitting leaking lok at this
Post by: Scott7m on November 29, 2013, 08:28:52 AM
Are you using a broeder 3 speed?  What is length of run

Ive heard to much flow can pit and wear fittings but never seen it first hand
Title: Re: fitting leaking lok at this
Post by: allis48 on November 29, 2013, 02:38:07 PM
I was running the broeder 3 speed for the first two pumps i was running them on middle speed but now it has a  bell and gossett pl36. Its is a 30 foot run but its about 10 feet above ground cause it a hanging wall heater.
Title: Re: fitting leaking lok at this
Post by: allis48 on March 02, 2014, 05:55:58 AM
Hey Guys I still need help here with these fittings. I had to change 3 of them this season and this one was already changed around thanksgiving. What is the problem/s? Is there anyother fitting that I can use that will hold up better?
Title: Re: fitting leaking lok at this
Post by: slimjim on March 02, 2014, 06:04:37 AM
I think you will find that air elimination is going to be the key, I would bet the deteriorated portion of the fitting is on the outbound side am I right?
Title: Re: fitting leaking lok at this
Post by: allis48 on March 02, 2014, 06:24:52 AM
I can't remember which way it was this is the other end of same fitting not as bad but still started. This one (changed twice this season) is on inlet side of heat exchanger the other one I chnged this year was on outlet side of same exchanger.Do you think I should replace it with a tee ans short peice of pex and ball valve to bleed off air?
Title: Re: fitting leaking lok at this
Post by: slimjim on March 02, 2014, 06:56:54 AM
When you say heat exchanger, water to water or water to air? what I'm looking for,  is that fitting in the pressurized or non pressurized side of the system, it will be impossible to eliminate air in the non pressurized side but air elimination on the pressurized side is easy, resistance in those 90's are way up there can you eliminate some of them or use long radius 90's
Title: Re: fitting leaking lok at this
Post by: Sprinter on March 02, 2014, 08:47:15 AM
How does air erode brass?  There is a known problem called zinc depletion from chloride levels in some brass pex fittings, but I don't think this is the case in a boiler.  The zinc problem usually has lots of crusty build up that's blue ish white. That brass surface looks like erosion? Any  copper in the system other than Air handler.
Title: Re: fitting leaking lok at this
Post by: allis48 on March 02, 2014, 09:54:19 AM
This is what I m working on the red line I changed twice this season the blue once. It is none pressurized. I have a total of two elbows on this loop both in this picture. I have a total of 6 on house loop haven't changed any of them yet.
Title: Re: fitting leaking lok at this
Post by: Sprinter on March 03, 2014, 08:28:53 AM
So you've gone thru 2 pumps and on a third?  Does the pl36 only serve the 30' pex and air handler? If that's all it is in the loop, there's probably no temp diff in S&R lines with water flowing 50mph.
Can you hear the water flowing in the pipe
Title: Re: fitting leaking lok at this
Post by: LittleJohn on March 03, 2014, 10:38:46 AM
What kind of GPM you running thru the fittings, cause you should try and keep water velocities below 8ft/s ( or you get this little thing called erosion)  :o which maybe what you are seeing.  It woudl be very interesting if you also knew which way the water was flowing thru the fitting might lead you down the path to an answer.
Title: Re: fitting leaking lok at this
Post by: allis48 on March 03, 2014, 04:57:30 PM
By looking back out some of my other pics from before it it the outlet side of the fittings that is the worse. I have about 15 degree drop from one side to the other
Title: Re: fitting leaking lok at this
Post by: CRJR on May 13, 2014, 11:23:46 AM
Do a Google search for "dezincification"
Title: Re: fitting leaking lok at this
Post by: Sprinter on May 13, 2014, 02:50:18 PM
I think that was an older problem, even the lawsuits are over. But its possible he has some very old stock. The zinc problem was more of a pitting and lots of whitish blueish calcium looking buildup. You'd find it mostly on the ribs where the crimp seals. You would have a nice size pin hole in the elbow or leaks at the ribs.
Title: Re: fitting leaking lok at this
Post by: CRJR on May 13, 2014, 02:59:12 PM
One of the guys I work with has had to replace 2 elbows in his system in the last 3-4 months because of the exact same type of pitting in his fittings. The dezincification was just a thought.
Title: Re: fitting leaking lok at this
Post by: CRJR on May 13, 2014, 03:01:02 PM
I hope someone on here can help
Title: Re: fitting leaking lok at this
Post by: gainerspot on May 19, 2014, 08:05:35 PM
When I do my install I was going to avoid using 90 and use PEX Bend Supports.  You just put your pex pipe in it and it curves the 90.

 http://www.amazon.com/SharkBite-23051-Supports-Polymer-4-Inch/dp/B007AGKHIW/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1400551226&sr=8-3&keywords=PEX+Bend+Supports (http://www.amazon.com/SharkBite-23051-Supports-Polymer-4-Inch/dp/B007AGKHIW/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1400551226&sr=8-3&keywords=PEX+Bend+Supports)

I would also read up selecting the correct circulators and make sure that you have the right pump for your application.  Here is a great link.

 http://www.taco-hvac.com/uploads/FileLibrary/SelectingCirculators.pdf (http://www.taco-hvac.com/uploads/FileLibrary/SelectingCirculators.pdf)
Title: Re: fitting leaking lok at this
Post by: Sprinter on May 19, 2014, 08:42:19 PM
That is good practice, we only use 90's when absolute necessary