wood boiler wont circulate with oil boiler

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Yukontools

New Member
Dec 24, 2014
9
Alaska
I had a plumber solder all my lines from the Tarm boiler to the house(I have sold but am working with the new owner on it) and in the process the lumber got excess solder in the system and it caused my circ pump to fail small balls of solder stuck in the vanes/fins on Grundfos. The new owner did some trouble shooting and we later determined the problem with the ump. However, in the process a couple valves were messed with and I am trying to figure out how they have to be set to allow for the wood boiler to circulate into the oil boiler, There is a hose bib on both the supply and return line in the house and when they are connected with a common hose the wood boiler circulates without a problem. The question is why the wood boiler will not feed into the oil boiler. The picture shows the two valves and direction of flow. In the picture the FROM arrow is coming off a Tee the flows to the top of the oil boiler. In actuality I think this is where the mixing happens. The system worked for 3 weeks without problem, so the piping has been in place for 8 years. I used the Tarm for 5 years prior to selling the house. I relocated it closer to the house as it was in a detached garage that was not part of the house sale. The Tarm is now 20 feet from the house in it own shed. BTW I live in remote Alaska and there are no boiler shops in town. If I had access to a boiler man I would have had them come over.
valves.png
Thanks.

Jon
 
Last edited:
Jon, the top valve should be fully open. The valve on the vertical pipe looks like a mixing valve. It should be closed or partially open if mixing is required for return water temp protection - assuming there is no thermostatic valve on the wood boiler.
 
Hydronics said:
Jon, the top valve should be fully open. The valve on the vertical pipe looks like a mixing valve. It should be closed or partially open if mixing is required for return water temp protection - assuming there is no thermostatic valve on the wood boiler.
Click to expand...
Thanks I'll try that.

Jon
 
Hydronics. That was tried this afternoon with no success. I will do some searching on Tarm's to see if there is something that is restricting flow if the pressure is at or around 13. I assume the oil system and wood system will have a static pressure as they are plumbed together. Frustrating.
 
Is that middle valve closed? That middle valve looks like a bypass...try closing it....
 
GENECOP said:
Is that middle valve closed? That middle valve looks like a bypass...try closing it....
Click to expand...
I looked at the boiler this afternoon and the new owner had the bleeder valve closed so when I opened it air surged throughout the boiler room. He is building a fire so it doesn't shock the olil system and will open the lines to see if it circulates. Thanks for the ideas. Merry Christmas.

Jon
 
Yukontools said:
I had a plumber solder all my lines from the Tarm boiler to the house(I have sold but am working with the new owner on it) and in the process the lumber got excess solder in the system and it caused my circ pump to fail small balls of solder stuck in the vanes/fins on Grundfos. The new owner did some trouble shooting and we later determined the problem with the ump. However, in the process a couple valves were messed with and I am trying to figure out how they have to be set to allow for the wood boiler to circulate into the oil boiler, There is a hose bib on both the supply and return line in the house and when they are connected with a common hose the wood boiler circulates without a problem. The question is why the wood boiler will not feed into the oil boiler. The picture shows the two valves and direction of flow. In the picture the FROM arrow is coming off a Tee the flows to the top of the oil boiler. In actuality I think this is where the mixing happens. The system worked for 3 weeks without problem, so the piping has been in place for 8 years. I used the Tarm for 5 years prior to selling the house. I relocated it closer to the house as it was in a detached garage that was not part of the house sale. The Tarm is now 20 feet from the house in it own shed. BTW I live in remote Alaska and there are no boiler shops in town. If I had access to a boiler man I would have had them come over.
View attachment 148459
Thanks.

Jon
Click to expand...
Man I hate when a plumber solders without first protecting the area around whats being soldered. I see the solder splash all over the boiler shell.
 
KenLockett said:
Man I hate when a plumber solders without first protecting the area around whats being soldered. I see the solder splash all over the boiler shell.
Click to expand...
Yeah I am particular!
 
Yukontools said:
I looked at the boiler this afternoon and the new owner had the bleeder valve closed so when I opened it air surged throughout the boiler room. He is building a fire so it doesn't shock the olil system and will open the lines to see if it circulates. Thanks for the ideas. Merry Christmas.

Jon
Click to expand...
Update: the new owner pulled a side cover off and found a hole in the jacket, hence no circulation. I believe this would have happened when my pump failed and the boiler went into idle as the system got too hot. Maybe time for a new post on welding jackets which I assume are stainless.
 
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