Closing down a heating zone for the winter

[machinistbcb]

My Father has asked me to help close off a baseboard hot water zone in a area of his house that he wants to close off for the winter. What and how is the best way to close off a zone and make sure there is no water in the pipes that could freeze.

Thanks, Brian

 

[BrownianHeatingTech]

Add valves (ball valves, not gate valves) and purge tees (a tee with a boiler drain attached) at each end of the loop. The boiler drains have standard hose connections - make up a fitting so you can connect an air compressor to one end, and blow the water out the other end.

Edited to add: to make a quick-and-dirty fitting for getting air into the piping, just take a washing machine hose and cut it, then connect an air compressor quick-connect fitting to a valve, and install a hose barb in the other end of the valve. Insert the hose barb into the cut end of the washing machine hose, and you're all set.

Joe

 

[Nofossil]

Joe's suggestion is right on the money. If you don't have a high-capacity air compressor, a Shop-Vac does a credible job of sucking water out of plumbing. You'll want to make sure that you don't have any small orifices in the path, but otherwise it does a good job.