Re-Plumbed

[jebatty]

Finished today fixing almost all of the plumbing mistakes I made last Fall when I installed the Tarm. Two pix below. Changes were to get the plumbing "out of the way" and more compact. Rather than running along the floor of my shop, I raised it all to follow a beam that crosses the shop, as the boiler is one side of the shop and the 1000 gallon LP storage tank is on the other side. Also moved the circ and put in isolation valves, moved the filter to right before the plate hx and put in isolation valves. Also isolation valves on the LP tank.

As I had to disconnect the plate hx, I back-flushed it. The boiler side was clean, but a lot of debris flushed out of the storage tank side. I think most of it came from the new black pipe between the filter and the hx. Which leads to a suggestion: if you are installing black pipe, do your best to flush/clean it before putting it into operation. Mine had lots of debris on the inside of the [Chinese] made pipe.

The piping on the boiler side is 1-1/4 to 1 on the plate hx. On the tank side piping is 1 on the plate hx to 3/4 everywhere else. Taco 007 on the tank side, Taco 009 (one I had on hand) on the boiler side. Hx is 5 x 12 x 30 plate.

Yet to do next year: switch out the galvanized fittings on the boiler side to black iron, replace the 009 with an 007, put isolation valves on the boiler circ, and re-route the plumbing for the overheat loop.

Fired it up to test all of the joints for leaks. Three loads of wood, none of them full, brought the tank from 65 to 140. No leaks. The boiler system is ready for fall and winter. The shop will be warm.

 

[mpilihp]

Hi Jim, Im curious is the filter on one of the lines going to the propane tank? If so on what side? And are you filling tank from top and drawing heat from the top, IE flowing water in both directions? Just wondering cause it would seam the filter would only work in one way and when flowed in the other way release debris again.

Also, you have a HX plate, is this for DHW or is it used to transfer heat to/from the propane tank??

~ PHil

 

[jebatty]

This system heats my shop, and the LP tank serves as a large radiator for that purpose. That's why it is only partially insulated. It is the one and only "zone."

The circ pump on the tank draws from a dip tube to the bottom of the tank. The other pipe on the tank is the hot water to the tank. It is an L shaped pipe, with the horizontal leg inside the tank and "shooting" water towards the far end of the tank and away from the dip tube.

In this scenario I am moving water only from the tank, through the filter to the hx, and then return to the tank.

I use an hx because my boiler is filled with a 50% antifreeze solution, and the LP tank is all water. It separates the two sides of the system.

A little unusual or unique system, but it serves me very well and efficiently. It is almost as simple as a system can be.

 

[mpilihp]

Hi Jim thanks, about the filter does that mean wanter is only pumped in ONE direction through the filter? So your charging the tank from the top but then drawing water from the bottom to heat your zones with?? I would think you would want to draw the water to heat the zones with from the top, use the hotes water?

~ Phil

 

[jebatty]

Water is only pumped from the tank bottom (dip tube), through the filter, to the hx, and return to the tank top. I use the tank itself as a large radiator to heat my shop, and there is no separate pumping from the tank, only to charge it.