New Yorker Piping Plan This One Seems Best

[Wood Pirate]

This seems to be alot simpler than my last plan.
I feel like my head is going to explode from thinking about this so much.

I didnt draw in the dump zone yet but this seems to be my best bet.

 

[Wood Pirate]

Some of you guys were saying I should have a circulator for the oil boiler and a circulator for the wood boiler. In this sketch I show my existing circulator.
Where would the second circulator go?

 

[Nofossil]

Like this?

 

[ssupercoolss]

paul - i am no way an expert, but my drawing is quite similar. i call mine a series hookup, with the ability to take the wood boiler out of the loop, for when i go away on weekends. which means my return from the radiators goes to my wood boiler first. so i plan on having 2 circulators, one for each boiler. not sure what the ruling is on this or not, but i think you want your oil boiler after your wood boiler. if you are planning on using the dhw from the coil in the oil boiler, it seems that wont be the warmest of water. like i said...im not the expert here. my head is starting to spin from trying to figure out the controls i need.

 

[Wood Pirate]

Future Boiler
Thanks for the info. Would you be able to attach a sketch of what you have for comparison? What type of boiler are you using?

Thanks
Paul

 

[Wood Pirate]

Using my diagram I can isolate the oil boiler and not use the wood boiler. One of things I have been thinking about is if I can have two small Taco circulator pumping at the same time. One closer to the oil boiler and one closer to the wood boiler. Not sure if this makes a difference. Or if I should put a larger circulator in. Still have a bunch of questions about my dump zone as well.

 

[ssupercoolss]

i will post up my diagram - it will take me a day or so though.....its at home and i will have to scan it here at work. i will need the guys on the board look mine over as well.

 

[ssupercoolss]

paul - heres my diagram - i hope. i think i probably need to tweek it some, i know theres been some discussion on where the circulator should be mounted theses days. (return or supply)

heres the link cause i seem to be having problems. - http://www.flickr.com/photos/15042463@N03/2886941445/

 

[Wood Pirate]

Got your diagram. Very similar.
I am unfamiliar with a 3 way valve. How does that work?

 

[ssupercoolss]

three way ball valve - basicaly it will select where the return water is to go - it will stop the flow to the oil boiler, and open the flow to the wood boiler, or vise versa. heres one - (broken link removed)

neat item but not cheap.

 

[Wood Pirate]

Gotcha. So it is a manual ball valve that operates more than one direction. So you are basically installing on valve instead of three ball valves.
I thought it was automatically controlled when one boiler goes off.


On a different note, when switching one boiler to the other on your diagram do you have to manually shut off one of the circulators? If not how do the circulators switch?

 

[Nofossil]

I didn't explain the schematic that I posted above, but it has some possible benefits. From a control point of view, each circulator is controlled by the associated boiler so that it runs only when that boiler is active. That's the way circulators generalyy work anyway.

Both circulators need to have integral flow check valves. Both Taco and Grundfos make circulators with these check valves, and there's typically very little added cost.

In operation, either boiler can run without having to heat the other. No extra valves are required.

Some control gymnastics are necessary. In a zone valve system, typically there are switches on the zone valves that provide a contact closure when the zone valve is open. This contact closure usually turns on the oil boiler. You'd want an aquastat or manual switch to disable the oil boiler when the wood boiler is hot.