AirElimination-TacoInc.PDFVIP

Taco Radiant Made Easy Application Guide Technical Documents Air Elimination from Hydronic Heating Systems TD11 EFFECTIVE: December 1, 2004 SUPERSEDES: New The vast majority of hydronic heating systems are designed as closed-loop systems.The water they contain remains in the system for years, often the entire life of the system. To function properly such systems must rid themselves of air that’s always present when the system is first filled and oper- ated. Not doing so can lead to several problems including: • Flow stoppage in portions of the system due to air binding • Inefficient circulator operation because of the compressibility of water / air mixtures • Noise in the system due to water cascading in piping containing air • Internal corrosion of ferrous components due to dissolved oxygen in the water In most systems air elimination can be broken into two stages: 1. Elimination of “bulk air” when the system is first filled 2. Elimination of dissolved air when the system is first operated. BULK AIR REMOVAL The vast majority of the air in a newly constructed FAST FILL BALL VALVE (OPEN DURING PURGING) hydronic system (or an existing system that has been drained) is best removed by forced-water purging. FEED WATER (PRESSURE REDUCING) VALVE (OPEN FAST-FILL LEVER DURING PURGING) The schematic in Figure 1 demonstrates the piping VENTED AIR MAKE-UP and valve arrangement often used for such purging. WATER