by High Performance HVAC | Boilers |

Hot Water Boiler Piping Zone Valves - Boiler piping zone valves are used for zoning hot water systems where multiple zones are needed. Hot water system zoning can also reduce energy cost because hot water heat zones which are not needed can be shut down thereby reducing boiler runtime to provide hot water heat for those specific zones.
Zoning a hot water boiler system can be done by using these zone valves and separate thermostats for each zone. The boiler piping loop is separated using zone valves on a manifold type system with each zone originating at the manifold. The manifold is piped directly to the boiler. (more…)
by High Performance HVAC | Commercial HVAC |
Chilled Water Storage Tank | Critical Facilities - Data centers use redundant systems for back-ups in case of an emergency. An HVAC chilled water storage tank adds an extra layer of redundancy to the process so if the chilled water plants crash the chilled water storage tank or tanks will provide a small cushion of time to allow the operating engineers time to straighten things out or in a worst-case scenario allow time for the servers in the data center to be transferred to another data center and shut down. (more…)
by High Performance HVAC | Commercial HVAC |

Chilled Water System Basics - Chilled water systems work much the same way as direct expansion systems work. The exception is they use water in the coil rather than refrigerant. Technically speaking, water can be classified as a refrigerant. Chilled Water systems can be rather complex and many chilled water systems are found in commercial and industrial applications. There are some chilled water systems used in residential applications. (more…)
by High Performance HVAC | Boilers |

Aquastat is the gray box on the left while the circulator is the black pump on the right.
Aquastat Temperature Control - The boiler aquastat controls the temperature of the water inside the boiler jacket. The boiler aquastat is a device to a boiler like a thermostat is to an air conditioner, heat pump, or gas/oil furnace. A boiler aquastat controls the temperature inside the boiler just as the thermostat controls the temperature for an air conditioner or heat pump.
The boiler aquastat will turn the burners on and off and also controls the circulator pump on a hot water boiler system.
(more…)
by High Performance HVAC | Boilers |

HVAC Near Boiler Piping Components - HVAC near boiler piping is very important to a good hot boiler loop circulation of the water. Hot water loop piping is key to maintaining good water flow throughout the system. The placement of valves, the circulator pump, and other loop controls are generally installed near the boiler. (more…)
by High Performance HVAC | Boilers |

The automatic air vent is found in the piping system of water loops. If air is introduced into the water loop system it eventually finds its way to the automatic air vent where it is vented. The automatic air vents are located throughout the system. Automatic air vents may also be found throughout any hydronic loop system. A hydronic loop is a water loop.
These water loops can be for hot water or chilled water. Any hydronic loop needs an air management system or automatic air bleeder system to keep the air out of the system otherwise, the air will be up in the system and air will block or prevent the flow of water throughout the loop. Water naturally has air in it. Air vents help the water loop by: (more…)
by High Performance HVAC | Commercial HVAC |
Watts Backflow Preventers | Water Safety - Backflow preventers are necessary on water loops where the water is used in a hydronic loop that heats or cools the water through a boiler or chiller system. This Watts backflow preventer is installed on a large boiler system that heats thousands of gallons of water. The hydronic loops are designed to be hermetic. However, there is always some loss of water somewhere in the system.
For safety purposes to prevent the boiler from losing all of its water, a make-up water loop is connected to the loop. The make-up water feed needs backflow preventers installed in the pipe to prevent any of the boiler or chilled water from getting back to a domestic water feed for the make-up water. (more…)
by High Performance HVAC | Boilers |
Boiler Troubleshooting Problems for Hydronic Heating Systems - Troubleshooting boiler problems will depend on what the problem is with the boiler. The scope of this article will cover the basic boiler problems that can occur with a boiler. Advice for troubleshooting the basic problems with the boiler. Many of these problems will require the attention of a professional boiler technician. Boiler technicians are available at either your local plumbing contractor or HVAC contractor. (more…)