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Heating system repair Q&A

Heating system installation, repair, maintenance questions & answers set #2:

More frequently-asked questions & replies on how to troubleshoot & repair heating systems in buildings.

These heating system articles answer questions about all types of building heating systems and describe how to inspect, diagnose, and repair heating system problems, how to cut heating bills, and heating system safety, heating system efficiency and heating trouble-shooting advice.

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Heating System Q&A Set #5

Smith cast iron boiler data tag information (C) Daniel FriedmanThese questions & answers about troubleshooting heating systems in buildings were posted originally

at HEATING SYSTEMS - home - that's a place to start diagnostics for your heating system type and its problems. aces, and other equipment

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See our index to questions & answers about installing or repairing heating systems & controls at

HEATING SYSTEM FAQs- index


I want to separate one large zone into four separate zones

I want to separate one large zone into four separate zones. current setup is a b&g pump controlled by a Honeywell 845a relay. i would like to have four thermostats controlling 4 Honeywell zone valves (about 30 feet away from pump and boiler)

Not sure how to do this will a simple 4 zone controller do the trick like a taco zvc404? One more thing to note there are three other pumps in system each controlled individually by Honeywell 845a's. On 2018-04-02 by charlie

Reply by (mod) -

Yes a four-zone controller connected to four thermostats and four zone valves will do what you want providfed that your existing piping for the actual heating water is already divided into four separable piping loops.

Otherwise you're going to need a plumber first.


I like to have a pilot light when each zone valve opens

I have hydronic heating with Honeywell zone valves and Omron relays with the zone valves 24 volt and I like to have a pilot light when the valve opens.

I tried to connect a 24 volt light to the end switch but the that wire on Omron is hot all the time .

I put one pilot wire with the pump but I have 2 valves to each pump . How can I have a pilot on each valve ?

I should be able to use the thermostat but that did not work either .Should the end switch wire be hot all the time ? On 2018-03-23 by Gene LAIR

Reply by (mod) -

Gene

I don't understand your requirement. Typically in US installations the zone valve end switch turns on the circulator and boilet temperature turns on the burner.

I am trying to put a pilot light on for each zone they are 24 volt but the are all hot all the time .

I am trying to put a pilot light on for each zone they are 24 volt but the are all hot all the time .

Is this normal I also tried to put it on the thermostat wire but it appears hot all the timeas well. only one not hat are the white wire which ios the one wire from thermostat and transformer which are tied togather.

which I brought over to the end switch wire on right side . Then a red wire to the Omron switch . So how could I connect a pilot light to that I do have one pilot light on the pump but I got 2 pumps for each zone valve. On 2018-03-24 by Gene

Reply by (mod) -

Gene

If you mean that your heating zones never turn off then you have a problem with the thermostats, thermostat wiring (such as wires mis-connected or shorted together), or (less likely) you are in unusually cold weather and your heating system cannot deliver enough heat.

Compare the actual room temperature to the SET temperature on the room thermostats.

I cannot give advice for a non-standard pilot light control. A mistake can burn down the building or blow it up.

I want to force my pilot lights or burners to stay on

It is all working ok I just wanted to put a pilot light on there . I don't have a problem with it .

How can you tell which one is the hot wire on 24 volt you cannot connect the yellow to the same white wire as 110 volt. Maby I should not be trying to connect a pilot wire on there but it just something I wanted to do.

I ment there are 2 zone valves per pump . The zone valves are working great I just wanted a pilot light that would come on when the vale turned on .. OK thank you

Well are the end switch wire shoud it be hot all the time ? It still runs the pump when it should run .

It is just I did not think that those end switch would be hot all the time . On the Omron switch we set it up to have all the power wires to the bottom of the Omron switch and the end switch on the top but that is not the way it ended .

Maybe I should not try to do what I am trying to do . On 2018-03-24 by Gene -

by (mod) - never force the burner to run and never bypass safety controls on a heating boiler

Sorry to be obtuse, Gene but this makes no sense to me.

If you're trying to FORCE your heating boiler's gas burner ON when a thermostat calls for heat (thus turning on the zone valve) that shouldn't be necessary, as I explained earlier: the water temperature turns on the burner.

Watch out: You certainly don't want to ever force a burner on past or circumventing the aquastat nor any other safety control - such a system would be unsafe.

In Canada systems are wired differently from the U.S.: often a hydronic heating system circulator runs continuously all during the heating season and the thermostat operates the boiler. Perhaps that's closer to what you want.

 

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