OWB Plumbing ?

[Subzer008]

Lurk around here but first time posting. Running a Heatmor OWB full time to heat hot water during summer and the full house during the winter. Only issue seems to be its heating the whole house during the summer.

Low down on the system.
OWB pump runs full time into the house. Supply runs into the house and through a backup oil burner. Then runs into 5 zones (1 being hot water) with a Taco 218 Flochek valve at the start. At the end of each zone is a Taco 007-F5 Circulator that turns on when the thermostat calls for heat.

My understanding is that the Flochek will hold the water at the start of the zone until the circulator starts up at the end and pulls the water through. Right now all zones are running hot without getting the call for heat.

I’ve tried replacing either a Flochek or the circulator and seem to have the same issue. Am I just overlooking something stupid?? Or is the OWB pump just pushing the water to much to let the Flochek and circulator do its job?

Thanks for any ideas. Wife isn’t happy with the constant tinkering..... And a hot house.

 

[NSMaple1]

Was it working ok before and this something it just started doing? Or has it been doing this since day 1? You might need to switch to zoning by zone valves instead of circulators.

 

[ChoppyChoppy]

Put in zone valves.

I have one of those Flow Checks, doesn't work.

When my floor heat is running, it gets the sink hot water WAY hot, even though it's not on.

 

[husqvarna257]

I have an OWB as well. I run 1" pex line from where it comes in to the opposite end of the basement where the back up Boiler is. The OWB lines run 24/7 so hot water is flowing 24/7 to a heat exchanger just before the 3 zone Taco circulating pumps, 2 heat one is priority hot water. So as a result the basement gets warm from the constant flow of hot water from the pex lines running the whole length of the basement in and out of the OWB. I simply don't run during the warm months, ie Late May to early Sept. I am not sure what help it would be to run the insulated pex ie "thermopex" all the way in. Would it prevent the heating of the basement? I just live with the heat from the basement because the radiant heat helps heat the house nicely.

 

[NSMaple1]

I just read the OP again.

Is this a recent install? It sounds like the OWB is hooked directly to the inside system? And it really shouldn't be. There should be a heat exchanger in between. Most all indoor boilers & systems aren't designed to be run as an open system. That likely doesn't have anything to do with the problem that was posted about - but could be a source of corrosion for your indoor boiler & system. Or flow issues from lack of pressure.

Or maybe I mis-read the post...

(I also don't burn in the summer for DHW. Decided it wasn't worth it, for me.)

 

[bowtechmadman]

I have independent zone valves and will even shut my manual valves off to everything except DHW in the summer. Last couple summers I haven't burned in the summer just b/c of the residual heat in the basement from the PEX going across the basement, okay the extra work might play a part also.

 

[Guswhit]

I have my inside lines manual valved so I can bypass everything for the summer months if I choose too and the manual valves will prevent any ghost flow or I can isolate each individual area to work on them without having to shut down the whole system. I also got some pipe insulation that I put on the lines as far as the exchanger for the hot water so the heat wouldn't radiate too much .

 

[Subzer008]

I just read the OP again.

Is this a recent install? It sounds like the OWB is hooked directly to the inside system? And it really shouldn't be. There should be a heat exchanger in between. Most all indoor boilers & systems aren't designed to be run as an open system. That likely doesn't have anything to do with the problem that was posted about - but could be a source of corrosion for your indoor boiler & system. Or flow issues from lack of pressure.

Or maybe I mis-read the post...

(I also don't burn in the summer for DHW. Decided it wasn't worth it, for me.)

Not a recent install. Bought the house almost three years ago and was like this many years before that. The oil boiler actually acts as a “backup”. If the OWB every stops providing heat the oil will turn at at the preset temp.

It’s like I almost have to much flow from the pump at the OWB. Water is blowing past the flo-check just past the boiler and the circulator pump on the end of the zone.