BLEEDING AIR FROM LINES

[Kalen Stickelman]

Morning everyone, hope you are all doing well. Ok so I have a quick question. I just moved a baseboard in my house, and now there is a bunch of air in my lines. I do not have any bleeder valves on any of my baseboards, so I am assuming I will need to do it at the actual boiler.

I drained from the bottom spigot with the red handle, and I did notice some air before I had a constant stream of water. But I think I need to like isolate the zones and bleed that way, just have no idea how to.

Was wondering if anyone can point me in the right direction. I think I need to just shut the zone off at the return end, and just run until air is out. Let me know if this is correct. Thanks everyone.

 

[Diehard]

This may be useful to some.

 

[Kalen Stickelman]

Diehard - thanks man. Did not even realize they were not oriented correctly.

 

[Diehard]

No problem!

I don't have a lot of experience with these systems but it appears to me it should have had one of more drain valves on, what I assume are, the return lines.(The lines on the right with the circulator.)
The reason I say that is, the make-up water is being fed into the system at the boiler drain pipe location(red handle). So, I may be wrong but, that arrangement doesn't force water to circulate through the system.

We'll see what the other, more experience, people say.

Are there any other draw-off valves somewhere? I don't see any.

 

[Kalen Stickelman]

Hey, so look at the first picture & the valves on the right. In front of the ball valves, there is a small yellow valve with a spigot cover. I am thinking maybe those are the ones i need to bleed from.

Going to give it a try when I get home.

 

[Diehard]

Oh, great! I didn't see what those were until I zoomed in on them.
Yeah that's it! That's where you would drain from.
Since the make-up water is controlled by a pressure reducing valve, you may want to open and close the drain valve a bit at a time, to make sure it's not draining faster than the he makeup water is coming in. I'm not sure if that would really be a problem. I saw a YouTube video where that professional thought it would be a good idea to do that. ????

 

[Diehard]

I found these sketches. Pretty close to what you're doing.

 

[wood4d]

You are set up to push water on the right and return on the left. Rather than critique how the plumbing was done, shut off one zone totally, ie shut one ball valve on the right and the matching one on the left. Close the ball valve on the left that you want to bleed and bleed from the boiler drain under that with the zone valves off. I like to put a washer hose in a bucket so you can actually see air bubbles. Do one side and then the other. Loosen the black air cap on the boiler vent behind the circulator and see if its full of water by pushing on the nipple. It is better if you do this while the boiler is cool or off because you are dealing with 180+ water.

 

[fixitron]

I use a utility pump and old washing machine hoses. Open the yellow ball valve for that drain port.Turn off power to boiler and controls. Cool the boiler down to roughly 120 deg or less. Connect a hose from utility pump to boiler drain (red handle in picture). Close valve to pressure feed regulator. Remove the yellow cap from that yellow hose port on the single line zone. Close the zone valves. Put clean water, or water and antifreeze if applicable, into the bucket with the utility pump, about half full. Open boiler drain valve (red handle) and start pumping. Direct the drain hose from the yellow drain port into the bucket and open the ball valve for that drain port.. Once water starts flowing out of the drain hose, into the bucket without large slugs of air, submerge it under the water. Keep pumping until no more air bubbles come out of the drain hose. Keep the pump going and close the valve for that drain port. Move the drain hose to the other drain port and close one of the ball valves for the two zones above it (yellow handle). Then open the ball valve for that drain port. When done purging all air, close the ball valve for that zone (yellow) and open the other valve for the other zone (yellow). When done purging all 3 zones, close the valve for the drain port, then the valve for the boiler drain (red) and then unplug the utility pump. Open yellow handled zone isolation valves and valve to pressure feed regulator.