Neal Lewis Posted September 19, 2012 Report Share Posted September 19, 2012 This hydronic heating system has been converted from gravity to circulated with a pump. This seems to be the original piping at the radiators. There is no pipe at the other end of the radiator. There must be some type of internal flow control for the water to circulate through the radiator. Anybody seen this before? Click to Enlarge 37.21 KB Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tom Raymond Posted September 19, 2012 Report Share Posted September 19, 2012 That radiator is still gravity fed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kurt Posted September 20, 2012 Report Share Posted September 20, 2012 Are you sure it isn't an old single pipe steam system that someone (kind of) retrofit to a circulated hot water system? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steven Hockstein Posted September 20, 2012 Report Share Posted September 20, 2012 Did you run it for a while? It would be interesting to see the temperature difference between the valve side piping and the opposite side of the radiator. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bill Kibbel Posted September 20, 2012 Report Share Posted September 20, 2012 I remember it being called a "Unique Valve" and I think it was made by Honeywell. It contains a double gate in the cylinder that either diverts water into the radiator in one position, or bypassing it when in the other position. I think I have a diagram of this valve in a book somewhere. I'll look for it when I get done today. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tom Raymond Posted September 20, 2012 Report Share Posted September 20, 2012 Kibble is a machine. Scroll down to pages 23/24. Honeywell Unique Valve Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Terence McCann Posted September 20, 2012 Report Share Posted September 20, 2012 Kibble is a machine. Truly. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bill Kibbel Posted September 20, 2012 Report Share Posted September 20, 2012 Here's an illustration from 500 Plain Answers to Direct Questions on Steam, Hot water, Vapor and Vacuum Heating: by Alfred King, published in 1915: Click to Enlarge 32.32 KB I like the illustration in the link that Tom posted. Gee thanks Tom - now I have to locate and purchase that Honeywell booklet. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Neal Lewis Posted September 20, 2012 Author Report Share Posted September 20, 2012 Thanks Bill. There was an unused expansion tank in the attic. It was definitely a gravity system retrofitted with a circulator pump. I didn't run the system for too long. It was a hot day and a 300,000 btu boiler. I would've had to run it for an hour to heat up the radiators. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Kogel Posted September 21, 2012 Report Share Posted September 21, 2012 That truly is a unique valve. Thanks, Bill. And thanks, Tom, I have bookmarked the little Honeywell Booklet for a winter read. I wonder if some of their success in the business stemmed from their ability to explain so well how their systems worked? I can picture the family huddled around the stove while Dad read in the brochure how they were finally going to heat the whole house. [] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steven Hockstein Posted September 21, 2012 Report Share Posted September 21, 2012 That is cool. Never have seen it in person. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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