"Hydronic Heating System - Taco Vortech Air Separator - Owner Review"
By Ron Stultz
19 September 2011
Updated: 30 November 2015
Summary: absolutely works to get air out of whole house hydronic heating system. Highly recommended. Easy enough do-it-yourself (DIY) install if you have ever cut and soldered copper pipes. Does require replacement of automatic air vent top assembly periodically.
Background:
1960's home bought in 1990 and renovated.
Had hydronic heating system.
New baseboard radiators installed.
Did not replace furnace as only 10 years old.
Did not pay attention when new baseboard radiators installed and plumbers did not install any automatic air vents.
First winter, noise in hydronic heating system on middle floor of 3 story home.
Experimented 6-ways-to-Sunday to try to get middle floor hydronic water flow quiet but just could not get air out.
Taco Vortech Air Separator
After researching air problem, stumbled on Taco Vortech Air Separator.
This automatic air bleed vent is installed right on the output side of the furnace.
Ordered size for my particular output pipes: VRT125-3.
Remember cost of Vortech being $100 or so.
Had to cut copper pipe coming out of furnace, take a chunk out and solder Taco Vortech Air Separator in place.
Not an easy solder as 1.25 inch diameter pipe coming out of my furnace. (Here is where you really need a propane torch with a hose from the cylinder to the torch so you can direct the torch under and on top of the cooper piping).
Filled hydronic system with water and proceeded to circulate cold water through all three zones of my home.
Amazing how much air escaped out the Taco Vortech Air Separator installed Taco HY-VENT automatic air bleed.
Ran cold water through my system for couple of hours and still air hissed out the HY-VENT.
Finally, when I could not hear any more air being released, fired up furnace and let it get hot and send water to all three floors.
Absolutely quiet everywhere.
Since initial install, have had to completely empty hydronic heating system several times for a variety of reason but Taco Vortech Air Separator has always gotten the air out of my system.
If you pay to get it installed:
Although it should not take a skilled plumber more than an hour to install a Taco Vortech Air Separator, he or she will probably have to drain the system of water and then various other furnace or system maintenance tasks.
I would estimate cost of install, to include Taco Vortech Air Separator to be $500 or so.
Taco Vortech Air Separator maintenace:
Last winter, when I fired up furnace, noticed HY-Vent part of Taco Vortech Air Separator was leaking water.
Not a lot of water but enough that it bothered me.
SO, shut down system and getting system water pressure to 0 right at the Taco Vortech Air Separator (depends on your specific system. Mine is easy enough to do without draining entire system.) unscrewed the top of the HY-Vent. (Counterclockwise).
Note here that you do not unscrew the entire HY-Vent, only the top of the vent.
Top of HY-Vent has a rubber float that fits snuggly against the sides of the HY-Vent casing and if the rubber float gets stuck up just a bit, the valve at the top will leak water.
Cleaned inside of HY-Vent case.
Cleaned HY-Vent top rubber float well.
Reassembled and no more leak.
In my case, there is a Taco 419 HY-Vent installed in the Taco Vortech Air Separator, model VRT125-3
Update: 13 Nov 2012. Automatic air vent (HY-Vent) on Taco began leaking again, so bought a new Taco automatic air vent of the type installed in the Vortech Air Separator. With pressure off system, unscrewed top of automatic air vent, cleaned out inside and then installed new top, needle valve and float from new automatic air vent. I suspect this will have to be done every 5-10 years or so.
Update: 30 November 2015: HY-Vent started leaking again. Tried to remove entire HY-Vent unit from Taco but destroyed vent and thus Taco. With new Taco installed (new one has much larger HY-Vent) after a while HY-Vent leaking again but this time I washed entire top in soap and water and leaking stopped. Duh! Says to wash in literature on Taco.