Designer's Guide

Get t i ng i nt o hot w at er (c i r c ul at i on)

By Ti mot hy Al l i nson, P.E.
Murray Company, Long Beach, Calif.
When working for a design-build plumbing contractor, one of the biggest challenges of commissioning
a new project is balancing the hot water circulation system. In the case of a large residential building,
such as a high-rise condominium, it is usually the biggest challenge by far. This is true because of the
number of hot water risers (often 60 or more per zone, with multiple zones) and the potential for
hidden field conditions. Another factor is the "adjustments" made by some condominium owners the
minute they take possession of their condos.
In September 2003 I wrote an article about designing hot water circulation systems. Since then, the
more systems I see installed, the more familiar I become with the myriad problems that arise between
design, installation and commissioning.
First, it is very important to install automatic air vent valves (AVV) at trapped high points of the
circulation system. This is particularly true when the water heaters and circ pump are at the top of the
system. Not only does trapped air become a problem during the initial start-up of the system but also
water releases air from solution as it is heated. The air released from the heated water will tend to get
trapped at piping high points over time. Since the circulating pumps are often of fractional horsepower,
they do not have enough "oomph" to push or pull this air through the piping. When enough air collects
in the pipe, it will completely stop the circulation for that part of the system -- sometimes the entire
system. Finding these air pockets is hard when they are buried behind walls or, more commonly,
above ceilings.
Second, it is important to have enough flow through each riser to be able to balance the system within
the practical limitations of the balancing valve or device. A practical minimum would be 0.5 to 1 gpm
per riser, even if the heat loss calculations generate flow rates less than this. Equally important as the
flow rate is the type of balancing device that is used.
B&G, Victaulic and others make balancing valves that are essentially ball valves with calibrated scales
and pressure measuring ports that can be used to accurately determine and set the flow rate across
the valve. Another option is to use fixed-flow orifices, such as those manufactured by Griswald and
others, to maintain a predetermined flow rate. However, these devices must be used with caution in
areas with hard water; they have small orifices that may become clogged with calcium and may stop
working if the water is hard. In areas with soft water or in areas where the hot water system is
softened, these devices are an excellent option.
Regular ball valves or (preferably) globe valves can also be used to balance systems where flow rate
is not so precise; if these regular valves are used, however, they carry the risk of being opened or
closed by maintenance personnel, unknowingly disrupting the balancing point.
Third, cross connections present one of the most common and challenging problems to resolve when
commissioning a hot water circulation system. Cross connections are system points where the hot
water and cold water piping are connected without a valve or device to prevent them from mixing.
When cross connections occur, it is usually the cold water that enters the hot water system, since the
pressure on the cold side is usually slightly higher, as it does not experience the pressure drop
through the water heaters. Due to the pressure introduced by the circulation pumps, however, the hot
water may sometimes enter the cold water system at cross connections.
Cross connections can occur by mistake, when the installing plumber forgets to remove a cross
connection intentionally installed during system pressure testing. They can occur through shower
valves, if the valve does not have check-stops and if the valve is left open with a cap on the shower
arm or partially open diverter. They can occur if the shower valve check-stops get hung up with debris
or if the valve piston itself gets stuck in the partially open position. Cross connections can occur
through commercial kitchen sink spray faucets if check-stops are not provided on the supplies. They
can occur at electronic sensor faucets that deliver tempered water if the supplies are not provided with
check valves. In short, there are a host of places and ways that cross connections can occur, and
finding them can be a challenging task.
On one recent project, a condo owner installed a series of body sprays and diverters in his shower
immediately after he moved in. Ironically, this was done in a building that was LEED rated, priding
itself on its water conservation. Clearly, this owner was not so concerned, replacing the 1.75 gpm
shower head with about 8 gpm of body sprays and creating a cross connection in the process.
Problems such as this are the hardest to find, because getting access to a unit once it is occupied can
be difficult, if not impossible. Once found, however, all eyes quickly turn away from the plumbing
engineer or contractor and fall directly on the owner.
Fourth and last, one of the most common errors in hot water circulation design is attempting to
balance a system through a PRV, mixing water at multiple pressures. I have said it before, and I will
carve it on my gravestone (or urn, as the case may be): "Thou shall not circulate water through a
PRV."
Once pressure has been reduced to create a separate pressure zone, the water cannot be
reintroduced to the main water heaters operating at a higher pressure. No matter how the circulation
pumps are configured, the system will never stay balanced in such a scenario. Once water is reduced
in pressure, there either needs to be an entirely separate water heating system, or the circulated water
must be boosted in temperature within its reduced pressure loop. This can be done quite simply with
an electric booster heater, but it needs to be sized and selected carefully. Pipe connection sizes and
the (commercial) duty of the heater need to be given priority to minimize pressure losses through the
unit and to prevent the elements from burning out. Keep in mind that this heater will be operating the
majority of the time -- much more frequently than the average water heater.
Sizing an electric heater of this sort is done quite simply, by multiplying the flow rate by the associated
design temperature drop and converting to KW.
KW =gpm x delta-T x 0.146
If the system flow rate is 30 gpm and the calculated temperature drop is 5 degrees, the KW is:
KW =30 x 5 x 0.146 =22 KW
So, in this example, a commercial duty heater with 22 KW of heat would do the job. Providing a heater
with a storage buffer, such as 50 gallons, will help compensate for any unanticipated fluctuations in
flow rate or temperature drop.
Timothy Allinson is a Senior Professional Engineer with Murray Company, Mechanical Contractors, in
Long Beach, Calif. Prior to entering the design-build industry he worked for Popov Engineers, Inc. in
Irvine, Calif, and JB&B in New York City. Tim holds a BSME from Tufts University and an MBA from
New York University. He is a professional engineer licensed in both mechanical and fire protection
engineering in various states, and is a leed Accredited Professional. Tim is a past-president of ASPE,
both the New York and Orange County Chapters, and sits on the board of the Society of American
Military Engineers, Orange County Post.
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