Written by Greg Tubbs, Application Engineer
As installers and service techs know, time is of the essence! Whether it's a new boiler installation or maintenance call - routine or emergency - efficiency is critical. As we in the field know, expect the unexpected.
Boiler work can be time intensive, especially in older systems. Snags include missing isolation valves, leaky components, and hard-to-get-to components. For this discussion, let's zero in on the air vent. It's a small component but critical for air removal within a boiler system (learn more about oxygen-related-issues from this interesting link). Common in many systems is a single, float-type air vent. The vent served its purpose during the last service call and was then closed off to prevent a leak. It's now your turn to service the system. After making the repair, the system needs to be repressurized and air purged. Enter the leaking air vent.
As a former service technician, I have been through this too many times! Fixing one problem may reveal several other unseen issues. The air vent is usually the first. As air is purging, suddenly water starts to spurt out. The light spurt leads to a non-stop trickle. The only way to stop the water from coming out is to tighten down the cap. It is no longer an automatic air vent. Now what?
Don't panic. It's possible that the air vent could be serviceable. You may be able to remove the cover and float and clean the debris out of the needle valve! This is only possible with certain air vents, I realize. If the vent is not serviceable, it will need to be replaced.
The tiniest particles of debris reside in just about every system. When you make a repair and repressurize the system for purging, you stand a chance of stirring up debris. Having serviceable components like a quality air vent or separator will make your task easier next time you go to that job! It saves time and the customer money.
To see what is going on inside a MINICAL Air Vent, check out this quick video on our YouTube Channel.
