Heating Help

X-TROLL TANK

ANYONE EVER GET A DEFECTIVE NEW OUT OF THE BOX X-TROLL TANK ?    30 #    what is recommended foolproof method to test.

just once...

best way to know... and I should do this all the time but I don't is to break out the tire pressure gauge and check.... ya never know! kpc

X-TROL

That is what i thought also. i gotta buy a serious air gauge. the ones i have are very unreliable. thanx for the imput,  bro.  its always something !

Stuck diaphragms...

Amtrol puts a talcum powder on teh face (inside) of the tank to keep the bladder from sticking to it, but I have had numerous tanks with bladder/diaphragms stuck that would not accept any water. Easy enough to fix, but requires removal of the tank to do so. Simply hit it with street water pressure to dislodge the diaphragm, then put it back in.

Rare, but it does happen (with ALL this style of tank, regardless of maker).

Occasionally, up here, the gas charge will be more than 12 PSI, but no biggy there, I suspect it has more to do with the difference in altitude than it does fillers asleep at the switch in the factory. I am sure that is all automated, and we all know that robots don't make mistakes ;-)


ME

Stuck tanks

Had that happen a few times . On initial fill we listen for the POP of the diaphragm at the right pressure ( 12-15 psi ) . Sometimes it'll pop when we're power purging .

Question I asked on Oil Tech Talk .......... Will a domestic expansion tank last longer on a closed loop system ? The inner part of the tank is corrosion proof , but is the bladder stronger ? I'd assume so .

Domestic Tanks on Closed Systems

Hi Ron!
Domestic tanks are made for higher pressure (150 psig but usually limited to 80 psig in service), higher than most residential systems would see, so yes, I would think that they would last longer in the lower pressure/more steady state than a domestic system.

They tend to cost more and I cannot say if there is a reason why not to use them from the manufacturers. The only thing that comes to mind is the possibility of added chemicals to the closed system.

The materials are NSF-61 certified so practically non-porous and inert materials isolated from the metals and the gas charge but are obviously made for clear, fresh water applications. So glycols and boiler cleaning chemicals? I have no idea how those would affect the potable water tanks.

My $0.02

Brad

Hey Brad !

Howya been ? Forgot about this thread . Actually I think domestic tanks would be more cost effective in the long run , if they hold a charge longeer than heating only tanks . Like Chris said lower in the thread , these newer tanks just ain't lasting like they used to , Just saw this last week . Tank date code of 1982 , still had a wee bit of air pressure . I kinda doubt the newer ones will last as long .......

Got buckets???

Too bad the Ugly Contest is over. You might have had a show, place or winner there... :-)

What's it look like now. With all the elbow room you guys had there, you were done, what, around noon?

ME

Hey Mark !

We installed an indirect to this system . Coil wasn't producing anymore . Our salesman tried to sell an MPO IQ with the tank . No-can-do . I did my best to convince him too . We'll see . No pics though . The tank piping looked good , but it's sorta like lipstick on a ....... crappy ol' Blue Circle .

X-TROL TANK

THANKS MUCH, MARK.   

X-TROL TANK

THANKS MUCH, MARK.   

X-TROL TANK

THANKS MUCH, MARK.   

X-TROL TANK

THANKS MUCH, MARK.   

Bad #60 Extrol

I replaced a #60 along with a new #30 relief valve last month at an apartment complex. Fortunately when I replaced the tank I installed a ball valve and boiler drain so I wouldn't have to drain the whole building during a future service call. Anyway I was called back the following day with water coming out of the relief valve. Isolated the tank and drained the pressure off the tank and found 0 PSI on the bladder. I know it wasn't the scrader because I always check to make sure it seats. Replaced the tank and was back in business. Not bad considering I bet I've installed 300 or 400 tanks in my 25 yr. career without a failure.

Yeah Like a couple Pallets

This past heating season we recevied a couple of pallets of Extrol 30's that we sent back because the 1st dozen off the top of what we recevied leaked out of the weld at the thread point.