Y Strainer - technical

[Leonardo]

A strainer could be installed in conjunction with a valved bypass so it could easily be isolated and cleaned. The strainer could even only be connected to the system for the first X amount of days before being removed and cleaned. Then you run the system through the bypass and not the strainer in normal use. You can bring the strainer back inline any time you wanted to. If any work is done on the system, soldering or cutting, new components fitted or replaced on the system and you are worried about particles of a certain size entering the system just bring the strainer back in for a while.

Now, I reckon I might be over thinking this but it would not hurt a heating system to have it in place at least. I see it as something that an enthusiastic homeowner who takes a lot of interest in their house's systems might like. I don't think it's something that would make it into every system in then country like magnetic cleaning will probably do one day.

That doesn't mean it is a bad idea though and if someone wants to spend the money and effort and they are happier for it nothing wrong with that.

This is exactly the approach I'm exploring. Putting the strainer in and cleaning it frequently for the first week or so. I would step up a bore size (from 22mm to 1"/28mm) to compensate for the pressure drop accross these units inline (clean mesh).

BES.co.uk | Next Day Delivery On 15,000 + Plumbing Supplies

Order Y in-line strainers and other plumbing supplies online at BES.co.uk. Low Prices, Free Next Day Delivery Available, 15k Plus Products in stock. P/N: 7538

www.bes.co.uk

Just need some 1-22mm comp Male irons

Won’t need anything finer than 500 micros only use 50 microns on a drinking supply

ShaunCorbs - you've hit upon a key point of discuission. I'm asking for all those contributing to this thread - to help us newbies' expand our horizons. What considerations need to be taken into account when choosing mesh size??? What factors need to be considered - and how should that judgement be formed? I'm after what process should be followed - in order to come to an informed/correct decision on mesh size?

(Also - can you help me to understand why 500 micros is appropriate here - as it will help me finalise my purchase.)

Unusual to require a strainer either Y or witches hat in a domestic heating system on anything other than a temporary basis for specific cleaning.

The reason being that the pressure drop across the stainer (particularly on small bore pipework) can be quite high - hence the use of a witches hat strainer.

To install it properly, it should have a sensor to measure the pressure drop across the strainer to signal when cleaning is required or to shut off the boiler.

There are far more cost effective ways of cleaning a system.

Also be aware that with fine mesh filters the quality is vitally important - if the filter mesh breaks away in service (which is not uncommon) - it can cause more problems that it solves.

Please don’t read this as being negative, but in design terms on hydraulic (water and oil) systems you only install filters when the systems dictates that they are needed. You should not install them as a “nice to have”

Brambles - Thank you for this insight - it never even occured to me that the mesh screens could/might break away in use. In such a scenario - the mesh would represent an even bigger threat to the system, than the debris the strainer was meant to keep out.

I'm going to ask for some help recommending a manufacturer of a Y-Strainers. I know somebody recommended the Boss brand - but I'd like input from others too.

(Just for the record - the y-strainers from tool-stationare very poor. I'd sincerely recommend that anyone buying these thoroughly inspect the insides of those units. At three different toolstations, each of the units they showed me, had brass burr's inside from the milling/drilling used to finish the pieces. These burrs were past the mesh filter - so would break off and flow onward in any system.)

 

[Brambles]

Axium or Filterhousings in Warrington will either have a stock product or manufacture one for you. The industry sector to look at for high quality small bore Y or witches hat filters is food processing.

Just be aware that high quality filters are expensive. CHK will have a much better understanding of the market than I do - but I guess that is why so much development work went into the existing range of magnetic filters et al marketed for domestic heating systems.

Even in ground source heat pumps, where water cleanliness is a key issue, we are very careful about how / where and why we instal filters.

 

[centralheatking]

Axium or Filterhousings in Warrington will either have a stock product or manufacture one for you. The industry sector to look at for high quality small bore Y or witches hat filters is food processing.

Just be aware that high quality filters are expensive. CHK will have a much better understanding of the market than I do - but I guess that is why so much development work went into the existing range of magnetic filters et al marketed for domestic heating systems.

Even in ground source heat pumps, where water cleanliness is a key issue, we are very careful about how / where and why we instal filters.

To be Honest Brambles, when we did the first mag filters it was open season, there were
none, then the market sharpened up thats when Api 2006 got involved to design and
produce manufacture and market & sell increasingly better ones. The main game was
stronger mags and robust fittings ...then we did the vortex ones. The market is saturated now, there are plenty of good ones but Centramag by Trappex is way in front...and I DiD
not have hand in it. centralheatking

 

[Leonardo]

(Went into B.S.S - quote for a 1" BOSS Y-Strainer = £99. Overkill for my setup.)

So, as this thread is an a exploratory/discussion thread, I'm going to ask the following:

'What is the correct way/procedure to follow, to choose the appropriate strainer mesh perforation, for any install?'

Shaun suggested that 500 microns would be correct for my situation, with 50 microns only suitable for drinking water.

How can we best choose the correct mesh, for any given usage?

 

[ShaunCorbs]

This is exactly the approach I'm exploring. Putting the strainer in and cleaning it frequently for the first week or so. I would step up a bore size (from 22mm to 1"/28mm) to compensate for the pressure drop accross these units inline (clean mesh).



ShaunCorbs - you've hit upon a key point of discuission. I'm asking for all those contributing to this thread - to help us newbies' expand our horizons. What considerations need to be taken into account when choosing mesh size??? What factors need to be considered - and how should that judgement be formed? I'm after what process should be followed - in order to come to an informed/correct decision on mesh size?

(Also - can you help me to understand why 500 micros is appropriate here - as it will help me finalise my purchase.)



Brambles - Thank you for this insight - it never even occured to me that the mesh screens could/might break away in use. In such a scenario - the mesh would represent an even bigger threat to the system, than the debris the strainer was meant to keep out.

I'm going to ask for some help recommending a manufacturer of a Y-Strainers. I know somebody recommended the Boss brand - but I'd like input from others too.

(Just for the record - the y-strainers from tool-stationare very poor. I'd sincerely recommend that anyone buying these thoroughly inspect the insides of those units. At three different toolstations, each of the units they showed me, had brass burr's inside from the milling/drilling used to finish the pieces. These burrs were past the mesh filter - so would break off and flow onward in any system.)

Let’s put it this way 500 microns is 0.5x0.5mm mesh squares

Nothing is going to get through that and harm your system

50 micron is 0.005x0.005mm mesh squares

 

[Brambles]

If you were looking at a commercial system, you would take a fluid sample - and determine the filter size to remove no more than 75% of the suspended solids on three passes.

The problem with a domestic heating system is that the majority of the solids are static - in that the systems are not ( no disrespect to anyone in the domestic heating sector) designed to maintain a constant velocity. As soon as the velocity falls, the solids drop. Indeed, it would not be cost effective to design and implement a domestic heating system to be hydraulically efficient. You just need it to be optimised in a cost effective manner

As a consequence, once the system is clean and properly dosed, filters and traps et al are quite effective. However, they are most unlikely to effectively clean an existing dirty system.

Apologies for being pedantic, but in general terms for small bore hydraulic systems you filter / control the input, not the circulating fluids.

Sorry

 

[Stigster]

(Went into B.S.S - quote for a 1" BOSS Y-Strainer = £99. Overkill for my setup.)

So, as this thread is an a exploratory/discussion thread, I'm going to ask the following:

'What is the correct way/procedure to follow, to choose the appropriate strainer mesh perforation, for any install?'

Shaun suggested that 500 microns would be correct for my situation, with 50 microns only suitable for drinking water.

How can we best choose the correct mesh, for any given usage?

I'd go back to my question "What is the smallest waterway in your system?" and we can probably take it from there.
[automerge]1571732239[/automerge]

Radiator Valves and Thermostats | Resideo

Thermostatic Radiator Valves when used properly, will significantly reduce the energy used by the heating system by limiting the temperatures within each room, and prevent overheating.

heatingcontrols.honeywellhome.com

Any good? They say low flow resistance and give all the figures for the different sizes. I am not educated in this area of flow through valves/meshes though I have to admit. They do a 350 micron mesh and a 180 micron mesh. The 350 might be ok for your purposes?

 

[Ric2013]

Caveat that I'm not a boiler installer, but (and this is unusual coming from me), I do feel you are overthinking the situation.

To be honest, I've never heard of using a line strainer on a domestic heating system, but so long as you check the temperature ratings (I see the BES one will take 110°C) and the pressure drop, which it seems you are doing, I cannot see what harm it could do; as you say, a few old boilers did incorporate a mesh strainer on the return. Usually I use Y strainers on shower pump inlets.

I totally get your point regarding swarf circulating following any work carried out to a heating system. I would also agree that magnetic filters do not tend to catch 100% of the magnetic dirt (hence the Magnacleanse unit has two identical magnets one after the other and some dirt reaches the second magnet even when the quantity is very small). I would comment that the larger bits of copper swarf have a larger surface area and are, therefore, likely to be more mobile. At this point, ANY mesh should be enough to catch it.

What I would say, more critically, is that if you are soldering on a system or fitting a new radiator, then you really should be carrying out a chemical flush using F3/X300 etc to remove oil and flux. If you are flushing using a powerflush pump (and you can hire one for less than £50), you would hope that would kick out any swarf, although I can see that unless you are very careful where you place that pump and how you use it, you might well be forcing the swarf into the boiler.

Dissolved metals resultant from using flux will stop an inhibitor working correctly and if your boiler has an aluminium heat exchanger, then corrosion could be a more serious concern than swarf.

What I would say to answer your question is that the finer the filter, the faster it will clog. In aircon, the air filters are fabric and the dust can actually be forced through the mesh. The solution is to fit a succession of filters from coarse to fine such that the fine filter is never given the burden of the coarse dust. If you were to do that, I can see an argument for stepping down to a very fine final filter, and it would be interesting to see the distribution of various particle sizes.

BES also does a 200 micron filter, but I wonder if the cost/benefit ratio is starting to rise unacceptably?: In-line 'Y' Type Filter - 1" BSP TF 9824 | BES.co.uk