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    HarvM's Avatar
    HarvM Posts: 6, Reputation: 1
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    #1

    May 15, 2010, 08:32 PM
    Taco zone valve frozen
    One of my three zone valves is stuck open such that the furnace and circulator operate continuously. I try to remove the zone valve head but it does not budge --either clockwise or counterclockwise. How can I romove the head? Harv
    Missouri Bound's Avatar
    Missouri Bound Posts: 1,532, Reputation: 94
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    #2

    May 16, 2010, 08:36 PM
    That's not your problem. A stuck zone valve doesn't control the boiler. It's more likely a thermostat problem. Have you tried disconnecting the wires from the zone valve?
    HarvM's Avatar
    HarvM Posts: 6, Reputation: 1
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    #3

    May 17, 2010, 08:02 PM
    Quote Originally Posted by Missouri Bound View Post
    Thats not your problem. A stuck zone valve doesn't control the boiler. It's more likely a thermostat problem. Have you tried disconnecting the wires from the zone valve?
    Thank you for your reply.
    My question was how can I remove the head from the zone valve which is stuck tight to the valve such that I am unable to turn it. It should come off with a slight counter-clockwise twist. I should have mentioned that the zone valve is a Taco 573.

    As for the valve being stuck open, I only mentioned that in case that should have anything to do with my not being able to remove the head.
    I need to remove the head in order to determine if the cause of the stuck valve is the head or the valve itself.

    The valve head does control the burner and circulator when the valve is in the open position. The problem is not the thermostat which is disconnected from the valve head. The thing that controls the burner and circulator is a switch in the valve head. That switch closed when the thermostat calls for heat. An ohmmeter check across the switch terminals on the head verify that the switch is closed indicating that the valve is open ---- which is also verified as a result of the burner and circulator running continuously, supplying hot water to that zone, with no voltage applied to the head.
    Missouri Bound's Avatar
    Missouri Bound Posts: 1,532, Reputation: 94
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    #4

    May 17, 2010, 08:21 PM
    OK.
    I checked the Taco website, for your valve. Does it have a lever for manual operation?
    I'm thinking that you can't take the head off when it's open. I installed one several years ago, but I don't remember the specifics.
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    HarvM Posts: 6, Reputation: 1
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    #5

    May 17, 2010, 09:30 PM
    Quote Originally Posted by Missouri Bound View Post
    OK.
    I checked the Taco website, for your valve. Does it have a lever for manual operation?
    I'm thinking that you can't take the head off when it's open. I installed one several years ago, but I don't remember the specifics.
    Thanks for your prompt reply.
    The Zone Valve does have a lever. The lever opens the valve. The lever can be pulled down easily, indicating that the valve is already open. It is my understanding that if it pulls hard, it is opening the valve. At least in my case, when the lever is pulled back up, it does not close the valve. I think this, among other things, may indicate that the problem is a bad spring in the valve itself.
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    Missouri Bound Posts: 1,532, Reputation: 94
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    #6

    May 17, 2010, 09:46 PM
    I suggest you call or email TACO with the problem. I do know the valves are installer friendly and they can be rebuilt unless some catastrophic failure has happened to the vave assembly. Good luck and please let me know what you find out.
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    HarvM Posts: 6, Reputation: 1
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    #7

    May 18, 2010, 12:06 PM

    I will try to contact Taco as you suggested.

    It does make sense that the head should not be allowed to be removed when the valve is open. You may wind up with a face full of hot water. I will try to find out if they are designed that way.
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    HarvM Posts: 6, Reputation: 1
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    #8

    May 27, 2010, 03:05 PM
    Quote Originally Posted by Missouri Bound View Post
    I suggest you call or email TACO with the problem. I do know the valves are installer friendly and they can be rebuilt unless some catastrophic failure has happened to the vave assembly. Good luck and please let me know what you find out.
    I did contact Taco. Someone phoned me and we discussed the problem in detail. The result of the conversation was ----
    There is nothing to prevent the head from being removed when the valve is open. (However, it should not be removed when the valve is hot.)
    He does not know why the head cannot be removed. He suspects the tabs on the head are frozen to the valve. Anyway, when I told him the valve was 47 years old, he was surprised. He said they should be replaced in 10 to 20 years. He said, without question, the valve assemble (head and valve) should be replaced. Somewhere on their web site is a good detailed explanation of how the valve works. The use of hot wax to control the piston is amazing. Harv
    Missouri Bound's Avatar
    Missouri Bound Posts: 1,532, Reputation: 94
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    #9

    May 27, 2010, 04:37 PM
    HarvM. It's not often that a consumer will take the time to do the leg work you did to solve a problem. Good for you. I'm sure if you approach every situation this way you won't have any repair issues.
    Good luck to you.
    HarvM's Avatar
    HarvM Posts: 6, Reputation: 1
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    #10

    May 28, 2010, 06:36 PM
    Quote Originally Posted by Missouri Bound View Post
    HarvM. It's not often that a consumer will take the time to do the leg work you did to solve a problem. Good for you. I'm sure if you approach every situation this way you won't have any repair issues.
    Good luck to you.
    Thanks. Harv

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