Ask Caleffi

John 'Siggy' Seigenthaler guest stars on an episode dedicated to all things heat exchange.  How do you know which type of heat exchanger is best for your application?  How do you keep them clean and operating efficiently?  What is a convection coefficient?  Why is turbulence important?  Siggy answers these questions and more for hydronic and domestic hot water system. Want to hear YOUR Q...

Our Ask Caleffi team phones a friend to talk about PEX connections and manifolds.  Where do you locate a manifold?  Which fitting systems work with which types of PEX?  What is the difference between plumbing PEX and heating PEX?   Want to hear YOUR QUESTION on Ask Caleffi?  Take this quick 4 question survey for your chance to hear your question in a future episode. Survey: https://forms.gle/fRfnU...

Our Ask Caleffi team encourages you to think outside of the box on that next service call.  They share tips that work at getting YOU to the root of a service problem without wasting time and money.  They share their favorite technique:  "Phone a Friend" and why it's so important.  You'd be surprised at how much WE learn from YOU while walking through a service concern.   Want t...

Max Rohr, "a long-time listener and first-time caller," joins Greg and Dan during this Episode of the Ask Caleffi podcast.  Max shares his well-earned experience with radiant heating and cooling systems, placing a magnifying glass on PEX.  He discusses radiant heat sources, the benefits and versatility of these systems, and then dives into PEX variants.  Greg and Dan chime in to talk abo...

Energy metering.  Is that EASILY accomplished?  Are there well suited applications for metering AND can a building owner be confident about energy consumption?  (YES!)  Greg and Dan, our Ask Caleffi gurus, talk about energy metering during this episode of the podcast.  They talk Modbus-to-BACnet (say what??) and what applications are perfect for calculating BTUs in a specific space.  Interested in...

Straight from the Ask Caleffi Podcast studio, Greg and Dan dive into boiler protection.  Let's face it when high-temperature, mid-efficient boilers condense... it's a mess!  How can that be prevented?  Greg and Dan talk about solutions, including a "Swiss Army Knife" approach.  They discuss how the ThermoProtec thermostatic mixing valves work and where they should be piped with...

A return guest joins Greg and Dan during this Episode:  Cody Mack, Caleffi training and education manager.  They get right to the point as they dig into perplexing PRV behavior.  You'll learn: 1.  Got noise?  How to size a PRV CORRECTLY. 2.  Step down pressure and how to manage. 3.  PRV maintenance 4.  PRV configurations 5.  Familiar with 5 Things You Need To Know?  Check it out on YouTube! T...

Greg and Dan share commonly asked questions from the Ask Caleffi Blog.  During this episode, they will zero in on plumbing products.  You'll learn: → Can you install a 121Series FlowCal upside down? → What is the maximum flow rate of a thermostatic mixing valve? → What battery is used for in an electronic mixing valve/control? → How do you clean a balancing valve? Watch for MORE plumbing ques...

Greg and Dan share commonly asked questions from the Ask Caleffi Blog.  During this episode, they will zero in on heating products.  You'll learn: → Can I add an air vent onto a Caleffi dirt separator? → How do I determine head loss in a hydraulic separator?   → Can I order your Z-one zone valve with differing connections on the 2-way and 2-way bodies?  Any tips on how to order? → How do I cl...

Greg and Dan invite "the dynamo of donut testing" to the series, the one and only Cody Mack.  Recirc creep is something that plumbers no doubt experience.  But, what is recirculation creep, when does it occur, what are the symptoms and - most importantly - what is the solution for your domestic hot water system?   They'll discuss ASSE 1017 and thermostatic mixing valves.  Can an aqu...

What tech support questions does Caleffi get over and over again? You might be surprised! What to do with air trapped in a plumbing system? Can I install a thermostatic mixing valve upside down? Why is this pressure reducing valve over-pressurizing the system? Listen to Greg and Dan explain these and more. Want to hear YOUR QUESTION on Ask Caleffi?  Take this quick 4 question survey for your chanc...

You're ready to install a thermostatic mixing valve.  Interested in pointers to make your install be successful?  OR... you've got a mixing valve installed and it's not working.  Now what?  From the "before" call to the "oh, no!" call, Greg and Dan are here to make you successful with your customer.  They'll dig into how flow is controlled in the valve, what...

Greg and Dan welcome Kevin Freidt, Caleffi Director Product Management & Technical Support (a..k.a. The Dr. of Disinfection) to the microphone.  They explore the fascinating topic of Legionella bacteria and its impact in domestic hot water systems.  Kevin starts with "bug basics":  where does the bacteria originate, when is it dangerous, what causes it to proliferate and how is it co...

Greg and Dan are behind-the-mic to discuss why you may want to select an electronic mixing valve for your next application.  They discuss how this digital valve is different from a thermostatic valve.  Why would you install a valve like this?  How about trouble-shooting... will a digital valve make a difference in problem resolution?  "This valve is electronic... wires are involved for instal...

Want to hear YOUR QUESTION on Ask Caleffi?  Take this quick 4 question survey for your chance to hear your question in a future episode. Survey: https://forms.gle/fRfnU8Px3B1Lq7K69 Thermal balancing in Domestic Hot Water systems.  Why is it necessary?  (hint:  water moves into the path of least resistance)  What's the difference between manual and automatic balancing valves?  Where are the va...

Want to hear YOUR QUESTION on Ask Caleffi?  Take this quick 4 question survey for your chance to hear your question in a future episode. Survey: https://forms.gle/fRfnU8Px3B1Lq7K69 Mark Olson, Caleffi North America GM, joins Greg and Dan during this episode of the Ask Caleffi podcast.  They discuss problems that can result from poor water quality within a hydronic system that can rob its equipment...

Your customer's domestic water system is not delivering heat correctly.  What do you do?  You listen into this episode of the Ask Caleffi podcast!  Greg and Dan discuss ASSE 1017  Point-of-Distribution valves (not to be confused with ASSE1070!) and how to size them.  They stress the importance of understanding a thermostatic mixing valve's minimum and maximum flow rate thresholds when co...

It seems that hydronic zone valves have been around forever. They are pretty bulletproof!  But do you hear about end switches failing?  What's going on?  AND... what do I need to know before wiring a zone valve? In this Episode, Greg and Dan discuss this common question from our Technical Support line:  what's wrong with my actuator?  Our Tech Support Gurus find that the culprit is typic...

In this Episode Greg and Dan - our Ask Caleffi Podcast hosts - discuss what a scald-protection valve is and why they are SO important (protection protection protection!).  What temperature of water is safe?  Dangerous?  Who is most at risk?  Are there applicable industry guidelines (hint:  ASSE 1070)? Learn about how they work, where they are used, and why they are so important in the industry.  T...

It can be a time-consuming project to troubleshoot why a zone relay board doesn't "appear" to be working, especially when the heat is literally ON for the contractor, but OFF for their customer.   Greg and Dan take our audience through a step-by-step process of isolating and solving the "no-heat" calls including how to locate the source of the power loss.  It's (anoth...

Why is my pressure reducing valve rattling, hammering.... screaming?? Greg and Dan take a new spin in this episode of the Ask Caleffi podcast series, inviting you into a "customer" technical support call in order to troubleshoot the problem.   They will discuss how a PRV should be sized (based on pipe size?).  Is there a more accurate methodology (hint: a design for flow rate!)?  What ab...

The backflow preventer is a misunderstood piece of hardware in hydronic systems.  "My backflow preventer has failed.  It's dripping.  What should I do?"   It's easy to replace it.... but, has it really failed? Likely the backflow preventer is doing it's job!  The culprit?  Debris stuck in the check valve.  Greg and Dan discuss how and why the backflow preventer can drip an...

Episode 6: Understanding the concepts of balancing a multi-circuit hydronic or domestic hot water system is easier when you know how different balancing valves work and where to apply them. Greg and Dan make it easy. Want to hear YOUR QUESTION on Ask Caleffi, take this quick 4 question survey for your chance to hear your question in a future episode. Survey: https://forms.gle/fRfnU8Px3B1Lq7K69

Episode 5: Hydraulic separators not only simplify hydronic piping and save installation time, compared to closely spaced tees, they can also remove air and dirt to become a money-saving multi-purpose device. Get the whole story from Greg and Dan. Want to hear YOUR QUESTION on Ask Caleffi, take this quick 4 question survey for your chance to hear your question in a future episode. Survey: https://f...

Episode 4 focuses on the importance of having magnetic technology built into dirt separators. Highly efficient "dirt" removal, including both non-ferrous and ferrous (magnetic), is critical to protect today's high-efficiency heat exchangers and circulators. Caleffi is the North American market leader in magnetic dirt removal technology. Want to hear YOUR QUESTION on Ask Caleffi, tak...