Zone valve location

Al Letellier_9

In short...no or very little effect one place or the other. The pressure drop through the valve will be the same in a small system. I like them on the return to keep excessive heat away from them.

Mechanic

Zone valve placement

In a simple baseboard loop does the placement of the ZV have any effect on performance? I am not looking for personel preference just curios if it makes any difference at all.....By the way I say it should make no difference...but I am very interested to hear some other opinions..thanks

carol_3

Ditto

ALH_4

what Al said

Particularly with thermal operators, I like them on the return. Everything lasts longer in cooler temperatures.

hvacfreak

it matters

Set the " Wayback Machine " to 1988 when I ran residential calls... complaint was " banging sound " heard in mech room. I found 2 Honeywell zone valves at the discharge of a high speed circulator ( it was green ). When 1 zone satisfied ( closed ) , the system piping would make this sound ( and shake ).


I replaced the green pump with a used B&G 100 that I had on the truck from a demo , to see if it would make a difference ( an article in a plumbing magazine at the time said it would , lol ). The banging noise went away , and I stop by once a year to drop a few drops of oil in the used circulator bearing assy.


Circulators with steep curves ( high speed wet rotor ) need to be zoned at the suction ...I think that's how it goes.


One thing is certain...as the pumps I work with get larger , the more I like " seeing red ".