where to wire loop actuators

keyote

As many of you know ill have four manifolds each fed by its own riser and zone valve. ive ordered the taco zone valve controller and zone valves. and to avoid cycling etc will start by ganging the top and basment zone valves. I still have some hope once the entire system is online and observed I might be able to zone loops with actuators or i might install a buffer in the future to accomplish this.So my question is if i wanted to add actuators to the manifolds now would be the time to pull the cable from the top floor manifld to the basement boler room where the ZVs and zcontroll panel is. Im unclear how this would be wired. Im guessing the tstat to the actuator and any actuator on a valve can open that manifolds zone valve and then turn on the pump.I suppose its a bit redundant if you actuate every loop . anyway would i instal an actuator panel or could i better expand the taco zone panel to accommodate the actuator wires and then within the expaned panel wire the actuators to the proper zone valves?

hot_rod

How many actuators could you potentially have?

You need to watch the current draw, shop for low current draw 250Ma actuators if you start ganging a dozen or more.

Correct, every actuator would need a wire back to the zone control box, as well as thermostat leads.

Most zone control boxes allow you to gang onto the first box, control as many actuators as you desire.

keyote

thanks bob its only theoretical we all know i will more likely hav the opposite problem but if i end up resorting to a buffer then i suppose i would think again about putting actuators on loops so i thought for the cost of some wire ill pull it in case.
yes the taco expandable zone box and the caleffi allow expansion but im picturing this expansion box or boxes having the actuators wired in the way you wire in the zone valves, but now i need the 4 actuators on a manifold to tell one of the zone valves in the original zone control to also open and i wonder is that built in or do i jerry rig something

hot_rod

Either or. If you put an actuator on every loop, you do not need a ZV on the manifold piping.

Comes down to how complex you want to make it.

keyote

yeah thats what i meant by redundant but it might not be every loop so it can be done either way within the zone panels ill pull wire for that in case when i pull the wire for the thermostat wireless receiver to zone panel