What is Reverse Return Used for?

Crissie

What is the purpose / benefit of Reverse Return used for in a hot water boiler / baseboard application?

Jamie Hall

Even or at least similar temperature and flow resistance to each radiator. Makes it much easier to balance the system.

ratio

To expand on what Jamie said, it helps to make the heat output of the various emitters (radiators, baseboard, etc.) the same by making the piping going back to the boiler from the emitters the mirror image of the piping going out from the boiler to the emitters, resulting in about the same resistance to water flow, thus about the same flow through the various emitters, thus about the same temperature of the emitters, thus about the same output (given the same emitters). Well executed, manual balancing via (expensive) balancing valves will generally not be required.

EBEBRATT-Ed

@Crissie

Reverse return is considered the best system because it is more self balancing. It is also more expensive to install and requires more labor and material

Crissie

EBEBRATT-Ed said:

@Crissie

Reverse return is considered the best system because it is more self balancing. It is also more expensive to install and requires more labor and material

Does it prevent short-cycling on the boiler? Does it provide boiler protection? Thx

EBEBRATT-Ed

@Crissie

No, it does not provide boiler protection or inhibit short cycling.

It only does 1 thing it make balancing the flow easier

Big Ed_4

Reverse return should be used on all parallel systems . The reverse return piping will equalize the pressure drop across each loop . You need pressure drop for water to flow . Once you pipe reverse return it leaves you with resistance of each loop to deal with for fine tuning .... Zone valve heating system , radiant heating and twin hot water heaters are all parallel systems. .

EdTheHeaterMan

@Crissie, here is a booklet you might find interesting. I used it to teach a one day Hydronics Class for several years. The updated addition does not include all the info herein.

http://media.blueridgecompany.com/documents/ZoningMadeEasy.pdf

Crissie

"EdTheHeaterMan" Thank you!