Manual balancing valve options for fin-tube

yesimon

I have a series 3/4" fin-tube loop (conventional 180F boiler), taco 007 circulator, that has one room extremely hot. I want to split the loop, restrict flow using a manual balancing valve to the hot room and add a bypass.

There are lots of manual balancing valves on the market but not a ton of information on the pros and cons of the various types. There's constant flow w/ flow gauge TacoSetter and Caleffi QuickSetter (for some reason the Caleffi is $$$ more). There's older style Taco Accu-Flo and B&G Circuit Setter which seem able to restrict to sub-1 GPM flows. There's y-shaped valves and venturi or not style valves. I don't know the pros and cons of all these options!

Right now the Macon combination butterfly/ball valve 0.4-1.3 GPM seems the most attractive to me at a reasonable price, ability to choke flow below 1 GPM, and combination ball valve to save a fitting and allow purging a loop section, but there's little information about it. Macon also sells a cheaper non-venturi? version but again no flow chart.

To head off the obvious questions, a TRV would be interesting but it costs more and my scenario has wall-to-wall baseboard with not enough space in the fin-tube enclosure for the actuator (remote or otherwise). Monoflo fittings are pricey and don't have enough restriction to go below 1 GPM by themselves, and I want to reduce flow below 1 GPM where emitter output for fin-tube starts dropping in a substantial way.

EBEBRATT-Ed

Just so you know with a series loop if you restrict the flow all the other radiation will output less.

I understand about splitting the loop and the various balancing valve options and the bypass.

You could cover part of the fin tube element by wrapping it with tinfoil. If it works you will save yourself some trouble. Nothing lost by trying

yesimon

Just so you know with a series loop if you restrict the flow all the other radiation will output less.

To clarify, the restriction/balancing valve will only be on the branch to the currently overheated room.

Jamie Hall

This is going to be a set it and done balancing? Um... what's the matter with a plain vanilla globe valve? Inexpensive, fits pretty much anywhere, adjustment range from zero to pretty near full flow (more restriction when open than a ball valve, but better control at low flow).

Doesn't have a fancy tag on it, no. But it works.