How many diverter tees?

aaron willsey

I want to install cast iron radiators in an addition. I want to run a trunk line in the basement with bypass loops as long as 30 feet. Should I use two diverter tees?
Should I have my head examined?

Unknown

yes on 2

Diverter tees work by balancing the pressure drop between the tees with the drop of the radiator loop.

Said another way, the distance between the tees should be close to the same length as the two pipes connecting the radiator. The resistance of the runouts should equal the resistance of the main between the tees, or most of the water will go the short way. Not through the branch.

Run the MAIN the 30 feet to the radiator location and use short runouts to the radiator.

If you are adding radiation to an existing main, remember that the main and the tees were sized for the flow rate and BTU load of the existing system. Rarely did they oversize them. If you add load without refiguring all of the system, you might affect radiators in other parts of the house. You might be lucky and pull it off, too.

Noel

Unknown

Try reading this

http://www.heatinghelp.com/newsletter.cfm?Id=28

I've just re-read it last week. Allways suprises me how much we forget when we don't work on them for a while.

boberg

what about dropping the header and running through the baseboard and back up the header? If you have 1 inch main you should use diverter tees and run i/2 inch as your header

Adam E

I'm not a pro, but I've been doing a lot a reading on this. If the radiators you're feeding are above the main, the distance between tees isn't critical. Just make sure that they're at least 18" apart (turbulance). If the radiators are below the main, you must use two diverter tees and they should be the width of the radiator apart.

I've got several branches that are more than thirty feet long with one diverter tee on the return and it works fine (all radiators are above the main).

I'm sure some will disagree, but it seems to work in my home.

Big Ed

Did you say Addition ?

You mentioned "Addition" ? (warning......warning) if this addition is off the main house, it may and most likely will have more heat loss then the main house and it should be zoned off on it's own.....I call these additions "sore thumbs" ,rooms added off the main house have more exposed area to the outside then the rest of the house . If these additions are tied into the main house zone ,they will loose heat faster, fall colder and uncomfortable long before the main house calls for heat.

Say you have a colonial (a box) with a basement and you add a room off the back on a crawl space . In the main house the room with the most heat loss are the upstairs north corner rooms . They have three sides(two walls and the ceiling) exposed and facing the weather. In the addition you will have five sides exposed (three walls,ceiling and floor)..More exposure= more heat loss=area cools faster .Additions like these need to be zoned on it's own . Not run off the main...

I can't tell you how many times a winter I come across this problem....It get's me so mad Grrrrrrr

Robert O'Connor_3

Thanks for the advice

Thanks for all the advice. I am building a rather large addition, 2000 square feet over a short basement. The new house will have a total of 4 zones, top and bottom of the old and top and bottom of the new. Two of the local plumbing supply houses have recommended a diverter on the supply, b and g says one on the return, taco says the return is for minimum flow, the supply is for more and both is for maximum flow through the bypass loop. I've got two loops to play with, I'm going to put two diverters on the second floor and one on the return for the first floor. Worst case scenario is that I have to change them. All the tees will be accessable in the basement. I'm flying by the seat of my pants. I'm going to hook everything up and heat the place up before I close in the walls. I married a patient woman.

Know anyone in northern NJ trying to unload cast iron radiators or baseboard with intact fittings?

Thanks again for the advice.