flo-control valves in radiator systems

Herb_2

I have a question about flow-control valves in a radiator system.
The short version: Are flow-control valves necessary when reducing pipe size within a couple of feet of a radiator?

Detailed version:
I am replacing a couple of cheap, baseboard radiators that are on an 20 foot run which has been appended to the main, house system. This auxiliary system is supplied by a one-inch pipe, reduced to half-inch about three feet from each radiator. I have been told that I need to install flow-control valves just before the half-inch pipe because the water gets "lazy" when it enters the smaller diameter pipe. Is this correct? If so, should I also install such valves on the return pipe (also one inch)? Elsewhere in the house, the system is a single-pipe loop, with much larger pipe sizes.

A booster pump (Bell and Gossett series 100) serves the entire system (first- and second-floors and attic); it has been installed on the return part of the system. Also, there is a flow-control valve (Bell and Gosset 1 1/4" F3-51)that serves the entire system; it is also located in the return pipe, just before the booster pump.

Big Ed

monoflow system

What you mean is a diverter or vanturi tee. A flowvalve prevents heat migration after zone is satisfied. AT the return you should have a vanturi or a reducing tee on both supply and return. The tees need to be distanced on the main the same as the lenght of the radiation they feed. Adding a second vanturi on the supply tee increases flow. A veturi tee would have arrows on it.

Mark Eatherton1

Confusing jargon...

Herb, If you could generate a drawing using MS Paint (on almost EVERY non Mac PC) it would help us visualize the problem. I'm attaching instructions on how to use it, along with a gaggle of symbols that can be used to generate the drawing.

Instructions for using MS Paint for doing schematic drawings.

When you see the JPEG of Mechanical Symbols on the Wall, right click with the cursor over the drawing and Save Picture As a JPEG or BMP in whatever file on your PC you want to save it in. Then, follow these instructions.

1. Open Micro Soft Paint program.
2. Click on “File”, “Open”, and open the JPEG or BMP file you just saved from the picture you captured off of the Wall.

This should open the drawing in the MS Paint program. Now, using the “Select” edit Lasso feature (dotted line square in the upper left hand side of the Tool section) start with the cursor at the upper left hand side of the component that you want to cull from the drawing and with the left mouse button held down, drag the cursor down to the lower right hand side of the item you want to cordon off that you wish to save to another file. Release the mouse button and you should now see the item you want to cull ‘Lassoed’

I usually find it necessary to open a second Paint program to make this easy. Now, with the item lassoed, right click the mouse button and click on “Copy”.

Now go to the second copy of Paint that you opened and right click the mouse button and select “Paste”. Now the component that you copied will be pasted to the page blank page you have opened in Paint. Remember that in order to do this the “Select” edit tool button must be pushed. Now it is necessary to shrink the size of the page down so you don’t end up with a small item on a LARGE page. I click on “Image”. Then “Attributes” and in the Width window place 1 (inch) and in the Height window place a 1 (inch), then click OK and see if the white back ground has been adequately shrunk to meet the needs of the item you’ve selected. If it is properly sized, you can go on. If not, go through the same process to increase or decrease the size of the drawing until it is properly and adequately sized to surround the component you have selected.

Once it is correctly sized, you can then click on the “File” button and “Save As” button and save the file to a file of your choice named as the component which it is. For example Circulator. I have numerous sub files that I maintain under the master file heading of Drawing Components. For example, when I build a basic system, I save it under a file as the name of the system that it falls under, like Basic High Temp, or Basic Low Temp system.

Like any thing to do with computer programs, the more you use it, the easier it becomes, and the more familiar it is. I use Paint for basic simple drawings that I share with folks here on the Wall. For work, I use Visio, which is a little harder to work with, but provides more professional results.

I have attached some basic drawings for your use. All I ask in return is that you teach someone else something new. Pay it forward. Work smarter, not harder, and Thanks to Dan and Maryanne for giving us the opportunity to exchange ideas and drawings here at The Wall.

Now, ask me some questions will ya!!

ME

PS, the above information is for people using Win 98 and newer Windows programs.

ME


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