radiant heating manifolds

JERRY_10

I am doing coordination dwgs for a radiant panel system following the engineers contract dwgs. the radiant floor piping is on the ground level elevation. the factory supplied manifolds are shown to be on the floor below. doesnt the panel get air bound as the manifold and air vent is on the floor below (approx 5' below)????????
just curious..
thanks
jerry

JERRY_10

radiant heating manifolds

I am doing coordination dwgs for a radiant panel system following the engineers contract dwgs. the radiant floor piping is on the ground level elevation. the factory supplied manifolds are shown to be on the floor below. doesnt the panel get air bound as the manifold and air vent is on the floor below (approx 5' below)????????
just curious..
thanks
jerry

Scott Gregg

Yes... but

Getting air out is always the pain at start-up. This might make it a bit worse but you can get it forced out through the loops, one loop at a time.

Most factory manifolds have purge valves with hose barbs on them to help.

jerry scharf_3

It can be done

Jerry,

This is not the optimal design, since as you note air has a nasty tendency to move up and coalesce into bubbles in the tubing.

To make this work you will need to do a few things.

First, you will need to watch the flow rates in the tubing very carefully. You will want to keep it between 2 and 4 inches per second in all the tubing, the closer to 4 the better. This may much with your delta T, but so be it. This will entrain as much air as possible.

Second, you will have to set the system up for power purge. Depending on a circulation pump to purge this is not goign to make it. Nice external pressure to drive the water at high speed through the loops will make getting the initial air out a reasonable process.

Though some would disagree (ME) I would look for the best air seperator I could find and install it. No one would disagree with pumping away and running the air seperator at the hottest point in the system.

Others may have other things that would help as well.

jerry

George Peteya_2

Feet!

I know that's what you meant, 2 feet per second, not inches ...