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Got my Sorbox today.

JohnNY
JohnNY Member Posts: 3,226
I've been looking forward to seeing this product in action after hearing a lot of positive comments about it and plan to test drive it on one of my clients' hydronic systems next week.



It's nicely machined and a great-looking piece of engineering. Love the low-loss insulation block. Very impressive presentation.



Thought I'd share.
Contact John "JohnNY" Cataneo, NYC Master Plumber, Lic 1784
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«1

Comments

  • Roger_at_SorbOx
    Roger_at_SorbOx Member Posts: 18
    More info

    For anyone interested in more info:



    http://www.sorbox.com/technicalvideo_en.php
  • Mad Dog_2
    Mad Dog_2 Member Posts: 6,831
    Watched the video.....

    Does look extremely well-made. Johnny? Are you using it on a problem system or just to give it a test drive? Mad dog
  • bill nye_3
    bill nye_3 Member Posts: 307
    A +

    Nice video, they get an A+ for that. I recently had to replace a circulator pump due to oxygen corrosion and I fear my tubing may be sludging. Igottagetmeone 
  • Weezbo
    Weezbo Member Posts: 6,232
    It certainly Looks

    this century ...



    : )



    The maint . on it would certainly be less involved than heat exchangers.



    Style in some Photos , when you have it lashed up..



    Thanks

    *~//: )
  • Robert_H
    Robert_H Member Posts: 141
    I must say

    that is some nice looking equipment!
  • Gordy
    Gordy Member Posts: 9,546
    Pressure drop.

    What is it. Nice product.
  • JohnNY
    JohnNY Member Posts: 3,226
    That's a great question.

    Roger? Do you know the ∆P through this unit?
    Contact John "JohnNY" Cataneo, NYC Master Plumber, Lic 1784
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    MikeyB
  • DanHolohan
    DanHolohan Member, Moderator, Administrator Posts: 16,512
    I agree.

    It's gorgeous. Just opened my sample. What a piece of work this is. I like how it does all that it does without chemicals. It's a very smart piece of equipment.
    Retired and loving it.
  • DanHolohan
    DanHolohan Member, Moderator, Administrator Posts: 16,512
    Retired and loving it.
  • Gordy
    Gordy Member Posts: 9,546
    edited March 2014
    Very low pressure drop

    .9 kpa converts to .30 feet of head.

    1 cubic meter per hour converts to 4.4 gpm

    So at 20.25 gpm it's only .30 feet of head.



    I thought it would be its design is like an air removal chamber.



    Someone check my math though.
  • DanHolohan
    DanHolohan Member, Moderator, Administrator Posts: 16,512
    Thanks, Gordy.

    Appreciate the conversion. By the looks of it, it seemed to me the pressure drop would be low. It's really well made. 
    Retired and loving it.
  • JohnNY
    JohnNY Member Posts: 3,226
    edited March 2014
    Here it is:

    I must say, armed with the information given in the graph below, I am officially *no closer* to knowing the pressure drop through my SorbOx thing.



    I'm gonna wing it. It's Swiss. Not Italian. How bad can it be?
    Contact John "JohnNY" Cataneo, NYC Master Plumber, Lic 1784
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  • Gordy
    Gordy Member Posts: 9,546
    edited March 2014
    Johnny

    1 cubic meter per hour = 4.4 gpm



    .1 kpa = .03 feet of head



    Or .1 kpa = .01 psi



    6 bar is 87 psi



    3 m cubed per hour is 13.21 gpm
  • JohnNY
    JohnNY Member Posts: 3,226
    Ahh, the wall.

    Thanks, Gordy. You saved me a lot of math.

    Enjoy the rest of your Sunday.
    Contact John "JohnNY" Cataneo, NYC Master Plumber, Lic 1784
    Consulting & Troubleshooting
    Heating in NYC or NJ.
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  • Derheatmeister
    Derheatmeister Member Posts: 1,524
    Not the one i am receiveing

    Not metric ...Even if it was ....Use Hemp...Don't smoke it ..use on"Joints"
  • Roger_at_SorbOx
    Roger_at_SorbOx Member Posts: 18
    Pressure drop

    Gordy,

    Thanks for the pressure drop conversions.  Your math looks good to me.
  • Gordy
    Gordy Member Posts: 9,546
    Johnny

    Be sure, and let us know how much debris gets pulled out of the system upon your first inspection after installation.



    Is this an old existing system, or brand new?



    Happy to help Roger.
  • Mark Eatherton
    Mark Eatherton Member Posts: 5,853
    Package received...

    Thanks Roger.



    Tell me again about using this on systems with glycol?



    I like what I am seeing. Well built, with serviceability in mind. Minimal invasion into the system when converting between cartridges.



    One suggestion I would make, is that they come out with a NPT nipple set (instead of the BSP it came with) for use on this side of the pond. Most contractors don't have access to hemp based thread sealants, and will over dope the nipples with teflon, and STILL have leak issues.



    If possible, they should also make the print in the instructions larger. These old eyes are having a tough time with little print these days. My arms aren't long enough :-)



    Get back to me on the glycol question, as that will determine where I use it (mountains versus plains)



    When will this product be available over here, and are you looking for manufacturers reps on this side of the pond to set up distribution? We don't discuss pricing on line in this venue, but if you cold send me pricing information off line in an email, I'd appreciate it very much.



    I am taking mine to the mountains this weekend to let some well respected wet head associates of mine see it and play around with it.



    Thanks again.



    ME
    It's not so much a case of "You got what you paid for", as it is a matter of "You DIDN'T get what you DIDN'T pay for, and you're NOT going to get what you thought you were in the way of comfort". Borrowed from Heatboy.
  • Roger_at_SorbOx
    Roger_at_SorbOx Member Posts: 18
    glycol and distribution

     

    In regard to glycol:  SorbOx can be used with a system that contains glycol, however ONLY if it is just glycol, and not a mix of glycol and an inhibitor.  If it contains a chemical inhibitor (which I suppose most do), then SorbOx cannot be used because SorbOx’s anode and the inhibitor will compete with each other, which is bad news. 

    Also, it’s worth noting that the electro-chemical reaction that SorbOx performs only actually works on water.  So hypothetically, if you had a system with 100% glycol and no water, then there is not much point in having a SorbOx.

     

    Pipe size and fitting has been a big topic here recently.  We ordered a shipment of 1” NPT couplings (to replace our current 1” BSP) for the US, but I’m still keen to hear what pipe sizes and methods—NPT threads, press fitting, etc.—are most common.  Since SorbOx has a very low pressure drop, it’s no problem to install it on systems with piping up to 1 ½”.  But I have been told that sometimes residential systems can be even bigger than that (which is not the case here).

     

    As for distribution, we are definitely looking for manufacturers reps.  Since we don’t currently have any distributors, we don’t have a timeline for when it will be available.  But I have gotten lots of emails from people asking where they can get it.  I’d like for them to be able to get their hands on it, rather than having to turn them away because of shipping cost from Switzerland.

    I’ll send you price info.
  • SWEI
    SWEI Member Posts: 7,356
    What is the other half

    of the coupling?  I can't tell much from the manual PDF.



    NPT will certainly work here and can be sold without need for instruction, but options for other piping systems are a good idea.  If the device happens to have "Nut G" connections there are options in most of those already.
  • Roger_at_SorbOx
    Roger_at_SorbOx Member Posts: 18
    Coupling

    The other side is 5/4" BSP. 



    The head itself has a 1" BSP, which I hope wouldn't be an issue, as long as the male side of the coupling is NPT.  Would it?



    I'm not familiar with Nut G...
  • SWEI
    SWEI Member Posts: 7,356
    Nomenclature

    As near as I can tell "Nut G" is one of several names for an ISO coupling/union standard.



    In North America, some manufacturers call it BSP.  Other manufacturers (Uponor comes to mind) use "R32."  Aquatherm and LK Armatur use the term "Nut G."  Caleffi calls them "1 inch union."  I haven't test fitted enough of these to be sure that they all fit perfectly, but I would truly love to have a definitive guide someplace.
  • Robert O'Brien
    Robert O'Brien Member Posts: 3,540
    What type of connections?

    What size are the male nipples?
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  • JohnNY
    JohnNY Member Posts: 3,226
    edited March 2014
    odd

    I just noticed one of my machined brass male x female unions, whatever you want to call them, can screw into the other, but when I reverse them, they don't screw together.

    In other words, if one complete assembly were A and the other B, A screws into B but B doesn't screw into A.



    Anyone else get that?



    This can't be a BSP issue. Must be a thread I'll need to clean up somehow.



    It's usually 11 threads per inch at that size.
    Contact John "JohnNY" Cataneo, NYC Master Plumber, Lic 1784
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  • Mark Eatherton
    Mark Eatherton Member Posts: 5,853
    1" Robert.

    IPS. Just straight Euro thread instead of the tapered un Yankees are used to.



    ME
    It's not so much a case of "You got what you paid for", as it is a matter of "You DIDN'T get what you DIDN'T pay for, and you're NOT going to get what you thought you were in the way of comfort". Borrowed from Heatboy.
  • Paul48
    Paul48 Member Posts: 4,469
    Maybe

    The Sorbox side is a proprietary thread? Or, straight thread? Is that a mechanical seal I see?
  • hot_rod
    hot_rod Member Posts: 22,018
    we can help with adapters

    we can take a BSP or G thread to just about any fitting or thread you want, NPT, FPT, Press, Sweat, include a add a check, temperature gauge, well, etc into the transtion.



    The deal with BSP to NPT is one direction it will work, not so well the other :)



    In other words a 1" BSP female will go onto a 1" NPT. But a 1" male BSP", not so well into a 1" NPT, it only catches a thread or two.



    Best way to seal a BSP is with a Loctite nut and bolt 545 or 272, commonly used on hydraulic fittings. No need to hemp or floss.



    The US is the only country that uses a NPT thread, so it is tough to bring a product from the rest of the planet into the US. Ask Viessmann and Buderus how that works :)
    Bob "hot rod" Rohr
    trainer for Caleffi NA
    Living the hydronic dream
  • JohnNY
    JohnNY Member Posts: 3,226
    Good post, hot rod.

    I've got to deal with this on the plumbing side of my business when someone brings home a $3,000.00 European shower faucet that they can't live without.



    I've been going to a machinist to make my adapters, but it takes time.
    Contact John "JohnNY" Cataneo, NYC Master Plumber, Lic 1784
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    Heating in NYC or NJ.
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  • Dan Foley
    Dan Foley Member Posts: 1,258
    Sorbox

    We finally got our Sorbox installed and operational.  We were waiting for the correct adapter fittings.  Hot Rod hooked us up with 1" PP adapters that did the trick.



    This project in Frederick, MD was installed by my lead tech, Harvey.  The existing Rehau radiant system was installed in a concrete slab but the system had been abandoned for six+ years as a large renovation was put on hold. We are in the process of restoring the radiant system along with an entire mechanical upgrade/renovation. 

     

    The tubing had frozen and split in multiple locations and was open to the atmosphere.  It was full of sediment , grit and biological contaminants.  Even after flushing with water and compressed air, "gunk" was still coming out of the system.



    It will be interesting to see how the Sorbox will perform.  Harvey piped it on the return with a bypass that includes a 10-turn balance valve allowing for precise control of the amount of flow through the Sorbox. 



    - DF
  • Dan Foley
    Dan Foley Member Posts: 1,258
    Sorbox

    Here are a few more pictures of the system.



    - DF
  • Dan Foley
    Dan Foley Member Posts: 1,258
    And a few of the house...

    A few pictures of the house.



    - DF
  • 4Johnpipe
    4Johnpipe Member Posts: 480
    SorBox

    Dan...Just specd one for a job this week. Did you get it through the manufacturer or a supply house?
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  • Dan Foley
    Dan Foley Member Posts: 1,258
    Sorbox

    I got it direct from the manufacturer. 



    - DF
  • Steve_210
    Steve_210 Member Posts: 646
    Where are you guys getting sorbox from are you shipping it in from Europe?
  • JoeyG_2
    JoeyG_2 Member Posts: 14
    That thing is Bad @ss!!! How much is the one you got?
    Joey G
  • Steve_210
    Steve_210 Member Posts: 646
    Where are you guys getting sorbox from are you shipping it in from Europe?
    Anybody?
  • Steve_210
    Steve_210 Member Posts: 646
    Anybody use this have any success????
  • Steve_210
    Steve_210 Member Posts: 646
    Seems like a nice product anybody have any experience
  • Roger_at_SorbOx
    Roger_at_SorbOx Member Posts: 18
    To some of the people who were asking here--SorbOx is finally in stock on American soil. Please shoot me an email if anyone is interested:
    roger.conarroe@elysator.com
  • DanHolohan
    DanHolohan Member, Moderator, Administrator Posts: 16,512
    Congratulations, Rodger. Does it have American fittings?
    Retired and loving it.