Some people assemble jig saw puzzles for entertainment, others strive to appreciate fine art or classical music. But me — I’m into piping schematics. Seriously, I love to look over piping drawings for hydronic systems whenever and wherever the opportunity presents itself. They can show up in manufacturers’ literature, installation manuals, drawings by engineers, sketches on napkins — it makes no difference. I’m always looking for the basic concepts used and perhaps even some new, previously unheard of way of piping a hydronic system.
In the last year, I’ve had the opportunity to look over some real winners and some real “lemons.” Here are a few of the deviant details I’ve come across. Some of these flukes appeared in manufacturers’ literature, others were assembled by contractors who didn’t take the time to carefully think about how the piping details affect overall system performance.