The Glitch & The Fix

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The installer got a great price on a “contractor pack” of 3/4-inch copper tees, so the supply and return manifolds are built with 3/4-inch copper, as are all the zone circuits ...

Here’s an extremely messed up installation for you to ponder.

There are several piping errors in this proposed multiple boiler system installation.

Every time the circulator shuts off, the owner hears banging and gurgling sounds in the pipes ...

What's wrong with this arrangement for a low-temperature radiant floor panel?

There are at least four design errors in this schematic. Can you spot them?

As it exists, this system works relatively well, but it could be further refined. See if you can spot some design details that would provide equal or better performance while using less hardware.

This month, rather than “synthesizing” an incorrect piping schematic, I’ll show you a system based on a sketch sent to me.

Overview: An installer has decided to use a mod/con boiler with a high head loss characteristic and connects it to the rest of the system as a secondary circuit with its own circulator. The two load circuits require the same water temperature, so he connects them as shown.

The following system has been planned with three 200,000 Btu/hr. boilers with plenty of capacity supplying a primary loop that serves several secondary loops.