Silly heating question

[bigcol]

Re central heating, and the importance of knowing the in and return pipes.

why is it so important?

either end of the radiator doesn't mater surely, either end can be the inlet or the outlet?

does it mater what pipe carry’s the coolant and what direction it flows

 

col

[ditchcrawler]

I think some valves are flow orientated 

[Tony Brooks]

If you had a gravity system with top feed rads it might not do well with the cold return pipe at the top.

[Eeyore]

Some diagrams in this:

27255_Stelrad-HS_Classic_Web-3.pdf

[bigcol]

Thank you for this.

so  the pipes return/ main feed doesn't mater what direction they go

someone telling me not to get the 2 mixed up, it really doesn't matter.!

as per diagram that Eeyore posted.

 

 

col

 

 

 

[Tony Brooks]

53 minutes ago, bigcol said:

Thank you for this.

so  the pipes return/ main feed doesn't mater what direction they go

someone telling me not to get the 2 mixed up, it really doesn't matter.!

as per diagram that Eeyore posted.

 

 

col

 

 

Only if it is a pumped system. Note the crossed out ones with hot in at the bottom and cold out at the top. On a gravity system with top inlet fed radiators the top pipe must be the hot pipe.

[bigcol]

Hi Tony

 

thank you for your posts,

I’ve got it now,

just couldn’t understand why a plumber, was telling me to mark up the pipes ie don’t mix them up..

 

thank you again.

 

col

[MtB]

8 hours ago, bigcol said:

just couldn’t understand why a plumber, was telling me to mark up the pipes ie don’t mix them up..

 

 

Because plumbers are not heating engineers and do not understand the principles involved. 

 

OTOH most heating engineers don't either! 

 

 

[ditchcrawler]

2 hours ago, MtB said:

 

Because plumbers are not heating engineers and do not understand the principles involved. 

 

OTOH most heating engineers don't either! 

 

 

Unless you drag them out of retirement 

[Slim]

14 hours ago, bigcol said:

Re central heating, and the importance of knowing the in and return pipes.

why is it so important?

either end of the radiator doesn't mater surely, either end can be the inlet or the outlet?

does it mater what pipe carry’s the coolant and what direction it flows

 

col

I've always thought that it was to get a flow of water across the panel asap. ie, hot in top left, cold out bottom right. Perhaps more relevant on gravity systems. 

[BEngo]

Top Entry (either end), diagonal flow to the bottom exit at the other end (known as TBOE to heating engineers) is the most effective flow pattern, transferring the most heat from the radiator to the air. That is the flow pattern four entry radiators are rated at.  Skin tanks work similarly.

 

TBOE looks pretty crap in a household set up, and often uses more (expensive copper)  pipe when the main runs are typically  below the rads.  As a result opposite bottom  entry and exit are more common and two entry radiators can be bought.  These are only much use in pumped systems as there is no fall across the rad.

 

N

[bigcol]

Thank you all, all my rads are bottom entry, so what ever end of pipe work you use return/flow in, it doesn't mater

most central heating systems have a integral water pump included.

 

which leads me to another question if i may

having a 56 ft Widebeam, fitted with a 5kw thermo top webasto

5 radiators plus a colarifier . I just fitted the 5th rad in the back bedroom, which now conected only gets luke warm, or the front bedroom one only gets warm now, so the 2 rads either end does not get hot hot. Yet the 3 rads in the middle get hot as in hot.

 

the system has been bled of air, ive now put the colarifier 4th in the circuit, which I have isolated, but even this don’t  fix the problem of 2 Luke warm rads at both ends of the system.

 

could anyone advise me if folks have installed another water pump, or more powerful one, I’m thinking maybe I need to get the water pumped faster or a bit more of a push.

 

or is it that I’m expecting to much from the 5 kw heater?

 

 

col

[David Mack]

Having installed the extra radiator, have you turned down the lockshield valves on the existing rads to balance the flow of water between the radiators?

[Tracy D'arth]

Needs balancing so that the return temperatures are  the same on all the rads. Throttle the hot ones till the cool ones come up.

Edited December 15, 2022 by Tracy D'arth

[bigcol]

No I hadn’t, since installing the 5 th radiator, will try this next

i will do this as I’ve just tested that just now and yes vast difference in temp between pipes

Will give it ago tomorrow!!

 

thanks

Edited December 15, 2022 by bigcol
Added tx