Choosing a manifold for an underfloor heating system - what should you consider?

Underfloor Heating Distributor - How Does It Work?

Underfloor heating is nothing more than running heating directly under the floor, so that it emits heat into the rooms. The tubes through which heat flows are usually called circuits (also loops or sections). Thanks to distributors, we can direct heat to each of them, but also regulate how much heat we want to send to each circuit using valves and regulators. In this way, through the valves on the distributor, we can freely reduce the amount of heat directed to a particular room or increase it as desired.

This solution is very efficient, convenient, but also simple and quick to install. For this reason, it is common in newly built buildings today.

How to Choose a Distributor? What to Pay Attention to?

Several issues should be considered here.

DISTRIBUTOR MATERIAL - distributors usually come in three types - steel, brass, and plastic.

Stainless steel is a durable material, but it is also the most expensive material, significantly increasing costs, with little benefit (as there are materials that perform almost as well in this application at lower costs).

Therefore, brass seems to be a reasonable solution, which in this particular application does not show significant differences in durability. The advantage is therefore a lower price for comparable durability and usability.

Plastic distributors, on the other hand, are not recommended, as this technology is somewhat aging and is increasingly less chosen today.

NUMBER OF SECTIONS-CIRCUITS - depending on how many circuits we want to run and how large of a building we want to heat.

Certainly, we should not decide on the specific number of circuits before designing the heating system and consulting with the installer-contractor. It is also not always possible to choose the right distributor with the right number of sections based solely on the footage or the number of rooms.

ADDITIONAL EQUIPMENT - it can be important and can significantly improve the convenience of use or the controllability of the system in the event of any potential heating failure (after all, this system is supposed to serve us for years).

It is important for the distributor to have valves that allow the possibility of screwing/closing a particular loop - this will allow us to perfectly adjust the amount of thermal energy directed to the loop. The valve will also allow us to close a particular circuit in the event of any failure of that circuit. In modern systems, the valve can be replaced by an electric actuator, which, in combination with the appropriate controller, will relieve us and open or close the loop itself. Distributors without valves - without loop regulation - should be avoided. This is a decidedly primitive and outdated solution.

Flow meters are an interesting solution - one per circuit. They indicate the level of medium flow through a given circuit - this allows for adjustment and regulation of the flow depending on the needs. They are slowly becoming a standard for underfloor heating, but are often omitted in the case of radiators.

Air-venting and draining valve - also can be helpful, helps to vent the distributor, which translates into greater heating efficiency and prevents malfunctions - so it is also worth considering.

PEX PIPE CONNECTION SIZE - it should be consulted before purchase with a hydraulic engineer. Most often, PEX outlets from the distributor have a size of 3/4" - while the adapter (so-called euroconus) must be selected for the appropriate loop diameter. The most common solutions are 16, 17, or 18mm, and it is crucial to choose this correctly, after determining this issue with the hydraulic engineer.

PRICE - as with almost every hydraulic-heating equipment, a low price is an attractive feature, yet it should not be decisive. On auction portals, there are dozens of types of distributors imported from Asia, which unfortunately differ in quality from domestic ones. Often these are brass distributors, but the quality of the material leaves much to be desired, it contains many impurities, which the seller does not always inform about reliably. However, a high price does not necessarily mean quality assurance, but it is worth avoiding the lower price range.

It is worth remembering this because a possible distributor failure in the middle of winter will be very unpleasant and will not bring us any additional savings.

DISTRIBUTOR SIZE - it is worth taking into account, as the distributor is traditionally installed in a surface-mounted or flush-mounted cabinet. It is a very neat solution, but naturally, the cabinet must be compatible with the distributor.

Check out our Nordic Tec distributor catalog.