Compendium of knowledge about floor distributors - questions and answers

If you're planning to equip your home or apartment with underfloor heating, be sure to read the article below. You'll learn what an underfloor heating manifold is and why it's a key component of every underfloor heating system. In our blog post, you'll also find out how it works, how it's built, and how to choose the right underfloor heating manifold. Find all the answers to your questions about underfloor heating manifolds. Happy reading!

What is an Underfloor Heating Manifold?

Underfloor heating manifold is a device designed to evenly distribute heat in rooms. It serves as the central point of the underfloor heating system, to which several circuits or loops of heating are connected. Each circuit typically has an individual control valve that allows adjusting the temperature in a particular room. The manifold is also equipped with circulation pumps, which ensure optimal circulation of hot water in the underfloor heating system. Thanks to this device, all rooms are uniformly heated, allowing comfortable use of the floor throughout the building. Underfloor heating manifold is an extremely important element in the heating system, enabling optimal temperature to be achieved in each room.

Is an Underfloor Heating Manifold the Same Device as a Floor Heating Collector?

The terminology related to underfloor heating systems may vary, but generally speaking, underfloor heating collector and underfloor heating manifold are terms that are often used interchangeably and most often refer to the same devices in the underfloor heating system.

How is an Underfloor Heating Manifold Constructed?

Underfloor heating manifold is constructed of the following components:

• Supply beam (supply manifold) - responsible for supplying hot water to individual circuits of the underfloor heating.
• Rotameters (flow meters) - devices used to measure the flow of water in the system, in a given underfloor heating circuit. These are very important elements of the manifold mounted on the supply manifold (although in some cases they may be located on the return manifold - which is not recommended). Each flow meter measures the volume flow rate of hot supply water feeding each circuit of the heating system. By controlling the flow values in individual circuits, you can adjust the temperature value achieved in individual rooms. This allows us to easily avoid underheating in some rooms and overheating in others.
• Air vent valve - an automatic air vent valve designed to prevent airlocks in the underfloor heating and flow meters. During underfloor heating system servicing, it also serves as a drain valve (used to drain any residual water from the system).
• 3/4" connections - PEX pipes are attached to them, through which the hot water supplying the underfloor heating system flows, using heating pipe fittings, adapted to the diameter of the heating pipes. The most commonly used fittings have a diameter of 16mm, but also 17, 18mm, etc.
• Support frame - a structure used to connect the elements together into a whole, allowing the manifold to be hung on the wall.
• Return beam (return manifold) - collects cooled water from all circuits of the underfloor heating and redirects it to one point, where it can then be discharged, e.g., to the boiler for reheating.
• Thermostatic valves - used to set the temperature of each circuit.

How Does an Underfloor Heating Manifold Work?

Underfloor heating manifold is an essential device in underfloor heating systems. Its main task is to control the distribution of heating fluid (usually water) to individual heating circuits. This device operates by regulating the pressure of the fluid in each circuit, allowing for uniform heating of the entire building regardless of the size of the rooms and their distance from the source of hot water.

The manifold is equipped with thermostatic valves that allow individual control of the temperature in each room. This enables you to adjust the heating according to the occupants' needs and reduce energy consumption. Typically, thermostatic valves can be removed and replaced with thermostatic actuators, i.e., electric actuators, which will automatically control the respective circuit, ensuring that the set temperature is maintained. By installing actuators for underfloor heating on different circuits, we gain the ability to automatically control and adjust the temperature in different rooms - with the option of setting individual temperatures for each room with underfloor heating.

2 circuits

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85,99 €

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DE-RD-CO-5

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Types of Underfloor Heating Manifolds

Underfloor heating manifolds can be divided based on the number of circuits and equipment, including the form of the shut-off valve of the underfloor heating collectors, i.e., the manifold beam. When choosing the device, it's important to properly match the type of manifold to the heated area and the entire heating system to ensure effective and efficient underfloor heating. However, this can only be done correctly in collaboration with an installer who has surveyed the building and presented a plan for laying out the individual loops and distributing them to the rooms.

Division of Manifolds Based on the Number of Circuits

Based on the number of circuits, underfloor heating manifolds can be divided into:

• Manifolds for apartments and single-family houses with up to 6 rooms:

• 2-circuit,
• 3-circuit,
• 4-circuit,
• 5-circuit,
• 6-circuit.

• Manifolds for larger buildings - offices and large houses (7 rooms and more):

• 7-circuit,
• 8-circuit,
• 9-circuit,
• 10-circuit,
• 11-circuit,
• 12-circuit.

Division of Manifolds Based on the Valve Shape

Furthermore, based on the valve shape, the following types of manifolds are distinguished:

• Underfloor heating manifolds with angled valves,
• Underfloor heating manifolds with straight valves.

Which Underfloor Heating Manifold to Choose?

The choice of underfloor heating manifold should be thoughtful and adapted to the thermal demand of the building. A properly selected manifold ensures optimal heat distribution, resulting in thermal comfort in the rooms. If you value a high level of thermal comfort, it's worth investing in a high-quality manifold that allows temperature regulation for individual building zones.

The most important factors to consider when deciding on a manifold purchase are:

• type of heating - depending on whether underfloor heating is the only system or it works in conjunction with other heating methods in our building, such as traditional radiators, the appropriate manifold model should be chosen,
• material - low-quality manifolds can easily fail, which can ultimately cause problems with maintaining thermal comfort in the building. It's worth choosing underfloor heating manifolds made of durable materials - such as brass. The best models are externally protected with an additional chrome coating.
• additional equipment - these are elements that define the usability of our device - such as flow meters, drain and air vent valves, and a frame ensuring secure wall mounting.

It's also important to consider the type of heating installation so that the manifold is compatible with the given system. Before choosing a manifold, all of the above aspects should be carefully considered to ensure optimal thermal conditions in the building.