Manifolds - build or buy?

[virvis]

Pros and Cons of building vs. buying manifolds. Buying sure is easier and they look nice but is price the only advantage for building? I will have radiant staple up with a 1" pex main header feeding 3 zones. Each zone will be using mulitiple loops of 1/2 pex and each will need it's own manifold.

If buying is the way to go, can anyone make any recomendations? I've seen the Heat Link expandable manifold system but haven't seen much on the forum about it.

(broken link removed to http://www.heatlink.com/en/system/files/Brochure/L3310en-HeatLink-The-FloorHeat-System-Brochure-2007-02-23.pdf)

Thanks for your input!

Jim

 

[hkobus]

I have the Heatlink manifold system inuse for the past 2 seasons and am really happy with it. I still run it manually but will add a few zone actuators to it this season.
My system is still not complete and this manifold will allow me to add at any time, quick and simple. I have had no leaks or any issues with it and used the largest size. It is all "O" ring sealed and works great.

Henk.

 

[wood-engineer]

I sweated my manifolds. I saved some money, but it took way longer than I thought it would. I would recommend buying the pre-fab manifolds. They can be purchased with throttle valves and thermometers. Try PexSupply, they have good prices and decent selection.

 

[RobC]

I would consider buying prefab for the same reasons wood-engineer said. Being able to tune each loop would be nice. I have a mixing valve that "looks at" the return water temp and that works well but I have I have been turning the circulator on and off manually when I'm charging the tanks. Any recommendations on a control thermostat for that zone ? The Wirsbro radiant thermostat looked good. Has anybody used one ?

 

[pybyr]

If you're designing and installing a system from scratch, which I think I gather that you are, what about looking into hydraulic separators? If I'd learned of them/ more about them earlier in my undertaking, I think I'd have made a real effort to use that technology more, and manifolds less (even though I am very pleased with the way that the Taco Twin Tees let me set up my system for both present use and future options).

Google "Caleffi idronics" and you'll find some interesting articles on both separators and manifolds

 

[Gooserider]

My own suspicion is that if you want a configuration like the pre-fab manifolds offer, it is probably worth going for them - the cost would probably be about the same as buying all the parts to make your own (depending to some extent on how fancy you were making) and the prefab job would be lower hassle and more "integrated" looking than a home brew job... OTOH, if you want to do a distributed manifold of some sort, you probably would want to roll your own...

As to Pybyr's thought on hydraulic separation - it might be a good idea, but I would also point out that if one plumbs them correctly, a storage tank, especially if pressurized, can in effect BE a giant size hydraulic separator - if one plans it that way, you might cut down on some hardware...

Gooserider

 

[Jackpine Savage]

I just got my radiant system going a couple nights ago, just in time for our coldest night so far this year, -30. I used Mr. Pex / Safelink manifolds, no complaints. I think the manifolds are worth it for the balancing valves and the ability to add actuators down the road. The Safelink manifolds are brass, I think I would prefer that over plastic.

I Zurn and Mr Pex pex. The Mr Pex was more flexible and easier to work with.