How to assemble a collector for a warm floor. Do-it-yourself heating distribution manifold: diagrams and assembly features

In a private house is a costly business. However, for the reliable operation of such a system, savings are inappropriate. But despite this, there are options for how to reduce the cost of the heating system. For example, instead of buying a new collector, you can put in a little effort and make it yourself. This article will discuss the question of how to make a collector for a warm floor with your own hands, using polypropylene.

Polypropylene is successfully used in modern heating systems. With the correct calculation of the pipe diameter, you can make a warm floor from polypropylene pipes.

A distribution manifold can also be assembled from polypropylene fittings. To do this, you will need the following components:

Pipes Ø25 and Ø32 mm.
Plugs Ø32 mm.
Couplings 32×1″ and 25×3/4 with female thread.
American ball valves.
Couplings 25×3.4 with external thread.
Security group.
Tees Ø25 and Ø32 mm.
Sealant.
Automatic air vent.

The structure and installation of the collector

As a rule, the collector consists of two parts and ours will be no exception. Its first part is intended for uniform distribution of the hot coolant through the pipes from the boiler.

When producing a polypropylene floor heating collector, make an additional outlet in case a heating circuit is added.

All components of the comb are connected by thermal welding with special equipment. Connect a safety group and an air vent to one of the parts of the collector. A tap is also connected, which, in case of repair, will serve to drain the coolant from the system. As for the other part of the collector, to which the return pipes will be connected, a tap and an air vent are mounted on it in the same way. Moreover, a circulation pump is installed on the return, which will create a forced movement of the coolant through the heating circuits. It must be mounted with the arrow pointing towards the boiler.

To create an economical underfloor heating system, it is recommended to install a three-way valve after the circulation pump. In addition, the system is equipped with a check valve.

So, making a comb out of polypropylene is not difficult. It is important to follow the outlined schemes. For a warm water floor, the collector will serve as an excellent means of evenly distributing heat energy over the entire floor area. If you still have questions regarding how to assemble the collector, write questions to our experts or leave comments at the end of this article.

Video

From the provided videos, you will learn how to make a collector for a warm water floor made of polypropylene:

When installing a water heated floor, it is important to connect it correctly. Therefore, the circuits are connected to the boiler not directly, but through manifolds, sensors, valves and pumps. If you buy a ready-made mixing unit, the price for it will cost you 10-20 thousand rubles.

In this article we will tell you about how you can save money and assemble a floor heating collector with your own hands.

Why do you need a collector

The collector is a technical element that mixes and distributes the coolant from different parallel heating circuits. Due to its large cross section and low speed, it allows you to mix warm and hot coolant in it, aligning the specified parameters.

The connection scheme is designed in such a way that after passing the hot liquid through the circuit, it cools down and returns to the manifold for mixing through the return pipe. To regulate the ratio of warm and hot water, special valves are installed, and to control the temperature, heat sensors, outdoor weather sensors, and pressure sensors are installed. To increase the pressure in the system, the manifold assembly may include a circulation pump.

Now let's imagine an example: in your house, heating radiators are connected from the boiler, which require a coolant temperature of 75-95 degrees for normal operation. You also want to connect a warm floor to the boiler, but the water temperature in it should not be higher than 35-55 degrees. Otherwise, you will violate sanitary standards (the maximum temperature of the floor surface is 30 degrees), spoil the finish floor covering, and it will emit harmful substances.

In such a situation, a collector is indispensable. You will need to send colder water to the underfloor heating circuits of an apartment or house than to radiators. In addition, due to the large length of the pipes, it will be necessary to increase the pressure in the system, so an additional pump will be required.

Elements of the collector assembly

The scheme of a conventional mixing unit consists of the following parts:

Mixing two or three-way valve;
Circular pump;
Balancing and shut-off valves;
Collector (2 pcs.);
Thermal head with a sensor for temperature control;
Manometers for pressure control;
Air outlet for removing air from the system;
In addition, you will need various fittings, nipples, tees and other connecting elements.

two way valve

The thermal head controls the temperature of the liquid entering the circuits.
As soon as the temperature gets high, it closes the valve and the hot water supply is reduced.
When the coolant cools down, it opens the hot water supply more.
At the same time, the coolant is supplied from the return line in a constant mode, and hot only when necessary.

The two-way valve has a low capacity, so the supply of hot coolant occurs smoothly and without sudden jumps. This type is mainly used for mixing, but it is only suitable for rooms of less than 200 squares.

Advice!
Like any faucet, the valve can become clogged over time, so for easy replacement, it is recommended to install it on an American split coupling.

Three-way valve

The three-way valve simultaneously balances the water supply from the boiler and the return water through the bypass.
Its main difference is the mixing of the coolant inside itself.
Inside it is a damper, which is perpendicular to the supply and return pipes.
By changing its position, the ratio of water supply is regulated, and the temperature changes.

Experts consider this option to be universal, and use it in complex heating systems with a large number of circuits and automatic adjustment.

The disadvantages include a possible sharp fluctuation in temperature, and hot water can enter the circuit if the indicators on the thermostat are incorrect. This valve has a high capacity, so even a small displacement of the valve can make a big difference in temperature.

Often, servo drives are installed on such valves, which are controlled by weather sensors or air temperature sensors.

weather sensors

In order to be able to regulate the temperature in automatic mode, depending on the weather outside the window, weather-dependent sensors are connected to the underfloor heating system. With a sharp cold snap, the room will cool faster, so it will require enhanced heating. To increase the efficiency of a warm floor, it will be necessary to increase the temperature and flow of the coolant.

Of course, you can adjust everything manually, but this way you will not be able to find the optimal feed ratios. Therefore, weather-dependent controllers are used. They check the temperature every 20 seconds, and if it does not correspond to the optimal values, they change the position of the valve by 1/20 part. More advanced controllers can lower the water supply when no one is home.

Assembly diagram

After you have bought all the necessary items, you can make a homemade collector for underfloor heating. To do this, collect the elements according to one of the schemes that are shown in the photo.

Advice!
Do-it-yourself collector for underfloor heating can be assembled in a special indoor or outdoor cabinet.
Outdoor cabinets are 12-16 cm wide, so not every pump will fit into them.
The inner cabinet can be slightly enlarged by deepening the back wall.

Conclusion

When connecting underfloor heating pipes to the manifold, use special compression fittings. Before this, it is recommended to make a small chamfer on the pipe so that it fits snugly into the socket.

A warm water floor is a good alternative or addition to the radiator heating of a private house. The system can be installed both in one room and for the entire building. In both cases, it must be autonomous and ensure reliable operation of heating circuits with coolant. To solve this problem, a do-it-yourself collector for a warm floor must be installed, which is assembled from the constituent elements. The collector and underfloor heating are inextricably linked.

The main function of the device is the specified distribution of the coolant over all circuits. It can be both uniform and selective.

The water floor system usually contains several circuits for distributing coolant through pipes. Each of them has a separate input and output connected to the collector. It consists of two combs: from one - hot water is supplied to, and in the other - its reverse flows, which have given up part of the heat, are combined together and returned to heating.

Preparation of the heat carrier consists in mixing hot and cold water to obtain the required temperature. A warm floor does not need a lot of heating of the coolant. If the temperature in radiators is 70-95°C, then for a warm floor it does not exceed 30-55°C. It is impossible to walk barefoot on hot ceramic tiles, and other coatings warp from high temperature.

A mixing unit is used in the collector, which is a pump with pipelines that mixes the direct flow with the return flow and obtains one of them with a certain temperature. The best way is sequential mixing (fig. below), where the highest performance is achieved.

The red arrows indicate the hot coolant flow, the blue arrows indicate the cooled flow. The mixture temperature in front of the upper comb is controlled by a thermostatic valve.

The mixer is also used in systems where underfloor heating is combined with radiator heating. The ratio of portions of hot and cooled coolant is maintained by valves with temperature control by heat, pressure and weather sensors. Natural circulation is no longer used anywhere, and pumps are connected to the collectors to maintain pressure in the system.

In simple systems, the heat carrier is not mixed. It is supplied by a circulation pump installed in the return pipeline.

Manifold cabinet

The heat transfer mixing and distribution point will not look aesthetically pleasing if it is not hidden in a cabinet. The price for it is small and it is easier to buy it than to make it yourself in the absence of the necessary tools. Cabinet designs are often used built-in, but there are also external ones.

They have holes for mounting. Fixing methods are always described in detail in the instructions. When buying, you should pay attention to this. It is also important where the piping openings are located in the cabinet and how they fit with the manifold design. All its parts must be freely placed and have access for maintenance and repair. The cabinet must be securely closed so that only those who maintain the system can access the equipment.

To assemble the collector yourself, you need the following items:

two- or three-way valve;
shut-off and balancing valves. When the coolant temperature changes, the valve changes the flow area, adjusting the fluid flow;
pressure and temperature sensors;
circulation pump;
air vent (manual or automatic);
elements for installation: fittings, tees, adapters, detachable couplings, etc.

The collector shown in fig. below, makes it possible to connect several circuits, the number of which depends on the total area of \u200b\u200bthe premises.

Pipes are connected with cone tightening fittings and equipped with shut-off valves.

Creating a heating project

The project is a diagram of the location of the branches and their connection to the collector. In this case, it is necessary to take into account a large number of factors on which the performance and ease of operation of the system depends:

the number of contours;
type and characteristics of the heat source;
a description of additional energy sources that are supposed to be installed later (boilers running on other fuels, solar panels, etc.);
description of the operation of the main and additional equipment (sensors, measuring instruments, valves, expansion tanks, etc.);
determination of the parameters of each device on the injection and return lines of the coolant;
the entry of pipes from the boilers is located at the ends of the horizontal combs, and the heating circuits are located at the top and bottom.

Assembling the manifold from components

The manifold is sold as a disassembled kit. It is easy to assemble if you read the instructions first. Most devices are assembled in the following sequence:

The pipes are taken out of the package and the sections are connected to each other.
The combs are attached to the brackets.
Install shutoff valves, control devices, connection elements and plugs.
The assembled collector is mounted on the wall.
The circulation pump and valve are connected.
Pipes from the boiler and heating circuits are connected to the node.

Important! Collector assembly, its connection to pipes and adjustment are made before pouring the screed. The operation of control devices and the adjustment of operating modes are checked. All circuits should work.

materials

There are many collector models on the market and their choice largely depends on the heating scheme. They work with heat carriers at different levels of heating. Therefore, high requirements are placed on the material. Devices made of stainless steel and brass have great strength. In simple heating schemes, you can use plastic products that are made at a high level by leading manufacturers.

How to assemble a collector with your own hands

It is impossible to directly connect a warm floor with your own hands to the boiler. To do this, you need a manifold with valves. It is installed in a cabinet, and piping starts from it. Only one person is allowed access to the collector, who will maintain the system.

The assortment of collectors in stores is quite large, but it is often difficult to choose the right one for your heating system. In addition, a switchgear is needed on each floor of a private house, which leads to a significant increase in costs. A self-made collector for underfloor heating is the right solution, allowing you to save a significant amount of money.

Connection

Since the heating has a supply and return branches, the collector must consist of two combs connected to them. At the junctions, branches are arranged to drain water and remove air from the pipes.

The collector is assembled according to the number of connected loops. At each outlet, located above or below the comb, taps are installed to ensure that individual circuits are turned off when the rest of the heating is running. The distance between them is recommended to be 10-20 cm.

Collector manufacturing

Before assembling a collector for a warm floor, you need to understand the purpose of each element. It is recommended to make combs with your own hands from a square pipe. Round threaded pipes are welded to them for connection to the boiler and to the circuits. To do this, markings are first made, then holes are drilled, and then the nozzles are attached. All joints are carefully welded. A plug is made at one of the ends.

The scale is knocked down, the collector is cleaned and painted with oil compounds. On fig. below is a simple 3 loop manifold. The comb and pipes for supplying heat carrier from the boiler are painted red, and the return pipes, through which chilled water is supplied for heating, are painted blue.

Air vents are connected on top of the combs, and plugs for sludge discharge are installed in the lower part. Each circuit can be shut off with valves, which also serve to control temperature and pressure.

The distribution manifold is designed to control a small system that serves as additional heating. It will be much more difficult if it is used for the main heating system in a large house. The assembly of a collector from polypropylene pipes is much simpler, but the simplest models are made in this way.

Manifold Assembly

The underfloor heating collector contains devices that ensure the efficient operation of the system. Each circuit must have control valves. For a complex system, it is advisable to install automatic control valves.

Usually they operate in a constant mode, the coolant flow rate changes only at the main supply inlet. For a house area up to 200 m², two-way valves are used. Their advantage is smooth adjustment. Valves often clog. Therefore, they are installed on detachable couplings ("American") so that they can be removed for cleaning.

A more complex device is a three-way valve. It provides mixing of flows of direct and return water supply, maintaining the set temperature at the outlet. Inside it is a movable partition that regulates the flow of water from two inlet pipes. The device is used in all complex systems with automatic control of a large number of circuits. Its advantage is a significant throughput.

At the slightest turn of the tap, the temperature regime of the system changes. Adjustment can be manual and automatic. A three-way valve is often combined with a servo driven by an outdoor air temperature sensor. When the weather changes, the temperature in the rooms is maintained constant. As soon as a cold snap occurs, the signal from the weather sensor enters the control unit and the temperature of the coolant rises.

If the underfloor heating serves as the main heater of the house, the temperature of the coolant in the boiler can be kept low, which reduces the load on all equipment.

Video

The collector is the most important component of the underfloor heating system. With its help, the temperature in the rooms is regulated, economical energy consumption and long-term operation of the heating network are ensured. Therefore, the choice of the device and its installation with your own hands should be taken with all responsibility.

When using autonomous heating in a private house, situations sometimes arise when the system is not efficient enough. Such a problem, in which all elements of the system are correctly designed and installed, and the temperature in the house does not reach the proper level, is extremely unpleasant and needs to be addressed.

The most suitable solution to this problem is to install a distribution manifold. Such collector groups for heating can be purchased ready-made, or you can save money and make them yourself. How to make a heating distribution manifold with your own hands will be discussed in this article.

Purpose of the heating collector

In any heating system, one important rule must be observed - the diameter of the pipe leaving the boiler must match or be slightly less than the total diameter of all circuits connected to this boiler. Failure to comply with this rule consistently leads to uneven distribution of the coolant.

For example, consider a system to which three separate circuits are connected:

Radiator heating;
Warm floor;
Indirect heating boiler providing hot water supply.

The diameters of the nozzles at the outlet of the boiler and at the inlet of each of these consumers can be the same, only the total value of the latter will be an order of magnitude larger. As a result, a very simple phenomenon arises - the boiler, even if it operates at full capacity, is simply not able to simultaneously ensure the operation of all the circuits connected to it. Because of this, the temperature in the house decreases.

Of course, you can try to use all the circuits in turn so that they do not load the boiler at the same time. In theory, such measures seem possible, but in practice they turn out to be nothing more than half-measures - after all, the constant “juggling” of contours cannot be called an attribute of comfortable living in a house.

To get rid of such problems, a distribution manifold must be installed in the system. Typically, stainless steel pipes are used to make such collectors, but other options can be used - for example, polypropylene collectors for heating are often found.

The design itself is a device with a set of nozzles for the inlet and outlet of the coolant, as well as its separation into separate circuits. Adjustment of all operating parameters is carried out using shut-off valves, which are equipped with any collector.

The main function of the distribution manifold is displayed in its name - it distributes the coolant over separate circuits, and the intensity of its supply can be adjusted on each branch pipe. The result is several circuits that are completely independent of each other, each of which operates in its own temperature regime.

Of course, there is always the opportunity to simplify your work and purchase a ready-made collector, but such a solution has drawbacks. So, the production of heating collectors at the factory simply cannot take into account the features of each heating system, so you will have to compensate for the characteristics of the collector with additional elements - and these are extra costs. Homemade devices may lose in versatility to factory ones, but they are much better suited for arranging individual projects.

Collector device

Both a factory-made metal and a home-made polypropylene manifold include two parts:

The first element ensures the connection of the supply pipeline leaving the boiler with the supply pipes of the heating circuits, i.e. this part of the collector distributes the heated coolant. This collector element is also important for the ability to make the circuits independent, which simplifies their maintenance and repair. If there is a collector to repair one of the circuits, it is enough to close the valve corresponding to it, which will stop the supply of coolant to this pipeline.
In the second part of the collector, the pressure is regulated in each circuit, due to which the intensity of the circulation of the coolant is determined. The efficiency of all heating systems directly depends on the correct setting of the movement of hot water in the mains.

Inexperienced craftsmen very often build a set of additional elements into the system, believing that these devices will be able to optimize the heating operation. In most cases, such a solution turns out to be useless, because a lack of understanding of the reason for the decrease in heating efficiency makes it impossible to competently intervene in the operation of heating. A do-it-yourself polypropylene collector often turns out to be the most necessary, optimal solution to the problem of reduced heating heat transfer.

Designing a homemade collector

The first step in creating a homemade distribution manifold is its design. A well-designed project will greatly simplify the work and allow you to create a high-quality welded manifold for heating, which is optimally suited for specific operating conditions.

Before assembling the heating collector, it is necessary to evaluate a number of parameters of the heating network of the building:

The number of heating circuits to which the coolant must be supplied;
Quantity and parameters of heating equipment (power, heating temperature, pressure, etc.);
The need and possibility of further embedding additional elements in the heating system;
The number of additional elements of the system (pumps, valves, valves, etc.).

Electric and gas heating boilers can be brought to the collector from above or below;
If there is a circulation pump in the heating system circuit, boilers can only be connected from the end of the collector;
Insertion of indirect heating boilers and solid fuel boilers into the collector can only be carried out from the end side;
The flow of each heating circuit is connected to the manifold from above or below.

In order to accurately and clearly see how to correctly assemble the heating collector, it is worth depicting its project on paper or printing it out if the diagram was created on a computer. The presence of a clear image in compliance with the scale and the required number of elements makes it possible to check during work to prevent installation errors.

On the diagram, it is imperative to put down the dimensions of each part of the collector. For example, the distance between the supply and return pipes should be about 10-20 cm - deviations up or down will complicate the maintenance of the device. A similar distance should be between the supply and return of the collector.

The main quality of the collector is functionality, but one should not forget that the device must be compact enough and decent looking. That is why, if it is possible to make the device more accurate, it is worth making an effort.

Do-it-yourself comb assembly

The collector assembly technology includes the following steps:

In accordance with the dimensions specified in the project, the required amount of materials is procured;
Pipes are connected to each other as indicated in the project;
All pipes must be connected to each other using a suitable tool;
The joints of the pipes must be carefully cleaned and treated with a sealant;

A self-assembled collector must be checked for leaks by closing all the pipes, except for one, and ensuring that water is supplied to it - the absence of leaks in the closed pipes indicates that the device is assembled correctly;
The finished distribution manifold is painted and dried;
After the paint has hardened, the device can be installed in the place selected for it.

Conclusion

A do-it-yourself distribution manifold comb for heating is created without any problems. To perform this work, you only need to properly prepare, make a project of the device in advance, and then carefully and carefully carry out all the necessary assembly steps. A properly assembled collector will fully perform all the functions assigned to it.

When designing heating and plumbing systems, it is often necessary to break down the number of fluid flows. For example, in heating systems with several circuits, the distribution of the coolant is simply indispensable. One of the means to achieve the goal is the distribution manifold.

A collector is a device for distributing a liquid, which is often called a comb, apparently due to the external similarity of the collector circuit with this object. In plumbing systems, it is designed to distribute water, for example, from a supply pipe to several taps without pressure loss.

Accordingly, if two people, for example, in the bathroom and in the kitchen use water, the pressure in the pipes and the water pressure will be equal for both.

The collector simplifies the dilution of water in different places, you can easily make wiring for a washing machine, bathtub, sink, drain tank. From the collector to the consumer there is one target pipe without unnecessary wiring and adhesions, which not only simplifies, but also increases the reliability of the system.

In heating systems, combs are used to distribute the coolant along the circuits; heating is usually divided into sections. For example, the first circuit is a radiator heating system, the second is a warm floor on the same floor. In this case, it is required to distribute the coolant from the heater to the circuits and make a return closed system.

Without a collector, such a design will be extremely complex, it will take much more effort and material, in order to implement heating, it will be time-consuming to maintain and less reliable in operation.

The collector distributes the coolant with uniform pressure, and returns the coolant from all circuits back to the heater. This method makes the closed system simple and reliable.

It is important! The main factor in the performance of the comb is that the liquid inlet must have a diameter equal to or greater than the outlet.

Characteristics of polypropylene manifolds

Polypropylene is non-toxic, under normal use it is completely harmless to both the user and the environment. Harmful vapors material is able to emit only during combustion. The melting point of polypropylene is 160 - 170 ºC.