Experience the warmth from the ground up: Discover the comfort of underfloor heating.
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A manifold is one of the essential parts of a wet underfloor heating system. It connects the heat source, which can either be a heat pump or a boiler, to the pipework. Its function is to circulate heated water from the heat source through the connected network of pipes. It also manages pressure and flow rate, regulates the temperature, and ensures even distribution of heat across the entire floor space and room.
In this way, this element contributes to making your home warm and energy-efficient while maintaining a comfortable and cosy environment inside your property.
Explore this guide to learn about the components, supplementary accessories, working mechanisms, and installation and control of a manifold for a wet underfloor heating system in detail.
A manifold comes with water-based underfloor heating systems and is made of stainless steel, offering resilience against corrosion. It has different sizes so that it can be conveniently used with heating systems installed in smaller or larger properties for efficient working. The important components of a manifold include:
Euroncones: This component makes the manifold suitable for use with different kinds of underfloor heating pipes.
Anti-Vibration Mounts: These components of the manifold contribute towards making the system’s operation ultra-quiet.
Air Vents: Manual air vents are present in the manifold to vent air quickly and efficiently upon commissioning and prevent leakage.
Flow Metres: These are installed with the manifold for configuring and delivering the required water flow rate for the floor circuits with ensured accuracy and reliability.
Thermomanometre: This gauge helps regulate water pressure and temperature. It is present on the flow arm and assists you in checking the flow and temperature of water easily.
The following are some of the supplementary accessories that can be used with a manifold based on your needs:
The Actuator can be installed with a manifold for controlling the circuit valves. These are connected to the Wiring Centre and, with the help of a thermostat, facilitate the opening and closing of each floor circuit.
An in-wall cabinet can be installed as housing to secure the manifold system, which is available in classic and stylish designs with varying widths that make them suitable to be used with any size of the manifold. Moreover, some of the in-wall cabinets have an adjustable height and internal depth feature for customised installation.
Isolation Valves can be directly connected to the manifold or the Mixing Unit if installed with the system. These valves allow the manifold to be filled, drained, and pressure tested without impacting the floor circuits.
If the heat source is not capable of maintaining a consistent water temperature, a Mixing Unit can be installed with the manifold. This Unit helps mix heated water coming from the heating source with cooler water coming back from the floor circuits to achieve an ideal temperature.
This temperature is within the specified range, which is configured during the installation of a wet underfloor heating system based on the floor construction and type, heat losses, heat outputs, and other essential factors.
A primary heating circuit is used for connecting the manifold to the heat source. The pipes of a wet underfloor heating system can be installed as a single circuit for a single room, and multiple circuits can be laid for larger rooms or open areas, which are referred to as zones. All the floor circuits are then connected to a centrally located manifold.
The manifold can control several circuits at the same time and also allows you to control each zone independently based on your heating requirements. This function helps you heat every room according to your preferences. The manifold receives heated water at a set temperature from the heat source and regulates its flow rate with the help of Flow Meters based on the specific requirements of each circuit to which the water is to be supplied.
Once the correct configuration of flow rate pressure for each zone is achieved, the heated water is supplied to the floor circuits via the manifold’s Flow Arm. The water circulates inside the pipe and radiates heat to warm the floors and entire room. Then, water re-enters the manifold via the Return Arm, where valves mounted with supplementary actuators are present.
The thermostat regulates the opening and closing of these valves via the Wiring Centre. Thus, the whole system allows water to flow into the flow circuits and warms up or cools down the entire underfloor heating system.
The Wiring Centre connects the manifold to its components, heating source, and thermostat. This Wiring Centre is responsible for supplying voltage to the relevant Actuator to open the valves for the delivery of warm water to floor circuits upon receiving the stimulus from the thermostat. Thus, it efficiently controls the workings of a manifold for a continuous supply of warm water at a set temperature.
The location where a manifold is installed is crucial to ensure that the wet underfloor heating system operates with full efficiency. Therefore, it should be installed at a central location with respect to all the heating zones so that the pipe lengths can be kept to a minimum. When pipe lengths are kept to a minimum, then heated water can reach evenly to each area. More than one manifold is needed to be installed for larger projects and it is recommended to install separate manifolds for each floor if the heating system is installed across multiple floors.
Suppliers of quality underfloor heating providing heat and warmth to an entire building or a specific zone within it. It involves the installation of a central heat source, which generates heat, and a network of pipes that distribute the heated water throughout the building.
