So, having talked about them and their finer points for years I finally had the opportunity to install one. Surgery went fine and I muddled my way through the old copper piping with the benefit of shark bites on two of the pipes I could not cut back to the source. System went online and the client is happy. It does not get any better for a DIY horizontal that is 20 plus years old. I would dot again in a minute. Eric
Being a QT non-pressurized flow center owner, I am happy that this part of my system has required no maintenance in the 2.5 years I've had it. Every now and then I pop the canister cover to make sure there's still enough loop fluid present. That's it! Just out of curiosity, what is the benefit of a pressurized loop?
No overflowing flow center when the heat pump is more than 34ft above the flow center....Can't think about much else...But I admit that I am bias in favor of non pressurized.
Space taken and the location of the flow center are standouts of the pressurized system. I routinely put them where a tank would not go or fit. Eric
I am a fan of non-pressurized but pressurized has simpler plumbing and easier purging. These are minor issues at the installation phase.
I yet have to see a space one could not integrate a non pressurized canister. Sometimes we put it right where the pipe come into the basement, sometimes we hang it on the wall. The depth is the same as a non pressurized flow center with the pump motor sticking out. Yes, a bit more complex routing of the pipes, or purging, but those are so minor that once you have a routine in the installation, you don't count them as a negative at all. I don't mind going a bit the extra mile for a better solution, for both myself and my customer. The upside of continuous purging, and the lack of pressure fluctuation, thus the lack of gas bubble formation, are enormous advantages for me. There is a reason they are called the "call-back eliminator".
Please explain your installation strategy for a 4 cinder block crawl space..... Not wanting to start a blood feud, but the 2 options have their different applications. Eric
I guess I never had to install a NP flow center in a 4 cinder block crawl space, I always routed to the pipes through the crawlspace into a basement or utility room. Eric, point being that unless absolutely impossible, I prefer NP flow centers for obvious reasons. There can always be a good reason why it is not applicable, I just did not run into that scenario yet. Edit: Thinking about it, how would I even get a purge cart into a 4 cinder block crawl space if i don't get a NP flow center in? Again, just asking since I was never in that situation .
Been in Eric's situation on a number of occasions too. You don't need to have your purge cart in the crawl space to have it work. That's what the hoses are for.
Your milage might vary from mine. We don't have many crawlspaces in our area, and I would not put a flow center or a heat pump in a crawlspace. Installation costs are much higher due to the increase amount of time it takes. So you get more value and lower contraction costs with a full basement in our area. We have 2 purge carts with 2 HP motors, each have 6' hoses on them. As a driller, you might have longer hoses handy, which we would never use.
Dan, Glad to see you here! I hope you are as busy as us and blessed with a schedule that makes you pull your hair out. I am on a 11 ton job now that is 26 miles from no where including water, unless we count the bay! lol. Eric
