Get some tape on the ends of those pipes as you uncoil it before any shite gets in them.

30 minutes ago, Russell griffiths said:

Get some tape on the ends of those pipes as you uncoil it before any shite gets in them.

Yes, I did that straight away, I'd just cut those ends and took the pic before I re-taped them!

3 hours ago, -rick- said:

That sounds suboptimal. What size are these pipes?

I'd try and pick up the phone and talk to a few installers before you screed unless you want a significant chance that the installer doesn't want to use what you put in.

The pipes are 25/26mm MLCP.

3 hours ago, JohnMo said:

You don't need to split, you can take flow to the first manifold and out the other end of the manifold to the next manifold. The return the same thing. Your flow meters split the flow as you need just the same as a larger single manifold would.

So are you saying it's wrong to install these 2 manifolds in "parallel" configuration and I should instead be installing them in "series"?

4 minutes ago, Mulberry View said:

So are you saying it's wrong to install these 2 manifolds in "parallel" configuration and I should instead be installing them in "series"?

You can do either, really depends on you routing options. But your previous images shows 2 sets of pipes doing the same route to the first manifold, so why not just do one set of pipes to the first manifold and extend to the next manifold.

18 minutes ago, JohnMo said:

You can do either, really depends on you routing options. But your previous images shows 2 sets of pipes doing the same route to the first manifold, so why not just do one set of pipes to the first manifold and extend to the next manifold.

My last sketch has really confused things, apologies for that. So I've done it again over the correct layout design to represent what I'm well advanced into laying... Ignore the previous version. Does this make more sense?! The long run is around 20m, the short one is 8m.

Edited 21 hours ago21 hr by Mulberry View

I have not read the whole thread but wondered why you ruled out running the pipes in the ceiling void?

2 minutes ago, Mr Punter said:

I have not read the whole thread but wondered why you ruled out running the pipes in the ceiling void?

Mainly because it was suggested to run them this way, but I do have a tricky service route to the furthest manifold with a steel beam in the way.

7 hours ago, Mulberry View said:

what I'm doing is OK,

Very neat. We had to hack ours out in a hurry. Laying the surprisingly stiff pipes to their curved route then cutting (hacking really) underneath.

I'm not showing my pictures.

8 hours ago, Mulberry View said:

Funny you've said that, I'm back here with more questions.

I have opted to do just that, I've chased the pipes into the lower layer of insulation. I decided that I would prefer to lay the 80mm top sheet of PIR in the more reliable way and being able to go straight over the pipework sat better with me. In fact, chasing the grooves for the pipes to sit in has been pretty easy. Messy, but not that hard.

Here is the first pair curved up the wall in the Mech room and heading off to do the longer of the 2 runs...

...and here are those pipes passing into the adjacent room. I cored each pipe individually through the blockwork internal wall. I have begun the chasing for the next pair that will run alongside up to the point seen here, but will veer off the other way towards the second manifold....

From there, they pass through a third room in the same way, but then have to turn up and into the adjacent space, 600mm higher. I cored through the wall diagonally to reduce the amount of bending needed...

Here, they're left long in the Kitchen because I've not put any insulation down yet. But they are pointing in the direction of travel according to the red-line sketch I posted earlier.

I set my Circular Saw to 45mm cut depth and made cuts 45mm apart. Cutting the majority of the material out with a wood-saw, then following with the little yellow Surform seen in the first pic, which fits nicely in the groove and makes short work of really tidying the grooves. I have left 40mm between the pipes where possible. Messy, yes, but very do-able.

I hope what I'm doing is OK, and yes I'm thinking of pressure-testing the pipes and am researching how that's done, so any ideas are welcomed. I think I need to link the MLCP pipes together at the "manifold end", then pressurise at the other end, presumably with some sort of blanking arrangement with a gauge and schrader valve built in?

That's neat work. Does that pipe hold its shape when you bend it? What should I use if wanting to take hot and cold to an island some form of conduit?

34 minutes ago, Oz07 said:

Does that pipe hold its shape when you bend it?

Ours were very stiff and were not keen to be smoothed from their coil shape.

For an island it's exactly the same but allow for the gentle bend that avoids kinking... perhaps it's ok to box out the screed locallyto give easy access for a bend.

17 hours ago, Oz07 said:

That's neat work. Does that pipe hold its shape when you bend it? What should I use if wanting to take hot and cold to an island some form of conduit?

Yes, the pipe does hold it's shape. It's not been too hard to work with, but definitely needs two people at least when working over the lengths we are and passing through walls.

I guess it would be suitable for running your island feeds. I bought a simple mechanical pipe bender, which can put 90° bends in it once the insulation is pulled back. The bender cost me about £60.