Designed originally for central heating and under floor heating systems, barrier pipe incorporates an oxygen barrier located centrally within the pipe wall to inhibit oxygen permeation. Barrier pipe is also suitable for hot & cold applications.

Table 4

The Equator system is ideal for routing services through:

• floor voids
• ceiling voids
• lofts
• conduit piping

Where surface mounted pipework must be used it may be preferable to use rigid pipes, ie. copper. Equator fittings joint to copper pipe without the need for any special adaptors.

Equator¹s flexibility permits easy cabling through floor joists, notching is not necessary. This method of fixing means that pipework can be installed after the floor has been laid, working from below. This method of installing pipework presents several distinct advantages:

€ No risk of damage to pipework when fixing floor boards
€ Larger pipe sizes can be routed across joist spans by drilling compared to notching
€ There is adequate space around the pipe for correct thickness of thermal insulation to be fitted in accordance with Building Regulations or where required by the clients specification

The flexible nature of Equator pipework makes it ideally suited to be cabled through proprietary timber ŒI¹ joists, such as TJI joists used in the Silent Floor system manufactured by TJM Europe.

The use of 10mm flow and return radiator connections is very popular with house builders as the smaller pipes can be concealed behind plasterboard. Equator pipe is ideal for this application and has the advantage over copper of being resilient to impact damage which can sometimes be caused by following trades in new builds. Several boiler manufacturers and heating designers recommend the use of a Œhigh head¹ circulating pump whenever minibore size pipe, pipe with diameter less than 15mm, is to be installed. Whatever pump is specified, it is advisable to check that the circulating head of the pump will be adequate to overcome the resistance of 10mm piping plus all other resistances of the index run. To easily estimate the frictional loss of 10mm Equator pipework based on the design load at 11ºC temperature drop, use Table 6 below.

Table 6