Monoflow T installation.

[bobm]

I bought a monoflow t for a kickspace heater. The instructions said to place it on the return side of the heater. That's fine. My question is in the orientation of the tee. The tee has a scoop to scoop up the water into the 1/2" branch from the 3/4" branch. That is if you place the tee in the inlet side of the heater and then the arrow on the tee body looks ok.
When I was getting ready to place the tee on the return side of the heater, if I placed the tee with the arrow on the tee body pointing in the direction of water flow, then the scoop would be scooping water up into the return side of the heater. I couldn't rationalize doing it that way and installed it with the arrow running oppostie the direction of flow.

Did I install it correctly?

 

[hj]

mono flo

No. The scoop in the proper direction does not scoop water into the heater, ir creates a restriction so the water has to go up into the baseboard, and then come down and "merge" with the rest of the water, just like the entrance ramp to a freeway. The way you installed it, you ignored the "Wrong Way Do Not Enter", sign on the freeway's off ramp. You could have installed it your way on the supply side to the heater and accomplished the proper installation also. As it is you created a huge flow restriction, and if everything worked perfectly, the water would go round and round and round through your heater.

 

[Sponsor]

 

[bobm]

monoflow t

My thinking was the back of the scoop would cause a restriction and facing the scoop the way I did would allow the water returning from the radiator to flow in the proper direction. By placing the scoop facing the oncoming water doesn't that keep the water from exiting the radiator?
I did start it up last night and the pipes got hot enough to start the fan on the convector. Are you saying it may get too hot or keep the downstream radiators from getting hot the way I have it installed?

 

[hj]

monoflo

Okay, I think what you did was use a "supply" monoflo tee, and reversed it so the opening in the scoop is facing downsteam. If so, then that is the correct way. Monoflo tees can be installed either way. They used to make both supply and return tees, but it has been years since I have used any so they may now just make the one. If so, it should have been labeled so you would know the proper direction depending on which side of the radiator you were installing it.

 

[bobm]

thanks for monoflow info

I finally got the manufacturer's phone number and was told to install it on the return and backwards.

 

[e-plumber]

Monoflow Tee Info

We usually referred to these fittings as Venturi tee's, they were always installed on the return in the direction indicated in the picture, the "air" on the bull of this tee would be the "return" from the radiator. The great part about a Monoflow system is that the radiators on the same level of the house all heat up basically at the same time, unlike a loop system.