As winter sets in, hydronics specialist ESBE is offering installers and users of monobloc heat pumps ultra reliable anti-freeze protection in the form of a new valve which, will automatically drain down very cold water in the outdoor circuit before it can freeze and cause costly damage. While there are already frost protection valves on the market, ESBE’s introduction to the VTN100 series features an innovative axial sealing element containing a piston which provides a consistent level of compression, along with other refinements.
These include an anti-vacuum mechanism to permit air admittance. It is designed to open when the temperature in the fluid falls below 30 C, releasing water and allowing warmer water to enter the system. The valve will then close again once the temperature rises above 40 C; while the valve’s operation is unaffected by other ambient conditions such as humidity - and the actual volume of water drained down in frosty conditions is relatively low. Importantly, no manual reset is needed after the valve has been automatically activated.
The VTN102 valve has been developed to fit DN25 and DN32 (28mm and 35mm) pipe diameters to automatically monitor the temperature of the water flow.ESBE’s Technical Manager, Nigel Raper, comments: “Where competitor products use a flat faced sealing mechanism which has fluid pressure or spring load constantly compressing the seal – which can thereby result in the valve sticking - our new Anti-Freeze Valve features an axial sealing element with a piston running through a specially formulated wax blend sealed in a metal cup. This provides a consistent level of pressure, reducing the risk of the valve leaking or sticking. The VTN102 is straightforward to install, requires no maintenance and will be ultra reliable.”The VTN102 will be available direct from ESBE, as well as through its approved partner distributors, with full technical details listed on the company’s website.
