Zone Valves

 Zone valves enable different areas of a hot water system to be controlled independently. A motorized or thermally activated motor will open and close its internal gate to permit fluid flow. A thermostat is normally used in conjunction with the zone valve for system operation. The thermostat, when calling for heat, provides power to engage the motor. End switching, for engaging boiler and pumping operation, may or may not be used depending on the system set-up. Most residential systems use zone valves with end switching. Where endswitching is used, the valve enables independent function of the system heating equipment after the thermostat calls for heat. In this type of system when all zones are off the boiler equipment is not running. Also, a single zone can activate the equipment upon demand. An example where endswitching is not used would be a larger system which has constant boiler and pump operation and does not rely on zone valve actuation. In this type of system set-up, the thermostat actuates the zone valve motor for only permitting flow. Zone valves increase the functionality of a system by permitting increased flexibility and control. Zone valves also introduce a variety of options regarding system integration and heat emitter choices.