Practical guidance for technical staff on carrying out hydraulic balancing with the aid of individual room control systems featuring automated hydraulic balancing

Base stations with integrated control systems for automated hydraulic balancing do not entirely replace the process of hydraulic balancing in accordance with Method B, nor do they exempt users from complying with the fundamental requirements for hydraulic balancing under Method B. The base stations cannot influence sections of the pipework network located upstream of the heating manifold. They only start to affect the system from the heating manifold onwards.

The base stations handle the automated balancing and demand-based distribution at heating circuit level. However, they do not replace either the heating load as a basis for planning, or the settings for the heat generator, the heating curve, the pump system or the technical documentation.
In practice, this means: At the heating circuit level, the amount of manual adjustment required is significantly reduced. However, the technician’s overall responsibility for the system remains unrestricted.

The following section sets out in detail, in accordance with the checklist issued by the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Action (BMWK) and the German Federal Office for Economic Affairs and Export Control (BAFA), which elements of hydraulic balancing in accordance with Method B are replaced by the base station and which are to be carried out by the installation contractor.

All key steps in hydraulic balancing are assessed in accordance with the following criteria and serve as a basis for action for heating engineers in practice.