Knowledge base
A remote radiator arrives as a tested unit, and most problems after delivery come from the installation rather than the radiator: a pipe that traps air, an expansion tank mounted too low, a unit placed where its own hot air comes back into the intake. This guide walks through the installation of a remote radiator or dry cooler from the foundation to the first run, with the points that experience says are worth checking twice.
Placement, Foundation And Clearances
The unit stands on a level concrete slab or on steel beams, on its own legs or on the stand delivered with it, bolted down against wind. The intake side needs clear space - as a rule at least the height of the coil face in front of it - and the discharge must go where the wind cannot carry it back to the intake: upwards on an induced-draught unit, away from the building and from neighbouring units on a forced-draught one. Units in a row are spaced so that one does not feed the next, and the service side is left reachable for cleaning the coil and changing a fan.
The radiator should stand as close to the engine as the site allows, because every metre of pipe costs pressure drop, heat loss and coolant volume. Height matters too: a radiator above the engine is normal; a radiator far below it needs attention to the expansion tank and to venting.
Pipework: Size, Route, Supports
The pipes are sized for the coolant flow so that the pressure drop of radiator plus pipework stays under the engine maker's external limit; a velocity of around 1.5 to 2.5 m/s in steel pipe is the usual band. Long-radius bends, few fittings, isolating valves at the radiator, a strainer on the inlet during commissioning and flexible connections at the engine and at the radiator so that vibration and thermal growth reach neither. The route rises continuously towards the high point where it can, with an automatic air vent at every high point and a drain at every low point.
Outdoor pipework is insulated and clad against heat loss and frost, and supported so that no load reaches the radiator connections; the collectors are not pipe supports. The pipe material follows the coolant and the site - carbon steel is usual with an inhibited glycol mixture - and dissimilar-metal joints between copper collectors and steel pipe are isolated.
Expansion Tank, Pressure Cap And Venting
The expansion tank is the highest point of the circuit and holds the volume the coolant gains between cold and hot - more with glycol than with water - plus a reserve. It is connected to the radiator's vent points and to the pump suction side, carries the pressure cap at the engine maker's pressure, a level switch that alarms before the pump runs dry, and a fill connection. A tank mounted lower than the radiator's top collector cannot vent the coil, and air that stays in the coil is lost surface and a pump that cavitates.
TECS radiators carry the expansion tank on the unit where the installation allows it, sized for the circuit volume and the stated coolant. Where the tank must stand elsewhere, its height above the circuit and the vent lines are part of the installation design.
Filling, Electrical Connection And The First Run
The circuit is flushed, then filled from the lowest point with the coolant premixed to the specified glycol percentage - mixing in the tank gives pockets of water and of glycol - and vented at every high point until no air comes out; the pump is then run and the venting repeated, because the circulating coolant carries the remaining air to the tank. The percentage is checked with a refractometer, the level marked, and the pressure cap fitted.
The fans are wired through the junction box or the control panel with the protection, the cable glands and the earthing the site requires; the direction of rotation is checked on every fan, the control signal and the temperature sensor are tested, and the fans are run up while the coolant temperature, the fan currents and the sound are recorded. The first hours under load show whether the installation vents properly and whether the hot discharge stays away from the intake. TECS supplies the installation, operation and maintenance manual with every unit and supports the commissioning on request.
Installation Checklist
- Level foundation, bolted down, clear intake, discharge away from the intake and from neighbours
- Pipework sized to the pressure drop limit, rising to the high point, vents high and drains low
- Flexible connections at engine and radiator; no pipe loads on the collectors
- Expansion tank at the highest point, pressure cap at the engine maker's pressure, level switch
- Premixed coolant, filled from the bottom, vented until no air remains, percentage checked
- Fan rotation, control signal, sensor and currents checked at the first run
What TECS Can Provide
- Dimensional drawing with foundation loads and connection positions
- Pipe sizing and the pressure drop of the radiator for the circuit calculation
- Expansion tank sized for the circuit volume and the coolant
- Junction box or control panel with the fan control
- Installation, operation and maintenance manual
- Commissioning support on request
Questions We Are Often Asked
How far can the radiator be from the engine?
As far as the pressure drop limit allows: tens of metres are common with properly sized pipes, longer runs need larger pipes or a booster pump. Heat loss and coolant volume grow with the distance.
Can the radiator stand below the engine?
Yes, if the expansion tank stays the highest point of the circuit and the coil can be vented to it. The tank's position and the vent lines are then designed for it.
Why premixed coolant?
Water and glycol poured separately into a circuit do not mix quickly; the first run can carry nearly pure water through the radiator on a frosty night. Premixing to the specified percentage removes the risk.
What pressure cap?
The one the engine maker prescribes for the cooling system; it sets the boiling margin. The expansion tank and the radiator are designed for that pressure.
Who commissions the unit?
The installer, following the manual; TECS supports commissioning on site or remotely on request, and checks the installation drawings before the unit is shipped.
Contact Us
Send us the heat duty, the fluid temperatures and flow rates, the ambient conditions and the installation limits. We answer with a design proposal - or write to us on WhatsApp.
