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Frequently Asked Questions
What makes brazed units so widely used?
Size and cost for the duty.
No frame, no tie bars, no gasket channels.
The assembly is remarkably compact.
Heat pumps and boilers use them everywhere.
Hot water and interface units likewise.
On clean duties the trade is worth it.
What is the trade being made?
It can never be opened.
No mechanical cleaning is possible.
No plate can be replaced.
Duty cannot be changed by adding plates.
Fouling or failure means replacement.
That suits clean closed circuits.
Why does water quality decide service life?
The channels are narrow and unclearable.
Hard water scales them steadily.
Debris blocks them permanently on first run.
A strainer and a proper flush prevent both.
Both cost very little at installation.
They are the difference between a decade and a season.
What does freezing do to one?
It splits the assembly.
Channels are small and the body is rigid.
There is nowhere for expanding ice to go.
Glycol or reliable freeze protection is required.
This is a common cause of failure.
Consider it wherever ambient can drop.
Can a fouled unit be cleaned at all?
Only chemically, in place.
A cleaning solution is circulated through it.
That removes scale but not solid debris.
Mechanical access does not exist.
Prevention is far cheaper than cure.
Filtration upstream is the real answer.
When is a gasketed unit the better choice?
When the duty may change or the fluid fouls.
Gasketed units open for cleaning.
Plates can be added or removed later.
Dirty or variable duties suit them.
Brazed suits clean and settled duties.
Decide from the fluid, not the price.
What should be specified when ordering?
Both flows and both temperature ranges.
Design pressure on each side.
Water quality and any glycol content.
Connection type and orientation.
Brazing material compatibility with the fluid.
Ammonia duties need a different construction.