I am planning to fill my garage zone with glycol mix and using a 5 gal bucket and a 1/4hp submersible utility pump. Any other suggestions? Thanks, Scott

If you have calculated the volume of the tubes put straight glycol in first and then pressure fill with a hose. Letting air out as you go.

Or fill with water and get all the air out, then pump in the straight glycol letting the excess water down the drain. If you can valve off between the start and end.

We use a 1 HP pump and tank system to obtain the required glycol percentage in a HR system. We just keep pumping and recirculating until all the air is removed. Depending on the amount of PEX in the system you are doing, 1/4 HP may not be adequate to accomplish this. I will also add that it is best to avoid glycol and just run water unless you have a compelling freezing concern. Glycol significantly increases required circulator pump head and reduces heat transfer, both reducing system efficiency and performance.

There are two manifolds, 3 loop and 5 loop, loops are around 200 feet each. Definitely using glycol since we have plenty of below freezing temps and this is the garages. We're not planning to heat the space to 70F just keeping the garages around 40F. I did calculate the volume and have the premixed cryo-tek that I will top off as needed with water. Based on how everything is run I think the fill and recirculate and work out the air is probably the easiest way.

Yes, I would concur that pump and recirculate is the best method for filling and purging with glycol hydronic fluid. I recommend first filling and purging each loop separately and then purge all the loops. Even if your 1/4 HP pump doesn’t get all the air out, you should still be okay if you have an air separator in your system, which you should always have anyhow. As long as your circulator pump isn’t cavitating and is pumping the hydronic fluid through all your loops, all will be well.

Filling is complete. This was really easy. Pumping in the glycol took no time at all via the garden hose fittings on the mainfolds. Trying to purge the lines took the most time as I went back and forth between the two garage manifolds and used their built in air vents to purge as much air as possible. I have an air eliminator on this system but no auto feed so I am thinking I'll hook up the pump at the basement fill/drain ports and run the circulator pumps to force any remaining air out via the air eliminator.

Glad to hear and congrats!