Guides
Compare single pipe and TwinPipe before you order
Dimension, insulation series and pipe system are often chosen by habit. The interactive calculator compares hydraulic capacity, heat loss, joint count and the present value of the difference, based on Kingspan LOGSTOR product data.
Run the comparison → Installation methodCold-laid vs preheated: the cost of expansion zones
Cold installation needs expansion legs, foam cushions, a wider trench and often a longer route. Preheating avoids most of that, but takes time during installation. The guide goes through what each method requires of the route and the excavation, and when each is the cheaper choice.
Read the guide → Thermal pre-stressingWhy pipes are pre-stressed, and how preheating is done
Why buried steel pipes must be pre-stressed, the installation methods EN 13941 recognises, and how thermal preheating with water is executed and documented. Includes an interactive calculator for water volume, energy and axial stress.
Read the guide → Worksite safetyWorking safely with hot network water
Network water runs at 70–120 °C under pressure, and the most exposed moments are temporary hose connections during preheating, flushing and commissioning. The guide applies the hierarchy of controls to that work, written for the people who plan it.
Read the guide → Curated sourcesThe best practice library
Standards, manufacturer manuals and research guidebooks worth having open on the second screen: EN 13941, AGFW rules, Kingspan LOGSTOR manuals, IEA DHC guidebooks and more, with a note on what each covers and who it is for.
Browse the library →Why this site exists
Most of what is published about district heating deals with planning, economics and decarbonisation. Little of it deals with construction, even though that is where most premature network failures start: a joint made in bad weather, or pre-stressing skipped to save a day. The engineers who know how to avoid these mistakes are retiring, and their knowledge is rarely written down.
This site is an attempt to change that. Every claim is referenced to a standard, a manufacturer's design manual, or physics you can recalculate yourself. Opinions are marked as opinions, and our commercial interest is described on the about page.
Field trials 2026–2027
The team behind this site is developing equipment for water-based thermal preheating and hose-failure protection, and is recruiting a limited number of network operators and contractors for field trials. Participants get early access to the equipment and a say in how the method is documented.