This article will discuss water heating for private homes. You can equip it in various ways, there are a lot of schemes and designs. Moreover, you can install radiators and a warm floor system - this will provide maximum comfort in the house. But there is one caveat - a warm floor is best done at the construction stage. If the installation is carried out during the repair process, you will need to tear off all the flooring and install a new one. But let's talk in more detail about all the features.
What is needed for a water system?
Water is the most popular heat carrier; it is used in all heating systems (and sometimes cooling). Quite high heat capacity allows you to most effectively give and receive heat. Liquid systems have been used in private homes for quite some time.
The principle of functioning has not changed over several decades, only the devices and materials used in the systems have been improved. What is required for the normal functioning of the system:
- A power plant is a stove or boiler that can run on gas, electricity or any other fuel (peat, firewood, coal, diesel fuel).
- Pipes with different cross sections for constructing a coolant circulation scheme. If earlier exclusively metal pipes were used, then today metal-plastic and plastic have gained wide popularity.
- Radiators, allowing for better heating of the premises.
- Various designs of valves - without it, creating a liquid heating system is almost impossible.
- In order to compensate for excess pressure in the heating system, an expansion tank must be installed.
- Sometimes use a circulation pump. He helps out in cases where the slope of the pipes is not observed and the liquid slowly circulates through them.
This is equipment that is commonly used in heating systems of modern homes. But be sure to familiarize yourself with how to connect all components.
Connection of radiators
You can find a lot of options for connecting batteries to the heating system. But in fact, if you look closely, you can find that only three schemes are used during installation:
- Single tube.
- Two-pipe.
- With the use of collectors.
There is also a separation according to the type of coolant supply (in our case it is water) - forced and natural circulation. Natural occurs due to the fact that the temperature of the liquid changes.
Under the influence of a slight slope and convection, hot water tends to rise up, and cold water to go down. In the case of forced circulation, the fluid moves due to the pressure created by the pump mounted in the boiler (or installed next to it).
In addition to connecting radiators, it is possible to connect underfloor heating pipes to the heating system. This is a good enough solution for small houses with tile flooring. The heating of the rooms will occur as evenly as possible, and comfort will be felt in every corner. Agree, it is much more pleasant to leave the shower and walk on the warm floor than on the cold.
What you need to know before installing the system
To independently make liquid heating in a private house, it is recommended to study all possible installation schemes. Of course, this is necessary only after purchasing all the necessary materials and equipment. You can calculate the need for them at the preparation stage - it all depends on what type of radiator connection you will use.
Always purchase radiators, boilers, and other equipment only from trusted dealers. And trust only reliable manufacturers - cheap fakes and analogues do not meet all the requirements and in most cases even pose a danger. Of course, it is possible to make a water heating system at home easily and from analogues, but the service life of the whole structure will not be very long.
Single pipe heating system
The one-pipe system is the simplest one that can be implemented in a private house. A pipe is laid around the perimeter of the house, it goes from the boiler feed pipe to the opposite. It is from this pipe that conclusions are drawn for connecting heating batteries. They are connected using shutoff valves or directly, without using one. This design is considered not only the simplest, but also the cheapest - because it includes the minimum number of elements. In addition, the installation of the system is relatively cheap.
Since only one pipe is used, there is no need to manufacture a large number of bends, and a little of various trifles will be spent. Please note that reinforcement is an element that makes up a substantial part of the cost of the entire system. It is more expensive than all other components. The use of the simplest single-tube system is justified in small houses, in which the layout is not difficult.
But the liquid flows through the ring from the pipes and manages to cool significantly. It is for this reason that the batteries located at the very end warm up less than the first ones. This is the main disadvantage of water heating a house with a single pipe. If the house is large, then in the end the water will be barely warm, heating will not be possible. But in the nearest rooms to the boiler, the temperature will be quite high. This is especially noticeable in cases where natural fluid circulation occurs.
Features of manufacturing a single pipe system
When making a one-pipe heating system, carefully study the pipe laying scheme. There must be a slope of about 3-5 degrees. Only in this case can the maximum performance of the entire system be ensured. Be sure to install cranes on the radiators. They are necessary in order to maintain a stable pressure in the system. With their help, excess air is vented from the heating system. In the design of such cranes there are small holes in which the nozzles are integrated. They are unscrewed with a screwdriver, and air is released.
If there is a need to replace the battery, you can not get rid of the water in the system. And there is no need to turn off the heating system. If you use Mayevsky cranes, which connect the batteries and pipes, it will turn out to carry out the replacement of components quickly enough. The taps close, after which new batteries are installed. Fluid does not flow out of the system. When using a furnace with a water circuit for heating a house, there is no need to disconnect it from the system - all work is carried out without such manipulations.
Two pipe heating system
If we compare this system with the previous one, we can see that it assumes the presence of two pipes - a return pipe and a supply pipe. This design is very complicated in the device. The supply pipe is connected directly to the inputs of the radiators. And the battery outputs are connected to the return. Such a circuit is called parallel. All radiators are connected to the pipes and the boiler according to this scheme. This is the main difference from the design discussed above. In the manufacture, it is necessary to apply special designs of furnaces for houses with water heating. They are slightly different from solid fuel.
In the manufacture of a two-pipe system, it is necessary to use a larger number of pipes and fittings, which is why it is much more expensive. But the efficiency of the system is higher, since the batteries are uniformly heated, regardless of how far they are from the boiler. This type of wiring is most often used in cottages and low-rise private houses.
Two-pipe system operation
It is considered a huge advantage that all radiators work independently of each other. Each has its own separate circuit. In this case, repair and modernization becomes much easier. Any battery can be replaced or repaired, and the rest of the design will not be affected.
It is thanks to the parallel connection that you can adjust the pressure and temperature in each radiator. Therefore, it is possible to significantly save on gas or any other fuel that the furnace runs on. With water heating, it will be possible to ensure maximum heating of the rooms.
In the manufacture of a two-pipe system, it is recommended to install a pump - with its help it will be possible to achieve the most efficient circulation of the coolant. The batteries will warm up much faster, the overall efficiency of the entire system will increase.
Collector heating system
The most difficult type of wiring is collector. A large number of different devices are used to distribute the coolant. These switchgears are called collectors. When installing such a system with forced circulation in a one-story house, boiling water will pass from the boiler to the collectors, they are distribution devices. It is with their help that the uniform distribution of hot coolant to the batteries occurs. But, since it is rather difficult to make water heating of this type, it is practically not used in practice.
One battery is connected to the collector using two pipes. The efficiency of the design is very high, but the cost, one might say, is sky-high. It is necessary to pay attention to the fact that it is possible to make adjustment not only in a separate circuit, but also in each battery. This ensures maximum comfort in every room. Not everyone can make water heating of a house with their own hands according to this scheme - it is recommended to resort to the help of specialists. After all, one wrong touch - the system will not be able to function correctly. And all the money will be thrown to the wind.
Fluid circulation pump
Such a system should be equipped with a pump for forced circulation of the coolant. The reason is that the liquid cannot naturally enter the collector and pass into each battery. The system has a very large number of pipes, so the liquid alone cannot circulate through them. The circuit has a circulation pump that cuts into the return line. With its help, water is pumped. This is how a heating system with a water circuit functions.
Pressure appears in the system; it is sufficient for the coolant to enter all pipes and batteries. Warming up of all elements will be as uniform as possible. In the event that an expensive wall-mounted boiler is used, most likely, a circulation pump is already built into it. And he is already set up to ensure normal pressure in the heating system. If a simple boiler without a pump is used, it is recommended to consult with specialists about equipment compatibility. Otherwise, an emergency may occur.
Where to use the collector system?
Collector systems are used exclusively in single-story houses. Use in two-story buildings is unreasonable, since the entire structure is quite bulky and the wiring will be difficult. Not every specialist can design such a system correctly and without flaws. For this reason, the collector design is in demand only in the manufacture of water heating systems in one-story houses.
In order to independently produce a collector system in your home, you need to purchase all the necessary consumables. In particular, a certain number of shut-off valves and temperature regulators will be required. When installing such devices, you can achieve the most effective heat control in the house. Moreover, this will be carried out in a semi-automatic mode - you are not involved in this process.
Finally
If you look at all of the above, you can see that it is quite simple to make water heating with your own hands. Please note that the choice of one of the three wiring must be done deliberately. How the whole system will work in the future depends on this. If you have a small one-story house, then it will be easier and cheaper to lay one pipe. This scheme is called "Leningradka". But if the house has a large area, or it has more than one floor, it is recommended to use a two-pipe design.
But if you have a small house, it is one-story, and you have "extra" money and a desire to do something out of the ordinary, you can build a modern collector system. She has the highest reliability and efficiency. If everything is done correctly, of course. Only provided that the installation is carried out correctly, such a water heating system in a private house will be able to function as efficiently as possible.