In order to live in a country house was comfortable, its owners, of course, need to equip in it, among other things, a heating system. Such communication networks can be assembled using different schemes. But most often in suburban residential buildings are mounted single-tube water heating systems. Such networks are extremely simple in design, and therefore they are often assembled simply with their own hands, without calling home specialists.
What is a system?
The main structural elements of a single pipe network, like any other, are:
gas boiler;
heating radiators;
distribution lines;
expansion tank;
security group;
circulation pump.
One-pipe differs from heating systems of other varieties first of all in that the main in this case is used only one. A pipe is laid in such networks along the “ring”, and radiators are connected in series. The concepts of "feed" and "return" in this case are used only conditionally.
The main pros and cons of a one-pipe heating system
In addition to ring in private homes, networks can be mounted:
Both of these varieties are also quite popular among owners of country houses. However, in comparison with such heating systems, single-pipe ones have a number of advantages:
simplicity of design;
cheapness;
- convenience in operation;
ease of installation.
Although monotube systems are assembled according to an extremely simple scheme, in most cases they perform their function very well. Typically, the design of such networks, like any others, includes, among other things, a circulation pump. However, if desired, according to this scheme, it is possible to equip a gravity heating network. Communications of this type have the advantage of being non-volatile.
Often, owners of country houses when using a circulation pump additionally mount the wiring in such a way that in case of a power outage, the coolant moves in it by gravity. That is, in fact, they use a single-pipe system of a combined type for heating a building.
The advantages of such networks include their versatility. You can mount a system of this type in both one- and two-, three-story residential buildings. Moreover, the circuit itself can be implemented in several ways.
Ring networks have many advantages, therefore. However, a single-pipe heating system - horizontal or vertical, unfortunately, has one significant drawback. Batteries, as already mentioned in such networks, are installed in series. That is, the coolant flows through them alternately. In this case, the water, as it moves along the circuit, of course, cools. As a result, the radiators closest to the boiler in this system warm up more than the distant ones. And this, in turn, negatively affects the microclimate of the whole house as a whole. In some rooms, using such systems can be too hot, in others it can be cold.
Uneven heating of the batteries is a rather serious drawback. However, in small houses, the difference in temperature between the radiators is usually not very noticeable. In large buildings, a similar problem can be easily solved by simply modernizing the system a little at the stage of its assembly. In order to be able to regulate the heating of each radiator, they are installed on bypasss when installing such networks using special fittings.
What other disadvantages does it have
Gravity single-tube heating systems in country houses today are not equipped very often. In most cases, pumps are still used to transfer the coolant along the mains of such networks. However, heating systems with natural circulation can sometimes still be seen in cottages and in suburban residential buildings. Some of the drawbacks of this type of system is, among other things, that rather thick pipes are usually used for their assembly. Unfortunately, the mains of a network with natural coolant circulation may not look very aesthetically pleasing.
One-pipe heating systems also have another small drawback. Owners of country houses who decide to mount such a network should keep in mind that they will not be able to lay “underfloor heating” in the rooms later.
Standard scheme of a single pipe heating system
Mount networks of this type usually using the following technology:
- install a gas, electric or solid fuel boiler in the house;
- Mount heating radiators;
- they extend the trunk from the boiler along the walls;
- connect radiators through bypasses;
- install a circulation pump and an expansion tank.
At the final stage, when assembling a one-pipe heating system, the main line is brought back to the boiler and connected.
Methods for inserting radiators
When assembling such a heating system, the batteries can be connected:
from below;
diagonally;
on the side.
Most often, owners of small one-story buildings use a lower or, as it is also called, a saddle-mounted scheme for inserting radiators. The disadvantage of this method is not too high battery efficiency. However, the installation of a single-pipe heating system with a lower wiring has one important advantage. With the use of such technology, the trunk can be easily drawn into the floor cake. And this, in turn, has the most favorable effect on the appearance of the premises.
Also, the connection technology in a one-pipe heating system for radiators is very popular among owners of country houses diagonal. Inserting the batteries, thus, allows you to use their potential to the maximum. Diagonally connected radiators subsequently perform their functions with the highest efficiency.
On each battery in such a system, regardless of the method of insertion, among other things, an air vent is installed. Most often this is a Mayevsky crane.
Vertical single pipe system with riser in two-story cottages
Most often, such networks are mounted in one-story buildings. However, sometimes the systems of this variety are also equipped in cottages of 2-3 floors. In this case, a single-pipe heating system with risers can be implemented in the building. In fact, in this case, several such networks are installed in the house, located in vertical planes. In this case, radiators are connected to the mains laterally.
Risers in such a network are already included in the two-pipe system. In this case, each single-pipe circuit is connected in parallel to the supply and return pipes of such a network.
Horizontal system
Of course, in cottages not only the vertical scheme of single-pipe heating can be implemented. In such buildings, an ordinary horizontal network (Leningradka) is often mounted. In this case, in two-story houses, a one-pipe heating system is equipped as follows:
a tee is mounted on the feed;
a horizontal supply pipe to the first floor and a vertical pipe to the second joins the tee;
to the vertical riser on the second floor is connected the radiator feed pipe;
a vertical segment is displayed on the ground floor behind the radiators;
the ground floor supply and the horizontal section leading back to the boiler are connected to it.
Network design
The design of single-pipe heating systems are simple. However, the equipment for such networks, as well as any others, of course, should be chosen correctly. When designing a single-tube system, you need to decide first:
with power and type of boiler;
with the number of radiators;
volume of expansion tank;
with the look and thickness of the pipes for wiring.
Also, the owners of the house will need to purchase a circulation pump of sufficient power.
Which boiler to choose
Absolutely any heating units in single-pipe heating systems with forced circulation or natural can be used: electric, solid fuel, liquid fuel, gas. At the same time, of course, for the most part boilers running on “blue fuel” are installed in suburban homes.
In any case, no matter what heating equipment was chosen for the assembly of the heating system of a country house, it is important to first determine its capacity. Experts perform the calculation of boilers taking into account many different factors:
wall material;
the total area of the door and window openings of the building;
the presence of insulation of walling or its absence;
climatic features of the area, etc.
However, on their own, single-tube systems are usually, of course, mounted in very small houses. In this case, there is no special need to hire specialists for complex calculations. Calculation of the boiler for such buildings is carried out by their owners independently according to a simplified scheme. Choosing heating units for small houses is simple, based on the fact that for heating 10 m2 of the room area, approximately 1 kW of their power is required. That is, for example, in a house with an area of 50 m 2 you need to install a boiler with a capacity of at least 5 kW.
Selection and calculation of radiators
Batteries during the assembly of heating networks of country houses, including single-tube ones, can be mounted:
cast iron;
aluminum;
steel;
bimetallic.
But most often in private residential buildings the latest variety of radiators is installed. The advantages of bimetallic batteries are primarily a long service life, ease of installation and low cost.
Such radiators are usually sold in sections. The required number of the latter, as when choosing a boiler, is most often calculated on the basis that 1 kW of battery power is needed to heat 10 m2 of area.
Pipe calculation
Highways when assembling a single-pipe heating system of a private house can stretch:
steel;
copper;
metal-plastic.
Nowadays, for the installation of heating systems, in most cases, metal-plastic pipes are used. Such lines are able to withstand quite a lot of pressure in the system, are reliable and last a very long time.
The calculation of the cross-section of pipes of any kind for a home heating network is performed using the following formula:
Q is the amount of heat needed to heat the house, Δt is the temperature difference at the inlet and outlet of the boiler, V is the velocity of the coolant. Using the formula, it is relatively easy to calculate the diameter of the pipes. But it’s even easier to determine this indicator using special tables. In this case, indicators such as the temperature of the coolant, its speed and the amount of heat needed to heat the building are simply substituted in the appropriate columns.
How to calculate the power of the circulation pump
Equipment of this type in a single-pipe system creates a pressure in the main and pumps along the circuit the volume of coolant necessary for efficient heating of all rooms in the house.
There are several ways to calculate the pump power in a single pipe heating system with forced circulation. For example, the following formula is often used for this purpose:
Q is the flow rate of the pump, N is the power of the boiler purchased for a country house, t1 is the temperature of the coolant at the outlet, t2 is at the inlet.
You can also choose a pump for a single-pipe heating system, focusing on SNiP standards. It is believed, for example, that for small buildings with a maximum of two floors, pumps with a capacity of 173-177 W / m 2 are best suited. For houses from 3 floors, it is recommended to purchase equipment of this type for 97-101 W / m 2 .
Sometimes owners of country houses choose pumps and taking into account indicators such as the degree of wear and the quality of the building's insulation. In this case, the power is determined by special tables.
Expansion tank volume
Water, when cooled, is capable of expanding, as you know. The increase in pressure in the highways of a single-pipe heating system of a private house can lead to such unpleasant consequences as a break in the mains and failure of the main equipment. To prevent this from happening, an expansion tank is required to crash into the pipe of such a network.
Before buying such equipment, of course, you also need to make its calculation. The volume of the expansion tank is determined by the following formula:
D is the internal diameter of the pipeline, L is the total length of the system loop. A tank is installed in a single-pipe heating system, usually next to the boiler on the pipe through which the coolant is returned to it.