The power supply of a private house, as well as the arrangement of a heating and sewage system in it if it is located far from centralized communications, is a rather complicated task. However, modern technology and equipment can solve it quite effectively.
The project of an autonomous house
Before proceeding with the construction of a residential building, it is necessary to draw up its drawings with an indication of how to supply all the necessary communications. A self-contained house will be comfortable only if it contains:
- electricity,
- gas,
- heating,
- water pipes,
- sewage system.
We will talk about how all these types of communications can be summed up if the house is located far from centralized engineering systems.
Power supply
The most difficult thing is to make an autonomous house convenient for living if it is located far from the power transmission line. There are three ways to ensure stable power supply to a building:
- Installing a liquid fuel generator. Such equipment solves the problem of providing buildings with electricity very effectively. By connecting a pump and a boiler to the generator, it is possible to equip the house with water supply and heating. The disadvantages of this method of power supply of a private house can be attributed only to a rather high cost. Liquid fuel is expensive today, and you will need a lot of it. In addition, a separate room with good sound insulation will have to be built under the generator.
- By installing a wind station. This method has a high degree of efficiency. You don’t have to pay a penny to receive electricity. However, the costs at the initial stage will be very large. It’s not enough just to install a windmill. You will also need equipment for energy storage and conversion of direct current into alternating current.
- Having collected mini hydroelectric power stations. This method is good if a river or a large stream flows near the house.
- By installing solar panels. In this case, you will not have to pay for electricity either. However, such equipment will cost a lot.
Most often, homes in remote areas are electrified using generators. In the event that there are other buildings nearby, it makes sense for neighbors to chip in and put in a wind generator that provides electricity to all the houses at once. Mini-hydroelectric power stations and solar panels are practically not used in our country.
How to choose a generator for the home
Autonomous power supply of a building erected in a remote area is usually arranged taking into account the following recommendations:
- If the building is located next to the transmission line, but the power supply is irregular, it is advisable to use a gasoline generator. Such models are usually not too expensive, but their resource is somewhat limited.
- Fully autonomous power supply is usually arranged using a diesel generator. This is a very productive equipment, designed for long-term operation.
- The power of the generator is determined by adding the capacities of all consumers plus a margin of 15-20%. In small cottages, gasoline models with power up to 2 kW are usually used to provide emergency power supply. For residential buildings, diesel generators with a capacity of 30 kW or more are more often chosen. This equipment is able to provide a country house with uninterrupted power.
Features of gasoline and diesel generators
Petrol autonomous power plants for the home can be designed for 500 or 1,500 hours of operation. By this indicator, diesel models are significantly inferior. On the market there is also professional equipment of this type, designed for 3,000 hours. But such generators are quite expensive.
Diesel models are reliable and have a long service life. The only inconvenience arising from their use is the need to run at full load every 100 hours. The fact is that this type of equipment does not tolerate idling well.
Wind turbines
The design of autonomous stations of this type usually includes the following elements:
- Mast blades, rotor and generator.
- Batteries with charge controller.
- Inverter for converting current.
- Electric drive for orientation following the direction of the wind.
- A sensor that monitors the movement of air masses.
- Emergency stop system (used in stormy winds).
- Automatic switch to diesel generator or centralized power supply system.
How to choose
The efficiency of the wind generator depends on two main factors: wind speed and the area of the blades. For example, with 1 m 2 of the receiving device at a speed of movement of air masses of 3 m / s, you can get about 6.5 W of energy, at 21 m / s - 2.2 kW. For a small country house, installations with a capacity of not more than 0.1-2 kW are usually chosen. For a residential building, equipment of at least 20 kW will be needed when using an electric boiler. An autonomous house, the project of which provides for gas heating, solid fuel or liquid fuel, is usually electrified from a 5 kW wind generator. Such equipment will be quite enough for the smooth operation of basic household appliances - a refrigerator, a TV, a computer, a washing machine, etc.
Autonomous gasification
In order to make living outside the city comfortable, of course, you need not only to provide an autonomous house with electric power. The building must also be gasified. If for a stove it’s enough to buy a cylinder and refill it every 3 months, then to equip the heating system you will have to purchase much more sophisticated equipment.
Large tanks are called, with the use of which autonomous gas heating of the house is equipped, gas holders. They are usually charged with a mixture of propane and butane and are designed for pressures up to 1.6 MPa. The sizes of such containers can have different - from 2700 to 20 000 m 3 . For a private house with an area of 200 m 3, the use of a minimum volume gas holder will be quite sufficient.
Connectivity
You cannot install this equipment yourself. You need to contact a private or regional gas company. In the first case, the cost of work will be slightly higher. The fact is that autonomous gasification of a house is possible only after obtaining various kinds of permits. Private firms usually take care of the collection of all necessary documentation. When applying to the regional company, you will have to go to the authorities yourself.
Under the gas holder, a pit of the appropriate size is dug. The tank is mounted on a metal base. A trench is dug to the house from him and a highway is laid. Before starting the equipment in the presence of representatives of Rostekhnadzor, test activities are carried out.
Heating
An autonomous country house can be heated in various ways. Typically, the installation of a heating system for a residential building in the absence of centralized engineering systems includes the following steps:
- Installation of the boiler. At the moment, both electric and gas, as well as solid fuel and liquid fuel varieties of this equipment are produced. The first option is chosen in the presence of a wind generator of sufficient power. A gas boiler is connected to the tank with propane and butane, respectively. In all other cases, solid fuel or liquid fuel boilers are used. The first variety is more economical. Liquid fuel equipment is more convenient to operate.
- Installation of highways. Currently, autonomous heating of a house is usually arranged using polypropylene, steel or metal-plastic pipes.
- Mounting and connecting batteries. The most popular variety at the moment are bimetal radiators. Also sometimes used are slightly cheaper and less durable aluminum models.
- Installation of an expansion tank. Depending on the design, it is placed either next to the boiler or in the attic of the building.
- Installation of the circulation pump. It is put on a bypass on the return pipe in the immediate vicinity of the boiler. A filter is placed in front of the pump for cleaning the coolant.
- Security group setup.
- Pressure testing and start-up.
Today, an autonomous house, located far from centralized engineering systems, is most often heated using liquid fuel boilers. However, since this type of equipment is quite expensive, gas installations operating from reservoirs, as well as electric models operating from large windmills, are gaining more and more popularity recently.
Water pipes
At the moment, only two types of heating boilers are produced - single-circuit and double-circuit. For a house located in a remote area, the second option will be most suitable. When using a double-circuit boiler in the house, you can arrange not only heating, but also a full water supply.
Well drilling is usually trusted by a company specializing in this. The cost of their services depends on the depth of groundwater. To save money, it is worth pre-ordering geodetic surveys on the territory. A water pipe is brought to the house through a trench with a depth not higher than the level of freezing of the soil. Internal wiring is carried out according to the project with the connection of the mains for hot water to the boiler.
Autonomous sewage system
If power lines and even gas pipelines are available in almost any village, then most residents of remote settlements do not even dream about sewage. Almost all owners of suburban real estate are faced with the need to install such a system as an autonomous sewage system in a private house. Its assembly is performed as follows:
- The central riser is mounted. In a one-story house, its installation is not required, but desirable.
- At a distance of at least 5 and no more than 15 meters from the house, a pit is dug and a septic tank is installed.
- From it to the building a highway is dug below the level of soil freezing. The trench should have a slope of at least 3 cm per linear meter.
- Most often, an autonomous sewer in a private house is assembled using polyethylene, polypropylene or plastic pipes. Before laying them, the bottom of the trench is laid with rubble. Pipes fall asleep first with sand, and then with earth. The bend of the sewer system is allowed to be arranged only at an obtuse angle.
- The wiring inside the house is carried out in compliance with SNIP standards. Do not place the toilet over the kitchen or living quarters. The distance between plumbing fixtures should not be less than 25 cm. The toilet is placed in the immediate vicinity of the riser. The further it is installed, the greater the likelihood of blockages. Washing and dishwashers are connected to the deck with flexible pipes. Siphons must be installed under the bathtub and sink.
Ready-made autonomous house: price
Today, if you wish, you can not only order a project of a building equipped with all necessary communications. Some construction companies also sell fully finished suburban autonomous homes. Most often these are prefabricated block or modular frame-panel constructions. Such houses are quite expensive. Depending on the types of equipment used and the size of the building itself, the price can vary between 1-3 million rubles and above.