Almost every modern house has a water supply system, an essential element of which is a hydraulic accumulator for water. At the same time, some owners of private real estate are wondering why it is needed at all, is it possible to do without it? In this article, we will try to find out.
This knowledge will help to avoid many problems that may arise during operation. By the way, hydraulic accumulators are widespread not only in everyday life, but also in industry.
What it is?
The hydraulic accumulator, as well as a hydraulic or expansion membrane tank, is presented in the form of a can with thick walls. Inside it is either a membrane or an elastic balloon. More details about the device will be discussed in the next section. There are two types of accumulators:
- Horizontal
- Vertical.
Moreover, each of them has its own characteristics. Horizontal tanks are best connected to surface pumping equipment. While when using vertical devices, it is better to give preference to submersible pumps that are installed in a separate room.
Typically, hydraulic tanks, the volume of which does not exceed 100 liters, do not have a safety valve. In this connection, in order to bleed air, it is necessary to completely empty the tank.
As well as a hydraulic accumulator for water is a mandatory element of water supply, any of its varieties must be equipped with a system for bleeding air. Otherwise, excess oxygen leads to the formation of air jams that do not affect the performance of the entire system in the best way.
Main need
To understand what exactly is the need for this equipment, it is enough to turn to its direct responsibilities. Anyone with a water supply system in a private house knows that in addition to the hydraulic tank, pumping equipment is included. And if there are no additional devices, then the pump turns on always when there is a water flow: taking a shower, washing dishes and other household needs.
Such frequent on and off leads to an early failure of the equipment. Moreover, not only the pump itself, but the entire system can suffer. Each time the pressure jumps abruptly, and this is nothing more than a water hammer. For this reason, a hydraulic accumulator for water is installed, which allows the pump to work in a moderate mode.
That is, whenever you need to wash or just wash your hands, the pump will not turn on, because the water flow is small. In this case, he rests quietly, since the resources of the hydraulic accumulator are used (while there is still water in it). But as soon as she drops to a certain level, the equipment begins to work and replenish the supply of fluid.
Other accumulator functions
The main reason for the need for such an element of the water supply system has already been understood, but this is not limited to its functional purpose. Other equally important functionality includes:
- Pressure stability. Even if several cranes are opened at the same time in the house, everything is compensated by the accumulator itself. Otherwise (do not be it) do not avoid a sharp pressure drop. If hot water is used in the system, then such changes will result in temperature changes.
- Stock. A power outage is an infrequent but inevitable phenomenon, so it’s worth having some margin for such an event.
- Water hammer protection. This phenomenon occurs periodically, and many cope with this by smoothly turning the valves on and off. But it is much better to initially include a hydraulic tank in the system.
- Protects the pump. The working chamber already has a certain amount of water, which prevents the equipment from working in a constant mode.
There is a good alternative on the market in the form of pumping equipment, which, thanks to a number of manufacturers, is specially adapted for pumping water without a hydraulic accumulator. The whole scheme is very simple, but it requires some knowledge regarding the proper configuration of such equipment. In addition, the cost is many times higher than just installing a pump with an additional tank.
It is no coincidence that now in the private sector, almost every owner who wants to establish a water supply in his house is thinking about whether or not to install such a device. The answer, of course, is unequivocal - to set, because the existing advantages are simply difficult to underestimate.
Equipment device
It is important for any owner of a house with a water supply system not only to know what the need for such a main element is, but also to understand its operating principle, including how to drain the water from the accumulator. Last at the end of the article.
The term "membrane tank" is not used by chance. In addition to the fact that such containers are divided into horizontal and vertical, they can be classified in another way:
The first case is just a membrane tank. That is, inside it there is a special elastic partition that divides the entire volume into two chambers: for air and water. The membrane itself is a non-removable element and therefore, in the event of a breakthrough, the entire accumulator must be replaced. Fortunately, they are durable.
In balloon devices, instead of an elastic partition, there is a pear-shaped working element made of almost the same material as the membrane, which allows it to stretch, containing the required amount of water. In this case, the inner container can be replaced.
Moreover, the separation into chambers is made in such a way that the water does not come into contact with the internal metal surface of the accumulator. The air chamber is equipped with a pneumatic valve, which is responsible for adjusting the pressure. Usually it is filled with air, nitrogen or some other inert gas. Due to the connecting pipe, the working tank is filled with water. In order to be able to control the operation of pumping equipment in automatic mode, a pressure switch is provided, which is also connected to the accumulator.
Principle of operation
How does the device we are considering work? As can be understood from the previous section, the accumulator for water does not differ in particular complexity in the structure. And in fact, the principle of its action is based on the ability to accumulate hydraulic energy.
When the pump equipment is turned on, water begins to fill the working capacity, and it stretches, increasing in size. Thus, it begins to compress the air or gas of the second chamber, which creates a certain pressure. As soon as it rises to the set value, the connected relay will send a signal to the pump and it will turn off.
Under the influence of this pressure, water from the working chamber enters the water supply system - just open the tap and water will flow. Over time, the amount of water in the chamber decreases, which leads to a gradual decrease in pressure in the gas chamber. And as soon as it drops to a certain minimum, the same relay will instruct the pump to start working. After that, the whole cycle is repeated.
It is important to consider that the response frequency of the pumping equipment depends entirely on the volume of the accumulator and the degree of water use. The optimal tank volume is 100 liters. This amount is enough for domestic needs. In this case, the relay can operate up to 10-15 times per hour, and with the economical use of water - about 5 times.
Pressure switch also does not hurt
It is this sensor that is responsible for the automatic operation of the pumping station, monitoring the pressure of the water in the accumulator. Also, thanks to him, the pressure of the working chamber is adjusted. The relay works by some manipulations:
- The pressure exceeds the permissible values - the contacts open (the pump switches off).
- Lowering the pressure below normal leads to contact closure (the pump turns on).
Such a device also has its own membrane, which bends and unbends depending on the pressure. It is thanks to this that the contacts are switched in the mechanism.
The combination of the accumulator and the relay is a reliable system for high-quality and comfortable water supply. And it doesn’t matter what it is about: private houses, farm buildings and so on.
Relay connection
The sensor is connected not only to the water supply system itself, but also to the electrical part. To connect to the water supply, a convenient place is chosen using flexible tubes and various fittings. All threaded connections must be sealed with flax or fum tape. It will not be superfluous to install a manometer to control the pressure in the water supply system. Some models of membrane tanks are already equipped with such a device, which is convenient if it is necessary to drain the water from the accumulator.
As for the electrical part, it is not necessary for the relay to allocate a separate line, but for the device to work longer, you still need to take care of this. To do this, draw a separate solid copper conductor with a cross-sectional area of 2.5 mm 2 from the distribution panel, at least. It is also worthwhile to include a bunch of automatic + RCD or difavtomat.
Since the relay itself does not consume much electricity, it is necessary to be guided by the parameters of the pump. Electricity and water are a bad combination, and therefore grounding is needed. Under the device cover is a block for connecting different wires:
- grounding;
- a pair of contacts line (line) is used to connect the phase and zero from the switchboard;
- the third pair is used to connect the wires to the pumping equipment.
Now it remains to check all threaded connections for leaks and proceed, if necessary, to the adjustment of the relay.
Features of relay adjustment
Before buying a relay, it is necessary to find out the operating pressure limits of the pumping equipment and the hydraulic accumulator. It is important that these parameters of all three components relate to each other. How to adjust the water pressure switch with a hydraulic accumulator? The answer is in a simple instruction:
- Open a tap or hose so that in the process of consuming water, find out by the manometer at which value the pump will turn on. As a rule, it is 1-1.5 bar.
- Then you need to close the water to now find out at what pressure the pump will shut off. Optimal - 2.5-3 bar.
If you need to set other pressure values, you need to remove the mechanism cover, under which the springs with nuts. Large controls the pressure at which the pump starts. Smaller, as you can understand - the equipment turns off.
Pressure values are adjusted with nuts: to increase the threshold, they are twisted clockwise (tightening). If you need to lower the threshold, respectively, they are twisted counterclockwise (weakening). Due to the high sensitivity of the nuts, you should not turn them 360 ° or more at a time.
Maintenance
According to many experts, hydraulic accumulators, like any other equipment, also need timely maintenance. As a result of the active use of the water supply system, the pressure in the air chamber is significantly reduced. This process is natural in nature, and no one is safe from this.
For this reason, in order to compensate for this drawback, it is necessary to turn off the water pump, completely empty the accumulator. According to the recommendations of professionals, this should be done every 10-12 months. Thanks to such a simple operation, you will be comfortable and long to use the water supply system in your home.
Draining
Most of us have a summer house, where we spend most of the time only in the summer. But with the onset of autumn, it is time to take certain measures, namely to prepare the water supply system for wintering. To do this, completely empty the accumulator. Draining water for the winter can be performed according to the instructions:
- The pumping equipment is disconnected from the electric power.
- All water consumers (taps, valves, etc.) are opened so that the working chamber of the accumulator quickly squeezes out all the water from itself.
- The suction line is disconnected from the pump.
- The hose going to the hydraulic tank is disconnected, the remaining liquid in the pump will immediately run away.
As you can see, nothing complicated, however, such a procedure is mandatory so that next time the water supply works as before.