Even at the stages of designing the heating system of the house, it is necessary to take into account the fact that not always such a liquid for the heating system as water is ideally suited for the weather conditions of your particular area. This is especially true for residents of the northern parts of Russia, where winter lasts for 5-6 months. In such latitudes, experts categorically do not recommend using ordinary water as a liquid for the heating system . Why? The fact is that with prolonged cooling of the boiler (and this requires only a few hours of time) in large frosts, the system simply begins to freeze. As a result, water at minus temperatures will be converted into ice, and soon what will be shown with the heating complex is what is indicated in our first photo.
Why can't you use it?
From physics, we know that the volume of water in the solid state of aggregation (in other words, ice) is much larger than the volume of a simple liquid with a temperature of +10 to +90 degrees. And therefore, it simply tears apart the walls of the pipeline, thereby forming a large gap or a hole. Restoring such a system is almost impossible. In order for it to be functional again, in such cases a complete replacement of the damaged section of the pipeline is carried out.
Thus, water is not the most suitable fluid for a heating system. Experts' comments particularly emphasize the fact that in the Russian climate, the risk of pipeline freezing inside a heated room increases significantly. But what then to be and what to pour into the system?
Antifreeze
The use of antifreeze is the most reasonable way out of this situation. The antifreeze used in piping and communications systems is practically no different from that which is poured into the expansion tank of the car. This heating system fluid (including Dixis) is an anti-freeze type and is specially designed for such operating conditions. Depending on the quality characteristics, it may not lose its viscosity properties at temperatures from minus 40 to plus 115 degrees Celsius. At the same time, water can be in a liquid state only at 0 and +99 degrees Celsius, while even at the last values it simply turns steam. Therefore, roughly speaking, it is in a liquid state at a temperature from +10 to +90 0 .
The composition of antifreeze
This fluid for the heating system may have a different composition, which is determined by the presence of a particular additive. For example, antifreeze may include agents such as monoethylene glycol or propylene glycol. Both substances give the fluid viscosity and thermal conductivity. But in comparison with the properties of water, the characteristics of antifreeze are several times superior to its quality, and regardless of which mixture was added to its composition. It should also be remembered that due to its main advantages (preserving properties at a temperature of -40 ... + 115 degrees Celsius) and due to its viscosity, this heating system fluid has a “habit” to leak into all cracks and cracks. Therefore, before using antifreeze, carefully check your system for leaks, otherwise no one will save you from leaks.