A country house is perhaps the dream of almost every city dweller. This type of real estate has a lot of advantages, ranging from the absence of noisy neighbors, ending with picturesque landscapes that you can watch the window. As the fundamental advantages of living outside the city, as some people note, is the unique opportunity to choose and subsequently equip a fairly inexpensive and efficient heating system that will not require intervention from specialists.
Despite the fact that the most common is the water scheme, homeowners quite often choose a different type of coolant. But initially, it is necessary to carry out the design of heating, which is an important stage in the construction. If everything is done correctly, then the owners will be able to eliminate many problems during the operation of the system. Having completed the design in accordance with all the rules, you can determine the technical parameters and select, as well as arrange all the elements, planning the costs.
Types of heating systems
Before installing heating in a cottage, it is necessary to consider the types of systems that are most common today. For example, air heating is expensive, and it works due to air circulation. The flows move due to temperature differences and are pumped by a special fan. For the operation of such a scheme, an air vent and a heat generator will be needed. If you decide to independently carry out the installation of heating in the cottage, then you can use the electrical circuit, which is cheap and is easy to install.
When designing, it is necessary to decide whether convectors, a floor heating system or infrared ceiling heaters will be used . The disadvantage is the impressive electricity bills during operation.
If you have a small country house or cottage, then the optimal solution would be a heating system based on a stove or fireplace. But the rooms will heat up unevenly, and when removed from the heat source, cold patches will form. Heating a country house, as well as a cottage in the city, is most often implemented using a water system, which provides for the installation of radiators and piping. A lot of funds will have to be allocated for installation work , but the system pays for itself during operation. The master will need to realize a closed circuit, inside which the water heated by the boiler will circulate. Cooling, she will come back.
Water system design
When water heating of a country house is arranged, it is initially necessary to carry out the design, it provides for the selection of batteries, pipes, as well as a boiler and an expansion tank. It will not do without a circulation pump. This stage will depend on the selected method of movement of the coolant, which may be forced or natural. If you prefer the natural movement of water, then the circuit will be non-volatile, while the coolant moves thanks to the physical laws of nature. After the water is in the radiators, it rises, and cold drops down.
The technology involves mounting the pipe at a slope, while the tank should be at the highest point. To equip the direct feed, prepare pipes of a larger cross section than for the reverse. If you decide to work on a system with natural circulation, then it will be cheaper because it does not require equipment to create pressure. If you want to equip the heating of the cottage, which will be based on a system with forced movement of water, you will need to purchase a pump, it will constantly pump water. The device is installed at the end of the pipe with reverse movement. Forced, more efficient and effective is considered forced circulation, which ensures uniform heating of all rooms. But this scheme also has its drawbacks, which are expressed in the high cost and dependence of the pump on the supply of electricity.
Factors affecting the choice of heating system
If you are thinking about which heating scheme is suitable for you, it is important to pay attention to some criteria, among them: access to power supply, aesthetic preferences, type of boiler, as well as the size of the budget for the work. If the allocated funds are few, it is best to use a gravity-fed system, which is implemented in houses with one or two floors. Such a scheme is also suitable for small buildings. Experts advise to pay attention to the fact that there are restrictions on the horizontal radius of such a chain. Horizontal pipelines should not be more than 30 meters in length. This is due to slight circulating pressure in the circuit.
When it is required to equip the cottage heating, property owners pay attention to the main advantages that are inherent in a gravity-fed system. First of all, you will not spend a lot of money on materials, operation and maintenance. Among other things, there is no need to use a circulation pump, which can cause additional noise and vibration. If it breaks down, repairs can be quite expensive. After completion of installation work, the gravity-fed system will not have to be replaced within 40 years, just such a period of operation for this heating. If a breakdown occurs, then the user will be able to fix the problems on his own, without resorting to the help of specialists. Such a heating circuit has the ability to independently adjust. This is the key to excellent thermal stability.
Basic equipment
Gravity heating of the cottage requires the purchase of the following equipment: piping system, expansion tank, boiler, as well as heating appliances. Among the latter, it is worth highlighting batteries and radiators.
Mounting principle
The horizontal pipeline system will have to be laid, observing a slope directed towards the movement of the coolant. This is necessary to stimulate the circulation of water. The slope angles of the pipes must be observed, which is necessary to divert water into the expansion tank. One can’t do without a slope because the air must leave the system, otherwise traffic jams will form. The expansion tank thus receives a stabilization function.
For reference
When laying horizontal pipes, the slope angle should be determined as follows: per meter of length, the slope is approximately 5-10 millimeters in height.
Specialist recommendations
The heating of the cottage should be designed taking into account the hydraulic forces, since due to them the water will move along the circuit. The flow rate will depend on the height of the circuit. This statement is especially relevant in the case of a difference in height between the batteries and the boiler. As for the resistance of the pipeline, it will depend on the diameter of the pipes. If the installation of the circuit will be carried out with numerous turns and branches, this will increase the hydraulic resistance. Do not install in large quantities filters, valves and other fittings, as well as a pipeline of insignificant diameter, as this will become an obstacle to normal circulation. In order to have normal pressure inside the circuit, it is necessary to reduce the influence of resistance objects. An alternative solution to this problem is to increase the diameter of the pipe.
Installation of gravity two-pipe system
The cottage heating scheme may include the arrangement of a gravity two-pipe system, which has two separate circuits designed for the movement of hot water. Heated water will move in one part, while chilled water in the other. During installation work, from the boiler equipment up, it is necessary to take the trunk connected to the expansion tank. The last element should be indoors in the ceiling or in the attic. The attic should be insulated at the same time. A hot circuit pipe is connected from below, connecting to the piping in the room.
In order to ensure the removal of excess coolant into the sewage system, a pipe must be brought into the tank. Pipes will be suitable for batteries from the wiring. In the lower part of the heating devices, the pipe should be led to the return line, leaving to the boiler equipment. When a cottage heating project is drawn up using such a system, the location of the return line, which is laid parallel to the direct highway, passing through all the rooms, should be indicated.
What you need to know when designing a single pipe system
The advantage of this scheme with natural circulation over a two-pipe one is that the hydrodynamic pressure in the circuit will not depend on the location of the heating devices. The expansion tank must be 3/4 full and the tank volume 30 liters.
Designing a gas heating system
If you prefer gas heating of the cottage, then design should include the choice of a double-circuit or single-circuit scheme. In the first case, the house will be equipped with running hot water and an independent hot water circuit. To provide heat, you need to use single-circuit systems. Design involves the selection of boiler power, circulation pumps, characteristics of heating batteries. You can take advantage of the possibility of arranging a warm floor system, as well as installing a jacuzzi, swimming pools and taps.
After that you must decide which gas: LPG or main gas will be used to organize heating. For heating on gas cylinders, single-circuit and double-circuit boilers of different capacities can be used. Most of them are suitable for operation in tandem with liquefied gas. It will only be necessary to change the burner or purchase a new one. The heating system from the main gas has a higher environmental friendliness, but it has its drawbacks, which are the need to coordinate all the documentation with the relevant services. You will have to equip the boiler room, as well as install a chimney.
Gas flow calculation
Before starting work, it is important to calculate the heating of the cottage. In order to get 1 kilowatt of thermal energy, it will be necessary to spend 0.1 m 3 of gas per hour. If necessary, heating a room of 200 square meters will need to purchase a 20-kW boiler. At full power, he will consume 2 m 3 / hour, which can be calculated by multiplying 20 by 0.1. If we divide the heating season into two stages, three months of which will be cold and the other three - moderate, then for 100 days the equipment will operate at full capacity. For ease of calculation, the number of days of each period can be rounded to 100. During the same time, the equipment will operate half or a quarter of its capacity. Thus, to find out the cost of heating in the cottage, you need to determine the average daily fuel consumption for the first period, which will be 20 × 0.1 × 24 = 48 m 3 . For the second period, this value will be equal to 24 cubic meters. Adding the figures obtained, you can calculate the total consumption for the season, which will be 7200 cubic meters.
Features of installation work
Arrangement of a gas-based system is carried out in several stages; first, heating boilers for the cottage are selected, which are then to be installed. Then the master can begin to mount the highway, as well as the heating risers. It is important to pay particular attention to regulatory equipment, as well as automation. At the last stage, commissioning and testing of the system are carried out. It is important to use different modes.
Using electricity to heat
Heating of cottages with electricity is also quite common today. After all, it is not always possible to use gas equipment, which is the cheapest during operation. If a gas main is not connected to your home, then an electric boiler will be the best solution. It is environmentally friendly and safe, does not emit unpleasant odors, and during operation the owner of the house will not have to deal with fuel loading. Before starting installation work, you need to decide which option to use electricity to apply. The first involves the use of heating devices that will heat the room, while the second involves the installation of devices that will heat the coolant or other liquid. To equip the system, which is based on an electric boiler, you will need: convectors, pipes, as well as radiators. Some systems may be equipped with a safety valve that protects against overpressure.
Conclusion
If you visit a country house quite rarely, then wood burning heating is perfect for you. In this case, a conventional solid fuel furnace or boiler can be used.