It is customary to supplement modern designs of heating batteries with elements and mechanisms that are responsible for adjusting certain parameters. Depending on the type of radiator, as well as the version of the coolant used, different temperature controllers can be used .
When thermostat installation is required
The thermostatic valve for a radiator today has become more common than others. It is installed when the number of battery sections is more than required, as well as in cases where there is a need to save on heating, because the temperature outside the window is rarely stable. In the presence of a thermostat, the temperature of the coolant will not affect the climate in the room, a person can adjust this parameter.
Thermostatic Valve Description
The thermostatic valve for a heating radiator consists of two parts: a thermostatic head and a valve. A device is usually made of brass. The housing overlaps the pipe, while the upper part is a continuation of the pressure rod with a spring. If you press the thermostatic head, it will act on the stem, and the greater the pressure on the spring is exerted, the stronger the valve will be closed.
Valve Assembly Operation
The thermostatic head has a sensing element located in a cavity filled with liquid or gas. When heated, the thermosensitive medium begins to increase in volume, pushing the element forward. It affects the stem, and then the shutoff valve. As an additional node of the thermostatic head, there is a plug that looks like a handle. The scale of modes is applied to it. For precise parameter settings, electronic controls are available.
Principle of operation
If you need a thermostatic valve for a heating radiator, you should definitely consider the principle of operation of this device. It is based on the following scheme. When the temperature of the air or coolant changes, the environment where the thermally sensitive element is located in the head reacts to the process. Pressure is applied to the pressure rod by a sensitive element, the first of which rises or falls, which depends on the temperature parameters.
When the valve is lowered, it shuts off the water flow, therefore, the circulation speed in the battery decreases, the heat influx is not so intense. The consequence is a decrease in the volume of water in the system, which entails a decrease in heat transfer by the radiator of infrared radiation. All this becomes a consequence of reducing the operation of the valve head.
The thermostatic valve for a heating radiator can be mechanical. It works on the principle of regulating the process on the part of a person, this allows to reduce or increase the flow of water. When the regulator turns, it is possible to set the desired value on the electronic panel, the operation of the thermostatic head changes because the initial pressure value is set and affects the sensitive element. The principle of operation of the described device is quite simple, however, for proper operation it is necessary to comply with the installation rules, safety precautions and automatic operation adjustment.
Varieties of thermostatic valves
The thermostatic valve for the heating radiator, depending on the method of adjustment, can be automatic or manual. In the latter case, we are talking about mechanical devices, which during operation suggest the need for human intervention. The operator must turn the mechanism, reducing the diameter of the duct to achieve the desired temperature. Automatic models have a more advanced design: they do not require manual adjustment, fixing a decrease in the temperature of water or air, while reducing or increasing the flow of coolant.
Varieties of thermostats by type of bellows filler
The thermostatic valve for a heating radiator, the photo of which you can see in the article, is classified by the type of bellows filler into gas-filled and liquid devices. Quite sensitive to deviations from the norm are liquid thermostats, which are capable of transmitting an impulse to the head mechanisms for a short time.
Gas-filled thermostats are more modern, which work due to the pressure of the gas located at a distant point from hot water and the valve, so they are able to accurately capture the values of temperature and air.
Installation Instructions
The thermostatic valve for a heating radiator, the installation instructions of which will be presented below, can be mounted by you yourself. Depending on what the heating system layout is, the pipes for supplying hot coolant are supplied differently to the radiator. This indicates that the plugs and control valves should be located in different places.
Before starting the installation, shut off the water supply to the radiator and drain its entire volume. If you have to work with a single-pipe system, the coolant will go through one pipe, and the heating devices are connected in series. A pipe enters the top of the radiator and water comes up. It flows through the installation, flows from below and enters the main highway.
In this case, the thermostat should be located on the bypass. To be more precise, then on the jumper pipe, which connects the return and direct pipes of the device, ensuring the movement of the coolant after the pressure is blocked by a thermostat. Making a jumper can be done with your own hands. To do this, it is necessary to weld an 8-cm pipe to steel pipes, however, holes must first be prepared in the right places.
Work with a two-pipe system
The thermostat should be installed on the supply pipe, if it is a two-pipe system, where one pipe is used for inflow, and the other is used for discharge. In this case, a jumper is not required. The thermostatic valve for a heating radiator is a device that will be most effective if you have to work with an individual heating system. However, a significant effect can be achieved in a centralized system, while it is important to have a hot water meter, which will save money.
Description of thermostatic valves of some manufacturers
The thermostatic valve for the Prado heating radiator is used to automatically adjust the flow of water through the heater, which is affected by air temperature. Such equipment allows you to maintain the temperature in the room with an accuracy of 1 ° C. The device should be operated in closed rooms with natural ventilation, while the ambient temperature should vary from -15 to +50 ° . The maximum possible level of humidity is 85%, which is true if the temperature is within +25 ° C.
Do not use this device in a nuclear safety system. It should not be used in environments that contain aggressive components, gases in concentrations, as well as dust, which can destroy metals.
The thermostatic valve for the Danfoss heating radiator is also quite common. He is able to regulate the power of the radiator, working silently and without clogging, even in heavily contaminated systems. The case of such devices is made of pure brass, which is coated with nickel during the production process.
RA-NCX series products are manufactured in chrome-plated housing. If it is necessary to automate the operation of the heating system, both of the above series can be used in tandem. These include valves with thermostatic actuator. Danfoss thermostatic valves are designed with a flow stabilizer that provides low noise characteristics. Even if the pressure drops are high, this characteristic will remain.
If you choose a thermostatic valve for a radiator, which ones are better, it is definitely worth a decision. For example, Danfoss valves are less likely to stick to the valve. This effect is the sticking of the cone to the seat when the contact lasts for a long time or the valve is closed. For liquid type valves, the closing force is very large. If you use Danfoss thermostats with gas filling, then when the temperature rises, there is almost no closing force, because the gas condensate simply evaporates. This and the correct selection of valve seat and cone materials minimizes the chance of sticking.
Why it is worth choosing the Danfoss valve
The above valve from Danfoss is optimized for operation, so its stroke is increased 1.5 times. The impressive movement of this element and the large flow area can reduce the likelihood of clogging of the valve. Serving such devices is quite simple. They have a fairly low cost, but can reduce system maintenance costs due to an improved design.
Valves have a single performance tuning window with increasing cross-section. If you compare with models from other manufacturers, then they have a settings window - a set of round holes. If dirt clogs one of them, it will be necessary to disassemble the valve for cleaning. But in the case of the Danfoss valve, in the event of a similar situation, it will be enough just to turn the tuning ring without disassembling the device and without using additional tools.