Heating a private home. Heating a private home - what you need to know to choose the appropriate system and scheme

Organizing a heating system in a private home is not an easy task. This work cannot be done without professional specialists in this field.

However, they can be involved at different stages of the work. Hired workers can complete the entire heating work or do only a specific stage of the work. You can also seek advice from specialists.

Regardless of whether you do the heating work yourself or hire workers, you definitely need to know all the stages and nuances of the process. Let's look at how to organize home heating with your own hands.

Heating system elements

In country houses it is better to use water heating. This method is considered traditional. Heat is supplied to the house using a coolant, which can be heated by various energy carriers.

Such a system includes the following components:

heating system devices;
heat source;
pipeline network.

If you do not have the time and opportunity to handle heating yourself, then contact the GWDE Engineering Company. Specialists in the installation of engineering systems will perform their work efficiently and will provide a guarantee for up to 7 years.

Full work is impossible without such equipment as:

expansion tank;
buffer capacity;
circulation pump;
distribution manifold;
automation devices;
hydraulic separator;
heating boiler.

It is important that for a water heating system a mandatory piece of equipment is an expansion tank. Everything else is installed if required.

Heating boiler

Today it is not difficult to select and buy a heating boiler. There is a wide range of different models on the market. They differ from each other only in the type of fuel used, as well as the energy carrier.

For private homes, the following types of devices can be used:

gas;
liquid fuel;
solid fuel;
electric.

Heating scheme in a private house

At this stage, it is better to seek help from professionals. They will draw up the correct scheme. Since making a heating circuit is not easy.

There are two types of heating:

Single-pipe, in which all radiators are connected to one collector.
Double-pipe, in which two pipes are involved. One goes to supply, and the second to return heat.

Two-pipe heating, among experts, is considered the most reliable system. At the same time, the costs are much lower than for the single-pipe type.

Heating installation

Before starting work, you need to decide on the location where the boiler will be located. If its power is not higher than 60 kW, then it can be placed in the kitchen space.

In other cases, you need to prepare a separate room, which should be well ventilated. It is also necessary to make a chimney through which combustion products will escape.

Let's look at the photo of the heating of the house and see how the boiler connection system is arranged.

Purchase and installation of pipes

There is a wide range of heating pipes on the market. Each owner chooses the type of pipes as desired. At the same time, it is necessary to take into account the characteristics of the material from which they are made.

Note!

Types of pipes

Copper is a great option. They are resistant to any changes in pressure and temperature.
Steel ones are chosen quite rarely. Since they are susceptible to metal corrosion, which shortens their service life.
Polypropylene pipes must be reinforced with foil. This way they will last much longer than conventional pipes. Polypropylene heating of a private house is the cheapest way.
Stainless steel is a very different option. However, it is a reliable, durable material.
Metal-plastic ones are suitable for those who have decided to install a heating system for the first time.
Polyethylene pipes are inexpensive, and their installation is very simple.

Selection of radiators

Manufacturers offer a wide selection of different heating devices. First of all, you need to pay attention to the type of material, and then to their appearance.

Battery types:

Cast iron batteries have high heat output. But their cost is very high. And if you take Soviet-style models, their appearance will not decorate your home.
Bimetallic ones have a table frame inside. This type of device is used in apartment buildings.
Steel batteries are among the cheapest, with a service life of 20 years.
Aluminum ones are good because you can automatically regulate the heat supply.

It is important, when making a choice in favor of a certain type of device, take into account its features.

Of course, the process of organizing a heating system is very labor-intensive. However, if you understand all the intricacies, you can make heating yourself.

But, if this is still a difficult job for you, then it is better to hire specialists. And basic knowledge will help you control the entire installation process.

Photo of home heating with your own hands

Note!

It is difficult to imagine a modern home without a heating system. There are various ways to create such systems. The difference usually lies in the fuel used - gas, coal, pellets, firewood. Heating boilers are divided into gas, solid fuel, pellet and electric. For any craftsman, drawing a diagram and assembling a heating system for his home is a completely solvable task. It’s no secret that most heating schemes were invented by ordinary people, practitioners, not burdened with scientific titles and regalia.

The benefit of making your own heating circuit is a significant reduction in financial costs. Of course, when choosing gas heating, you will have to pay for the development of the project and the work of licensed specialists for the installation and initial startup of the boiler. If you plan to install a solid fuel boiler, then all stages from the sketch to the launch of the system can be carried out independently. Undoubtedly, creating a heating system for a private home is a complex engineering task.

Of course, specialists with experience in design and installation will solve this problem faster and better. If a decision is made to involve them, then it is necessary to clearly determine the degree of their participation in the creation and installation of the system circuit. Possible options:

Private houses are heated by heating systems. They use a convenient and universal method of delivering heat using a coolant. You can heat the coolant in various ways. Often, owners use several water heating devices.

Any heating scheme in a private house consists of the following components:

If you want to create heating for a private house with your own hands, the schemes are selected based on the possibilities. There are few options, there are only two:

Determining which heating scheme for a private home is optimal is difficult, especially for a non-specialist, so you should definitely consult a professional. Most heating circuit specialists are convinced that a two-pipe heating circuit for a private house is optimal. There is a misconception that a single-pipe system costs less.

The opinion of many experts is the opposite - it is more expensive and more difficult to set up and adjust. The principle of its operation is the sequential movement of liquid through the radiators, which means that the temperature drops from battery to battery, so it is necessary to increase the power of the system. The main pipe is selected with a larger diameter. In addition, the mutual influence of heating devices on each other is very strong. This influence makes automatic control difficult.

Where is a single-pipe heating scheme used?

Heating of small houses is successfully provided by the Leningradka heating scheme, which has as many as four varieties. Among them are two types of one-pipe/two-pipe open systems and two one-pipe/two-pipe closed systems.

For a small house, a do-it-yourself heating system for a private house is chosen to be a single-pipe scheme, but if the number of batteries is no more than 5, if there are more of them, then the last radiators do not warm up well. When starting the heating of a two-story house, the Leningradka circuit also works successfully, but the number of batteries is no more than six.

Single-pipe vertical heating systems work better.

Heated coolant of the same temperature is supplied to all vertical risers, and the batteries of the upper and lower floors are connected in series.

Features of two-pipe circuit wiring

The two-pipe system comes in several varieties. They have a different connection diagram for heating radiators in a private house, and a different vector of coolant movement.

In small private houses, the following types of two-pipe heating systems are used:

dead end;
passing;
collector (radial).

Brief characteristics of two-pipe systems

Dead-end system - the entire pipeline network consists of two arms (branches), one for supply and the other arm for coolant return. The movement of water occurs in counter directions.

Associated two-pipe system - the return arm serves as a continuation of the supply arm (branch), i.e. the system is looped. This heating connection scheme in a private house is deservedly popular.

Collector is the most expensive heating distribution scheme for a private house due to the need to lay pipes to each battery, and their installation is hidden.

Open "gravity" two-pipe system

Let's consider the heating system installed in a private house with our own hands; a two-pipe open circuit was chosen and an open tank was installed at the top point of the circuit. The pressure that determines the speed of fluid movement in the “gravity” system depends on the height of the tank. The main advantage of a two-pipe system is that water flows to the radiators at the same temperature, and a clear separation of pipelines into supply and return makes it easier to automate control.

For successful operation of the “gravity” system, a slope of 3-5 mm/m is ensured during installation. Due to gravity, any type of heating system can operate if the necessary conditions are created - the slope of the coolant supply lines for natural circulation. It must be taken into account that the “gravity” system can only work with an open expansion tank.

Closed two-pipe system

When installed in a private house, the circuit chosen is closed, and its appearance depends on the number of floors of the building. If the house is one-story, then two pipeline branches are laid - supply and return, and heating devices are connected to them in parallel.

And in order to install the heating of a two-story private house with your own hands, the wiring diagrams must contain the required number of liquid supply branches. One branch of the collector should power the batteries on the upper floor, the second branch should power the batteries on the lower floor. The water that has given up its heat returns to the boiler through the “return”. A closed system must have a circulation pump to create pressure.

Warm floor - uniform and comfortable heating

Schemes of heating systems for a private home are becoming popular - comfortable heated floors. The practical implementation of such a project involves laying hundreds of meters of pipes, usually made of polypropylene, under the screed to assemble the heating circuit. The ends of the pipes go to the distribution manifold. The liquid in the heated floor line moves separately.

Heating system installation

It is possible to positively resolve the problem - how to install heating in a private house (the diagram is given above) if you follow certain rules and the sequence of work. Installation work begins with the installation and subsequent piping of the boiler. Gas boilers with a power of up to 60 kW are installed in the kitchen. All rules for installing boilers are described in detail in the instructions for them.

Piping a heating boiler is the process of connecting the necessary equipment.

There are two ways to install a heating circuit from gas and water (metal) pipes - welding and using threaded connections. Of course, you can quickly create a system using the welding method, but it will turn out to be non-separable. By connecting the system pipes with threaded connections, you can easily change the configuration or replace any section of the pipeline at any time. For any installation method, the connection diagram for heating radiators in a private house requires special attention, and it must be drawn and calculated in advance.

Double-circuit heating system

DHW (hot water supply) is created by a double-circuit heating system of a private house; its wiring diagram is drawn before installation begins, and then installed to the selected hot water supply point. Gas consumption when using a dual-circuit system increases slightly. With intensive hot water extraction, consumption is 25% higher.

Features of the use of polypropylene pipes

Implementing a heating scheme in a private house made of polypropylene has many advantages. Polypropylene pipes are cheaper and lighter than metal pipes, they do not rust. Plastic pipes do not need painting, they look good and do not deteriorate the interior of the room. The procedure for creating a heating system from polypropylene pipes is reminiscent of assembling it from a construction set. Pipes are quickly and efficiently connected using a welding unit.

The following equipment, tools and materials are used for installation of polypropylene pipes:

Note: the amount of necessary materials, tools and components is determined before installation, after drawing the heating circuit diagram. Couplings, ball valves and fittings are purchased depending on the type of boiler, the selected design and the size of the polypropylene pipe.

Water electric heating

If you use electric heating of a private house with your own hands, the circuit connection diagrams are described above. An electric boiler can be designated as the main source of heat or as a backup if the house already has a heating source, for example a gas boiler. An electric boiler consumes significant power, so the wiring cross-section must correspond to the current consumed.

It is not at all necessary to make reinforced wiring throughout the house; it is enough to lay a suitable cable from the meter to the boiler. Since an electric boiler is a device that heats water, a closed system or a gravity heating system for a private house will work with it, using a standard scheme. Pipeline diagrams are no different from the diagrams described above.

To create electric heating, three types of electric boilers are used:

electrode;
induction;
boiler using heating elements.

It is believed that a heating element boiler that has stood the test of time is more reliable. It is advisable to fill the system with softened water so that there is less scale on the heating elements. Electric boilers have high efficiency, but the main obstacle to their widespread use is the rising price of electricity.

The task of creating home heating with your own hands, although difficult, is completely solvable. There can be many reasons why you have to choose such a heating arrangement option, ranging from the high cost of performing work by third parties to the habit of doing everything yourself. But regardless of the motives that forced you to choose this option, to successfully create heating you need to know how it works.

About home heating in general

Water heating of any private home consists of at least the following elements:

heating boiler;
expansion tank;
heating radiators;
pipelines;
control valves.

And here the first feature appears - the circulation pump is not mentioned among the equipment. The fact is that for some options for creating home heating, whether you do it yourself or not, a pump is not required. But in this case there are other requirements that will be discussed a little later.

Components of water heating

Therefore, when deciding on a future water heating system, you need to start work with the main points - decide what the heating scheme will be and choose the power of the heating boiler.

Which boiler should I use?

This is a rather complex task, in solving which it is necessary to take into account many different points.

1. Selecting the type of fuel. You need to focus on affordable and cheap energy resources; main gas is considered the best. If it is not available, use other types of fuel:

solid (coal, firewood, peat, pellets, etc.);
liquid (diesel);
electrical or any other energy. You need to choose the cheapest and most affordable fuel, given that these costs will determine your future home heating costs.

2. How will the boiler be used - only as an element of the heating system or also as a source of hot water. Depending on the purpose, you can choose a double-circuit or single-circuit boiler.

3. What area needs to be heated by creating home heating on your own, and the characteristics of the heated premises. In such a calculation, almost everything must be taken into account:

geographical location of the house;
number of floors;
the material from which the house is made, the thickness of the walls, the use of insulation in its construction, etc.;
frequency of operation of the boiler, the possibility of its operation in automatic mode;
location, dimensions, possibility and need for routine maintenance and maintenance;
the presence or possibility of creating the necessary ventilation to remove combustion products.

The above questions represent only a small part of those that you must answer before you create a home heating system with your own hands.

About choosing a heating scheme

Heating can be carried out according to a variety of schemes. In this case, for each specific case, the most suitable option can be used. When choosing it, it is necessary to take into account the features inherent in various heating systems.

1. They come with natural (gravitational) and forced circulation. A feature of gravitational circulation is the ability to heat a house without the use of additional equipment, such as a circulation pump, and the ability to operate system elements at atmospheric pressure.

This approach makes it possible to reduce costs when creating heating, however, for this it is necessary to fulfill a number of additional requirements:

the heating boiler should be located below the radiators, and the expansion tank above;
the pipelines must have a slope that creates a gravity flow of the coolant towards the radiators when hot water moves, and towards the boiler when returning;
pipelines must be secured to prevent the formation of backflow;
Pipes for supplying hot water must be larger in cross-section than for return.

A heating system with forced circulation is the most versatile, and its creation does not require so many requirements.

2. Heating installation can be carried out using a single-pipe or two-pipe method. The features of these heating schemes are shown in the photo

With a one-pipe system, water passes through the radiators one after another and then returns to the heating boiler, and with a two-pipe system, water enters each radiator separately from the main line and then returns there.

It is traditionally believed that a two-pipe heating scheme is the most effective, but a single-pipe heating scheme also has its advantages, among which it must be admitted that this is the simplest and most affordable option for heating a house, and also the cheapest.

As for the disadvantages inherent in the single-pipe circuit, its most popular type, called “Leningrad”, thanks to the efforts of numerous heating specialists, has been largely eliminated from them.

If you look at the self-made heating system being created in the house from this point of view - the simplicity and reasonable price of the entire system, then the "Leningradka" can probably be considered one of the most suitable options.

You can learn more about the intricacies and features of this system using the video

How to connect a heating radiator

An important factor ensuring the normal operation of the heating system is the radiators used. There are many varieties of such products; they are made in different shapes and from different materials, achieving maximum heat transfer from them, but other factors play the main role in heating the room:

1. Number of radiator sections. Established practice recommends using one section to heat three square meters. area, while the coolant temperature should be seventy degrees.

However, the number of sections cannot be unlimited; do not forget that each element in the system creates resistance to the passage of water, and if it is too large, then the heating simply will not work.

2. How is the radiator connected to the heating system? The figure below will allow you to evaluate how the heating efficiency differs for different methods of connecting batteries:

3. Where and how the radiator is installed.

These data should force you to take a more careful approach to the task of determining where to install the radiator. And if the battery is usually placed under the window opening (in the center), and this is a completely correct decision, then the installation of any decorative screens or other decorative items (curtains, drapes) worsens heat transfer and heating efficiency.

Although creating heating for a private home must be considered a rather complex task, it can nevertheless be solved on your own.

The existing variety of options for implementing a heating system allows anyone to choose the one that best suits their own strengths, skills and means.

Every home in the Russian climate requires an efficient heating system. For a private home, which, as a rule, does not have centralized heating, there are quite a few options for its installation. Differing from each other in design, types of wiring and coolants, all these systems have their advantages and disadvantages.

Classification of heating systems for a private home

First of all, heating systems differ in the type of coolant and are:

water, the most common and practical;
air, a type of which is an open fire system (i.e. a classic fireplace);
electric, the most convenient to use.

In turn, water heating systems in a private house are classified according to the type of wiring and are single-pipe, collector and two-pipe. In addition, there is also a classification for them according to the energy carrier required to operate the heating device (gas, solid or liquid fuel, electricity), and according to the number of circuits (1 or 2). These systems are also divided by pipe material (copper, steel, polymers).

Water heating of a private house

Water heating in a private house is carried out using a closed circuit filled with hot water circulating through it. In this case, the heating device is a boiler, from which it is necessary to run pipes throughout the house to each radiator. The water passes through the radiators, gives off heat to the rooms and returns to the boiler. There it heats up again and enters the system. Antifreeze can also be used as a coolant.

Most often, the heating system consists of copper pipes, the most reliable, however, also the most expensive.

Steel is used less often, and water heating is almost never made from polymer materials that do not tolerate temperature changes well.

In addition to pipes, the circuits must be equipped with additional elements:

an expansion tank that collects excess liquid;
thermostats that control the temperature in front of the radiators;
a circulation pump that ensures forced movement of liquid through pipelines;
shut-off and safety valves.

Subspecies

A system of this type can be:

single-circuit, providing only air heating;
double-circuit, which also allows you to get hot water.

Based on the principle of fluid movement in pipes, one-pipe, two-pipe and manifold systems are distinguished. The first involves a sequential transfer of coolant from one battery to another. Its advantages include ease of wiring, while its disadvantages include low efficiency, impossibility of regulation and difficulty in replacing individual elements.

Two-pipe

A two-pipe system is better, as it is more maintainable and ensures minimal heat loss.

But the most convenient and effective way to set up a water heating circuit is achieved if you carry out a manifold wiring, which ensures quick replacement of a worn-out element and simple temperature control, but also costs more.

Pros and cons

The main advantage of all water heating systems in a private home is the efficient transfer of heat throughout all serviced rooms. Among the disadvantages are:

complexity and labor intensity of installation;
the need for regular maintenance of pipes and the boiler, which can be carried out either by yourself or using the services of specialists.

Application of gas boilers

Boilers used in a water system can use different types of fuel. The most common and convenient to use is gas equipment - although it can only be installed if a central gas supply is connected to the house. In addition, among the disadvantages of gas boilers is the need for their regular monitoring by the relevant utility services.

But such a system has the following advantages over others:

Easy to install and operate.
High efficiency in the use of energy resources. On average, gas costs are 30–40% lower than using liquid fuel or electricity.
Fast heating of rooms with coolant. Within an hour, the temperature in rooms with a water heating system, in which the heat source is a gas boiler, will increase noticeably.
Environmentally friendly use of gas.
The ability to automate the process, including programming the required temperature and hot water heating.

If there is no gas supply in a private home, it is necessary to use boilers that run on other types of fuel. For example, on wood, pellets or coal. Such a solid fuel boiler will be completely autonomous and independent of the supply of electricity or gas.

However, its environmental friendliness is significantly less compared to other options. And to store energy, you will need an additional storage device protected from moisture.

Heating using liquid fuel

Liquid fuel equipment should be installed correctly in buildings where the use of both gas and electricity is impossible or simply impractical (for example, the electrical network will not support such a powerful boiler). Its advantage can also be called independence from electricity and gas supplies. Although the disadvantages of such boilers usually outweigh the advantages:

for fuel it is necessary to install a special fireproof tank;
the energy carrier is very expensive, and this option turns out to be the most unprofitable;
large volumes of fuel combustion products are released.

Electric boilers

Using electric boilers in water heating systems is convenient and quite profitable. And at the same time, high automation of the process is ensured.

However, the rate of heating of the coolant by most electric boilers is not too high - and if more powerful equipment is installed, the electrical network may be overloaded.

In addition, electricity is best used as both an energy carrier and a coolant, without the intermediary role of water.

Air system

The principle of operation of the air system is to heat the air directly near the unit (usually a stove, boiler or fireplace). Next, hot air currents are forced (using a ventilation system) or under the influence of gravity to spread throughout the house, providing it with heat. The disadvantages of the forced method are the cost of electricity, while the gravitational method is the possibility of disruption of the air movement pattern due to open doors and drafts.

A wood, gas or liquid fuel unit can be installed as a heat generator in a private home. The advantages of the system include relatively simple maintenance and maximum energy independence (especially in the case of gravitational heat distribution). At the same time, it also has disadvantages:

the need to correctly design and install air ducts at the construction stage of the building. It is almost impossible to integrate them into already built housing;
mandatory thermal insulation of air ducts;
high cost of installation, even if you do the work yourself.

Electric heating

You can heat your home with electricity not only by installing a water system. Using electricity to directly heat rooms will be more correct and profitable. There are two options for electric heating:

electric convectors;
underfloor heating system;
infrared long-wave heaters.

Heating with electric convectors

Electric convectors are less profitable compared to water heating, which uses gas as an energy carrier. However, compared to other options, their use will be cost-effective.

In addition, installing such devices is much faster than water radiators, and no pipes are required - only wires and an electrical network capable of withstanding the required power.

"Warm floor"

The use of heated floors will allow you not to use indoor shoes even in the coldest time of the year. Their advantage compared to convectors is more uniform heating of rooms.

However, “warm floors” cannot be used as the main source of heat – but there is no better option for additional heating.

Using infrared heaters

Almost the only disadvantages of using infrared radiation to heat a private home are the discomfort caused by the luminous panel and the low accuracy of power control. At the same time, among its advantages are:

high heating rate;
an increase in the temperature not of the air, but of the interior items;
full automation of the equipment operation process.

Go shopping

What you need to install a working water heating system?

Here's the full list:

Boiler. It should provide minimal operating costs and, if possible, require minimal attention from the owner;
Boiler piping— safety group (air vent, pressure gauge and safety valve), circulation pump and expansion tank, compensating for the increase in volume when heated;

I deliberately excluded from consideration open gravity systems, in which the functions of the entire piping are performed by an open expansion tank. They are extremely simple in design, but differ from closed systems with forced circulation in that they take a long time to heat up, a large temperature spread between heating devices and the formation of scale in the boiler heat exchanger.

Pipes— bottling, connections to radiators and (optional) heating risers;
Actually heating devices and their piping— shut-off taps or throttles for separate adjustment.

Boiler

How to choose a boiler for water heating?

If you have gas in your house or area, great. A cheaper source of heat cannot be found: the thermal energy obtained by burning natural gas costs only 50-70 kopecks per kilowatt-hour.

The most economical type of gas boilers is with electric ignition.

What are the savings?

The absence of a pilot burner saves up to 25% of the gas that burns when the boiler is idle, when the coolant is heated to a sufficiently high temperature;
Another 10 - 12% savings are provided by the utilization of the heat of condensation of water vapor, which in traditional boilers leaves the house along with the rest of the combustion products.

In the absence of a gas pipeline near the house, the remaining heat sources are arranged according to efficiency in the following order:

A few nuances:

The power source for a gas boiler can be not only main gas, but also cylinders or its own gas tank. But in this case, the cost of a kilowatt-hour will increase to 3 and 2.3 rubles, respectively;
I gave average prices at the time of writing (beginning of 2017), relevant for the central regions of the country at a short distance from the capital. However, regional energy prices and local utility tariffs may make their own adjustments.
Let's say, in Moscow, a kilowatt-hour of electricity costs not 4, but 5 rubles at a single-rate tariff. In Sevastopol, where I live, pellets are twice as expensive as in the Moscow region - 15,000 rubles per ton versus 7,000;
To light a solid fuel boiler using coal, firewood is needed, which will further increase operating costs and time;

Gas, diesel and electric boilers can operate without maintenance as long as electricity, gas or oil is supplied. A pellet boiler with a hopper and a pellet feeding mechanism is capable of autonomous operation for a week. The solid fuel boiler will have to be melted and cleaned of ash several times a day;

Some types of boilers are designed for longer autonomous operation. For example, pyrolysis (smoldering of wood with limited access of air followed by afterburning of combustion products in a separate chamber) increases autonomy to 10-12 hours. Top combustion boilers with a telescopic air duct are even capable of operating on one burner for up to a day.

Replacing diesel fuel with waste fuel will reduce operating costs by 5-6 times. However, waste boilers are not very popular, since only car service workers have a permanent supply channel for used motor oil.

Another source of cheap heat is an exhaust boiler.

For a private house with high-quality insulation of walls and ceilings, located in the central regions of the country, the boiler power is selected at the rate of 100 watts per square meter of area.

For houses in the northern or southern regions, buildings with poor quality or, conversely, very effective insulation and with high ceiling heights, it is better to use the formula Q=V*Dt*k/860.

Variables in this formula (from left to right):

Heat demand of the room in kilowatts;
Its volume in cubic meters;
The temperature difference between the street and the house (it is usually taken equal to the difference between the sanitary norm -18 - 22 degrees - and the temperature of the coldest five-day period in your locality);
Insulation coefficient. It can be selected from the table:

For example, for a house measuring 10x10x6 meters with brick walls 50 cm thick and double-glazed windows, located in Surgut (the temperature of the coldest five days of winter is -43), the heat requirement will be (10*10*6)*(22 - -43) *1.9/860=86 kilowatts.

Is there an inexpensive alternative to solid fuel boilers in the absence of gas??

Heat pumps operate on electricity, but do not use it to directly heat the air in the house, but to pump heat from a low-potential source - soil, water or air.

Since electricity is consumed only by the compressor, for every kilowatt-hour of electricity the owner receives from three to six kilowatt-hours of heat, which reduces heating costs to comparable with solid fuel heating and even gas.

Many potential buyers are put off by the high cost of heat pumps and the expensive installation of a heating system. Suffice it to say that installing a geothermal pump requires drilling wells several tens of meters deep or laying a horizontal collector in a pit with an area three times the size of the house.

However, in warm regions, an air-to-air heating scheme can be implemented: a heat pump takes energy from the air outside the house and heats it without the mediation of a coolant, simply by blowing on the internal heat exchanger.

Doesn't remind you of anything?

That's right, this is exactly how any household air conditioner works in heating mode.

A household split system is a special case of a heat pump.

I use air conditioners as the main source of heat for my home.

Here is a brief report on their operation:

Four inverters constantly working in winter, together with the installation, cost me about 110 thousand rubles;
The heated area of the house is 154 m2. It maintains a temperature of 20-22 degrees;
Air conditioners continue to operate for heating even during the rare frosts in Sevastopol (the minimum temperature with which the heating system was tested was -21 degrees);
Electricity consumption for heating in the winter months is approximately 1500 kWh. The reader can calculate how much this is in money using local tariffs.

The photo shows external units of air conditioners heating the bedroom and children's room on the first floor.

Boiler piping

How to choose a boiler piping?

I have already listed its main elements. However, there are subtleties here too.

When choosing a circulation pump, look first at its performance. A minimum pressure of 2 meters (0.2 kgf/cm2) is quite enough to make the heating system of an apartment building work.

The pump capacity is selected using the formula Q=0.86R/Dt.

In it:

Q is the desired value in cubic meters per hour;
R - power of the boiler or circuit served by a pump with forced circulation of coolant;
Dt is the temperature difference between supply and return (usually it is approximately 20 degrees).

So, for our freezing house in Surgut we will need a pump with a capacity of 0.86*86/20=3.7 m3/h.

The safety valve must be set to the maximum permissible pressure for the heating system (usually 2.5 kgf/cm2.

The volume of the membrane expansion tank is usually taken with a small margin equal to 1/10 of the volume of coolant in the circuit. To find out the last parameter with maximum accuracy, just fill the circuit with water and pour it into a container of known volume.

In a balanced heating system with aluminum or bimetallic radiators, the volume of coolant is approximately 15 liters per kilowatt of boiler power.

The standard charging pressure for the expansion tank is 1.5 kgf/cm2. Approximately the same operating pressure should be maintained in the heating system during operation. It can be increased using a tap connecting the heating circuit to the cold water system, or by simply pumping air into the expansion tank through the spool.

Pipes

What pipes should be used for heating in the house??

In my opinion, the best material for an autonomous water heating system is polypropylene reinforced with aluminum foil.

Why him?

These pipes are among the cheapest. So, with an outer diameter of 20 mm, a linear meter of pipe costs only 70 rubles. Compare this cost with corrugated stainless steel (from 290 rubles per meter) and copper (from 400 rubles);
Their connections are maintenance-free and are as durable as a solid pipe. The fitting can be hidden in a groove or screed;
The strength and heat resistance of polypropylene is quite sufficient for the modest operating parameters of an autonomous system (up to +75C at a pressure of no more than 2.5 atmospheres).

Why do I recommend reinforced pipes and specifically aluminum?

The point is not in resistance to hydrostatic pressure - it is already excessive. The key words are “elongation when heated.” In this parameter, polypropylene without reinforcement is ahead of the rest: a meter-long pipe heated by 50 degrees becomes 6.5 mm longer. Reinforcement with glass fiber reduces elongation to 3.1 mm, and with aluminum to 1.5 mm/meter.

For comparison, a steel pipe under the same conditions will lengthen by 0.5 mm.

When installing long straight bottling sections, the pipes are opened with expansion joints - ring or U-shaped bends, which avoid deformation of the pipeline.

What should the diameter of the pipes be??

The internal diameter is selected depending on the thermal load on the corresponding section of the circuit. For bottling, the heat load is equal to the power of the boiler, for connections - the power of the heating device, for the riser - the total heat transfer of all devices connected to it.

The internal diameter values are selected from another table.

The diameter can be reduced by increasing the coolant speed (read: pump performance). However, a trap awaits us here: as the flow speed increases, hydraulic noise will appear - first at the throttling valves, and then at all fitting connections. Therefore, it is better to select the speed from the range 0.4 - 0.6 m/s (blue columns in the table).

In a natural circulation system, the filling diameter increases by at least one step. The instruction is related to the minimum hydraulic pressure that ensures the movement of the coolant: as the diameter increases, the hydraulic resistance of the pipeline decreases.

Heating devices

Which batteries are best to buy??

Our choice is aluminum sectional radiators. Cheap and cheerful: maximum heat transfer (with a standard battery size - approximately 200 watts per section) and minimum price (from 300 rubles).

How to choose the number of sections?

The power of a heating device for a separate room is calculated according to the same scheme as the heat demand of the house. To convert the power into the number of sections, it is enough to divide it by the heat flow from one section. It is always indicated by the manufacturer in the technical documentation for the device.

There is one subtlety here. As a rule, the manufacturer indicates the heat flow for a very specific temperature difference between the coolant and the air in the room - 70 degrees (90C/20C).

As the coolant cools or the air heats up, the power of the section will drop in proportion to the temperature delta: say, at 60C in the battery and 25C in the room, the section will deliver half the rated power.

Heating appliances

What fittings are needed to disconnect and adjust batteries?

If you only plan to turn off the radiators (if there is excess heat or for repairs), install ball valves on both connections to the battery. They are durable, fail-safe and always seal in the closed position.

For throttling (adjusting the flow rate) it is customary to use needle throttles, or valves for radiators. The inside is a typical screw valve with a metal valve.

If you want the passage of the connections to be adjusted automatically, your choice is valves with thermal heads. After rough adjustment, they will change their capacity depending on the air temperature in the room.

Wiring

How to heat the house?

The simplest and most fault-tolerant scheme is a single-pipe Leningrad, a filling ring around the perimeter of the house with heating devices connected parallel to it. Its main drawback is the large temperature difference between the first and last radiators.

If the house has several heated floors, a two-pipe heating system is usually installed. It can be dead-end (when the coolant, when flowing from supply to return, turns 180 degrees) and passing (the direction of movement of the coolant is maintained).

A dead-end circuit requires mandatory balancing - limiting the passage of the radiators closest to the boiler with chokes. Without balancing, the main volume of the coolant circulates through these radiators, and distant devices practically do not heat. In my memory, this at least once led to a serious accident - defrosting of the circuit in extreme cold.

The associated circuit (Tichelman loop) forms several parallel circuits of the same length. In it, the temperature of the radiators is always approximately the same without balancing.

A dead-end two-pipe scheme is used in cases where some obstacle (high opening, load-bearing wall, etc.) prevents the Tichelman loop from looping.

Installation

How to solder polypropylene pipes yourself?

For this you will need:

Shaver (stripping) to remove reinforcement from the soldering area;

The shaver also removes the outer chamfer on the pipe, simplifying installation of the fitting.

Scissors - pipe cutter;
Soldering iron with nozzles of the appropriate diameter and operating temperature of 260 degrees.

The connection is installed as follows:

The shaver is placed on the pipe and made several turns, removing the aluminum foil;

If left, the foil in contact with water will gradually deteriorate. This will lead to delamination of the pipe and a decrease in the strength of the connection.

The pipe is inserted into the socket of the nozzle heated to operating temperature. At the same time, a fitting is put on the second side of the nozzle;
The melted parts are combined in a translational (without rotation) motion and held motionless for several seconds. After the melted plastic has set, you can proceed to installing the next connection.

Where to install the security group?

At the outlet of the boiler. This is where the pressure begins to increase when the filling capacity is insufficient or the circulation rate is low.

Where is the expansion tank installed??

At any point in the circuit, but no closer than two filling diameters from the pump when installed in front of it and no closer than ten filling diameters when installed after the pump. Otherwise, the turbulence that occurs during rotation of the impeller will sharply reduce the life of the tank membrane.

Can a gravity heating system be converted to forced circulation?

Quite: the pump can be installed in both a closed and an open circuit.

Typically, installation of heating with the ability to work with both natural and forced circulation is performed as follows:

The diameter and configuration of the filling (slope, accelerating manifold, height difference between the boiler and heating devices) are made typical for a gravity system;
In front of the boiler, two outlets are welded parallel to the filling, between which a pump is connected;
A ball check valve is installed between the taps.

When the pump is running, the valve is activated and closes the bypass. The coolant circulates at high speed forcibly. As soon as the pump turns off due to a power outage, the system automatically switches to natural circulation mode: the valve opens and water moves freely through the filling.

Instead of a check valve, a regular valve or ball valve is sometimes installed. In this case, the system must be switched to natural circulation mode with your own hands.

Conclusion

Of course, in a small volume of material it is difficult to answer all the questions related to autonomous heating. You will find more information in the video in this article. Feel free to leave your comments on the portal. Good luck, comrades!