Methods for organizing heating of a summer cottage: an overview of water, electric and wood heating

Heating a country house is a prerequisite for a comfortable stay in it in the winter. For practical implementation, it is necessary to carefully analyze the possible options for heat supply and choose the optimal one. There are several types of heating a country house: water, gas, electric.

Requirements for heat supply of a country house

What is the complexity of organizing heating a country house? First of all, in non-permanent residence in this room. Those. considering the options for heating a country house, it must be borne in mind that for some time the system will be inactive.

The difference between a summer cottage and a standard country cottage lies in the small area of ​​the first one. Of course, there are projects for large houses. But they are the exception rather than the rule. Therefore, do-it-yourself summer cottage heating must meet the following requirements, characteristic only of this type of residential building:

• Optimal system power... This will allow you to maintain the desired temperature level in the house without high energy costs;
• Long downtime of the system without further impact on its performance... Water heating in a country house must be filled with antifreeze;
• Mandatory control system for the operation of heat supply... This applies to all types of heating of a country house - water, electric or air.

The main factor in choosing a particular system is the planned budget. It is the financial capabilities that determine the complete set and, as a result, the further work of the entire heat supply. However, before choosing a heating system for country houses, its optimal parameters should be calculated.

The installed heating system must be not only efficient but also safe. This is especially true for wooden residential buildings.

Calculation of the heating system of the summer cottage

What is more profitable to install - country heating with electricity, stove or hot water supply? The determining factor is the total area of ​​the house, as well as the degree of thermal insulation of walls, window and door structures.

First you need to determine what the walls in the house are made of. Each type of material of manufacture has a certain coefficient of thermal conductivity. But to calculate heat losses, you will need a reciprocal value - the coefficient of heat transfer resistance. It is calculated using the following formula:

λ = d / R

Where λ - coefficient of resistance to heat transfer,d - wall thickness,R - thermal conductivity of the material.

When installing heating a country house without gas, you can ignore the heat losses during ventilation of the room. Data on the physical characteristics of materials can be taken from a graphical table.

However, any heating of a country house with wood must compensate for these heat losses. Therefore, it is additionally necessary to calculate this parameter depending on the selected heat supply operating mode and the outdoor air temperature in winter. This can be done using the following formula:

M = λ * K

Where M - optimal heating power,TO - power reserve equal from 1.1 to 1.2.

Only after completing these calculations can you start choosing a suburban heating with your own hands.For buildings with high heat losses, experts recommend organizing water heating. If the thermal insulation of the summer cottage is at a high level, you can install a more economical IR film heating. Each of these types of heating a country house needs to be considered in more detail.

In some cases, it is necessary to take into account not only heat losses through the walls, but also the ceiling and roof. This is necessary if ovens are to be installed for heating a country house.

The choice of heat supply for a country house

Considering possible options for heating a country house, it is necessary to take into account energy sources. The best option is to have a connection to the gas main. But in fact, this is extremely rare. Therefore, most often, electric boilers are installed for heating a country house.

As an alternative to expensive electrical heating, you can consider installing solid fuel boilers. This method will be optimal only if it is possible to provide full heating of the country house with wood. For this, it is necessary to take care of the proper supply of energy resources for the entire heating season.

In general, when choosing a particular option, the following factors should be taken into account:

• The total area of ​​the cottage and the degree of thermal insulation of the building;
• Features of the climate in a particular region. This refers to the minimum temperature in winter;
• Availability of certain energy carriers;
• The budget for organizing the heat supply of the summer house.

Let's analyze how efficient country heating boilers will be and whether electric heating of premises will be able to fully compete with them.

The heating calculation is performed in advance. It includes the above-described method for calculating the optimal power of the system, the temperature regime in the premises.

Water heating for summer cottages

The organization of a heat supply system using water (antifreeze) as an energy carrier is efficient. But only if all the components were correctly selected - a stove for heating a country house, a boiler similar to it in functions.

There are several types of hot water heating systems for country houses. They differ only in the type of fuel used. Depending on this, the optimal boiler model is selected, as well as other components - radiators, pipes and safety groups:

• Gas boilers... The best option both in terms of efficiency and further maintenance of the system. However, for the installation of gas boilers, it is necessary to obtain a permit and fulfill the Technical Conditions. In the absence of highways, you can consider the option of heating the country house with gas cylinders;
• Solid fuel boilers... Firewood and coal can be used as an energy source. Some models of solid fuel boilers can be rebuilt for gas heating or for diesel fuel. The main difficulty of such a scheme is the obligatory arrangement of the boiler room;
• Stoves and fireplaces... This has been rare lately. However, heating a country house with wood using a stove has a number of advantages. The heat supply device can be equipped with a hob, which greatly simplifies life and provides an opportunity for cooking.

Having chosen the appropriate boiler option, you can proceed to the heating assembly and drawing up a diagram. There are two types of hot water supply - gravitational and forced circulation. In the first case, a boiler is installed for the system to work, then a vertical booster riser is mounted from it. The coolant heats up in it, the water expands and, as a result, the liquid circulates through the pipes. Such a heat supply scheme is relevant only for heating systems for country houses with a small area of ​​up to 70 m². Otherwise, the natural thermal expansion of the water will not be sufficient to ensure circulation.

Forced circulation heating requires a more careful approach. For it, the calculation of the hydraulic resistance, the optimal pipe diameter, as well as the characteristics of heating devices - safety groups, pump and radiators, is mandatory. To increase the speed of movement of hot water, a circulation pump is installed in the line. In this case, a closed-type expansion tank is needed, since the pressure in the system must be higher than atmospheric.

Since the main component of water heat supply is country heating boilers, you need to carefully consider the choice. The comparative table shows the approximate cost of various models, depending on the power and fuel used.

In addition to boilers for heating a country house with gas cylinders, you should choose the right material for making pipes. They must withstand the temperature regime of operation of the heat supply, be resistant to mechanical stress.

Before filling the system with antifreeze, it is necessary to check the compatibility of all components for the use of this type of energy carrier.

Electric heat supply for summer cottages

Are there alternative options for heating a country house without gas? Until recently, this could only be done with a stove, fireplace, or by installing an electric boiler. But with the advent of PLEN heating technology, the situation has changed.

For the organization of country heating with electricity according to this scheme, the installation of pipes and radiators is not required. The main heating element is a thin film made on the basis of lavsan. Conductive carbon strips are applied to its surface. When current passes through them, IR rays are generated. In addition, the film is equipped with a reflective layer that acts on the flux of thermal radiation.

The advantage of this option for heating a country house is the low inertia of the system. In fact, the surface of objects is heated very quickly. However, there are certain rules for this type of heating of a country house:

• The total area covered by the film should not be less than 75%. Usually it is installed on the ceiling, which allows heating the maximum volume in the room;
• Mandatory equipment with a thermostat and temperature sensors. This is necessary to achieve the optimum degree of heating;
• Good thermal insulation at home. The average power of PLEN is much less by 1 m² than that of a similar water heat supply in a country house. Usually it does not exceed 220 W / m².

Unlike electric boilers for heating a country house, film heating has practically no danger of a short circuit or fire of conductive elements. This is due to the relatively low temperature on the film surface. It rarely reaches + 45 ° C.

For mounting the PLEN, you can use any fastening materials - staples, screws, glue, etc. It is only important not to touch the conductive strips when installing the film.

Stove or fireplace for a summer residence?

Some owners of seasonal suburban real estate do not imagine other ways of their own summer cottage heating, except for installing a fireplace or stove. This is due not only to complete independence from electricity, but also to the cozy atmosphere created with the help of these heating devices.

However, unlike country heating with the help of electricity, much higher costs are required, both financial and labor-intensive, to equip a fireplace or stove heat supply. You can purchase a ready-made factory design. But many people prefer to have brick ovens at their dachas.

It should be noted right away that the stove heating of a country house without a gas connection is designed to burn only one room.The exceptions are those cases when a heat exchanger is installed in the combustion chamber. It is connected to the general heating system.

It is also important to know the following rules for heating a country house with firewood:

• For a brick stove or fireplace, it is necessary to equip a separate foundation that is not associated with the main brownie. The total mass of the masonry will be large - the floor simply will not withstand it;
• Chimney size. Due to the combustion chamber of the stove, which is much larger than that of suburban heating boilers, the draft level must be significantly higher. Otherwise, the combustion process will not be sustained. For this, the chimney diameter must be at least 100 mm with a height of 4 m;
• For better space heating, it is recommended to make a complex chimney system. Hot gas passing through the channels will heat the wall of the house.

The difficulties of heating a country house with firewood are associated with the complexity of their storage. To do this, you will need to allocate a small separate room where the humidity and temperature will be at normal levels. Otherwise, the wood will absorb a large amount of water, which will significantly impair their heat capacity.

What is better to choose - a stove for heating a country house or a fireplace? It all depends on the area of ​​the room. If the fireplace is adapted for a water or air heating system, then it will be able to heat only one room. In addition, most of the models do not have hobs.

The stove occupies a large volume of living space. Despite the good heat transfer, its operational characteristics will be much worse than that of balloon heating of a country house. Therefore, stoves or fireplaces are installed only in the following cases:

• Intermittent residence in the house. A negative temperature will not affect the performance of these heating devices in any way, unlike the water heating systems of a country house;
• There is a high probability of a power outage, problems with the purchase of bottled gas or connecting to the central supply line.

These are the main methods of supplying heat to the dacha, which are currently used. Alternatively, you can consider options for innovative heating systems. These include geothermal heating and the installation of solar collectors.

An example of the simplest water heating of a summer house can be found in the video: