A change in the temperature mode of heating operation can be caused by a number of internal reasons. Many of them negatively affect the efficiency of the system, increasing the cost of the energy carrier. In such cases, a reasonable question arises - why does the heating not heat up: radiators, batteries, pumps, systems? The first step is to find the causes of the problem.
General heating problems
The principle of operation of any heating system lies in the efficient transfer of thermal energy from an energy carrier (gas, solid fuel, diesel, etc.) to water in pipes. The task of heating devices (radiators, batteries, pipes) is to transfer the received heat into the room.
And if the heating battery does not heat, the reasons for this may lie both in the design itself and in the parameters of the system as a whole. Consider the general reasons for the decrease in the efficiency of the heating system:
- Low efficiency of the boiler heat exchanger. The water is not heated to the required temperature;
- A specific heating battery does not heat well. Possible reasons - improper installation, air congestion;
- Changes in the technical characteristics of the system - an increase in hydrodynamic resistance in certain sections of the pipeline, a decrease in the flow diameter of pipes, etc. Most often, the consequence of such phenomena is that the heating circulation pump is very hot.
In some cases, not one, but several of the listed problems arise. Often, the main one is the root cause of the appearance of the following. So, the formation of an air lock affects the increase in hydrodynamic resistance, and as a result, there is an increased load on the circulation pump.
Do not install decorative grilles or cover it with a panel on a radiator with poor heating. Thus, the already small efficiency of its work will be artificially reduced.
The heating radiator does not heat up
Most often, problems with normal heat transfer arise in heating radiators. This is due to their specific design - the coolant does not move along one pipe, as in the transport line, but is distributed over several.
In what cases does the heating radiator not heat up? There are several factors that directly affect the correct operation of the battery.
Air locks in heating
There are several reasons for the appearance of air locks in the heating system - excess temperature, water evaporation, etc. It is important that the consequence of this is the appearance of places in the line that are not filled with a coolant. Most often these are heating radiators. To eliminate them, it is necessary to install a Mayevsky crane - an air valve that releases excess air from the device.
How to determine why a heating radiator does not heat well? The simplest method is the temperature drop at the surface. At the point of formation of an air lock, it will be much lower, thereby preventing the normal passage of the coolant. To eliminate it, you must perform the following steps:
- Using a screwdriver or a pivot arm, Mayevsky's crane is opened;
- Add water to the system until the coolant begins to flow out of the tap together with the air;
- Shut off the water supply.
After starting the heating system, the surface of the radiator should heat up evenly. Otherwise, repeat the procedure.
For normal heating of the heating radiator, a control thermostat must be installed. Depending on the set temperature regime, it will automatically adjust the volume of the coolant.
Incorrect installation and limescale deposits in pipes
The efficiency of its operation depends on the correct installation of the radiator. It should not be inclined relative to the plane of the floor and wall. If this condition has not been met, then the question will inevitably arise - why the heating battery does not heat up.
To check the correct installation of the radiator, you can take a standard building level. If the top plane of the battery has deviations, re-installation should be performed. It is best to use new reinforced mounts for this.
If, after this, the question of why the heating radiator does not heat remains unresolved, it is recommended to flush the heating system. This problem is relevant for old pipes and radiators made of steel and cast iron. Over time, a lime layer accumulates on the inner surface, which prevents the normal flow of the coolant. There are several ways to perform the flushing procedure:
- Hydraulic. A special pump is connected to the system circuit, which creates a large water pressure. Under the action of this force, the scale is broken into small fractions and is retained in the pump filter;
- Chemical. Special additives act on limescale, which loses its uniformity and flakes off from the inner surface. Subsequently, hydraulic flushing is performed to remove debris residues.
Experts recommend using a comprehensive method to solve the problem in which the heating battery does not heat up. After checking the correct installation, the system is flushed, and then the correct filling with an open Mayevsky tap.
If the two-pipe heating system does not heat due to clogged pipes, you need to carefully choose the cleaning technology. Chemical cleaning is not allowed for polypropylene pipelines.
The boiler does not heat up the batteries
Often, a two-pipe heating system does not heat due to the low heat transfer rate of the boiler exchange circuit. This leads to a decrease in the temperature regime and, as a consequence, the loss of the efficiency of the entire system. Not every boiler model provides an easy way to dismantle the heat exchanger. If the heating does not heat well due to the appearance of plaque on the internal elements of the boiler, you can flush without this procedure. To do this, you need a pump with a filtration system. The cleaning procedure is as follows:
- Disconnecting the boiler from the general heating system;
- Connection to the inlet and outlet of the pump hoses;
- Filling a special cleaning fluid into the boiler heat exchanger;
- With the help of a centrifugal pump, the flow rate of the liquid through the boiler is increased.
After that, the heating batteries should not heat up badly. Particular attention should be paid to the flushing fluid. It must not harm the metal parts of the boiler and the system. Therefore, at the end of the procedure, flush the entire system with distilled water.
To avoid the appearance of limescale, before pouring water into the heating system, you need to reduce its hardness indicator. The use of running water is not recommended as it contains a large amount of calcium and magnesium bicarbonates. It is they who are the main source of the appearance of limescale not only in the boiler heat exchanger, but also in pipes and radiators.
The best way to clean the heat exchanger is to dismantle it.In this way, you can not only remove the entire volume of limescale, but also make sure that it is intact. After this procedure, the heating system should not heat up badly.
Piping: causes of low heating
Malfunctions in heating mode are inherent in a two-pipe heating system. In this case, the supply line, which distributes the coolant to the radiators, does not heat. Identification of the "problem" zone can be done by measuring the temperature on the surface of the pipes or a thermal imager.
Natural circulation
What could be the reason for such problems? If the heating does not heat well, it is possible that the slope of the line is not observed. This only applies to natural circulation systems. According to the standards, the slope of the pipes should be 10 mm per 1 m. In addition, the direction is taken into account - from the booster riser to the radiators. For the return pipe, the slope must be towards the boiler.
At the first stage, it is necessary to measure this indicator using the building level. If it corresponds to the norm, but the heating radiator does not heat up, there is a possibility of air congestion. In this case, an integrated approach is recommended, which includes the following steps:
- Measuring the angle of inclination. If necessary, change it to the required indicator;
- Flushing pipes to remove limescale;
- Filling the system with a coolant with open Mayevsky taps on the radiators.
This technique will eliminate the low heat transfer rate of the heating system.
To improve circulation, a circulation pump can be installed in open systems. If it overheats, you need to mount an additional one. This is often necessary for branched heating systems.
Forced circulation of the coolant
For a system with forced movement of water in the pipes, the formation of air pockets can be avoided by using an air vent installed at the top of the system. In part, it performs the functions of an open expansion tank, but at the same time it does not reduce the pressure in the pipes to a critical level. Its absence is an indirect reason for poor heating of the heating radiator.
The specificity of closed heating systems lies in the optional observance of the pipe installation level. However, when the critical level of heating of the coolant is exceeded, steam is released, which is the main reason for the appearance of air locks. Since air has a lower density than water, it will concentrate in the upper region of the pipeline sections. If the heating radiators in a closed system do not heat well, the reason may be a decrease in the volume of the coolant in the pipes due to air resistance.
What should be done in this case? First of all, check the performance of the air vents. With a long idle time, the valve can become covered with limescale, which makes it impossible to open it under air pressure.
In addition to this factor, the excess of hydraulic resistance in the system must be taken into account. That is why the battery does not heat up in heating with an incorrect initial calculation. Therefore, before proceeding with the installation of a new system or modernization of an old one, the calculated part of the operational and technical parameters should be completed:
- Selection of pipes of the appropriate diameter - the larger it is, the lower the hydrodynamic resistance. However, this increases the volume of water;
- The likelihood that a two-pipe heating system will not heat is much less than that of a one-pipe heating system. Therefore, it is preferable to install radiators with parallel connection;
- The heating of the heating circulation pump is due to an incorrectly selected power. It also directly depends on the calculated hydrodynamic indicators.
For what reasons may the heating battery not heat up? This may be due to an incorrectly selected radiator model. Each of them has a certain heat transfer rate depending on the thermal mode of the system. These data are indicated in the passport of the device. If you choose the wrong model, then even with ideal operation of the heating system, the radiator simply will not heat up to the required temperature.
The video shows the main reasons for poor heating of the radiator for a one-pipe heating system:
