Heating radiators and their installation in a private house and apartment

If it is necessary to replace radiators in a private house or apartment, two options are possible, each of which is chosen at the discretion of the homeowners. Most of them are inclined in favor of inviting specialists to the house, who will install heating radiators very quickly and guarantee high quality work. But with some experience and after studying the proposed material, the user will be able to replace the batteries with his own hands, saving on the salary of the invited plumber.

Tools and materials for installation

Before installing a radiator in your home, you need to prepare the necessary tools and corresponding consumables. From the kit for installing a radiator in an apartment, you will definitely need:

• electric drill with a set of drills;
• level of the "level" type;
• adjustable wrench and pliers.

The range of accessories and consumables required to replace the heating system is more diverse. In addition to special plugs and steel brackets, it includes a range of plumbing products and materials:

• Mayevsky crane (or a device for bleeding air);
• two ball shut-off valves;
• fittings providing a hermetic joining of pipes and radiator pipes;
• FUM tape (or linen reel).

In addition, you will need to prepare a set of dowels of a suitable size and other fasteners.

Choosing a location for installation

The place for the installation of radiators, as a rule, is chosen directly under the window. This is not done by accident and not simply out of a desire to observe traditions.

The installation of heating batteries just below the windowsill allows the ascending currents of well-heated air to cut off cold masses. In addition, its warm layers heat the glass, eliminating the effect of condensation and fogging of windows. This will require the radiator to occupy most of the opening in width (up to 70%).

It is equally important to determine in advance at what height the radiator is installed, and whether the gap remaining between its lower part and the floor is sufficient (at least 8-12 cm). With this arrangement, the heating system will heat the legs and accumulate heat well in the middle zone. In accordance with the current regulations (SNiP), the permissible distance to the window sill is also stipulated, which is selected about 10-12 cm. This will allow warm air to easily bend around the obstacle and rise to the window panes. The last requirement for the location of the battery is the remoteness of its inner plane from the wall, it is regulated by current standards within 3-5 cm. If this condition is met, there will be no difficulties with free space during the installation of radiators.

Connection methods

Among the most commonly used methods of connecting radiators, the following three options stand out:

• diagonal connection - with the top inlet and the bottom outlet on the other side;
• saddle diagram;
• one-sided connection - with bottom and top connections.

The diagonal scheme is considered the most effective, since it takes into account all possible factors leading to heat loss.With its help, it is possible to realize the capabilities of radiators of any type with maximum efficiency.

In the calculations of most heating systems, it is this connection method that is taken as a sample, taking into account the correction factor for possible deviations. In this case, when the energy carrier moves, no obstacles are encountered in its path. It completely fills the entire volume of the upper collector, and then smoothly descends along the vertical channels into the lower sections. As a result, the entire working area of ​​the battery heats up evenly, ensuring maximum heat transfer.

Bottom through (saddle) connection

The lower way of connecting heating radiators is the most ineffective in terms of losses, which, with a two-pipe system, reach 12-15% or more. When moving, the coolant chooses the shortest path and is not able to transfer heat to the upper collector. The result is uneven heating of the battery area and an increase in fluid consumption.

The situation is even worse when the side connection is used with a single-pipe version, in this case the losses increase to 20-22%. For obvious reasons, the conditions for uniform distribution of the coolant over the area of ​​aluminum or cast-iron batteries in this case are even less than with a 2-pipe supply. Despite the significant amount of losses, this method of connecting pipes is in demand in situations where a hidden laying of inlet and outlet pipe communications is needed.

One-way connection with bottom (top) feed

In terms of its efficiency and efficiency, this connection scheme to heating is even worse than the previous case, since the coolant is removed from the same side as it is introduced. The likelihood of stagnation formation in areas remote from the inlet choke increases even more. Due to the fact that the carrier seeks to find the shortest and easiest path between two nozzles (inlet and outlet), it does not affect the upper layers, and all other spaces remote from the working connection of the device are also inaccessible to it.

A one-way connection with a bottom feed is used in exceptional situations when the pipes cannot be brought to the battery in any other way. Its use is a forced measure forcing the owners to put up with the low heating efficiency.

Slightly better is the option of the upper one-sided side liner, in which the volumes of space far from the input do not warm up well. But in this case, the carrier has the opportunity to descend to the lower "floor" of the collector and heat the zone closest to the nozzle.

Types of heating systems

The amount of heat received from radiators depends on the type of supply and the type of heating system, regarding the number of pipes used. To determine this indicator, it is advisable to understand how one-pipe systems differ from two-pipe circuits.

One-pipe heating

This type of heating arrangement is the most economical in terms of installation costs. The estimate of the work carried out in this case is approximately two times less than the cost of arranging a 2-pipe circuit. For this reason, it is most often found in apartment and multi-storey buildings, although it is not considered a rarity in the private sector either. With this scheme, the radiators are connected to the main line in a sequential chain: the coolant, passing through the next heating unit, enters the input of the next, etc.

The outlet of the last radiator is connected to the riser of a high-rise building or to the inlet of a heating boiler.

The disadvantage of a one-pipe wiring option is the impossibility of separate adjustment of the heat transfer level of the batteries. After installing the thermal head on any of the series-connected radiators, it spreads its effect to the entire system.Another significant disadvantage of this method is the uneven distribution of the coolant temperature in different parts of the heating chain. The elements located closer to the riser or boiler will heat up well, and the sections remote from them will receive very little heat. The disadvantages include the inconvenience of repairing such systems, when, if one element fails, you will have to turn off all sections and drain the media. To avoid this, experts advise to install jumpers between the supply pipes - "bypasses".

Two-pipe wiring

A two-pipe heating system has two pipelines in its piping, which are commonly referred to as "supply" and "return". In this case, each radiator is connected to both lines at once, which means parallel connection to the system. As a result, a coolant with the same temperature is supplied to their inlet nozzles. Another advantage of this method is that it is allowed to install "own" thermostat on each assembly-section.

The disadvantages of this type of heating include an increased number of pipe elements. When installing and wiring the system, their number almost doubles in comparison with the one-pipe version. On the other hand, such a connection guarantees high heat transfer when working with any heating equipment, including gas boilers.

General installation procedure

Before connecting the heating battery correctly, you will need to familiarize yourself with the general provisions regarding the installation of systems with piping made of polypropylene pipes:

• before installing the heating batteries, a plumber is required to disconnect the operating system from the load; in a private house, his help is not required;
• radiators are installed according to the instructions attached to most products;
• upon completion of all work, a control test of the system is carried out for the presence of leaks in the interfaces.

When choosing radiators for your home, experts advise you to pay attention to the well-known German company "Rehau", whose products are of high quality and good heat transfer.