This page is devoted to such a significant topic as the regulation of heating batteries in an apartment: how to adjust the system in an apartment building, how to set up a radiator using a Mayevsky crane, methods of regulating the supply of heat.

More and more residents of apartment buildings are thinking about how to regulate heating batteries in an apartment.

This is due to both the desire to save heat in order to reduce the payment for it, and the ability to control its quality.

As life shows by its examples, often the heating season and cold weather come suddenly, when the services in charge of heat are not ready for them.

Temperature norms in the room

Surely, every resident would like to have a heating regulator in an apartment in an apartment building in order to create comfortable living conditions for themselves in winter. In fact, not everyone knows what it is, and what the regulation of heating in an apartment is for.

In fact, it makes it possible to:

1. The carrier can move freely through the pipes of the heating circuit avoiding airiness. This allows it to fully give off heat to the room, creating a pleasant microclimate.
2. It makes it possible to reduce costs by up to 20-25%, reducing the heating of radiators. As practice shows, lowering the heating of the air in the room by only 1 degree gives savings of up to 6%.
3. Adjusting the temperature of the heating battery in the apartment allows you to increase the heat supply if it's not enough.

Any work on adjusting or setting up the heating system is best done before the start of the heating season.

To determine how much to raise or lower the temperature in the system, you need to know what is considered normal. If we turn to SNiP, then it says that for corner rooms it is + 20-22, and for the rest - +18 degrees.

Based on these data, the consumer knows that adjusting the temperature of the heating radiators in the apartment helped him save money if he cooled it on his own, or vice versa.

Unfortunately, not all residential buildings can be equipped with heat regulators:

1. If in a multi-storey building there is a vertical upper distribution of the pipeline, then the installation of control valves is impossible. This means that the supply of the coolant starts from the upper floors, so there, in any frost, "Africa" ​​and residents are forced to open the vents, while on the lower floors the radiators are slightly warm.
2. If there is a one-pipe system in the building, there is no such problem., since the carrier, having passed through all the batteries, returns back to the central riser. This allows the heat to be evenly distributed throughout all rooms, regardless of their number of storeys, and control valves are installed on the supply pipe for all heating radiators.
3. The two-pipe system, although considered somewhat more expensive, is nevertheless the best, both in heat supply and its regulation. It has separate pipes for feeding the media and returning it to the system. In such a scheme, the heating radiator in the apartment is adjusted separately in each room, since they are all equipped with special valves or automatic devices.

As practice shows, those who have heat supply regulators in their apartments can be called lucky. This allows them to create comfortable living conditions for themselves and optimize costs.

Heat control methods

The main task of regulation is to achieve a certain heating of the air in the room.

This can be done using the following methods:

1. Quantitative is called a method in which, with the help of a locking mechanism or a circulation pump, the flow rate of the coolant into the system is changed. The amount of the carrier decreases as it slows down, and it passes much less per unit of time.
2. If you change the quality of the media, affecting its heating, you get qualitative method regulation of the heating system.

If high-quality equipment is installed in an apartment building, then these 2 methods are produced simultaneously.

Adjusting heating in an apartment building in the first way is considered simple if it is done with a circulation pump. When it gets cold, it "drives" the coolant through the system at high speed. It got hot, its work slows down, and the medium flows at a minimum rate.

Such mechanisms are equipped with automation that allows you to set the economy mode, for example, at night or when there is no one in the apartment.

This method has a drawback. The temperature drops in all rooms in the same way, which is not entirely acceptable, for example, for a child's room or a bath.

The best heating control option is one where each radiator is individually equipped with a special device. This way you can set a comfortable temperature in any room, for example, by lowering it in the kitchen, where hot radiators are not needed, or by raising it in the bedroom.

Types of regulating devices

In many ways, the quality of these devices depends on the ability to truly influence the temperature of the air in the room.

There are several types of control valves for heating an apartment building:

1. How to shut off the heating battery in the apartment? In fact, control valve Is a shut-off heat exchanger that is attached to the radiator. One of these devices are ball valves, the main function of which is to protect the system from emergencies, and their ability to rotate 90 degrees allows the coolant to block access or open its path through the pipes. At a stretch, they can be called regulatory, since their purpose is protection.

   The ball valve must be either open or closed. In a half-way state, the seal is damaged over time, and it leaks.

2. Standard valves are a budget option for regulating devices, and the benefit from them is the same. Since they do not have a temperature scale, one can only assume how much the conditions in the apartment will change when they are opened or closed.
3. How to regulate heating in an apartment? Adjusting the heating system of an apartment building using device equipped with a thermal head, makes it possible to control the level of heating and cooling of the heating system.

The last type of thermostats is of two types:

1. Direct acting device, which is based on a siphon with gas or a special liquid that reacts to any temperature changes in the coolant. If it heats up, then the carrier inside the siphon sealed into the body will expand and press on a special valve. He, moving under pressure, blocks the access to the heating system coolant. When the temperature drops, the opposite process takes place.
2. Better but also more expensive option is regulator with electronic sensor... Having asked him the necessary parameters, the automation will independently track any violations of the parameters in one direction or another.

How to regulate heating in an apartment building? To really know how to set up heating batteries in an apartment, it is better to purchase a high-quality thermostat, set the necessary parameters to it, and be sure that everything is under its relentless control. This device, by adjusting the supply of media into the system, will help save on heat bills, thus justifying its cost-effectiveness.

Regulation of heating batteries in an apartment: increasing heat transfer

It happens that the quality of services provided by management companies is not always at the proper level and people experience discomfort in their homes. In this case, they ask themselves what to do if the heating in the apartment is weak? The answer may be to find the cause of the cold in the premises. Either these are defects in the system, or an increase in the heat transfer of the radiators is required.

Batteries are cold for several reasons:

1. The system is airborne and a media drain will be required to purge air from the pipes.
2. Errors were made when connecting for example, keeping the bypass in the open position disrupts media circulation.
3. Initially incorrect system calculations, for example, by the number and quality of radiators or the diameter of the pipes.
4. Heating systems tend to clog up during long-term operation., which greatly interferes with the normal movement of the carrier through the pipes, and as a result, the batteries are slightly warm.

Other defects are possible, but it is better to entrust their search to specialists.

In the event that you just need to increase the efficiency of the batteries, then this can be done in the following way:

1. If there is not enough thermal power due to incorrect calculations, then it is enough to connect additional sections to the battery to make the room warmer.
2. Sometimes it is worth checking the efficiency of the battery connection. For example, if the reverse side was used, then this reduces the efficiency of the radiator by 20-25%. If the heating system allows you to change the connection, then, after coordinating this with the employees of the management company, you need to do this.

Sometimes it happens that the residents are dissatisfied with the heat, not the cold, then they wonder how to turn down the heating in the apartment. This can be done only with the help of a thermostat, but not by overlapping the batteries. As experts note, sometimes the system needs to be balanced in order for it to work flawlessly, and this can be done by hand.

How to adjust heating batteries in an apartment - video:

Why is the apartment cold?

When it turns out that one part of the system is hot and the other is not, then you should find out how to adjust the heating radiator in the apartment. Sometimes this is easy to do if it has thermostats installed. Otherwise, you will have to seek help from specialists.

Reasons for cold batteries:

1. Before the start of the season, the system should be purged, which is carried out by the heating network technicians.
2. Operational adjustments are made during the heating season to see the results of the system reconfiguration. For this, regulating devices are used.
3. Sometimes it is necessary to change the location of the batteries or their location relative to the floor and windowsill. Incorrectly installed, they do not allow warm air to circulate freely throughout the room, hence the cold.
4. If the heating circuit is out of date, balancing the heating system in an apartment building will not help, since a complete replacement of radiators and risers is required.

Sometimes a sudden battery imbalance and coldness in an apartment is caused by neighbors installing new batteries by removing thermostats. In this case, the issue is also solved by replacing the radiators.

Additional ways of regulation

When dissatisfaction with the quality of services from the heating network becomes large, people begin to look for opportunities, ways to regulate the heating system in an apartment building, how to fix the situation, and what to establish so that the apartment becomes warm, and pay less for it. In this case, errors are possible that can lead to a breakdown of the network of the whole house.

For example, adjustment of the heating system of an apartment building with valves is strictly prohibited.

They belong to the category of shut-off valves, therefore they can only operate in two positions: "open" and "closed". Residents, not knowing this, try to leave the valves ajar, which disables them.

The system of weather regulation of heating in an apartment building will be useful if a general house meter is installed in it. Only in this case, such a device saves up to 35% in heat consumption. At the heart of the weather heating controller for an apartment building is a sensor that detects temperature differences outside and reacts to them by changing the temperature in the network. Such a device, together with the installation, will cost residents of the house more than 500,000 rubles.

Regulation of heating batteries with Mayevsky taps helps with airiness of the system, which is sometimes enough to keep the batteries warm.

Drawing conclusions, we can say that today the question of who regulates the heating temperature in an apartment building is especially relevant. Residents wish to participate in this process, and if the heating system allows, then they apply to the management farm with applications to install thermostats on their radiators.

The choice of devices for this is quite large in the domestic market and their installation does not take much time, but it gives tangible results, both in terms of heat quality and its economy. Therefore, it is worthwhile to study the principles of operation of thermostats, apply for its installation, and then enjoy the comfortable warmth in your apartment.

Most of the heating systems of apartment buildings and private houses are built according to this scheme. What are its advantages and are there any disadvantages?

Can a do-it-yourself two-pipe heating system be installed?

The difference between a two-pipe heating system and a one-pipe heating system

Let's first define what kind of animal it is - a two-pipe heating system. That she uses exactly two pipes is easy to guess from the name; but where do they lead and why are they needed?

The fact is that in order to heat a heating device with any coolant, its circulation is needed. It can be achieved in one of two ways:

1. One-pipe scheme (so-called barrack type)
2. Two-pipe heating.

In the first case, the entire heating system is one large ring. It can be opened by heating devices, or, which is much more reasonable, they can be placed parallel to the pipe; the main thing is that no separate supply and return pipelines pass through the heated room.

Rather, in this case, these functions are combined by the same pipe.

What in this case do we gain and what do we lose?

• Advantage: minimal material costs.
• Disadvantage: a large spread in the temperature of the coolant between the radiators at the beginning and at the end of the ring.

The second scheme - two-pipe heating - is a little more complicated and costly. Through the entire room (in the case of a multi-storey building - at least on one of its floors or in the basement) there are two pipelines - supply and return.

According to the first, the hot coolant (most often ordinary industrial water) is directed to the heating devices in order to give them heat, according to the second, it returns.

Each heater (or a riser with several heaters) is placed in a gap between the supply and return.

There are two main consequences of such a connection scheme:

• Disadvantage: much more pipe consumption for two pipelines instead of one.
• Advantage: the ability to supply a coolant of approximately the same temperature to ALL heating devices.

Advice: for each heater, in the case of a large room, it is imperative to install a regulating throttle.

This will allow you to even out the temperature more precisely, making it so that the water flow from the supply to the return on the nearest radiators will not "sink" those more distant from the boiler or elevator.

Features of two-pipe heating systems in apartment buildings

In the case of apartment buildings, of course, no one puts throttles on separate risers and does not constantly regulate the water flow; equalization of the coolant temperature at different distances from the elevator is achieved in a different way: the supply and return pipelines running through the basement (the so-called heating bed) have a much larger diameter than heating risers.

Alas, in new houses built after the collapse of the Soviet Union and the disappearance of strict state control over construction organizations, the use of pipes of approximately the same diameter on risers and stanchions, as well as thin-walled pipes installed for welding valves and other cute signs of a new social system, began to be practiced.

The consequence of such savings is cold radiators in apartments located at the maximum distance from the elevator unit; by a funny coincidence, these apartments are usually corner and share a wall with the street. A pretty cold wall.

However, we have deviated from the topic. The two-pipe heating system in an apartment building has another feature: for its normal functioning, water must circulate through the risers, rising and falling up and down. If something interferes with her, the riser with all the batteries remains cold.

What to do if the home heating system is running, but the radiators are at room temperature?

1. Make sure the valves on the riser are open.
2. If all the flags and lambs are in the "open" position, close one of the paired risers (we, of course, are talking about the house with, where both beds are in the basement) and open the vent located next to it.
   If the water flows with normal pressure, there are no obstacles to the normal circulation of the riser, except for air at its upper points. Tip: Drain more water until, after a long snort of the air-water mixture, a powerful and stable jet of hot water comes out. Perhaps, in this case, you will not need to go up to the upper floor and bleed the air there - circulation will be restored after starting.
3. If the water does not flow, try to bypass the riser in the opposite direction: perhaps a piece of scale or slag is stuck somewhere. It can be taken out by countercurrent.
4. If all attempts have failed and the riser does not go to discharge, most likely a search for a room will have to be done in which repairs were made and heating devices were changed. Here you can expect any trick: a removed and damped radiator without a jumper, a completely cut riser with plugs at both ends, a choke blocked for general reasons - again, in the absence of a jumper ... Human stupidity really gives an idea of ​​infinity.

Features of the top filling system

Another way in which the installation of a two-pipe heating system is carried out is the so-called top filling. What is the difference? Only in the fact that the supply pipeline migrates to the attic or the upper floor. A vertical pipe connects the inlet to the elevator.

Circulation from top to bottom; the water path from the supply to the return at the same building height is twice as short; all the air does not end up in the risers in the apartments, but in a special expansion tank in the upper part of the supply pipeline.

Starting such a heating system is immeasurably simpler: after all, for the full operation of all heating risers, you do not need to get into every room on the top floor and bleed air there.

It is more problematic to turn off the risers if repairs are necessary: ​​after all, you need to go down to the basement and go up to the attic. Shut-off valves are located both there and there.

However, the above two-pipe heating systems are still characteristic to a greater extent for apartment buildings. What about private traders?

It is worth starting with the fact that in private houses the used 2-pipe heating system can be radial and sequential in the type of connection of heating devices.

1. Radiation: from the collector to each heating device there is its own supply and its own return.
2. Sequential: all heating devices are powered from a common pair of pipelines.

The advantages of the first connection scheme come down mainly to the fact that with such a connection, balancing of the two-pipe heating system is not required - there is no need to adjust the flow of throttles for radiators located closer to the boiler. The temperature will be the same everywhere (of course, with at least approximately the same length of the rays).

Its main disadvantage is the highest pipe consumption among all possible schemes. In addition, it will be simply unrealistic to stretch the piping to most of the radiators along the walls, while maintaining a somewhat decent appearance: they will have to be hidden under the screed during construction.

You can, of course, drag it through the basement, but remember: in private houses there are often no basements of sufficient height with free access there. In addition, the beam scheme is somehow convenient to use only when building a one-story house.

What do we have in the second case?

Of course, we have left the main disadvantage of one-pipe heating. The temperature of the coolant in all heating devices can theoretically be the same. The key word is theoretically.

Setting the heating system

In order for everything to work exactly the way we want it, we need to set up a two-pipe heating system.

The setup procedure itself is extremely simple: you need to turn the throttles on the radiators, starting with those closest to the boiler, reducing the flow of water through them. The goal is to make sure that a decrease in the flow of water through nearby heating devices increases the flow of water at distant ones.

The algorithm is simple: we slightly tighten the valve and measure the temperature on the distant heater. With a thermometer or by touch - in this case, it doesn't matter: the human hand perfectly feels the difference of five degrees, and we don't need more accuracy.

Alas, it is impossible to give a more accurate recipe, except for "squeezing and measuring": calculating the exact permeability for each choke at each coolant temperature, and then also adjusting it to achieve the desired figures is an unrealistic task.

Two points to consider when adjusting a two-pipe heating system:

1. It takes a long time simply because after each change in the dynamics of the coolant, the temperature distribution stabilizes for a long time.
2. Heating regulation of a two-pipe system should be carried out BEFORE the onset of cold weather. This will prevent you from defrosting your home heating system if you miss the setting.

Advice: with a small amount of coolant, you can use antifreeze coolants - the same antifreeze or oil. It is more expensive, but you can leave the house without heating in winter, without fear for pipes and radiators.

Horizontal routing system

With the horizontal arrangement of the supply and return pipelines, recently from its fiefdom - private and low-rise buildings - it began to penetrate into multi-storey new buildings.

Apparently, to the greatest extent this is due to the fact that studio apartments have begun to gain popularity: with a large area of ​​the room without internal partitions, it is simply unprofitable to pull risers through the ceilings, as implies a 2-pipe vertical heating system; it's much easier to do the horizontal layout.

A two-pipe horizontal heating system in a typical modern house looks like this: the risers from the basement pass along the entrance. On each floor, tie-ins are made into the risers, which, through the valves, supply the coolant to the apartment and drain the waste water into the return pipeline.

Everything else is exactly like in a private house: two pipes, batteries and chokes on each of them. By the way, a horizontal heating system - two-pipe or one-pipe - is easier to repair: to dismantle and replace a pipe section, it is not necessary to violate the integrity of the floor; this is undoubtedly worth writing down to the merits of such a scheme.

The horizontal two-pipe heating system has one feature that flows from its device and leaves its mark on the start of heating. In order for the heater to transfer the maximum heat from the heating medium to the room air, it must be completely filled.

And this means that each such heating device, being in a typical case above the supply and return pipelines, must be equipped with a Mayevsky tap or any other vent in the upper part.

Tip: Mayevsky's taps are very compact and aesthetic, but they are not the most convenient device for removing air from a radiator.

Where aesthetics are unimportant (for example, when heating devices are covered with decorative grilles), it will be more convenient to put a water tap with a nose up or a ball valve.

We will not add this feature to the list of disadvantages: bypassing the batteries in one apartment once a year is not a lot of work.

As you might guess, a two-pipe horizontal heating system is not only a solution strictly for one-story buildings or for apartment buildings with studio apartments. For example, a two-story house with separate rooms can also be heated in the same way; you just have to make the wiring identical on both floors and bring the pipelines from the boiler to both systems.

Of course, balancing such a heating system will have to take a little more time; but this is a one-time event, and it is not difficult to experience it once in a few years.

Finally - a few definitions and just useful tips.

In the direction of the water flow in the pipelines, the 2 x pipe heating system can be dead-end and direct-flow.

• A two-pipe dead-end heating system is a system in which the coolant moves along the supply and return pipelines in opposite directions.
• In a once-through two-pipe heating system, the direction of flow in both pipelines is the same.

In private houses, two-pipe heating systems with both forced and natural circulation can be used.

• Forced circulation of the coolant is provided by a circulation pump; this quiet and low-power device is supplied, in particular, in one housing with many electric boilers.
• Natural circulation is used in small-volume heating systems; the principle of its operation is based on the fact that hot water has a lower density and rushes upward.

A two-pipe closed heating system, that is, a system with constant pressure and without both a water intake and an influx of coolant from the outside, is the most popular solution for private houses with electric boilers.

In order to transfer heat to distant rooms from a solid fuel boiler or stove, an open one and two-pipe system is also quite suitable.

The project of a two-pipe heating system can include radiators of any type, registers and convectors as heating devices; underfloor heating implies a different connection method.

In order to carry out the installation of heating a two-pipe system, of course, it is better to involve specialists in the work. However, the abundance of materials on this topic on the Internet and the ease of assembling modern plumbing and heating systems using fittings and machines makes it possible for an amateur to do this work even if there is a desire.

If you are installing a two-pipe heating system for a two-story house, when balancing the system, you should take into account the peculiarity of the communicating floors in terms of heat distribution: all other things being equal, the second floor will always be warmer.

When designing a heating system, measures must be taken to control temperature and pressure. To do this, you need to install special fittings and devices. How to properly adjust the heating system: batteries, pressure and other elements? First, you need to understand the principles of organizing these sections of the system.

Heating control methods

During heating of the coolant, it expands and, as a result, an increase in volume. Therefore, before adjusting the heating batteries in the apartment, it is necessary to provide general control of the system's operation.

Several types of devices are intended for this. They are conventionally divided into regulatory and controlling. The first ones are designed to change the current characteristics of the system (pressure and temperature) in the direction of decreasing or increasing. They are installed in a specific section of the pipeline or for the entire system as a whole. Control devices include pressure gauges and thermometers mounted together with control devices or separately.

How to adjust the pressure in the heating system when operating a solid fuel and gas boiler? To do this, you need to be guided by the following principles for designing control systems:

• Installation of pressure gauges (thermometers) before and after the boiler, in distribution manifolds in the highest and lowest parts of the system;
• If there is a circulation pump, the pressure gauge is installed before it;
• Mandatory installation of an expansion tank. In closed systems it can be of the membrane type, in open systems it can be leaky;
• The safety valve and air vent will prevent critical overpressure in the pipes.

Average values ​​of water temperature in pipes should not exceed 90 degrees. The pressure should be in the range from 1.5 to 3 atm. It is possible to make a system with parameters exceeding the specified ones, but in this case, you will need to select special components.

If it is not possible to regulate the heating batteries in the apartment with the help of a thermostat, an air lock has most likely formed. To eliminate it, a Mayevsky crane is needed.

Heating regulation of a private house

For owners of private houses, the question is: how to adjust a two-pipe heating system. Unlike district heating, only internal factors affect the parameters of autonomous heating.

The main one is the design of the boiler, the types of fuel used and its heat output. Also, the ability to adjust the parameters of the coolant directly depends on the following system indicators:

• Diameter and material of manufacture of pipes... The larger the cross-section of the line, the faster the expansion of the water will occur as a result of an increase in temperature;
• Radiator characteristics... Before adjusting the heating radiator, it is necessary to make its correct connection to the pipeline. In the future, with the help of special devices, it is possible to reduce or increase the speed and volume of the coolant passing through the heating device;
• Possibility to install mixing units... They can be installed for a two-pipe heating system and with their help the water temperature is reduced by mixing hot and cold streams.

In order to find out how to adjust the heating system in a private house, it is recommended to consider all possible options.

The installation of pressure control mechanisms in the heating system should be foreseen at the design stage. Otherwise, even a small mistake during installation can lead to a loss of efficiency of the entire system.

Stabilization of pressure in the heating system

The expansion of water as a result of heating is a natural process. In this indicator, the pressure can exceed the critical value, which is unacceptable from the point of view of heating operation. In order to stabilize and reduce pressure on the inner surfaces of pipes and radiators, it is necessary to install several heating elements. It will be much easier and more efficient to adjust the heating system in a private house with their help.

Expansion tank adjustment

It is a steel tank divided into two chambers. One of them is filled with water from the system, and air is injected into the second. The air pressure value is equal to the normal one in the heating pipes. If this parameter is exceeded, the elastic membrane increases the volume of the water chamber, thereby compensating for the thermal expansion of the water.

Before adjusting the differential pressure in the heating system, check the condition and setting of the expansion vessel. You can adjust the pressure in the heating system by purchasing a tank model with the ability to change it in the air chamber. As an additional measure, install a pressure gauge to visually check this value.

However, with a significant jump in pressure, this measure will not be enough. In this way, the differential pressure in the heating system can be adjusted if it does not exceed a critical value. Therefore, it is recommended to install additional devices.

How to adjust a security group

This group of devices includes the following elements:

• Pressure gauge... Designed for visual control of the heating system;
• Air vent... If the water temperature exceeds 100 degrees, excess steam acts on the valve seat of the device, releasing air from the pipes outside;
• Safety valve... It works in the same way as a water drain, but it is needed to drain the excess coolant from the pipes.

How to adjust a heating radiator using this unit? Alas, it is designed to prevent emergencies in the entire system. Batteries need a different device.

Mayevsky crane

Structurally, it is similar to a safety valve. A special feature is its small size and the ability to mount on a radiator pipe with a small diameter.

In order to properly adjust the heating batteries, you need to know in what cases the Mayevsky crane is used:

• Elimination of air congestion in radiators. By opening the valve, air is released until the coolant flows;
• Setting the parameters of the critical pressure value. In the event of an emergency expansion of water, the valve opens and the pressure in the radiator stabilizes.

The latter function is optional and is often not used. This task is best done by the security team. Correct regulation of heating in the house should include all of the above elements.

When self-regulating a two-pipe heating system while the boiler is running, you need to constantly monitor the readings of thermometers and manometers.

Heating temperature control

An important parameter of any heating system is the optimal temperature regime of its operation. A ratio of hot and cooled heat transfer fluid of 75/50 or 80/60 is considered suitable. However, this value is not always acceptable for certain parts of the network. How to properly adjust the heating in the house in this case? Installation of special equipment is required. Some of them are designed to regulate heating radiators.

Mixing units

Their main element is a two or three way valve. One of the nozzles is connected to the heating pipe with hot water, the second to the return. The third is mounted on the section of the line, where it is necessary to ensure a low level of the coolant temperature.

As additional mixing units, they are equipped with a temperature sensor and a thermostatic control unit. The sensor sends a signal about the heating agent heating level and it opens or closes the mixing valve, thereby regulating the two-pipe heating system. Most often, such mechanisms are installed in the collectors of a water-heated floor.

If you need to adjust the heating of a water-heated floor in an apartment building, you need to take into account the temperature regime of the pipes. Most often it does not exceed 45 degrees.

Servos

How to adjust the heating in an apartment building if it is not possible to independently change the temperature of the water in the pipes? This requires the installation of special valves. You can limit yourself to the installation of simple taps - with their help, the flow of coolant into the radiators is regulated. However, in this case, the adjustment will have to be performed independently each time. The best option would be to mount the servos.

The design of this device includes a thermostat and a servo drive. To work, you must complete the following steps.

1. Set the required temperature value on the thermostat.
2. The servo drive will automatically cut off or close the flow of coolant into the radiator.

In addition to such models, you can purchase an economy version that includes only a thermostat. In this case, the adjustment level will not be as precise. But how to adjust the heating system in an apartment building if old batteries are installed? There are models of thermostats that are designed for installation in cast iron radiators. Such a measure will make the temperature setting for the apartment more accurate.

Thermostats must not be used to regulate the differential pressure in the heating system. They will only restrict the flow of coolant into the radiator, without affecting the temperature regime of the entire system.

All of the above devices and devices are necessary for the normal operation of heating. But in addition to them, you need to know the basic rules for installing individual elements, since they directly affect the operation of the entire system. Regulation of heating batteries in an apartment begins at the stage of their installation.

First of all, you need to choose a connection method. The efficiency of the device and the possibility of installing a thermostat depend on it.

You should also consider the pipe layout. In a single-pipe, a bypass (jumper) is necessarily installed, which is necessary to redirect the coolant flow in the event of repair or replacement of the radiator. In a two-pipe system, each heating element is connected in parallel. Therefore, it is easiest to correctly adjust the heating batteries in it.

In this way, you can regulate the heating in an apartment building. But for an autonomous system, it is important to know the correct setting of the boiler.

Installing thermostats on radiators

The law of hydraulics: Any flowing fluid takes the path of least resistance. In the heating network of a private house, the rule is as follows: the coolant pushed by the pump tends to pass through the first radiator or the shortest contour of underfloor heating. As a result, the distant rooms of the building are warmed up much worse. For an even distribution of flows, hydraulic balancing of the heating system is necessary. We will tell you how to adjust the batteries and floor heating loops with your own hands.

When to balance the system

In theory, the regulation of heating radiators is necessary in any case. The design engineer, developing and calculating the water system, lays down the flow rate of the coolant for each battery and floor heating circuit. After installation, filling and pressure testing of the pipeline network, the contractor is obliged to adjust the heat supply, focusing on the design parameters in the project.

An important point. The calculation of the heat demand and the corresponding consumption of heated water is done for the most unfavorable conditions - the minimum outside temperature. Therefore, at the beginning of the adjustment, all radiator and other control valves are fully opened, and the boiler is brought to the maximum operating mode.

Since the average homeowner only cares about the warmth and comfort inside the home, it is recommended to take on the balancing yourself in such cases:

1. The batteries closest to the boiler heat up much stronger than the distant radiators, respectively, in the rooms it is hot or cool (too large a temperature difference).
2. One of the radiators makes a clear noise - the murmur of flowing water.
3. Pipes embedded in the screed heat the floors unevenly.
4. In the process of setting up a new self-assembled heating wiring.

If, with properly installed heating, the temperature in the distant rooms is significantly lower, the system needs balancing

Note. It is assumed that fittings, equipment and heating devices are selected correctly, the system is filled with a coolant, and there are no other defects. Otherwise, it is pointless to engage in hydraulic balancing - you will get zero result.

When you should not regulate the distribution of coolant to batteries:

1. If the radiator network and warm floors work flawlessly. It is not worth turning the valves once again - due to inexperience, you can make it worse.
2. If various malfunctions are detected - air in the batteries, leakage, clogging of radiator or balancing valves, rupture of the expansion tank membrane, and the like. First troubleshoot and check the heating function. You may not need adjustment.
3. It is strongly not recommended to interfere with the operation of the central heating of an apartment building, to cut additional taps and valves into the common risers. The exception is multi-storey new buildings with individual heat inputs to each apartment.

The water flow is regulated exclusively by balance valves, ball valves are 100% open

Balancing instruments and devices

To independently adjust heating radiators and warm floors of a private house, you need a minimum of devices:

• electronic contact thermometer;
• screwdriver;
• a wing or a wrench for rotating the balancing valve stem (usually a hexagon);
• sheet of paper, pencil.

Reference. Professional plumbers often use a thermal imager, which gives a clear picture of the heating of all heating devices. The device is expensive, so we will get by with simpler means.

For temperature measurements, it is better to use an electronic device of the contact type.

Instead of the indicated thermometer, it is allowed to use a remote (non-contact) pyrometer. Please note: the device measures the temperature of shiny surfaces with a small error. The remark applies to radiators with a new paintwork.

If you do not have a wiring diagram for a residential building, you should sketch it on paper before starting work. The sketch will help you understand the sequence of connecting the batteries to the highways and the remoteness from the furnace room. Also flush the sump at the boiler inlet and heat the system to 70-80 ° C regardless of the outside weather.

A great help in setting up is the modern Grundfos Alpha 3 circulation pump, which accurately shows the depth of the adjustments via the mobile application. The downside is the decent price of the unit (starts at $ 240).

Radiator network adjustment

The balancing method practiced by our expert is equally suitable for closed one-pipe and two-pipe heating systems of country cottages. Collector wiring and underfloor heating are regulated in a different way, which we will discuss in the next section.

The essence of the technique is to measure the surface temperature of all radiators and eliminate the difference by limiting the flow rate of the coolant. How to adjust radiators using a thermometer:

1. Warm up the coolant to 70-80 ° C, open everything completely. If the boiler does not show the real temperature of the supply water, determine it yourself by attaching the meter to the metal outlet pipe.

   Initially, the valve preset ring is set to the maximum flow

2. Measure the surface temperature of the first radiator in the supply in two places - near the supply and return connections. If the difference lies within 10 degrees, the battery warms up normally.
3. Repeat the operation on all heaters, taking note of the readings. Move along each branch of the heating, one by one registering the temperature of the batteries up to the last.
4. If the temperature difference between the supply of the first and the last radiator does not exceed 2 ° C, close the valves of the first two batteries by 0.5-1 turn and repeat the measurements.

   Measurement is done at the supply and return pipe, the maximum allowable difference is 10 degrees

5. When the difference reaches 3-7 degrees, the control valves of the first heaters close by 50-70% (count by the valve turns), the middle ones - by 30-40%, the last devices remain fully open.
6. Wait 20-30 minutes, letting the batteries warm up after the new settings, then repeat the measurements. The task is to achieve a normal difference of 2 ° С (for long lines, 3 degrees are allowed) between the last and the first device.
7. Repeat the adjustment procedure by turning the balance valves a quarter or half turn until you achieve the same warm up of all batteries. "Listen" to each radiator for noise, indicating an increased flow rate.

An important point. Do not get carried away by over-tightening the taps, you will not get savings in this way. Compare the temperature at the inlet and outlet of the heater - if the difference exceeds 10 ° C, the valve must be released. Due to the too low flow rate of the coolant, the room will become cold.

An approximate adjustment of the batteries of a closed two-pipe system is shown using the example of a heating scheme for a two-story house. Why approximate: the number of closable batteries and the number of crane revolutions are purely individual for each wiring, it is necessary to sort it out on site. If in doubt about the correctness of your actions, press down the coolant gradually, making half a turn of the valve and repeating the measurements.

As a rule, a single-pipe "Leningrad" of 3-4 batteries does not need balancing, it is enough to slightly "press" the first radiator. In passing wiring (), you need to limit the first and last device. The expert in the video will show the adjustment procedure more clearly:

Warm floors and radial wiring

Since the underfloor heating circuits and radiators of the beam circuit are connected to a common one, balancing is done directly on the manifold. The adjustment method depends on the availability of rotameters - transparent flasks of flow meters installed on the supply or return line.

To correctly adjust the flow of the coolant through the rotameters, you should calculate the flow of water for each loop using the formula:

• G — mass flow rate of heated water flowing along the circuit, kg / h;
• Q is the amount of heat that the circuit or radiator should emit into the room, W;
• Δt is the temperature difference at the inlet and outlet of the loop, a calculated value of 10 ° C is taken.

The output of one floor circuit Q is determined based on the heat demand of the individual room. The parameter is calculated according to the specific ratio of 100 W / m² of the room area or according to the heating method. The flow meter scales are marked in l / min, which means that the result must be divided by 60.

Calculation example. Heating a room with an area of ​​10 squares requires 1 kW of heat. The heat carrier consumption will be 0.86 x 1000/10 = 86 kg / h or 86/60 ≈ 1.43 l / min.

Clarification. If the room has a large area with separate water loops, we also divide the calculated flow rate in half.

Here rotameters are installed on the supply line of the comb, but they can also stand on the return.

Further balancing of the underfloor heating loops is carried out according to the instructions:

Reference. On collectors of different manufacturers, flow meters are installed on the supply or return manifold (they are also structurally different). The location of the rotameters is irrelevant to regulate the maximum flow.

The beam wiring batteries are balanced in the same way. For fidelity, you can combine 2 options - according to the estimated flow rate and the temperature of the radiator surface (the method is described in the previous section).

Flow control scheme with a rotameter. The flow through each circuit is shown by control washers in transparent flasks, the unit of measurement is liters per minute

If, in order to save money, you managed to buy a collector without flowmeters, the setting will take several days. The task is to achieve the same temperature in the return pipelines of all loops. That is, the initial installation is done approximately according to the power and length of the circuit, then the return temperature is measured and the flow rate is corrected.

To check the balancing of the warm floor, the heating boiler must be started. Negative moment: after adjusting the flow rate, you will have to wait several hours until the concrete thickness warms up and the temperature of the return connections stabilizes.

Conclusion

A radiator heating network with short branches is balanced without any problems. If the length of the arms of the two-pipe wiring varies greatly, the task becomes somewhat more complicated. But do not worry - a difference of 3 degrees between the last and the first radiator is considered the norm in this case. Consider one nuance: balancing of heating is carried out at maximum heating of the system, in operating mode the water temperature will drop to 50 ... 60 ° C, the difference of 3 ° C will also decrease.

Any heating circuit operates at certain values ​​of the head and temperature of the coolant, which are calculated at the stage of its design. However, during operation, situations are possible when the pressure drop in the heating system deviates from the standard level up or down and, as a rule, requires adjustment to ensure efficiency, and in some cases, safety.

Working pressure in the heating system

The working pressure is the pressure, the value of which ensures the optimal operation of all heating equipment (including the heating source, pump, expansion tank). In this case, it is taken equal to the sum of the pressures:

• static - created by a column of water in the system (in the calculations, the ratio is taken: 1 atmosphere (0.1 MPa) per 10 meters);
• dynamic - due to the operation of the circulation pump and the convective movement of the coolant when it is heated.

It is clear that in different heating schemes the value of the working head will differ. So, if the natural circulation of the coolant is provided for the heat supply of the house (applicable for individual low-rise construction), its value will exceed the static indicator by only a small amount. In compulsory schemes, however, it is taken as the maximum permissible to ensure a higher efficiency.

It should be borne in mind that the operating pressure limits are determined by the characteristics of the heating system elements. For example, when using cast iron radiators, it should not exceed 0.6 MPa.

Numerically, the value of the working head is:

• for one-story buildings with an open circuit and natural water circulation - 0.1 MPa (1 atmosphere) for every 10 m of the liquid column;
• for low-rise buildings with a closed circuit - 0.2-0.4 MPa;
• for multi-storey buildings - up to 1 MPa.

Monitoring the operating pressure in heating circuits

For normal trouble-free operation of the heat supply system, it is necessary to regularly monitor the temperature and pressure of the coolant.

To check the latter, strain gauges with a Bourdon tube are usually used. To measure small pressures, their varieties can be used - diaphragm instruments.

It must be remembered that after water hammer such models need to be verified, because they will show overestimated values ​​on subsequent control measurements.

Figure 1 - Bourdon tube strain gauge

In systems where automatic control and regulation of pressure is provided, various types of sensors are additionally used (for example, electrocontact).

The placement of pressure gauges (tie-in points) is determined by the standards: instruments must be installed in the most important areas of the system:

• at the inlet and outlet of the heating source;
• before and after the pump, filters, mud collectors, pressure regulators (if any);
• at the outlet of the main line from the CHP or boiler house and at its input into the building (with a centralized scheme).

You should not neglect these recommendations even when designing a small heating circuit using a low-power boiler, because this not only ensures the safety of the system, but also its economy due to the optimal consumption of water and fuel.

Figure 2 - Section of the heating circuit with installed pressure gauges

For the possibility of zeroing, purging and replacing devices without stopping the operation of the system, it is recommended to connect them through three-way valves.

Differential pressure and its importance for the functioning of the heating system

For optimal functioning of any heating circuit, a stable and definite pressure drop is required, i.e. the difference between its values ​​at the coolant supply and return. As a rule, it should be 0.1-0.2 MPa.

If this indicator is less, this indicates a violation of the movement of the coolant through the pipelines, as a result of which the water passes through the radiators without heating them to the required degree.

If the value of the drop above the value is exceeded, we can talk about "stagnation" of the system, one of the reasons for which is airing.

It should be noted that sudden changes in pressure negatively affect the performance of individual elements of the heating circuit, often disabling them.

Methods for regulating the working pressure and ensuring the stability of its differential on the supply and return

1. First of all, it must be remembered that the optimal operation of the heat supply system, incl. the creation of the required pressure in it depends on the correct design, in particular, hydraulic calculations, and the installation of highways and pipelines, namely:
   - the supply line in most schemes should be located at the top, the reverse, respectively, at the bottom;
   - for the manufacture of bottling, pipes with a diameter of 50-80 mm should be used, for risers - 20-25 mm;
   - the supply to heating devices can be made from the same pipes from which the risers are made, or one step less.

   It is allowed to underestimate the cross-section of the radiator piping only if there is a jumper in front of them.

   

   Figure 3 - Jumper in front of the heating radiator

2. As you know, when the temperature rises, the coolant increases in volume and increases the pressure in the heating system. For example, at 20 ° C it can increase by 0.13 MPa, at 70 ° C - by 0.19 MPa. Therefore, one of the options for controlling the pressure is to change the degree of water heating.
3. To increase the pressure of the coolant, which is usually required to provide heat to the upper floors of high-rise buildings, circulating pumps are used.
4. Automatic regulation of the working pressure and its differential in the heating circuits of small houses is carried out by means of expansion tanks, usually of the membrane type. They begin to work when the pressure in the system reaches 0.2 MPa. At the same time, these devices take away the surplus of hot coolant, as a result of which the pressure is maintained at the required level.

   

   Figure 4 - Diaphragm expansion tank

   An expansion tank, the volume of which is usually assumed to be about 10% of the total system volume, can be installed in any part of the circuit. However, experts recommend installing it in a straight section of the return pipeline in front of the circular pump (if any).

   To prevent a situation when the capacity of the device is not enough with a continuing increase in pressure, the schemes provide for the use of a safety valve that removes excess coolant from the system.

5. In large and complex heating systems, for example, in multi-storey buildings, regulators are used to maintain the standard pressure, which additionally prevent airing even with sudden changes in the pressure in the mains, as well as noise generation on control valves. They are mounted either on a jumper between the supply and return pipelines, or on the pump bypass line.

   

   Figure 5 - Pressure regulator

6. Another way to regulate the pressure in heat supply schemes for multi-level houses is the use of valves. For example, if it is necessary to increase the pressure, the cross section of the return pipeline is reduced using a valve.

Finding the causes of the drop and increase in pressure drop

The deviation of pressure up or down from the normative requires the establishment of the cause of this phenomenon and its elimination.

Pressure drop in the heating circuit

If the pressure in the heating system drops, then with a greater degree of probability we can talk about a coolant leak. The most vulnerable are existing seams, joints and joints.

To check this, the pump is turned off and the static pressure is monitored. With a continuing decrease in pressure, it is necessary to find the damaged area. To do this, it is recommended to sequentially disconnect various sections of the circuit, and after determining the exact location, repair or replace worn out elements.

If the static pressure remains stable, the reason for the decrease in head is associated with a malfunction of either the pump or the heating equipment.

It should be borne in mind that a short-term pressure drop may be due to the peculiarity of the regulator, which, with a certain frequency, bypasses part of the water from the supply to the return. In the case when the heating radiators warm up evenly and up to the required temperature, we can say that the difference was associated with the above cycle.

Other possible reasons include:

• removal of air through the air vents, as a result of which the volume of the coolant in the system decreases;
• decrease in water temperature.

Increasing pressure in the system

A similar situation is observed when slowing down or stopping the movement of the coolant in the heating circuit. The most likely reasons for this are:

• the occurrence of an airlock;
• contamination of filters and mud collectors;
• features of the functioning of the pressure regulator or incorrect setting of its operation;
• constant replenishment of the coolant due to a failure of automation or incorrectly adjusted valves on the supply and return.

It should be noted that pressure instability is most often observed in newly launched systems and is associated with the gradual removal of air. This can be considered normal if, after bringing the volume of the coolant and pressure to operating values, which lasts from several days to several weeks, no deviations are recorded.
Otherwise, we should talk about an incorrectly performed hydraulic calculation, in particular, the accepted volume of the expansion tank.