How to improve the efficiency of heating batteries. What is the heat output of a radiator and what does it depend on. Increased heat transfer with accessories and painting

Ecology of consumption. Manor: Sometimes it is found that the batteries do not heat as they should. Of course, you can change them, but changing batteries in cold weather is a dubious pleasure, and such problems arise mainly with the beginning of the heating season.

Sometimes it is found that the batteries do not heat as they should. Of course, you can change them, but changing batteries in cold weather is a dubious pleasure, and such problems arise mainly with the beginning of the heating season.

It remains to either endure until summer and freeze, or try, if not solve the problem, then at least reduce it. And this is even more than real, and the solution can be either purely technical or just a "trick".

What to do if the batteries do not heat up

Number of sections

The first thing to do is to count whether there are enough radiator sections for your room. If they are not enough, then there is only one way out - to select the necessary heating radiators and add several sections to the battery.

The standard method for calculating the number of heating radiators:
16sq.m. x 100W / 200W = 8
where 16 is the area of ​​the room,
100W - standard thermal power per 1m²,
200W - the approximate power of one section of the radiator (you can see it according to the passport),
8 - the required number of heating radiator sections

Regulator check

If your battery is equipped with a power regulator, then it is worth checking at what temperature it is turned on. In the spring, there is no need to heat up the room too much and, perhaps, the regulator is at an insufficient temperature now.

Airlock

Check the surface temperature of the battery itself, if it is very hot in one place, and in another it is barely warm, then, most likely, an air lock interferes with good heating.

Another symptom of an airlock is an incomprehensible noise, gurgling. Modern batteries have a special valve for venting air (Mayevsky valve), it is located at the top of the battery and opens with a flat screwdriver. It is enough just to unscrew the tap a little, until the sound of air comes out, wait until all the air has come out and water flows, and then turn on the tap.
Do not forget to put something to collect the water. If you yourself do not risk it or have not found a similar valve on your battery, then call a plumber.

Cleaning the radiator

Good performance of the battery is very much hampered by dust and dirt. You can clean it from the outside yourself. It is better to remove the old layer of paint, if there are several of these layers, then the procedure is mandatory, and paint it with a special heat-resistant paint, preferably dark (black). Only a plumber can clean the inside of the battery using special equipment.

Decorative cover

A decorative screen (casing) will regulate and increase heat transfer. Moreover, at the moment there is a wide choice of screens, they are not easy to fit, but they will decorate any interior. But you need to carefully consider the material from which it is made. A screen made of wood or plastic will not give the desired effect and, conversely, will not let some of the heat into the room. In order for the room to warm up, the screen must be chosen from aluminum, it will perfectly conduct heat.

Little tricks to increase the return temperature of radiators

The battery needs free access to air, remove everything that obstructs it, including the curtains, you can simply raise them to the windowsill. An ordinary fan can help the air move. Position it so that the flow is past the battery. Thus, warm air will quickly get into the interior of the room, and cold air closer to the battery.

Some of the heat is absorbed by the wall behind the battery, to avoid this, you need to insulate this area. Corrugated cardboard and aluminum foil can be used as insulation. Attach this structure with cardboard to the wall, and with foil to the battery. Heat reflection will be excellent.

It is not necessary to use available tools, there are better, more convenient solutions for thermal insulation. Modern materials such as polyrex, penofol or izolon are excellent insulating materials, and on the one hand they have a self-adhesive surface, which, of course, will facilitate their installation.

Note. After gluing the insulation, the distance between the battery and the wall should not be less than two centimeters, otherwise the air will not circulate and will not get warmer. If the distance is insufficient, you can simply stick on the foil, it is better to keep the distance and not risk it by sticking a thick layer of insulation.

Batteries may not heat well if they are installed so that the gap between them and the wall is initially less than two centimeters, in which case it is worth thinking about their reconstruction, since half of the heat will go into the wall and will not be able to get into the room in any way.

The use of technical solutions can, in principle, eliminate the need to install new batteries. Thanks to these little tricks, you can simply raise the temperature a few degrees, if this is not enough for you, then of course you should think about replacing the batteries and about external thermal insulation. published by

The centralized heating system involves heating the coolant in the boiler room and its further distribution to the living quarters using a system of pipes and radiators. In order for heating to be as efficient and uniform as possible, it is necessary to choose the right radiators, as well as take additional measures to increase heat transfer.

In the long term, knowing how to increase the heat output of a central heating battery will help the owner achieve maximum comfortable and smooth heating of his home, and permanently solve the problem of cold in the apartment when the heating system is on.

To understand the principle of operation of various methods of increasing heat transfer, it is necessary to familiarize yourself with the variables that affect the efficiency of a battery for central heating located in an apartment.

In general terms, the level of heat transfer from a radiator depends on the following factors:

There are also indirect factors due to which the heating battery connected to the circuit does not work at full capacity, these are:

Improving air convection

Among the simplest methods that will help you understand how to increase the heat transfer of a heating pipe with your own hands is the use of the laws of convection. Often, in apartments, batteries are filled with pieces of furniture, protected or hidden behind heavy curtains. All these elements impede air circulation and it is quite difficult to achieve comfortable temperature conditions in the room, even if the central heating is operating at full capacity.

To optimize the air flow rate, it is necessary to free up the space around the radiator as much as possible.

Without encountering obstacles in its path, the air heated by the battery will freely move around the room and provide the maximum heating level provided for by the radiator power.

Using an electric fan to improve convection

The owners, who are familiar with the physical laws, according to which heating, sewerage, water supply is designed in houses, understand that the speed of air circulation affects the heat transfer of the battery. The faster the air circulates in the room, the more heat it can take from the radiator over a certain period of time.


To improve natural convection, electric fans can be installed near the radiators. It is worth giving preference to silent models that consume a minimum amount of electricity. The fan should be installed at a certain angle to the battery. This simple method is quite effective. He is able to raise the temperature in the room by several degrees.

Arrangement of a reflective screen

As a tool to increase heat transfer, foil for radiators can be used, which will help direct the flow of thermal energy into the room. Radiators that are not equipped with a reflective screen radiate heat in all directions, including given off to cold outer walls. The screen helps to focus the direction of heat flow and increase the temperature in the room.

The design of the screen is simple and affordable. It should have a larger area than the radiators and should be installed on a clean wall behind the radiator. Instead of foil, you can use foil insolon - a special material that has a foamed base on one side, and on the other is covered with reflective foil. You need to mount the screen on the wall using any high-quality construction glue.

Purging radiators

Under difficult operating conditions, the central heating battery can become clogged or airy over time. Such changes are accompanied by poor circulation of the coolant and the appearance of cold sections. Blowing out radiators - a quick and economical way to increase heat transfer - will help eliminate air locks and blockages.

There are several methods of purging using different types of equipment:

Using one or several methods of blowing out radiators will improve the efficiency of radiators and will allow you to forget about the cold and discomfort in the apartment.

It is worth remembering that a central heating system is a complex network of radiators and pipelines.

Therefore, it is advisable to carry out some types of blowing of batteries together with neighbors, because otherwise the cleaned sections will again reduce heat transfer after several weeks of operation. You can read more about the methods for flushing the heating system.

By following simple and affordable recommendations, you can increase the heat transfer of any type of radiator and get the most out of the use of a central heating system. The complex use of methods is the most rational solution to the problem of poor heat transfer and will help the owner to achieve efficient operation of heating devices in his home.

It is sometimes difficult to find the optimal model. In most cases, several factors are taken into account - the complexity of installation, service life and heat transfer. The last indicator is the most important, since the efficiency of the device will depend on it.

With the advent of new materials for the manufacture of radiators (aluminum, bimetallic) cast iron receded into the background. But their unique performance characteristics once again made buyers take notice. First of all, these are good performance properties. Unlike aluminum and metal, cast iron can accumulate heat and when the water temperature drops, the radiators will be warm for some time.

But back to the issue of heat transfer. A detailed calculation methodology can be found, which describes in detail the calculation methodology and indicates ways to increase this indicator.

Almost all manufacturers indicate the nominal value of thermal conductivity at ideal temperature conditions - 90 ° C. However, in fact, achieving this from heat suppliers in apartment buildings is problematic.

As a result, the heating indicators of the room differ significantly from the calculated ones. In this case, you can use a few small "tricks" that can increase the temperature in the room at the current performance of the heating system.

To prevent thermal energy from being absorbed by the wall, a reflective foil shield can be installed on it.

In this case, the effective heat transfer of the radiator will increase by 5-10%. But at the same time it is worth remembering that if the wall is external, then without proper heating it can cause heat losses in the room.

Fan installation

Heating of the room from cast-iron radiators occurs with the help of natural convection. To increase the passage of air masses through the sections of the device, you can install a small fan on the wall behind the radiator. This will slightly increase the temperature in the room, but at the same time it will cause the coolant to cool. A similar method can be applied to a central heating system.

Installation of steel decorative covers

They will artificially increase the area of ​​the radiator and will contribute to better heat transfer. At the same time, the heating time will increase, which will affect the inertia of heating the room from the autonomous heating system.

These are just a few methods of artificially increasing the heat transfer of cast iron radiators. But the most effective will be the observance of the temperature of the coolant. For this, it is necessary either to improve the quality of the services provided by the management company with a central heating system, or to make it autonomous.

Winter is getting closer and closer, we gradually feel how the days are getting colder. With the approach of winter cold, you need to think about warming the house. It is to this topic that our material is devoted, in which we will consider a way to increase the efficiency of a heating battery.

We present to your attention a video that describes the whole process

So, what we need to implement our idea:
- several boxed 80s coolers;
- charger from an old mobile phone;
- nylon ties or wire 10 pcs;
- stationery knife;
- soldering iron;
- tin;
- rosin;
- insulating tape;
- crosshead screwdriver.


Let's slightly clarify some of the nuances with the materials. Box coolers can be removed from old computer power supplies. You should also pay attention to the charger, which should deliver a current of more than half an ampere. If you don't have nylon ties on hand, you can use duct tape, copper wire, or hot melt glue. Now that everything is clear with the materials, you can get to work.


We begin to assemble our simple structure. To do this, we use nylon ties to fasten the coolers to each other. Ultimately, we should have a kind of ventilation structure with five coolers attached side by side. It is imperative to make sure that the fans of all coolers are in the same direction.


Cut off the excess parts of the screeds with a clerical knife.


Now let's start connecting the wires coming from the coolers. They need to be connected in parallel, that is, black to black, red to red. If there are yellow wires on the coolers, then they need to be cut off, since the yellow wire is the speed sensor wire, which we do not need.


We solder the wires so that we get two stranded wires.


After all the wires are connected to each other, you need to connect them to the power supply. We carefully check the plus and minus of the unit, because if the connection is incorrect, the coolers will not spin. We solder the wires from the coolers to the wires of the power supply.


Checking. If everything works, we can safely isolate.

Optimizing heating costs is directly related to improving the efficiency of the entire system. This can be achieved in several ways. But experts recommend that you first conduct an analysis and identify the most significant factors affecting this indicator. Based on these data, the actual efficiency of boilers and heating systems is calculated: an overview and ways to increase this indicator will help reduce the financial burden during maintenance.

Reasons for a decrease in the efficiency of heating boilers

Even before increasing the efficiency of the heating battery, you need to decide on this parameter. In fact, it consists of several components - the efficiency of the boiler, radiators and pipelines. But besides this, you need to take into account the amount of heat loss of the building.

Therefore, you must first not think about how to increase the efficiency of the heating battery, but improve the thermal insulation of the house. Only by reducing losses through walls and windows can one begin to modernize the heating. It is mistakenly believed that the main indicator of the system is the efficiency of gas heating boilers or their solid fuel counterparts. However, in fact, the useful action of the system is determined by the following formula:

Q = Vcons / Vaccess

Where Q- efficiency indicator, Vcons- the amount of energy expended on heating the coolant, Vaccess- the actual transfer of heat to the air in the room.

When analyzing the operation of the boiler, especially of the gas type, it can be seen that it does not function all the time. It must maintain the level of heating of the coolant at the set thermal mode. Other elements of the system are responsible for the transfer of energy - pipelines and radiators. It is they who first of all need to be given attention, since the efficiency of the heating system by 80% depends on their correct functioning.

What needs to be done so that this indicator is initially the maximum:

  • Select low temperature operating mode. With a minimum difference in water heating after the boiler and in the return pipe, energy costs will decrease;
  • Use of electronic control systems - thermometers and programmers. They will allow you to automatically change the operation of the boiler when the temperature fluctuates in the house and outside;
  • Carry out the modernization of the elements in order to reach the maximum heating efficiency in the house.

All these methods are interconnected with each other. Therefore, when organizing heating, you need to professionally go to each stage.

During the design of the system, it is necessary to calculate its main parameters - heat losses, the operation of each unit and the optimal temperature regime. This can be done using online calculators (high error) or by ordering a service from specialized settlement bureaus (exact data).

Methods to improve the efficiency of the boiler

At the first stage, you need to choose the right type of heating equipment. The defining indicators for the organization of heating with high efficiency are the type of fuel used and the power of the boiler. Gas models have proven themselves best.

As you can see from the graph data, there is no significant difference when the boiler is operating in normal mode. The difference in efficiency for gas heating boilers occurs only at the moment of start-up before the required temperature regime is reached (50-70 ° C). Then there is a stabilization of work and performance indicator. But to improve the latter, you can take the following steps:

  • The difference between the calculated and actual power of the boiler should not be more than 15%. Exceeding the value will lead to incomplete combustion of gases, which will further increase fuel consumption;
  • Using the condensation factor. This will slightly increase the efficiency of the entire heating system. However, the cost of condensing boilers differs from traditional ones by 35-40%;
  • Reduction of heat losses through the chimney. The increase in the efficiency of the heating battery directly depends on this factor.

By fulfilling these conditions, you can increase the efficiency of heating devices by 1-1.5 percent. But it is best to initially purchase a suitable model of a cat that best suits the parameters of the entire system.

During the operation of condensing boilers, the accumulated liquid must not be disposed of down the drain. It has a number of harmful elements that will affect the operation of an autonomous wastewater treatment system.

Rules for connecting radiators and their modernization

Of greatest interest are the other elements - batteries and pipes. To increase the efficiency of the heating battery, you must initially select the appropriate model correctly. Ideally, it should have a maximum thermal conductivity. This applies to aluminum and bimetallic batteries. If we take the efficiency of heating radiators, the table will show significant differences from cast iron. However, it should be borne in mind that the cooling of aluminum will take place much faster. This material does not accumulate heat. In addition, in cast iron, there is an uneven distribution of the energy received.

For comparison, you can consider the table of efficiency of steel-type heating radiators.

The larger the area of ​​the battery, the faster the air in the room will heat up. But you need to take into account the degree of cooling of the coolant. It is desirable that the temperature regime of the radiators in the house be the same.

Radiator connection methods

Having decided on this parameter, you can proceed to the main subtleties of increasing the efficiency of the heating battery. The main one is the way to connect to the system. It is best to make the connection to the system on one side of the instrument. Then the coolant will pass a full cycle through the battery.

But in practice, this can not always be done. Therefore, they prefer to choose the "golden mean" - the upper inlet and the lower connection to the return pipe. This technique has the following advantages:

  • You can achieve an increase in the efficiency of the heating battery in other ways, compensating for 2%;
  • The optimal length of the highway, which also affects the efficiency of the entire system;
  • Possibility of installing a Mayevsky crane and an automatic thermostat.

Such a scheme is relevant for systems with both upper and lower piping. But in addition to this, to increase the efficiency of the heating battery, you need to correctly install it.

Before purchasing a specific radiator model, you need to find out the possible options for connecting it - top, bottom or side.

Installing radiators for maximum efficiency

The main rule for installing radiators of any type is optimal heating of the room. Those. they should be located in the area of ​​the room where the heat loss will be greatest. This primarily applies to window structures.

In order to make heating with high efficiency, the window sill should overlap the upper plane of the battery by 2/3. You also need to take into account the recommended distances from the structure to the walls and floor:

  • From the window sill to the top of the section - 100 mm;
  • From the floor surface to the battery - 120 mm;
  • From the rear panel of the radiator to the wall - 20 mm.

In this way, you can ensure the maximum efficiency of the entire heating system. Convection currents of warm air will be partially retained in the area of ​​the window sill, heating the wall and reducing heat losses through the window.

For better convection of warm air, you can install a low-power fan.

Other ways to improve the efficiency of the heating system

What else can be done to improve the efficiency of batteries in heating and not only them? You need to choose the right coolant. Despite the popularity of antifreezes, they have a drawback - a reduced energy consumption indicator. Therefore, in the absence of the likelihood of exposure to negative temperatures on the system, it should be filled with ordinary distilled water.

To increase the efficiency of old-style gas heating boilers, the burner is replaced with a more efficient one. It will not only reduce gas consumption, but also increase the safety of the boiler. The same applies to the possible modernization of solid fuel models of heating devices. If a gas main has been run in the house, you can install a new burner. It is recommended to purchase models that run on both gas and liquid fuel (diesel, waste oil).

You can make the maximum efficiency for heating in the house by systematically cleaning the pipes. For this, chemical, hydraulic or combined methods are used. The choice depends on the material of manufacture of the pipeline (plastic or metal) and the degree of contamination of the line.

Installing reflective screens behind the radiators will also increase the efficiency of the entire heating system. It is best to use penofol for that, on one side of which a layer of foil is applied. Even a simple cleaning of radiators from dust and dirt is way and insignificantly, but will improve their heat transfer.

In the video, you can get acquainted with an interesting way to independently organize heating with a high efficiency factor: