Designing and installing a heating system on your own is a difficult task. To solve it, it is necessary to first solve a number of important issues - choose the best option for the energy source, determine the layout of pipes and radiators. That is why the practical implementation of the cottage heating system with their own hands is important: schemes, projects.
Cottage heating schemes - piping
In this article, only water heating of the cottage with your own hands will be considered, as one of the most optimal and economical. Along with it, you can equip additional heat supply systems - geothermal and PLEN. Thanks to them, operating costs will be reduced and the level of comfort in the cottage will increase.
Any cottage heating project begins with a choice of piping layout. The heating rate of radiators, the maintainability of the system and the possibility of expansion for the heat supply of additional premises or residential buildings will depend on it.
Single pipe cottage system
Installation of a one-pipe scheme is one of the easiest ways to make a turnkey cottage heating. Its design principle is to install only one trunk, to which radiators are connected in series.
It requires powerful gas boilers for heating the cottage, since as hot water passes through the radiators, a significant decrease in its temperature will be observed. The one-pipe scheme is characterized by ease of installation and low costs for the purchase of materials. However, at present, this scheme of the cottage heating system is practically not used for the following reasons:
- Problems when performing hydraulic and thermal calculations. It is difficult to predict the possible pressure in the cottage heating system, since the characteristics of the coolant change as it cools;
- The difficulty of adjusting the degree of battery heating. Limiting the flow of coolant into one of them will change the thermal regime of the entire system;
- Limited number of connected batteries.
That is why this cottage heating scheme is used for buildings whose area does not exceed 50 m². To be able to dismantle or repair radiators, a bypass must be installed on each of them.
Two-pipe cottage heating scheme
To improve operational parameters, it is recommended to install a two-pipe cottage heating system. It differs from the above by the presence of an additional line - a return pipe. In this case, the radiators are connected in parallel.
If you plan to heat the cottage with gas - you need to take care of reducing its consumption. This can be done in several ways. But the most optimal is the installation of a two-pipe cottage heating system. For independent design and selection of materials for installation according to this scheme, it is necessary to take into account the following points:
- Mandatory calculation of the diameter of the pipes to minimize hydraulic losses and prevent pressure drop in the heating system of the cottage;
- The material consumption in comparison with a single-tube will increase at least twice. This will affect the overall budget for creating a cottage heating project;
- Mandatory installation of temperature regulators on radiators. With their help, you can change the heating of devices without affecting the general parameters of the system.
For this scheme of the cottage heating system, design flexibility is inherent. If necessary, you can install additional risers (horizontal or vertical) to connect new radiators or conduct heat supply to another room or building.
To improve the appearance of the rooms, you can choose a cottage heating scheme with a hidden pipe installation. However, you must provide access to key nodes of the system.
Cottage collector heat supply
How to make heating in the cottage, if its area is equal to or greater than 200 m². Even the installation of a two-pipe system in this case will be inappropriate. To solve this issue, it is best to use collector piping.
Currently, this is one of the most difficult ways to organize the heating of a cottage with your own hands. For uniform distribution of the coolant over a large area of the building, a multi-beam piping layout is used. Immediately after the boiler, the main and reverse collectors are installed, to which several independent highways are connected. Unlike the two-pipe heating system of the cottage, the collector provides for the possibility of regulating the operation of the heat supply for each individual circuit. To do this, control devices are installed - thermostats and flow meters.
The features of the collector heating of a cottage, made by yourself, include:
- Uniform distribution of heat across all circuits, regardless of their remoteness;
- Possibility of using pipes of small diameter - up to 20 mm. This is due to the small length of each node in the system;
- Increased pipe consumption. In order to properly make the collector heating in the cottage - it is necessary to draw up a scheme for installing pipelines in advance. They can be mounted on the wall or floor;
- Mandatory installation of the pump for each circuit. This is due to the large hydraulic resistance arising in the collector. It may interfere with the circulation of the coolant.
When choosing a ready-made cottage heating project or when preparing it yourself, you need to consider the heat loss of the building. The calculated power of the entire system will depend on them.
For two and three-story cottages with a large area, the scheme of a heat supply system with several distribution collectors is best suited.
Gas heating cottage
One of the best options for creating a scheme to maintain a comfortable temperature in a country house is heating the cottage with gas. To do this, you need to connect to the central distribution line or arrange a place for storing cylinders. An alternative to such an organization is the installation of a gas tank - a special gas storage.
But at the first stage, it is necessary to choose the right boiler for heating the cottage. It should provide optimal power to the entire system, be reliable and functional.
Choose a boiler to complete the cottage heating system
The main parameter of any heating survey is its rated power. The same applies to boilers for heating a cottage. To calculate this parameter, it is best to use special software systems. It is first necessary to calculate the heat loss of the building.
After determining the rated power of the boiler - select its model. The main parameters are its functional and operational characteristics:
- Installation method - floor or wall. If you choose a heating scheme for a small cottage - you can stay on the wall-mounted models. For houses with a large area, it is necessary to install powerful gas boilers. Most of them have a floor mounting scheme;
- The presence of a second circuit heating water to organize hot water supply;
- Boiler monitoring and safety devices. They will provide optimal pressure in the heating system of the cottage. This parameter for a closed system with forced circulation varies from 3 to 6 atm.
An important point is the preliminary calculation of gas consumption for heating the cottage. This parameter is indicated by the manufacturer in the passport. For appliances with a power of 24 kW, the average consumption is 1.12 m³ per hour. Accordingly, in order to obtain a preliminary gas consumption for heating the cottage, it is necessary to multiply this value first by 24, and then by the number of days in the heating season.
The installation of gas boilers for heating the cottage should be carried out by companies with a license to carry out this type of work. Otherwise, representatives of the management company will have the right to disconnect the house from the central highway.
Additional heat supply equipment for the cottage
Professional planning of heating in a cottage involves the selection of all system components according to pre-calculated parameters. Otherwise, even when installing a modern and economical gas boiler for heating the cottage, the efficiency of the entire system will be unsatisfactory.
It should be borne in mind that when purchasing a turnkey cottage heating project, it will be problematic to change any characteristics of the system components. Therefore, you need to familiarize yourself with the contents of the technical documentation in advance. To do this, you need to know the basic technical properties of the cottage heating elements:
- Radiators. With their help, heat energy is transferred from hot water to the room. An important parameter is the specific power - W. This total value of the radiators installed in the room must correspond to the calculated value for the room;
- Pipelines. Their diameter and material of manufacture is affected by the thermal mode of heating. Effective heating of the cottage with the help of a gas boiler implies a low-temperature mode of operation - 55/40 or 65/50. This will reduce the gas consumption for heating the cottage. For such schemes, polymer pipes may be used;
- Security group. These include an expansion tank, air vents and bleed valves. It is mandatory to install shut-off valves in critical sections of the highway - branches, when radiators are connected.
In practice, the complete set of the heating system largely depends on the characteristics of the building - its area, degree of insulation, the selected heating scheme. The parameters of each device must be calculated in advance.
For gas heating of the cottage, it is mandatory to install a reliable system for removing carbon monoxide - a chimney. To do this, it is recommended to use a sandwich chimney.
Gas-free cottage heating - possible options
But what if there is no possibility of organizing gas heating for the cottage? Installation of solid fuel boilers is not always advisable. Therefore, the owners of suburban real estate are considering alternative heating options for a cottage without gas.
The easiest way to maintain a comfortable temperature in the rooms of the cottage is to install an electric heating boiler. It can be both the main source of thermal energy, and auxiliary. However, it will be characterized by high costs of electricity consumption. This will significantly affect the family budget of those living in a large cottage.
Therefore, we suggest considering other alternative ways of heating a cottage without gas. Each of them has the specifics of service and equipment and is not always suitable for organizing heat supply for a particular residential building.
Together with the installation of an electric boiler for heating the cottage, the installation of a heat accumulator is recommended. With it, you can switch to the night mode of operation of the equipment - at this time, the preferential tariff for heating payment is in effect.
Furnace heat supply of the cottage
At the initial analysis, we can conclude that the stove heating of the cottages is ineffective. However, it is necessary taking into account the features of operation and characteristics of a country house - its total volume, degree of thermal insulation and frequency of residence.
For small buildings and in the absence of a gas main, a combined heat supply can be made. Given that many old cottages have stove heating, they make a small modernization to improve its characteristics:
- Installation of an electric boiler. It must have a temperature sensor of the coolant and the shutdown function of the heating element when optimal water heating is achieved. A heat exchanger is mounted in the furnace and connected to a common water heating system. As a result, the heat carrier is heated from it, and the electric boiler only maintains the desired temperature level;
- Air heating. Around the furnace of the furnace, a stylish air pocket is installed, which is isolated from the combustion chamber. Air lines that deliver hot air to the cottage are connected to this design. To increase the air exchange rate, fans can be mounted.
You can also stay at the traditional stove heating at home. Then you should make a system of air channels – chimneys. With their help, the wall next to which the furnace is installed will heat up. Furnace heating involves annual cleaning of the chimneys. A large amount of soot inside the pipes will worsen traction.
Heating of the cottage PLEN
If it is necessary to make the heating of the cottage without gas equipment and at the same time maintain the maximum usable volume in the premises, it is best to install film ceiling systems.
The main heating element in heating PLEN is a thin film on the surface of which carbon strips are applied. With the passage of current through them, the temperature rises and, as a consequence, the generation of IR waves. Spreading, they heat up not air, but objects that fall into the system's coverage area.
When choosing a film heating of a cottage, the following factors should be considered:
- Mandatory good insulation at home. The average film heat supply capacity is 180 W / m². With high heat losses through the outer walls, the system simply cannot compensate for them;
- The coverage area of the PLEN should be at least 75% of the total ceiling in the room.
In addition to heating elements, it is necessary to install film control systems. For this, it is best to use special temperature controllers and programmers that are connected to temperature sensors.
For the reliability of the heating of the cottage, it is recommended to purchase an already completed project or order it for a specific building. In the latter case, the engineers will take into account all the nuances - the characteristics of the house, the climate in the region.
As an alternative, it is fashionable to consider an example of organizing cottage heating using a system of water heated floors:
