Many dwellings, whether it is a dacha, a private house, a cottage or a modern apartment, cannot do without an individual heating system. The source of heat is a boiler, and most heating boilers are volatile. That is, in the event of a power outage, the coolant will not be able to move through the pipes. Accordingly, heat will not be supplied to the heating radiators.
In the cold season, the lion's share of electricity is consumed by consumers for heating. Due to the excessive consumption of this resource, power outages and outages often occur in networks. In such situations, it is important to use an uninterruptible power supply for the heating circulation pump.
Why do you need an uninterruptible power supply for the pump
The use of such a backup power source for the heating pump will protect home appliances from failure and preventextra cost to repair it. The uninterruptible power supply for the heating circulation pump corrects power failures and switches the power supply to batteries.
Important: an incorrectly selected power source can cause electronic boards to burn out in heating equipment. A breakdown will result in an expensive repair, and in a cold climate it is also dangerous for defrosting the heating system, as well as frostbite for people. Sometimes owners of boiler equipment want to save money. They are trying to make an uninterruptible switch for a heating pump with their own hands. However, this is fraught with a fire or failure of not only the pump, but also an expensive boiler.
The principle of operation of an uninterruptible power supply
Equipment of heating systems with forced circulation sources saves up to 20-30% of fuel. This is a lot. Therefore, systems with forced circulation of the coolant are especially popular. But pumps have a big drawback - they depend on the presence of voltage. The boiler immediately stops functioning at the slightest failure on the power line.
Installing a UPS allows the heating system to operate independently of the centralized power supply.
Heater circulation pump
For the normal operation of heating, it is important that the coolant circulates through the heating pipes at a certain speed. So all radiators will quickly and evenly warm up. If the water returns, making a circle around the heating circuit, while still warm, then the load on the boiler is reduced, which prolongsits working life and significantly reduces energy costs for space heating.
The circulation pump consists of a housing and a rotor, in which an impeller is installed on the motor shaft, which is responsible for the movement of the coolant through the heating pipes. They are of two types:
- Working on the wet principle: in them the shaft and the impeller are immersed in liquid. It acts as both a coolant and a lubricant.
- Operating on a dry principle: in such devices, the working units do not touch the liquid. Installed between the drive and the housing seals do not allow moisture to get inside.
Backup power supply for circulation pump
To keep the heating system working in case of an emergency, backup power supplies are connected to such pumps. It's efficient. In a normal situation, they accumulate energy, which they give to the pump in case of an unexpected power outage. On sale you can find a wide variety of models of circulating devices, and for each of them you need to choose the appropriate UPS.
You don’t have to interfere with the operation of such an uninterruptible power supply for a heating circulation pump, since the device performs its duties completely autonomously and switches power from main to emergency almost instantly. Also quickly and simply, the block returns to its normal mode and continues to accumulate energy.
Basic requirements for an uninterruptible power supply
Despite the simple device, the pumps themselvesvery capricious to the food supplied to them. Therefore, the UPS connected to the heating system must give a pure sine wave at its output.
The ability of such a power supply to work for a long time also matters. Gas boilers have low power, so this criterion is not so important for gas equipment. What about other types? Solid fuel boilers, on the other hand, require much more power, and, accordingly, the uninterruptible power supply for the heating circulation pump must be more powerful and be able to work for a long time.
In order to increase the battery life of the UPS, additional battery packs are connected to them, which is quite expensive. Another option is to use external batteries. Such blocks are not equipped with batteries at all. The UPS with the batteries connected can run long enough to provide the solid fuel boiler with the required space heating.
Distinguish between phase-dependent and phase-independent blocks. Accordingly, when connecting devices of the first type, it is necessary to observe the correct connection of the phase and neutral.
Before purchasing an uninterruptible power supply for boiler equipment and, in particular, automation for a heating circulation pump, you should determine exactly what load it must withstand in the first minutes of startup. The so-called starting voltage. The fact is that when the pump is turned on (as, indeed, most equipment), the voltage rises sharply. The built-in battery, designed for 10-15 minutes of operation, is enough for most appliances used in private heating systems.
If you want the pump to work longer, additional batteries are connected to the UPS for the heating circulation pump, depending on the capabilities of the source itself. It is important what range the input voltage has. The wider it is, the better, as the UPS will go into emergency mode less often, which will extend its uptime.
Main types of uninterruptible power supplies
For circulation pumps, two types of backup power sources are produced:
- Line-interactive - those devices that have 1 or 2 batteries with a capacity of up to one hundred amps per hour and are inexpensive.
- Double conversion sources - those that can produce a pure sine wave at the output and play the role of a voltage stabilizer in parallel. They can work autonomously longer and consist of at least 3 rechargeable batteries with a capacity of up to one hundred amperes per hour. The cost of such UPS is very high.
If you need a long operation of such a unit, then it is better to purchase a more expensive model. The quality of batteries also matters, on which it is also undesirable to save money, despite the fact that sometimes such batteries can be more expensive than the UPS itself. For heating boilers, the types of such blocks are even more diverse.
If the owners are counting on many years of trouble-free operation of the device, it is better to give preferencemore expensive models. Also, do not save on batteries (sometimes these devices are more expensive than UPS).
If it becomes necessary to replace the heating boiler in the case of a phase-dependent UPS, this will be difficult, and it may be necessary to purchase a new unit. Therefore, many prefer phase-independent models of suitable power.
Important: only a pump can be connected to the uninterruptible power supply for the circulation pump! Its power will not be enough to service some other devices.
The benefits of a UPS for a circulation pump
The UPS for the pump supplies current of exactly the quality that is necessary for its normal operation and has a high efficiency.
In the event of a power outage, the UPS switches the device to independent power for up to two days and protects it from power surges.
UPS for circulation pumps are easy to install, quiet and easy to use.
Installation and calculation of UPS capacity
According to the installation principle, the UPS for the heating circulation pump is divided into floor and wall-mounted.
The first, due to their high power, are large in size and impressive in weight. Therefore, it is more convenient to place such models in the basement, and put the batteries in a sealed cabinet to protect them from moisture.
Among the many brands of uninterruptible power supplies offered to the consumer, UPS for circulatingheating pumps Cyber Power.
So, reviews of such a model as Cyber Power Value 800EI are the most positive. The only drawback that users note is the loud fan noise during operation.
The Cyber Power CPS 600E model showed itself on the good side, having worked for many without complaints for 8-10 years.
Inelt UPS offers ready-made kits for boiler equipment with 1, 2 or 3 batteries ranging from 700W to 1050W. Owners respond positively to the Inelt Intelligent 1000LT2 UPS model. This is a 1050W ready kit with three batteries.
Judging by the reviews, manufacturers such as Eaton, Energy Technologies and N-Power have also proven themselves well.
Correct definition of UPS power will help not to overpay for this expensive equipment. To determine which UPS to purchase for the pump, you need to divide its power by the operating voltage of the batteries. Multiply the resulting value by the desired battery life - 1, 2, 3 hours, etc. And of course, you should purchase a UPS with a power reserve.
You can make an uninterruptible power supply for a heating pump with your own hands, but it's better to buy a quality device and not risk it.
The right UPS will last a long time and save expensive equipment.
