In order to live comfortably in a country house, its owners, of course, need to equip it, among other things, with a heating system. Such communication networks can be assembled using different schemes. But most often, single-pipe water heating systems are installed in suburban residential buildings. The design of such networks is extremely simple, and therefore they are often assembled simply with their own hands, without calling specialists at home.
What is the system
The main structural elements of a one-pipe network, like any other, are:
- gas boiler;
- heating radiators;
- wiring lines;
- expansion tank;
- security group;
- circulation pump.
One-pipe differs from other types of heating systems primarily in that only one main is used in this case. A pipe is laid in such networks along the "ring",and radiators are connected in series. The concepts of "supply" and "return" in this case are used only conditionally.
The main pros and cons of a single-pipe heating system
In addition to ring networks, networks can be installed in private homes:
- two-pipe;
- collector.
Both of these varieties are also quite popular with owners of country houses. However, in comparison with such heating systems, single-pipe ones have a number of advantages:
- simple design;
- cheap;
- ease of use;
- easy to install.
Although one-pipe systems are assembled according to an extremely simple scheme, they perform their function very well in most cases. Usually, the design of such networks, like any other, among other things, includes a circulation pump. However, if desired, according to this scheme, it is possible to equip a gravitational heating network. Communications of this type also have the advantage of being non-volatile.
Often, owners of country houses, when using a circulation pump, additionally mount the wiring in such a way that in the event of a power outage, the coolant moves in it by gravity. That is, in fact, they use a single-pipe combined type system to heat the building.
The advantages of such networks include their versatility. You can mount this type of systemboth in one-, and in two-, three-story residential buildings. In this case, the scheme itself can be implemented in several ways.
The benefits of ring networks are thus numerous. However, a single-pipe heating system - horizontal or vertical, unfortunately, has one significant drawback. Batteries, as already mentioned in such networks, are installed in series. That is, the coolant flows through them alternately. In this case, the water, as it moves along the contour, of course, cools. As a result, the radiators closest to the boiler in such a system warm up more than the distant ones. And this, in turn, negatively affects the microclimate of the whole house as a whole. In some rooms, when using such systems, it may be too hot, in others - cold.
Uneven heating of the batteries － a rather serious drawback. However, in small houses, the temperature difference between the radiators is usually not very noticeable. In large buildings, however, this problem can be easily solved by simply upgrading the system a little at the stage of its assembly. In order to be able to regulate the heating of each radiator, when installing such networks, they are installed on bypasses using special fittings.
What other disadvantages does
Gravitational one-pipe heating systems in country houses today are not equipped too often. In most cases, pumps are still used to pump the coolant through the mains of such networks. However, heating systemsnatural circulation can sometimes still be seen in dachas and suburban residential buildings. Some disadvantage of systems of this type is, among other things, that rather thick pipes are usually used for their assembly. Unfortunately, the main line of the network with natural circulation of the coolant may not look very aesthetically pleasing.
One-pipe heating systems have one more small drawback. Owners of country houses who decide to mount such a network should keep in mind that they will not be able to lay a "warm floor" in the rooms in the future.
Standard scheme of a one-pipe heating system
Networks of this type are usually mounted using this technology:
- install a gas, electric or solid fuel boiler in the house;
- install heating radiators;
- stretch the main from the boiler along the walls;
- connect radiators through bypasses;
- install circulation pump and expansion tank.
At the final stage, when assembling a one-pipe heating system, the line is brought back to the boiler and connected.
Methods of inserting radiators
Batteries can be connected when assembling such a heating system:
- bottom;
- diagonally;
- side.
Most often, the owners of small one-story buildings use the lower or, as it is also called, saddle radiator tie-in scheme. The disadvantage of this method is not too high battery efficiency. However, the installation of a one-pipe systemheating with a lower wiring has one important advantage. When using this technology, the highway can be easily carried out in the floor cake. And this, in turn, has the most favorable effect on the appearance of the premises.
Also very popular among owners of country houses is the diagonal connection technology in a single-pipe heating system for radiators. Inserting batteries in this way allows you to use their potential to the maximum. Radiators connected diagonally further perform their functions with the highest efficiency.
On each battery in such a system, regardless of the method of tie-in, among other things, an air vent is installed. Most often it is Mayevsky's crane.
Vertical one-pipe system with a riser in two-story cottages
Most often, such networks are mounted in one-story buildings. However, sometimes systems of this variety are also equipped in cottages of 2-3 floors. In this case, a single-pipe heating system with risers can be implemented in the building. In fact, in this case, several such networks are mounted in the house, located in vertical planes. At the same time, radiators are connected to the mains in a lateral way.
Risers in such a network are already included in a two-pipe system. Each single-pipe circuit in this case is connected in parallel to the supply and return pipes of such a network.
Horizontal system
Of course, cottages can sell not onlyvertical scheme of single-pipe heating. In such buildings, the usual horizontal network (Leningradka) is often mounted. In this case, in two-story houses, a single-pipe heating system is equipped as follows:
- a tee is mounted on the feed;
- a horizontal supply pipe to the first floor and a vertical one to the second floor are connected to the tee;
- a supply pipe to the radiators is connected to the vertical riser on the second floor;
- a vertical segment is displayed on the first floor behind the radiators;
- the first floor feed and the horizontal section leading back to the boiler are connected to it.
Network design
One-pipe heating systems have a simple design. However, equipment for such networks, like any other, of course, should be chosen correctly. When designing a one-pipe system, you need to decide first of all:
- with power and type of boiler;
- with the number of radiators;
- expansion tank capacity;
- with the type and thickness of pipes for wiring.
Also, homeowners will need to purchase a circulation pump of sufficient power.
Which boiler to choose
Heating units in one-pipe heating systems with forced circulation or natural can be used absolutely any: electric, solid fuel, liquid fuel, gas. AtIn this, of course, for the most part, boilers operating on “blue fuel” are installed in country houses.
In any case, whatever heating equipment is chosen to assemble the heating system of a country house, it is important first of all to determine its power. Experts calculate boilers taking into account many different factors:
- wall material;
- total area of door and window openings of the building;
- the presence of insulation of enclosing structures or its absence;
- climatic features of the area, etc.
However, single-pipe systems are usually mounted on their own, of course, in very small houses. In this case, there is no special need to hire specialists for complex calculations. The calculation of the boiler for such buildings is carried out by their owners independently according to a simplified scheme. They choose heating units for small houses simply on the basis that approximately 1 kW of their power is required to heat 10 m2 of the room area. That is, for example, in a house with an area of 50 m22 you need to install a boiler with a capacity of at least 5 kW.
Selection and calculation of radiators
Batteries when assembling heating networks of country houses, including single-pipe ones, can be mounted:
- cast iron;
- aluminum;
- steel;
- bimetallic.
But most often in private residential buildings, the latter is still installedkind of radiators. The advantages of bimetallic batteries are, first of all, a long service life, ease of installation and low cost.
Sold such radiators usually in sections. The required number of the latter, as well as when choosing a boiler, is most often calculated based on the fact that 1 kW of battery power is needed to heat 10 m2 area.
Pipe calculation
Main lines when assembling a single-pipe heating system of a private house can be stretched:
- steel;
- copper;
- metal-plastic.
Nowadays, for the installation of heating systems, in most cases, metal-plastic pipes are used. Such lines are able to withstand a sufficiently large pressure in the system, are reliable and serve for a very long time.
The calculation of the cross-section of pipes of any kind for a home heating network is performed using the following formula:
D=√354(0.86Q/Δt°)/v, where
Q - the amount of heat required to heat the house, Δt - the temperature difference at the inlet and outlet of the boiler, V - the speed of the coolant. According to the formula, it is relatively easy to calculate the diameter of the pipes. But it is even easier to determine this indicator using special tables. In this case, indicators such as the temperature of the coolant, the speed of its movement and the amount of heat needed to heat the building are simply substituted in the appropriate columns.
How to calculatecirculation pump capacity
Equipment of this type in a single-pipe system creates pressure in the main and pumps the volume of coolant along the circuit necessary for efficient heating of all rooms in the house.
There are several ways to calculate the pump power in a one-pipe forced circulation heating system. For example, the following formula is often used for this purpose:
Q=N/(t2-t1), where
Q - pump flow, N - power of the boiler purchased for a country house, t1 - outlet coolant temperature, t2 - inlet.
You can also choose a pump for a single-pipe heating system, focusing on the standards of SNiP. It is believed, for example, that for small buildings with a maximum height of two floors, pumps with a power of 173-177 W/m2 are best suited. For houses from 3 floors, it is recommended to purchase equipment of this type for 97-101 W/m2.
Sometimes the owners of country houses choose pumps and taking into account indicators such as the degree of wear and the quality of the thermal insulation of the building. In this case, the power is determined by special tables.
Expansion tank capacity
Water is known to expand when cooled. An increase in pressure in the lines of a single-pipe heating system of a private house can lead to such unpleasant consequences as a rupture of the line and failure of the main equipment. To prevent this from happening, an expansion tank necessarily crashes into the pipe of such a network.
Before buying such equipment, of course, you also need to make its calculation. The volume of the expansion tank is determined by the following formula:
W=π (D2/4) L, where
D - internal diameter of the pipeline, L - total length of the system circuit. A tank is installed in a single-pipe heating system, usually next to the boiler on the pipe through which the coolant returns to it.
