When organizing a heating system in a private house, falling and return pipelines are often laid in a screed. This option for hidden pipe routing allows you not to disturb the design of the premises. Let's find out what other advantages and disadvantages the bottom connection of heating radiators has. Let's consider the types of batteries used, suitable types of heating systems, and fittings used when pipelines are connected from below to heating devices.
An installed heating device, to which the supply pipe and return pipe are connected from below Source oventrop-home.ru
Advantages and disadvantages of the lower trim of the heating battery
First, let's look at the pros and cons of bottom connections for heating radiators. This option involves laying the supply and return pipelines not only in the screed. Installation of pipes can be carried out in the wall or even in an open way, but only near the floor directly below the device. In any case, heating lines become less noticeable.
Connecting a steel radiator with a bottom connection also has other advantages. One of the advantages is the possibility of using a coolant direction adapter. Another advantage is the presence of a thermostat in heating devices that manufacturers produce specifically for the bottom connection. Therefore, it does not need to be selected and purchased separately. This allows you to save time and even money. After all, the kit costs less than each device separately.
Coolant direction adapter installed on pipes Source homemasters.ru
The lower connection to the heating radiator also has disadvantages. One of them is the need to use air vents on all heating devices. Other disadvantages include less uniform heating of the object, the need to install a circulation pump in the thermal circuit and its constant use.
In addition, the supply and return are not connected from below to the radiators if a gravity heating system is installed in the house. An exception is gravitational heating, which has an accelerating circuit. Thanks to its presence, a height difference is formed, because it involves the rise of the main line to the ceiling, and then its descent to the floor.
What does it take for batteries to work efficiently?
An efficient heating system can save money on fuel costs. Therefore, when designing it, you should make informed decisions. After all, sometimes the advice of a neighbor in the country or a friend who recommends a system like his is not at all suitable.
It happens that there is no time to deal with these issues yourself. In this case, it is better to turn to professionals who have been working in this field for at least 5 years and have grateful reviews.
Image gallery Photo from Step 1: Regardless of the type of heating device, its installation includes a number of similar steps. First, mark the wall and install brackets for the radiator. Step 2: Before attaching the radiator, you need to check that it is installed correctly using a building level. If necessary, it is better to move the bracket before connecting Step 3: If there are no complaints about the location of the heating device, its branch pipe is connected to the supply pipe Step 4: Then a connection is made to the pipe that removes the cooled coolant from the radiator to the heating boiler Marking the wall and installing brackets Checking the location before mounting Connection radiator to the supply pipeConnecting the radiator to the return pipe
When deciding to install new batteries or replace heating radiators yourself, you need to take into account that their efficiency is directly affected by the following indicators:
size and thermal power of heating devices; their location in the room; connection method.
The choice of heating devices amazes the imagination of the inexperienced consumer. Among the offers are wall-mounted radiators made of various materials, floor and baseboard convectors. They all have different shapes, sizes, heat transfer levels, and connection types. These characteristics must be taken into account when installing heating devices into the system.
For each room, the number of radiators and their size will be different. It all depends on the area of the room, the level of insulation of the external walls of the building, the connection diagram, the thermal power indicated by the manufacturer in the product passport.
The location of the batteries is under the window, between windows located at a fairly long distance from each other, along a blank wall or in the corner of the room, in the hallway, pantry, bathroom, in the entrances of apartment buildings.
It is recommended to install a heat-reflecting screen between the wall and the heating device. You can make it yourself using one of the heat-reflecting materials - penofol, isospan or another foil analogue.
You should also adhere to the following basic rules for installing a battery under a window:
all radiators in one room are located on the same level; convector fins in a vertical position; the center of the heating equipment coincides with the center of the window or is 2 cm to the right (to the left); the length of the battery is at least 75% of the length of the window itself; the distance to the window sill is at least 5 cm, to the floor - no less than 6 cm. The optimal distance is 10-12 cm.
The level of heat transfer from devices and heat loss depends on the correct connection of radiators to the heating system in the house.
It happens that the owner of a home is guided by the advice of a friend, but the result is not at all as expected. Everything is done like his, but the batteries don’t want to heat up.
This means that the selected connection diagram was not suitable specifically for this house, the area of the premises, the thermal power of the heating devices were not taken into account, or annoying mistakes were made during installation.
Types of batteries for bottom connection to the piping system
The greatest heat transfer is provided by diagonal piping. If you use this option, then the water will become evenly distributed in the battery and intense convection will occur.
Diagonal piping of a room heater Source odstroy.ru
The lower connection of the heating radiator to the two-pipe system should also ensure diagonal movement of water in the device. In other words, in heating equipment it must move from the upper edge of the device to the opposite corner of its lower part. However, not every manufactured device is created with an internal structure that allows the heat carrier to move in a diagonal direction.
Steel panel heating devices are popular. This is the most common equipment in which the design provides for diagonal movement of the coolant. Sectional heaters with a bottom connection to the pipes are also often installed. Their first two sections have a special internal design that provides the necessary direction of water movement.
Each type of battery under consideration is equipped with two pipes at the bottom. After installing the equipment, they are always directed towards the floor. Each of the devices has a supply pipe connected to an internal channel, which allows water to immediately rise to the top of the device.
Dimensions and flow diagram of the coolant in a sectional heater with a bottom connection Source zehnder.su
Another option is to equip standard sectional batteries with special fittings. It allows you to change the configuration of the channels through which the coolant circulates. Therefore, it becomes possible to connect heating radiators with bottom supply in a two-pipe system.
The equipment is also tied from below on both sides. This option involves connecting the supply pipeline to the heater through a valve, which is installed instead of the fitting. Its end part overlaps the nipple of the first section. At the same time, the coolant outlet hole in the valve will be oriented upward.
They also make one-way connections of pipelines to the devices. This option is implemented when using a valve whose design includes a tubular probe. The device allows you to make a bottom connection to heating radiators in a two-pipe system and ensure the outflow of cooled water.
The listed fittings are compatible with aluminum and bimetallic devices intended for lateral connection of pipes. The exception is heaters that do not have nipples.
Heating device made of aluminum with side pipe connection Source teplo-land.ru
Heating connection
Flow-through boilers can be portable or stationary.
The instructions for the equipment will help you avoid mistakes and position the pipes correctly. The circuit may be different, determined by the model and manufacturer.
If the heating system is already in use, then before connecting the gas boiler, you need to drain it and rinse everything. And check if antifreeze can be used with your equipment.
For a single-circuit boiler
When connecting a gas boiler, the circulation pump is placed on the reverse side. Taps are needed to separate the system and the boiler without draining the coolant.
Plus, change the filter, which saves the equipment from clogging, and it must be placed in front of the equipment on the horizontal part of the pipe.
The refrigerant pipe from the boiler is connected to the boiler pipe with a tap. The same taps should be on the remaining pipes. They are needed during draining and repairs.
For a double-circuit boiler
When connecting a double-circuit gas boiler, a filter is also required. In this case, there should be two of them - rough and magnetic.
The outlet pipe is connected to the pipe with a tap. We recommend installing a valve as well. Seal with tow or foam.
Suitable house heating circuits for bottom connections
If water moves in the upward direction, then it moves in the opposite direction of gravity. Therefore, the coolant is not supplied from below to room heaters in gravity heating systems.
If pipes are connected to the device from below and from 2 sides according to a standard scheme, then even in this case a specially designed valve is used. It is placed on the supply and allows less coolant to pass through compared to a conventional liner. Because of this, the local resistance coefficient of the battery increases. It becomes approximately 2 times larger than the nominal value. Because of this, a circulation pump unit has to be built into the system.
The number of difficulties increases if the piping of the heating radiator from below is done only on one side. This occurs due to a significant increase in the hydraulic resistance of the heating device. It increases because the tap used is split into two channels. Moreover, each of them has a small nominal bore.
Pipe supply from below and on one side of the heating radiator Source build-experts.ru
For this connection option, it is still difficult to select high-quality fittings, the design of which includes a thermostatic head. Most of these products are made in China. It does not differ in accuracy of adjustment.
Another problem is adjusting the amount of water. Many available injection units are designed with a bypass rather than a rod that changes the flow rate. Because of this, the way of balancing completely changes. In addition, injection units that are equipped with a thermostatic head and a separate throttling device are often impossible to install due to their large size.
The best option when supplying pipes from below is a two-pipe polypropylene piping of the heating radiator. Ideally, the system will have a passing water movement. One of the best options is also radial isolation.
On a note! If you decide to connect the heating radiator to a single-pipe system from below, then this is not the best solution. When choosing this option, balancing becomes significantly more complicated.
Double-circuit boiler and indirect heating boiler
This combination began to appear among homeowners who were not satisfied with the performance of the DHW circuit of a gas heat generator. And it is not surprising, because a medium-power unit is capable of producing 10-13 liters of hot water per minute, which is not enough to simultaneously supply two consumers - a kitchen sink and a shower stall.
Another thing is that the purchased indirect heating boiler is connected to a double-circuit boiler in a perverse way, shown in the diagram. An imitation of the flow is created by an additional circulation pump, which is turned on and stopped by a signal from the thermostat.
This scheme does not work correctly and here's why:
- The heating unit produces water from the DHW circuit with a maximum temperature of 60 °C. Passing through the boiler coil, it will never be able to heat its contents (which is 150-200 liters) to the same temperature.
- From the boiler heat exchanger, hot water of 50-55 °C flows into the second circuit of the boiler instead of cold. It is instantly heated by the burner, which is switched off by a signal from the temperature sensor. But due to the flow, the switching on occurs again after a few seconds - “clocking” occurs (start-stop mode), which reduces the resource of the heat generator.
- The boiler heats up much longer than expected - from 40 minutes to 2 hours, depending on the power. During this period, the heating is turned off - the unit is occupied by the DHW circuit (this is discussed above in the video). The house is cooling down.
- A harmful bacterium that lives in warm water, Legionella, multiplies in the storage tank. It can be removed by heating the boiler weekly to maximum temperature, which is impossible to achieve.
Correct wiring diagram for an indirect boiler with a heat source
In order for the indirect heating boiler to load in 20-25 minutes, connect it according to the correct diagram to the main heating circuit of the gas boiler. Simply plug the DHW pipes - this will not affect the life of the heat generator in any way. The expert will give more information on the topic in his video:
Piping to the room heater
Currently, the best piping options are polypropylene and cross-linked polyethylene pipes. They are reliable and have an attractive appearance. Experts do not recommend using steel pipelines for wiring the heating system.
Pipes connected to the battery from below are often laid under the floor covering or even along the ceiling of the floor below. For this installation method, steel pipelines are not the best option. The optimal solution, proven in practice, is tying heating radiators with polypropylene. A good solution is also to use copper and PEX piping for heating distribution.
Polypropylene pipe for heating system Source vyborexperta.ru
The use of insulation on pipes also has its own characteristics:
- the absence of thermal insulation protection will provide additional heating of the room;
- the presence of thermal insulation will reduce heat loss - this is an important nuance if the pipelines are laid in the suspended ceiling of the floor below;
- the thermal insulation layer replaces the damping material when heating is installed in the screed - the insulation compensates for the thermal expansion of the polymer, which allows the plastic to expand in any direction without negative consequences.
Thermally insulated heating pipes laid in a screed Source odstroy.ru
Before installing pipelines, be sure to determine the exact location of the heating devices. Their horizontal displacement is unacceptable, unlike height. The reason for this is the lack of a swivel fitting above the floor covering.
Usually only small straight sections of piping are above the surface. They are connected to the heater taps. The exception is batteries that are tied from below using knots that provide lower side connection to the pipes. This option assumes that the pipeline outlets are located at a distance of approximately 120 mm from the fittings.
Reinforcement elements and consumables
Installation of batteries, to which the pipelines are connected from below, is not difficult. However, the process is carried out using special fittings. Its type is selected for the installed radiators.
Bottom connection of the heating battery with polypropylene or other pipelines involves the use of a set of adapters. They are selected according to the material of the connected pipes. Typically solder sleeves and press fittings are used. If polypropylene pipes are connected, it is recommended to use “American” threads.
Completed lower piping of the heating device using a set of fittings and adapters Source remontnik.ru
On a note! Adjustment fittings are rarely installed under heating equipment. It is usually located on the manifold.
If a lateral pipe supply is made from below, a control and thermostatic valve is installed on the heater. Installation of fittings is carried out using threads.
On a note! When installing any room heating device, 2 shut-off valves are installed. They allow you to turn off and remove heating equipment without stopping the operation of the heating circuit of the house.
When installing the battery, radiator plugs and air vents are also used, which are often Mayevsky taps. To seal threaded connections, tow is usually used together with a special paste.
Manual air vent - Mayevsky tap Source eurobion.info
Main installation features
When assembling and installing fittings on a heating device, it is laid lying on the floor. Instead of a radiator liner, a special valve is used, which allows you to connect the supply and return to the bottom of the battery. An O-ring seal is used to seal the connections.
On a note! It is recommended to mark the location of the through hole on the valve, which is located on the shank. This will allow you to align it in a vertical direction during installation.
The design of the injection unit often lacks a nut, which is used instead of a radiator liner. Despite this, its installation is similar to that of a valve. If a one-sided bottom connection is created, plug the outlet located on the reverse side with a plug. After this, install all the fittings on the battery using tow and paste. Then the assembled radiator is usually hung on wall brackets. Finally, it is connected to the heating system pipelines.
Installed and connected radiator to polypropylene pipelines Source santeh42.ru
Briefly about the main thing
The bottom connection of heating devices with a thermostat allows you to hide the pipes under the floor covering or in the wall. However, when piping, air vents must be installed on all batteries, and a circulation pump unit must be installed in the system itself.
In devices, even with a bottom connection, water moves in a diagonal direction. This is ensured by the special internal design of the heating equipment. The lower one-sided or two-sided connection to radiators in the usual design is made using fittings.
Piping from below is often carried out if there is a two-pipe system in the house. It is not recommended to make a bottom connection if the facility has a single-pipe heating circuit, as balancing becomes more difficult.
Chimney connection
To connect a gas boiler you do not always need a chimney. You can check this by looking at the instructions for your model.
If a chimney is still needed, then it is important that its diameter coincides with the boiler outlet pipe. Usually the diameter determines the power.
Chimneys are installed in the internal wall of the house or behind it. You can make no more than three bends along the pipe.
And the first section, which connects the chimney and the boiler, should last no more than 25 cm. Do not forget about the cleaning hole inside the pipe.
If the combustion chamber is open, then it would be a good idea to also install a supply pipe.
The best material for a chimney is roofing tin . Or anyone else who isn't afraid of acid. The same applies to accessories. Do not connect the boiler and chimney with corrugation, just as you can use a brick chimney.
If you use a coaxial chimney when connecting a gas boiler in a private house, then place it directly into the wall. That is, it is a chimney when the pipe is in the pipe. One of them carries steam, and the second carries air. Moreover, this type should move away from the wall by half a meter or more.
And if the boiler has condensate, then you still need a slope in its direction.
