Automatic heating temperature controller. Thermostat for heating radiator

In winter, due to changing weather conditions and inaccuracies of boiler room workers, an uncomfortable temperature in the apartment is possible. Many open windows and balconies, not knowing about the ability to regulate the heat transfer of the battery. The thermostat will help in maintaining a comfortable microclimate in each room. This article describes the options for the execution of these devices, how to install them, as well as several popular ones with prices and characteristics to facilitate your choice.

Read in the article:

Why do you need a thermostat for a heating radiator?

Installation of regulating elements on radiators is necessary not only to maintain a comfortable temperature, but also to ensure safety and convenience. Indeed, in this way, it becomes possible to disconnect the battery from the common riser (for example, when a leak occurs or during repairs).

There are three types of control elements:

• Valve.

• Temperature controller.

The ball valve can only completely block access hot water into the radiator (when partially closed, it quickly wears out and breaks), so it is only useful for emergencies. The valve can regulate the amount of coolant supplied, however, it does not provide sensors, which is why it is not very convenient to use it. The temperature controller with a thermostat precisely regulates the water supply, thanks to which it can solve two problems at once:

1. Maintenance comfortable conditions in each room due to the separate regulation of each radiator (especially important when orienting rooms to different cardinal directions).
2. Reducing utility bills (excessive heat payments will be excluded).

Types of thermostats for heating batteries

According to the type of working substance used, thermostats are:

• liquid;
• gas-filled.

Liquid thermostats for heating radiators are cheaper, but gas-filled ones respond faster to temperature changes in the room. In addition, their operation is less affected by the temperature of the coolant. This is due to the fact that gas, unlike liquid, accumulates in the upper part of the device, that is, further from the heated water supply. According to the method of temperature control, these devices are mechanical and electronic.

Mechanical thermostat

This appliance operates without the use of electricity. His work is based on the expansion and contraction of the working substance. The mechanical thermostat is inexpensive, so it is very popular. Its main advantages:

1. Low price.
2. Independence from electricity (does not create problems during power surges and does not increase the cost of housing and communal services).
3. Ease of use.

The only drawback is the manual control of the coolant supply.

With such a regulator, the flow of water into the radiator is controlled without human intervention. Instead of a handle, it is equipped with an LCD display or a push-button control panel. Features of the electronic thermostat:

1. Setting the air temperature on a timer (for example, during the day, when no one is at home, the heating operates at minimum power, and an hour before the owners arrive from work, the air warms up to a comfortable temperature).
2. Day-night mode ( different temperature air depending on the time of day).

The device and principle of operation of the temperature controller on the heating radiator

The thermostat consists of two elements: a thermal valve (actuator) and a thermostatic head that regulates the temperature. Moreover, the valve can be of any size depending on the diameter of the pipe. And the head is removable, so you can choose any type of thermostatic element for the valve.

1 - a conventional valve, 2 - a device with a mechanical thermostat, 3 - with electronic control

Thermal valve

Structure given element almost similar to a conventional valve, it has a seat and a shut-off cone that controls the size of the inlet for the coolant. When installing the valve, pay attention to the arrow on the body, it indicates the direction of movement of the coolant.

Valves are produced different depending on the type of heating system (two-pipe or one-pipe). For example, a thermal valve for heating with one-pipe wiring has a lower hydraulic resistance than with a two-pipe one. The valve is made of corrosion-resistant materials: stainless steel, bronze or brass.

thermostatic head

The thermostatic head (or thermostat for a heating radiator) can be of two types: mechanical or electronic.

The basis of a mechanical thermostat is a bellows, it contains a working substance (water or gas), which has a high coefficient of expansion. The bellows presses on the stem, which closes the inlet. That is, until the substance is heated, the rod is in its normal position, as soon as its temperature rises, the bellows stretches and presses on the rod, reducing the cross section of the passage.

A feature of the installation of this thermostat is the need for its horizontal installation in the direction of the room. This is necessary in order to exclude the influence of the heating coolant on the expansion of the substance. Sometimes, due to the rather large size of the element, such installation is not possible. In this case, you can install an external temperature sensor connected to the thermostat with a capillary tube.

The electronic head is larger than the mechanical head, but it can perform more tasks. All functions are controlled by the processor, and such a thermostat is powered by two batteries.

Related article:

The article describes in detail the various heating of a country house, options and prices, the pros and cons of the most common and optimal thermal structures for private facilities.

Installing a thermostat on a heating radiator

First of all, it is necessary to determine the place of installation of the regulator. It is ideal to install it next to the radiator in a place where it is not covered by anything (curtains, furniture, and so on). In addition, the readings of the device are affected by: drafts, direct sunlight and electrical appliances that emit heat (for example, a refrigerator, an electric stove). If it is impossible to comply with the listed conditions, use a remote temperature sensor.

If the heating system is single-pipe, before installing the heating regulator on the battery, it is necessary to make a bypass so as not to block the path of the coolant through the riser. With a two-pipe system, we mount the device on the upper supply line.

1. We proceed directly to the installation of the regulator:
2. Turn off the coolant supply.
3. Drain the water from the radiator.
4. Unscrew the old adapter and install the new one. The connection at the thermostat is threaded, so you need to be extremely careful. When installing, be sure to use a seal to prevent leaks.
5. We fill the system with water.
6. We install protection on the head (only when you are convinced that there are no leaks).

Important! When tightening the valve, be careful and careful. If you break the thread, the connection will be loose, and replacement will become very problematic.

Video review: installing a thermostat on a heating radiator

Setting the temperature controller

After installing the thermostat, you need to configure it:

1. We exclude air exchange in the room by closing the doors and turning off the hood (if any).
2. Fully open the valve.
3. We wait for the temperature to increase by 6-7 ° C and close the valve.
4. When the temperature reaches optimal value turn the head again. This must be done gradually, listening. When the regulator becomes hot, and the sound of water appears in it, we stop.
5. Setup completed. The temperature will be maintained with an accuracy of 1-3°C, depending on the type of regulator (liquid or gas filled).

Overview of popular models of thermostats

A radiator regulator can be found at any store that specializes in heating equipment. It is rarely sold as a set (thermal valve and thermostat). And if there are no problems when choosing a thermal valve for a heating radiator (it is enough to choose an element suitable for your pipes and type of heating system), then you need to be more careful with a thermostatic head. Prices vary, so mechanical ones are cheaper, electronic ones are more expensive. It all depends on the set of features you need. Let's look at some interesting options.

Model	Technical specifications		Peculiarities
	Type	Electronic	The compact electronic controller is powered by two AA batteries, changes the temperature 1 time per minute, automatically turns on if the ambient temperature rises by 1℃
	Manufacturer	Danfoss
		4-28
	Average price, rub.	3600

Model	Technical specifications		Peculiarities
	Type	Liquid	The element has a modern appearance, it is possible to order a decorative ring of any color (in the original - white)
	Manufacturer	Oventrop
	Operating temperature range, ℃	7-28
	Average price, rub.	2000

Instead of an afterword

The thermostat for heating is able to make the microclimate in the room more comfortable, as well as reduce heating costs. Liquid and gas filled regulators are cheaper, but electronic more features and control options (touch screen, WIFI). Therefore, it all depends on your desires and capabilities.

Why do we need thermostats for heating radiators? How do they work? How to set the heater temperature controller correctly? In the article, we, together with the reader, will find answers to these and some other questions.

One of the first thermostats was a three-way valve on the supply line to the battery in Khrushchev.

Why adjustment is needed

1. Why do you need a thermostat for a heating radiator?

The answer is not as obvious as it might seem.

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Yes, of course, most often it is used to reduce the air temperature in the room at an excessively high temperature of the coolant.

Adjustment is necessary in the following cases:

• If the thermal power of the device is selected with a margin in case of extremely severe cold;

• If there is a thaw outside;
• In addition, the regulator for the heating radiator is useful for testing the temperature of the heating main. They are held annually shortly before graduation. heating season and are necessary to detect defects in heating mains and heating circuits, making them sensitive to extremely high temperatures of the winter temperature chart.

During the test, the hot water supply is turned off, and central heating continues to operate normally. It is with these tests that a significant part of the complaints about the evil dwellers is connected: "it's warm outside, but the batteries are heating with might and main."

Heating system

Adjusting the temperature of individual devices is also useful for autonomous heating systems. It would seem that it is easier to maneuver the heating boiler mode: after all, with an increase in street temperature, the need for heat at home decreases. But no: in some cases it is more convenient to set the operating mode of a very specific battery.

The most obvious scenario is to limit the temperature in unused rooms. A complete shutdown of the heating will lead to freezing of the corners and window slopes, which will inevitably be followed by the appearance of a fungus, but lowering the temperature in the room to the minimum values ​​\u200b\u200b(16-18 degrees) will help to avoid possible troubles.

Heating radiators with a temperature controller can significantly reduce heat consumption and, accordingly, heating costs. Savings reach 30-40%.

In addition, thermostats are needed for balancing dead-end heating systems. A small lyrical digression is needed here.

Two-pipe heating systems (with separate supply and return bottlings) are divided into dead-end (in which the coolant changes direction by 180 degrees when moving from the supply to the return thread) and associated (in which it continues to move in the same direction).

A dead-end circuit is necessary if the circuit is broken by a panoramic window or a high doorway.

A passing circuit, or Tichelman's loop, is several parallel small circuits of the same length. Thanks to this feature, all heating devices connected to it have approximately the same temperature.

In a dead-end scheme, small contours have different lengths, due to which the owner of the house faces a couple of unpleasant problems:

• The radiators closest to the boiler are always heated noticeably stronger than the far ones;
• AT very coldy it is possible to stop circulation through distant heaters with their subsequent defrosting. There were precedents in my memory, and more than once.

To solve these problems, balancing the heating system is used - an artificial limitation of the patency of the connections closest to the boiler batteries. In this case, the coolant is distributed more evenly over the sections of the circuit, the temperature of the radiators is equalized, and stopping the circulation through distant devices is made impossible.

Balancing is an artificial restriction of the patency of the connections of the heaters closest to the heat source.

Shut-off and control valves

Varieties

1. What shut-off and control valves can regulate the temperature of the heating battery?

For this purpose, the following are routinely used:

• Throttles;
• Thermal heads.

The needle throttle is a screw valve with a conical metal valve. The adjustment is extremely simple: the stem with the valve is screwed in and out, while limiting the flow of coolant through the hole in the seat.

The thermal head is an automatic regulator that allows you to focus not on the patency of the eyeliner, but on the air temperature in the room.

The principle of operation of low-cost thermostatic heads uses the expansion solids, gases and liquids when heated:

• When the target temperature is reached, the expanding working body of the thermal head pushes the valve to the seat and shuts off the coolant flow;
• When cooling, the valve is moved away from the seat by a return spring, and the heater begins to heat up.

Rough adjustment of the response temperature is carried out by a conventional screw mechanism that moves the valve closer or further away from the seat.

In addition, on sale you can find electronic thermal heads with a temperature sensor and a servo powered by a galvanic cell. They are easy to recognize by the screen, which shows the set or current room temperature.

Prices

1. How much do chokes and thermal heads cost?

Here approximate prices at the end of 2016 for Valtec products:

Alternatives

1. How else can you regulate the patency of the piping to the heater or the heating circuit?

To adjust the patency of individual sections of the circuit in the heating system, the following can be used abnormally:

• Screw valves;
• Ball and plug valves;

• Gate valves.

I emphasize again: the use of valves as chokes for all of the listed elements of valves is an abnormal mode.

What does it threaten?

• At a screw valve, a half-open valve will continuously move in the turbulent flow of the coolant, since it is movably fixed on the stem. As a rule, throttling with a screw valve ends with a valve separation, after which the valve stops closing or opening;

• According to the assurances of the manufacturers, in a ball valve, the half-open position of the valve usually leads to wear of the PTFE or Teflon rings that ensure tightness in the closed position - with quite predictable consequences. Less often, scale between the shutter and the body simply prevents the valve from closing;

However, the ball valves I use to limit the flow of water on the water supply have been operating in the half-open position for the past four years and still do not show signs of malfunction.

• For semi-closed valves, the cheeks fall, completely blocking the passage for the coolant.

To prevent the cheeks in the half-open position of the valve from falling, first completely close it, and then slowly unscrew the stem with continuous monitoring of the pressure drop on the pressure gauge.

Mounting

1. Is it difficult to install a thermostat on a heating radiator with your own hands?

It is no more difficult than mounting a conventional valve on threaded connections. The external thread on the eyeliner (angle, tee, etc.) is reeled up sanitary flax or a polymer thread-sealant (for example, Tangit Unilok), after which the thermostat is screwed onto it with an open-end, adjustable or pipe wrench.

Tangit Unilok is an ideal winder for heating threads.

A few nuances:

• Do not use FUM tape for winding metal threads. The instruction is related to the fact that it leaks with minimal thread reverse;
• Apply a little of any quick-drying cloth to the threaded sanitary flax. organic solvent. The paint, having soaked the organic fiber, will prevent it from rotting when the heating is turned off and burn out when it is turned on;

• Collecting threaded connection, do not use excessive force. Brass valve bodies are not durable and crack easily;

• For an aluminum or bimetallic battery, it is better to buy an angle thermostat with an American (swivel nut with a rubber or silicone gasket). The American will significantly simplify and speed up the dismantling of the radiator during repairs in the room or if it malfunctions;

In the photo - an angle control valve with an American.

• When mounting the thermal head, position it away from the ascending air flow from the radiator and supply lines. Heat external source heat will reduce the accuracy of room temperature control.

Conclusion

As you can see, thermostats are easy to install and are quite capable of providing noticeable savings your funds. The video in this article will help you learn more about them. I look forward to your comments. Good luck, comrades!

If a properly calculated independent heat supply is functioning in the house, then adjustment will not be required for the heating batteries, since stable heating will be provided in all rooms. temperature regime. But in apartment buildings, where residents often remodel heating systems, regulators will not interfere.

The need to adjust the heat transfer

There are two reasons why heating radiators need to be adjusted:

1. Reduced home heating costs. True, in an apartment located in high-rise building, you can reduce the amount of payments only if you have a common house heat meter. In a private household, in the case of installing an automated boiler, the installation of regulators is unlikely to be required. The savings will be significant.
2. The need to maintain the desired temperature in the premises. For example, in one room it can be 17 degrees Celsius, and in another - 25 degrees. To do this, you need to set the appropriate numbers on the thermal head or close the valve.

At the same time, it does not matter how the heated coolant enters the radiators - centrally or autonomously. It also does not matter which heating unit is installed in the system. The fact is that battery-powered regulators are not connected with boilers - they function independently.

Adjustment of heating radiators

To deal with the question of how to regulate heating batteries with a regulator, first of all, you should find out the principle of their functioning. By its design, the radiator consists of a labyrinth of pipes and fins. different kind providing increased heat transfer.

Hot liquid enters the inlet of the device, passes through the labyrinth and thereby heats the metal, and it gives off heat to the surrounding air. The fins on modern radiators are made of a special shape, which improves the convection of air flows, and the room is heated quickly.

In the case of active heating from the batteries, a heat flow is felt. This means that with a change in the amount of heat carrier passing through the device, it is possible to adjust the temperature of the heating of the room, however, within certain limits.

It is for this purpose that special fittings are intended - thermostats and valves. But the heating regulator installed on the battery in the apartment is not able to increase heat transfer, it can only lower it.

The effectiveness of changing the battery temperature depends on:

• on whether there is a power reserve for heating devices;
• from the correct selection and installation of regulators.

Of no small importance is the inertia of the entire heating system and the batteries themselves. For example, cast iron, which is characterized by a large mass, changes temperature slowly, while aluminum heats up quickly and cools down in the same way. This means there is no point in cast iron radiators with temperature control, since the result from this has to wait a long time.

Ways to increase the heat transfer of batteries

The presence / absence of the possibility to increase heat transfer depends on the calculation of the radiator power reserve. If the device is not able to produce more thermal energy, then no fittings will help.

You can try to change the situation in one of the following ways:

1. First of all, you should check if the filters and pipes are clogged. Blockages are formed both in old buildings and in new buildings, as various construction waste enters the system. When cleaning does not give results, drastic measures must be taken.
2. Increasing the temperature of the coolant. This can be done in the presence of autonomous heat supply, but with centralized heating is unlikely.
3. Change connection type. Not all battery connection methods are equally effective. For example, the reverse side connection leads to a decrease in power by about a quarter. Also, the place of installation of the device affects the heat transfer.
4. Increasing the number of sections. If the location and method of connecting the radiators are chosen correctly, and the room is also cold, this means that the thermal power of the devices is not enough. Then you need to increase the number of sections.

If a heating system equipped with temperature-controlled batteries, they require a certain amount of power and this is their main drawback. As a result, the cost of arranging heating increases, since each section costs money.

Comfort cannot be achieved if the room is cold or too hot, so adjusting the heat in radiators is a universal solution to this problem.

There are many devices on the market that are designed to change the volume of coolant passing through the radiator. Among them there are both inexpensive and high-priced products. They come with different adjustments: manual, electronic and automatic.

Ball Valves

Valves are cheap, but at the same time inefficient control devices. Ball valves are often installed at the inlet to the radiator, with the help of which they regulate the flow of water.

But this equipment has other functionality - shut-off valves. Valves are used to completely shut off the flow of coolant in the system. For example, in the event of a heater leak, ball valves located at the inlet and outlet of the radiator allow repairs to be made without stopping the heat supply and draining the liquid.

Ball valves do not adjust the heating batteries in the apartment. They have only two positions - fully closed and open. An intermediate location brings only harm.

The fact is that inside such a tap there is a ball with a hole, which is not threatened by anything in its normal position, but in all other situations, the solid particles present in the coolant grind it down and pieces break off from it. As a result, the tap will not be airtight and in the “closed” position, water will continue to flow into the battery, which is fraught with big trouble in the event of a device leak.

If one of the property owners has decided to make control of heating batteries using ball valves, it must be remembered that they should be installed correctly.

This method usually used in apartment buildings. If the wiring is single-pipe vertical, then the pipe with hot water enters the room through the ceiling and a radiator is connected to it (read: "Correctly adjusting the heating batteries in the apartment - comfort in the house and saving money"). The pipeline departs from the second entrance to the device and goes through the floor to the lower room.

In this case, it is necessary to properly install the valves, since the installation of a bypass is mandatory. A bypass pipe is needed so that when the fluid flow to the radiator is closed, the coolant continues to circulate in the common house system.

In some situations, the tap is placed on the bypass in order to change the amount of water passing through it and thereby adjust the heat transfer of the battery. To ensure greater reliability of the heating system, at least three taps are installed: two will be cut-off on the radiator and function normally, and the third will become regulating.

But here we must not forget in what position the devices are located. Otherwise, you can completely block the riser and you will not be able to avoid both the cold in the apartment, as well as unpleasant showdowns with neighbors and representatives of the management company.

Therefore, when deciding how to regulate heat in batteries, experts do not recommend using ball valves. There are other products on the market that are specifically designed to change the amount of water circulating through the radiator.

needle valve

This device is usually mounted in the heating system in front of the pressure gauge. The valve smoothly and effectively changes the flow of the coolant, gradually blocking it. The design feature of this device is that the width of the passage in it is two times less.

For example, when installing inch pipes and the same section of the needle valve, its throughput will only be ½ inch. As a result, each device installed in the system lowers this parameter. Several products installed in series, for example in a one-pipe design, cause the last appliances to be slightly warm or cold.

Since the passage becomes very narrow, it is not recommended to install the needle device when solving the problem of how to control the temperature of the battery, because its heat dissipation is greatly reduced.

You can increase it like this:

• removing the valve
• doubling the number of sections;
• by placing a device that has twice the number of couplings.

Control valves for radiators

To manually adjust the operation of heating devices, use special valves. Such cranes are sold with direct or angular connection. The procedure for regulating heating batteries using these devices in manual mode is as follows.

Turning the valve lowers or raises the stopper cone. In the closed position, the coolant flow is completely blocked. Moving up or down, the cone regulates to a greater or lesser extent the amount of circulating water.

Due to this principle of operation, such valves are also called "mechanical temperature controllers". They are installed on threaded batteries, and connected to pipes with fittings, most often of a crimp type.

The control valve used for heating appliances has the following advantages:

• the device is reliable, it is not dangerous for blockages and fine abrasive particles present in the coolant - this applies only to high-quality products in which the valve cone is made of metal and carefully processed;
• the product is affordable.

Control valves also have disadvantages - each time you use the device, you have to change its position manually and for this reason it is rather problematic to maintain a stable temperature regime.

For someone who is not satisfied with this order, and he thinks about how to regulate the temperature of the heating battery by another method, the use of automatic products is more suitable, which allows you to control the degree of heating of the radiators.

Automatic adjustment option

There are several ways to regulate the temperature in batteries. But automatic adjustment of the temperature regime in the room has an undeniable advantage. The fact is that by putting the regulator knob in the required position once, the property owner on long time eliminates the need to use it.

Battery regulation with thermostat

To ensure constant maintenance of the set temperature in the room, use thermostats for radiators (thermostats). These devices have other names - thermostatic valve, thermostatic valve etc. There are many names, but they all refer to the same product.

The thermal valve and thermal valve are the lower part of the device, and the thermal head and thermoelement are the upper ones. Most of these products work without power sources. The exception is models equipped with a digital screen, in which batteries are placed in the thermostatic head. You won't have to change them often, since the current consumption is negligible.

The radiator thermostat consists of several components:

• thermostatic valve, which is called the "case", "thermal valve", "thermal valve";
• thermostatic head or " thermostatic element”, “thermoelement”, “thermal head”.

The body (valve) is made of metal, more often of bronze or brass. Outwardly, its design resembles a manual valve. Many manufacturers make the bottom
radiator thermostat unified. This means that one housing can be mounted different types heads, regardless of their manufacturer.

Thus, it is allowed to install a thermoelement with different controls on the thermal valve - manual, mechanical or automatic, which is very convenient. If there is a desire to change the method of adjustment, there is no need to buy the entire device, you only need to install a different thermostatic element.

Automatic regulators differ in the principle of influencing the locking mechanism. AT handheld device its position is changed by turning the handle. As for automatic models, they usually have a siphon that puts pressure on
spring loaded mechanism. In electronic products, the processor controls the workflow.

The bellows is the main element of the thermoelement (thermal head). It looks like a small sealed cylinder, inside of which there is a liquid or gas. Both of these substances have common property– their volume depends on temperature. When heated, the gas and liquid begin to significantly increase in volume and thereby stretch the cylinder.

The bellows under pressure on the spring blocks the flow of coolant. When the volume working environment as it cools, it decreases, the spring rises and thereby the fluid flow increases, and the radiator heats up again. Thanks to the use of such a device, depending on its calibration, the set temperature can be maintained with great accuracy - up to one degree.

Before using a radiator, everyone who decides to purchase a thermostat for it must decide what kind of temperature control it should have:

• manual;
• auto;
• with built-in or remote sensor.

On sale there are also models designed for one-pipe and two-pipe systems, with bodies made of different metals.

Application of three-way valves

One way to regulate heating radiators is to use a three-way valve. True, it is rarely used. Despite the fact that it is designed to solve other problems, its application is possible.

A three-way valve is mounted at the junction of the bypass with the supply pipe leading to the heating battery. To stabilize the temperature of the working medium, it is necessary that it be equipped with a thermostatic head.

When the temperature near the head of the three-way valve becomes higher than the set parameter, the fluid flow to the radiator is blocked - it is directed to the bypass. After the coolant cools down, the valve starts to work in the opposite direction, and the battery heats up again. This connection method is usually implemented in single-pipe heat supply systems, and with vertical wiring.

Summarizing

You can regulate heating batteries using several types of devices, but experts believe that best solution will use special control valves. Such products are manual taps and automated products - thermostats, and only in some cases it is possible to use a three-way valve with a thermal head.

In high-rise apartments with central heating, it is better to give preference to control valves or three-way valve. As for individual heat supply systems, the problem of how to reduce the temperature of the coolant in the heating battery is solved using thermostats.

If the owner of the apartment still prefers automatic adjustment of radiators, then a filter should be installed before the thermostat - it will trap most of the various impurities.

Greetings, comrades. Having considerable experience in this topic, I will tell you under what circumstances you need a thermostat and how to install it correctly. Well, at the same time I will explain which valves can be used to adjust the temperature of the heating radiator. Let's get started.

Why is it needed

Temperature adjustment for water heating is carried out in the only way - by throttling the device's connections (that is, by artificially limiting their throughput).

The installation of temperature controllers is mandatory in two cases:

1. Saving. If part of the premises in a house or apartment is temporarily not used, then for reasons of economy, the temperature in them is reduced to the minimum values ​​​​(16-18 degrees). To return a comfortable climate in the room, it is enough to open the valve on the supply to the battery;

It is impossible to completely block the heating in unused rooms. In addition to the possibility of defrosting a stopped device, you will get moisture condensation on the coldest surfaces of a room left without heating - window slopes and outer walls. Very soon, after the dampness, her faithful companion, the fungus, will catch up.

1. Two-pipe dead-end heating system. From the point of view of circulation, it represents several parallel circuits of different lengths. Of course, water will circulate only through batteries closest to the boiler or elevator.

When starting such a circuit, its balancing is necessarily performed - throttling those closest to the boiler or elevator node devices, allowing to redirect part of the volume of water to distant batteries.

Most often, thermostats are used to adjust the temperature regime of individual rooms to the preferences of their inhabitants.

Rule 1: Only Use Valves Designed for Choking

Why is it impossible to use ordinary taps and valves to regulate the temperature of individual sections of the heating system?

To explain this, I need to show and tell you how the valves of the respective varieties work.

Screw valves

The principle of operation of the screw valve is simple and clear:

• Stock screwed in and out of the thread in the valve head;
• Valve with gasket, movably fixed on the rod, covers the saddle, through the hole in which water or other coolant enters from below;
• Gland or O-ring ensures tightness of the movable rod. In this case, the gland packing is pressed from below from the side of the body by a thread on the rod through a brass washer.

The leakage of a valve with a worn gland can often be stopped by opening it all the way.

To limit the permeability of the eyeliner, you need to leave the screw valve half-closed. What will happen?

1. Gland packing will not be pressed from the side of the body and at the slightest development it will leak;
2. A valve movably mounted on the stem will hang out in a turbulent flow of water. Sooner or later, due to banal mechanical wear, it will come off the rod and cease to perform its functions. The valve will require repair, and the circuit will have to be reset to access the valve.

Ball Valves

A ball valve consists of a spherical valve with a through slot, a body, a handle and a pair of Teflon or fluoroplastic rings - seats, which ensure the tightness of the valve to the body.

In the open position of the valve, the flow of the working medium moves through the hole in the gate. In closed saddles are in a static environment.

But in the half-open state, two troubles await us:

1. The water flow passes between the hole in the gate and the seat. At the same time, abrasive particles contained in water (fine sand, rust, etc.) contribute to the erosion of the soft polymer material of the sealing ring;
2. Even worse, these particles collect in the gap between the bolt and the body. If enough debris has accumulated there, an attempt to close ball valve will damage the seat.

Rule 2: if the lines are throttled, there must be a bypass between them

First of all, this applies to heating systems. apartment buildings. If there is no jumper between the connections to the radiator, installing a temperature controller on the battery will cause you to throttle the entire riser with it.

What is done by representatives of housing organizations in such cases?

• Bypass is being made apartments on the riser;
• An act is being drawn up about unauthorized changes to the hardware configuration common use(and the heating riser belongs to this category);
• At the expense of the culprit for the neighbors heating billing is done for the entire time during which the air temperature in the apartments was below sanitary standards.

Throttling fittings on the supply line must be located relative to the jumper on the side of the radiator. When the throttle is closed, water will circulate through the bypass.

An exception to this rule is two-pipe systems in private houses and apartments with independent heating. In them, the throttling of one battery will not limit the circulation through the rest, but will increase the coolant flow through them.

special case

Often the jumper is supplied with a crane that completely blocks it. In the closed position, the valve allows you to slightly raise the air temperature in the room: the entire flow of water is directed to the radiator and heats up its distant sections more efficiently.

If the taps or throttles on the inlets are covered, the tap on the jumper must be fully open.

Rule 3: thermal heads are more convenient than chokes

The thermostat for the battery can be one of three varieties:

	Three way plug valves were used in the installation of the Khrushchev heating system. They were placed on the connection of the jumper with one of the eyeliners. Depending on the position of the faucet handle, the water flow was directed to the radiator, jumper, or completely blocked.
	Needle choke resembles a screw valve, but its valve is conical and is part of the stem.
	Thermal head regulates the permeability of the eyeliner due to the thermal expansion of a liquid or solid working fluid - a material with a high coefficient of thermal expansion. When heated, the bellows in the body of the thermal head lengthens and extends the stem that blocks the inlet. When cooled, the rod returns to its original position by a return spring

Closed by ignorance three-way valve often causes accidents. That is why in the houses of the newer Soviet-built throttling fittings were completely removed from the apartments.

The first type of thermostat can not be considered as a competing solution: it has long since disappeared from the market and is found only in houses built before the mid-60s.

The throttle is regulated only in manual mode, while the temperature change in the room occurs with a delay of 1-2 hours: first, the water flow through the inlet stabilizes, then the temperature of the radiator slowly changes, and only then the air begins to heat up or cool down.

The thermal head after the basic adjustment (the target temperature set on it) maintains the climate in the room in a fully automatic mode. Timely adjustment not only maintains comfortable temperature but it also saves a lot of heat. Agree that in a private house with an autonomous heating system, this will not be superfluous.

The price of a set of a control valve and a thermostatic head varies from 1200 to 4000 rubles. Electronic devices gravitate to the upper limit of the range, maintaining the set temperature with high accuracy and allowing you to program temperature cycles (say, lower the temperature during your absence on weekdays).

Rule 4: the thermal head should not be heated by third-party heat sources

How to install a thermostat on the battery, ensuring its adequate operation?

In the case of a manual choke, the instruction is extremely simple: it breaks any of the eyeliners. The position of the throttle knob has no effect on its functionality.

Often, instead of a separate throttle and an American, a so-called corner radiator valve is used to connect the battery - a fitting that combines an American with a thermostat.

Do-it-yourself installation of a thermal head is a little more complicated. It must not be:

• Upstream warm air from the battery or supply to it;
• In the range of other heating devices (oil coolers, convectors, IR emitters);
• In a brightly lit place. Heating by sunlight can also affect the accuracy of the device.

Conclusion

As you can see, there are few rules for the installation of control valves for heating, they are all understandable and feasible. You can learn more about how to adjust the heat transfer of heating devices by watching the video in this article. I look forward to additions and comments to it. Good luck, comrades!

In modern heating systems that involve the distribution of underfloor heating, special heating temperature controllers for radiators are installed. The main function of these devices is to change the degree of heating of the room by changing the volume of coolant that passes through the radiators. Properly used and installed regulators able to increase the efficiency of the heating system.

Structural elements

Outwardly, the regulator resembles the most common tap installed at the inlet or outlet of pipelines from radiators, however, instead of a classic valve, these devices are equipped with a quick-release nut, with which a thermoelement is attached to the body.

Heating temperature controllers for radiators and similar control devices for heating appliances usually consist of two main systems:

A thermostatic valve is required to effectively control the transfer of heat from a heating appliance. At the same time, its amount that passes through the radiator must constantly change depending on the room temperature.

Regulator Features

For heating batteries, they work in automatic mode. At first, it is only necessary to determine the required degree of heating of the heater using a graduated scale located on the thermal head.

Modern regulators function in such a way that they never shut off the coolant supply to the radiators, but only reduce or increase it depending on the room temperature.

The valve is a device that provides fine control over the heating of the heater. When determining the temperature regime in the room, the error will be minimal. How to regulate the temperature of the heating battery correctly will be discussed below.

Principle of operation

One of the key parts of the thermostatic valve is the stem, which is equipped with a rubber seal. This rod is movable, it can rise and fall, while changing the diameter of the hole through which the coolant enters the radiator.

When the valves are opened, a large volume of liquid will begin to circulate in the heaters, and they will begin to heat more strongly. A radiator temperature regulator with a lowered rod will reduce the amount of coolant passing through. For the heater, this means less intensive heating.

Main types

Heating batteries can be of the following types:

1. Devices with mechanical adjustment of the flow rate of the liquid passing through the valve.
2. Devices with a thermostatic head controlled by a bellows.
3. Devices with a thermostatic head controlled by a remote thermostatic sensor.

All three types of this equipment can be combined on one basis - the presence of a thermostatic valve. It is located at the bottom of the structure. The main difference lies in the thermal head.

There is a special scale on the valve head. Thanks to these numbers, you can set the desired temperature.

Main types

To date, heating temperature controllers are used for radiators of the following types:

The regulator, which is installed in a two-pipe system, is usually calculated in such a way that it does not go out of operation during pressure drops. This is due to the fact that balancing is carried out through losses near the valve. To overcome this problem, the radiator temperature controller is equipped with a small flow area and a large hydraulic resistance.

Installation Features

It is worth noting that heaters controlled by thermostats can create completely new conditions for the heating system. For example, after long-term cold weather, the temperature finally became a few degrees higher. Accordingly, the heat loss in the room became less.

This information is unambiguously perceived by heating temperature controllers for radiators as a signal to shut off the coolant. In this case, its consumption falls, and then gradually tends to zero. Accordingly, the pressure in the heat pipe begins to gradually increase. To prevent discomfort, in such situations, designers install in the system immediately after the circulation pump.

Temperature in heating batteries: norms

The heating system must work in such a way that the rooms are comfortable. As a rule, the temperature regime is regulated. For example, in kindergartens and hospitals it is 21 degrees Celsius, in residential buildings- 18 degrees Celsius. However, depending on the temperature outside, the room loses different amounts of heat with air flows during ventilation and through the building envelope. Heating of the coolant in the heating system, depending on external factors, can vary within fairly wide limits. Temperature in radiators (standards prohibit 90 degrees Celsius due to decomposition coatings and dust) can be from 30 to 90 degrees Celsius.

It is necessary to use schedules designed specifically for each building. They express the dependence of the outdoor temperature on the parameters of the coolant. Automatic control according to the sensor readings is also used.

In order for the temperature of the radiators to be optimal and the regulation to be correct, you should use high-quality equipment and have information on how this is done correctly.

Regulation instruction

The procedure for setting the heating is carried out during the installation of thermostats and radiators. However, not everyone knows how to regulate the temperature of the heating battery.

So, self-regulation of heating devices occurs as follows:

1. A tap is attached to each device, which allows precise and at the same time smooth adjustment. In this case, the use of ball valves is not allowed.
2. First of all, it is necessary to open all available locking devices and select the coldest room. In the selected room, you will need to continue all further actions.
3. After that, the valve opens completely.
4. To simplify the temperature control procedure for each individual room, you should purchase a separate thermometer (heat sensor) and install it.
5. With the help of a thermostat, the boiler heats up to the required temperature. You also need to pay attention to the aspect that cold rooms need to be warmed up a little more than others.
6. As soon as the temperature in the coldest rooms is normalized, it will be possible to move on to other rooms and perform similar actions using the regulator. To do this, you should screw on the taps on the heaters so that the air can be heated further. As soon as the required thermal regime is created, it is necessary to set the temperature on the boiler.

Conclusion

So, now you know how to regulate the temperature of the heating battery correctly. However, in order for the regulation to be really of high quality, it is necessary to purchase good temperature controllers, from well-known manufacturers. Then the heating system will serve for many years.

To install a thermostat, it is preferable to seek help from qualified specialists who have been professionally engaged in this business for a long time in order to prevent serious troubles in the future. You can get advice about the equipment you have chosen in any specialized store.