For each private household, the installation of a heating system is considered one of the fundamental issues. Modern construction technologies offer two options: a single-pipe or two-pipe system.

It is important not to sell cheap here, trying to reduce the cost of installation and purchase of materials. And only having understood the principle of operation of these systems, with their advantages and disadvantages, you can make the right choice.

The operation of a single-pipe heating system occurs according to fairly simple principles. There is only one closed pipeline through which the coolant circulates. Passing through the boiler, the carrier heats up, and passing through the radiators, it imparts this heat to them, after which, cooled, it again enters the boiler.

The riser in a single-pipe system is also one, and its location depends on the type of building. So, for one-story private houses, the horizontal scheme is best suited, while for multi-storey buildings - vertical.

Note! A hydraulic pump may be required to pump the coolant through vertical risers.

To improve the efficiency of a one-pipe system, some improvements can be made. For example, install bypasses - special elements, which are pipe sections connecting the direct and return pipes of the radiator.

This solution makes it possible to connect thermostats to the radiator that can control the temperature of each heating element, or completely disconnect them from the system. Another plus of bypasses is that they allow you to replace or repair individual heating elements without shutting down the entire system.

Mounting Features

In order for the heating system to give warmth to the owners of the house for many years, during the installation process it is worth adhering to the following sequence of actions:

• According to the developed project, the boiler is being installed.
• The pipeline is being installed. In places where the project provides for the installation of radiators and bypasses, tees are installed.
• If the system works according to the principle of natural circulation, it is necessary to provide a slope of 3-5 cm for each meter of length. For a circuit with forced circulation, a slope of 1 cm per meter of length will suffice.
• For systems with forced circulation, a circulation pump is installed. It should be borne in mind that the device is not designed for operation at high temperatures, so it would be better to install it near the return pipe inlet to the boiler. In addition, the pump must be connected to the electrical network.
• Installing an expansion tank. An open tank should be located at the highest point of the system, a closed one - in any convenient place (most often it is mounted near the boiler).
• Installation of heating radiators. They weigh a lot (especially when filled with water), so they are fixed with special brackets, which, as a rule, come with the kit. Installation is most often carried out under window openings.
• Additional devices are being installed - Mayevsky cranes, plugs, blocking devices.
• The final stage is testing the finished system, for which water or air is supplied under pressure. If the tests do not reveal problem areas, the system is ready for operation.

The water heating system can be one-pipe and two-pipe. Two-pipe is called so because two pipes are needed for operation - one from the boiler is supplied with hot coolant to the radiators, the other is cooled down from the heating elements and fed back into the boiler. Boilers of any type on any fuel can work with such a system. Both forced and natural circulation can be implemented. Two-pipe systems are installed in both one-story and two- or multi-story buildings.

Advantages and disadvantages

The main disadvantage of this method of organizing heating follows from the method of organizing the circulation of the coolant: a double number of pipes compared to the main competitor - a single-pipe system. Despite this situation, the cost of purchasing materials is slightly higher, and all due to the fact that with a 2-pipe system smaller diameters of both pipes and, accordingly, fittings are used, and they cost much less. So as a result, the cost of materials is higher, but not significantly. What is really more is the work, and accordingly it takes twice as much time.

This disadvantage is compensated by the fact that a thermostatic head can be installed on each radiator, with the help of which the system is easily balanced in automatic mode, which cannot be done in a single-pipe system. On such a device, you set the desired temperature of the coolant and it is constantly maintained with a small error (the exact value of the error depends on the brand). In a one-pipe system, it is possible to realize the ability to regulate the temperature of each radiator individually, but this requires a bypass with a needle or three-way valve, which complicates and increases the cost of the system, negating the savings in money for the purchase of materials and installation time.

Another disadvantage of a two-tube is the impossibility of repairing radiators without stopping the system. This is inconvenient and this property can be circumvented by placing ball valves near each heater on the supply and return. By blocking them, you can remove and repair the radiator or heated towel rail. The system will continue to function indefinitely.

But such an organization of heating has an important advantage: unlike a single pipe, in a system with two lines, water of the same temperature flows to each heating element - immediately from the boiler. Although it tends to take the path of least resistance and will not spread beyond the first radiator, installing thermostatic heads or flow control valves solves the problem.

There is another advantage - lower pressure losses and easier implementation of gravity heating or the use of smaller pumps for systems with forced circulation.

Classification of 2 pipe systems

Heating systems of any type are divided into open and closed. In the closed ones, a membrane-type expansion tank is installed, which makes it possible for the system to function at elevated pressure. Such a system makes it possible to use not only water as a coolant, but also ethylene glycol-based compounds, which have a lower freezing point (up to -40 ° C) and are also called antifreezes. For the normal operation of equipment in heating systems, special compositions designed for these purposes should be used, and not for general purposes, and even more so, not for automobiles. The same applies to the additives and additives used: only specialized ones. It is especially tough to adhere to this rule when using expensive modern boilers with automatic control - repairs in case of malfunctions will not be guaranteed, even if the breakdown is not directly related to the coolant.

In an open system, an open-type expansion tank is built in at the top point. A pipe is usually connected to it to remove air from the system, and a pipeline is also organized to drain excess water in the system. Sometimes warm water can be taken from the expansion tank for household needs, but in this case it is necessary to make the system recharge automatically, and also not to use additives and additives.

Vertical and horizontal two-pipe system

There are two types of organization of a two-pipe system - vertical and horizontal. Vertical is used most often in multi-storey buildings. It requires more pipes, but the possibility of connecting radiators on each floor is easily realized. The main advantage of such a system is the automatic air outlet (it tends to rise and exits there either through the expansion tank or through the drain valve).

The horizontal two-pipe system is used more often in one-story or, at most, two-story houses. To bleed air from the system, Mayevsky taps are installed on the radiators.

Two-pipe horizontal heating scheme for a two-story private house (click on the picture to enlarge)

Top and bottom wiring

According to the method of distributing the supply, a system with an upper and lower supply is distinguished. With the upper wiring, the pipe goes under the ceiling, and from it the supply pipes go down to the radiators. The return line runs along the floor. This method is good in that you can easily make a system with natural circulation - the difference in height creates a flow of sufficient force to ensure a good circulation rate, you just need to observe the slope with a sufficient angle. But such a system is becoming less and less popular due to aesthetic considerations. Although, if at the top under a suspended or stretch ceiling, then only pipes to the appliances will remain in sight, and they, in fact, can be monolithic into the wall. Upper and lower wiring are also used in vertical two-pipe systems. The difference is shown in the figure.

With lower wiring, the supply pipe goes lower, but higher than the return. The supply tube can be placed in the basement or semi-basement (the return line is even lower), between the rough and finish floor, etc. The coolant can be supplied / removed to the radiators by passing the pipes through the holes in the floor. With this arrangement, the connection is the most hidden and aesthetic. But here you need to select the location of the boiler: it does not matter in its position relative to the radiators - the pump will “push”, but in systems with natural circulation, the radiators must be above the level of the boiler, for which the boiler is buried.

The two-pipe heating system of a two-story private house is illustrated in the video. It has two wings, the temperature in each of which is regulated by valves, the lower type of wiring. System with forced circulation, because the boiler hangs on the wall.

Dead-end and associated two-pipe systems

A dead-end system is such a system in which the movement of the coolant supply and return flow is multidirectional. There is a system with passing traffic. It is also called the Tichelman loop / scheme. The latter option is easier to balance and configure, especially with long networks. If radiators with the same number of sections are installed in a system with a passing movement of the coolant, it is automatically balanced, while with a dead-end circuit, a thermostatic valve or needle valve will be required on each radiator.

Even if radiators of different numbers of sections and valves / valves are installed with the Tichelman scheme, the chance to balance such a scheme is much higher than a dead-end one, especially if it is quite long.

To balance a two-pipe system with multidirectional movement of the coolant, the valve on the first radiator must be screwed very tightly. And a situation may arise in which it will need to be closed so much that the coolant will not flow there. It turns out then you need to choose: the first battery in the network will not heat, or the last one, because in this case it will not be possible to equalize the heat transfer.

Heating systems for two wings

And yet, a system with a dead-end scheme is more often used. And all because the return line is longer and it is more difficult to assemble it. If your heating circuit is not very large, it is quite possible to adjust the heat transfer on each radiator and with a dead-end connection. If the circuit turns out to be large, but you don’t want to make a Tichelman loop, you can divide one large heating circuit into two smaller wings. There is a condition - for this there must be a technical possibility of such a network construction. In this case, in each circuit, after separation, it is necessary to install valves that will regulate the intensity of the coolant flow in each of the circuits. Without such valves, it is either very difficult or impossible to balance the system.

Different types of coolant circulation are demonstrated in the video, it also provides useful tips on installation and selection of equipment for heating systems.

Connecting heating radiators with a two-pipe system

In a two-pipe system, any of the ways to connect radiators is implemented: diagonal (cross), one-sided and bottom. The best option is a diagonal connection. In this case, the heat transfer from the heater can be in the region of 95-98% of the rated heat output of the device.

Despite the different values ​​​​of heat loss for each type of connection, they are all used, just in different situations. The bottom connection, although the most unproductive, is more common if the pipes are laid under the floor. In this case, it is the easiest to implement. It is possible to connect radiators with hidden laying according to other schemes, but then either large sections of pipes remain in sight, or they will need to be hidden in the wall.

Lateral connection is practiced, if necessary, with the number of sections not more than 15. In this case, there is almost no heat loss, but if the number of radiator sections is more than 15, a diagonal connection is required, otherwise the circulation and heat transfer will be insufficient.

Results

Although more materials are used to organize two-pipe circuits, they are becoming more popular due to the more reliable circuit. In addition, such a system is easier to compensate.

Have you thought about the arrangement of water heating in the house? It is not surprising, because the single-pipe heating system of a private house can be traditional and completely non-volatile, or, on the contrary, very modern and fully automatic.

But you still have doubts about the reliability of this option - you don’t know which scheme to choose and what “pitfalls” await you? We will help clarify these issues - the article discusses the arrangement of a one-pipe system, the pros and cons that await the owner of a house with a similar heating system.

The material of the article is provided with detailed diagrams and visual photos depicting individual elements used in the assembly of heating. In addition, a video has been selected with an analysis of the nuances of installing a one-pipe system with underfloor heating.

In low-rise construction, the most widespread is a simple, reliable and economical design with a single line. The single-pipe system remains the most popular way to organize individual heat supply. It functions due to the continuous circulation of the heat transfer fluid.

Moving through the pipes from the source of thermal energy (boiler) to the heating elements and back, it gives up its thermal energy and heats the building.

The heat carrier can be air, steam, water or antifreeze, which is used in houses of periodic residence. The most common.

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The unit consists of an air vent, a pressure gauge and a safety valve for discharging the coolant in emergency mode. It is mounted with shut-off valves on the supply pipeline for the possibility of shutting down in case of repair.

If there is a rise in the pipeline, then it is located at its highest point.

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Today, several heating systems are known. Conventionally, they are divided into two types: one-pipe and two-pipe. To determine the best heating system, you need to be well versed in the principle of their work. With this, it will be easy to make the choice of the most suitable heating system, taking into account all the positive and negative qualities. In addition to technical characteristics, when choosing, you must also take into account your financial capabilities. And yet, is a single-pipe or two-pipe heating system better and more efficient?

Here are all the details that are installed in each system. The most important are:

Positive and negative properties of a one-pipe system

It consists of one horizontal collector and several heating batteries connected to the collector by two connections. Part of the coolant moving through the main pipe enters the radiator. Here, heat is released, the room is heated and the liquid returns back to the collector. The next battery gets liquid, the temperature of which is slightly lower. This continues until the last radiator is filled with coolant.

The main distinguishing feature of a single-pipe system is the absence of two pipelines: return and supply. This is the main advantage.

No need to run two lines. It will take much less pipes, and installation will be simpler. No need to break through the walls and make additional fastenings. It would seem that the cost of such a scheme is much lower. Unfortunately, this does not always happen.

Modern fittings allow for automatic adjustment of the heat transfer of each individual battery. To do this, it is necessary to install special thermostats with a large flow area.

However, they will not help to get rid of the main drawback associated with the cooling of the coolant after it enters the next battery. Because of this, the heat transfer of the radiator included in the common circuit is reduced. To keep warm, it is necessary to increase the battery power by increasing additional sections. Such work increases the cost of the heating system.

If you make the connection of the device and the line from pipes of the same diameter, the flow will be divided into two parts. But this is unacceptable, since the coolant will begin to cool quickly when it enters the first radiator. In order for the battery to be filled with at least a third of the coolant flow, it is necessary to increase the size of the common collector by about 2 times.

And if the collector is installed in a large two-story house, the area of ​​\u200b\u200bwhich exceeds 100 m2? For the normal passage of the coolant, pipes with a diameter of 32 mm must be laid around the entire circle. To mount such a system, you will need a large financial investment.

To create water circulation in a private one-story house, you need to supply a one-pipe heating system with an accelerating vertical collector, the height of which should exceed 2 meters. It is installed after the boiler. There is only one exception, this is a pumping system equipped with a wall-mounted boiler that is hung at the right height. The pump and all additional elements also lead to an increase in the cost of single-pipe heating.

Individual construction and single-pipe heating

The installation of such heating, which has a single main riser in a one-story building, eliminates the serious drawback of this scheme, uneven heating. If something like this is done in a multi-storey building, the heating of the upper floors will be noticeably stronger than the heating of the lower floors. As a result, an unpleasant situation will arise: it is very hot upstairs, and cold downstairs. A private cottage usually has 2 floors, so the installation of such a heating scheme will evenly heat the entire house. Nowhere will it be cold.

Two-pipe heating system

The operation of such a system has some differences from the above scheme. The coolant moves along the riser, getting into each device through the outlet pipes. Then it returns to the main pipeline through the return pipe, and from there it is transported to the heating boiler.

To ensure the operability of such a scheme, two pipes are supplied to the radiator: through one, the main supply of the coolant is carried out, and through the other it returns to the common line. That is why they began to call it two-pipe.

Pipes are installed around the entire perimeter of the heated building. Radiators are installed between pipes to dampen pressure surges and form hydraulic jumpers. Such work creates additional difficulties, but they can be reduced by creating the correct circuit.

Two-pipe systems are divided into types:

Main advantages

What are the benefits of such systems? The installation of such a heating system makes it possible to achieve uniform heating of each battery. The temperature in the building will be the same on all floors.

If you attach a special thermostat to the radiator, you can adjust the desired temperature in the building yourself. These devices do not have any effect on the heat dissipation of the battery.

Two-pipe piping makes it possible to maintain the pressure value during the movement of the coolant. It does not require an additional high capacity hydraulic pump. The circulation of water occurs due to the gravitational force, in other words, by gravity. With poor pressure, you can use a low-power pumping unit that does not require special maintenance and is quite economical.

If you use shut-off equipment, various valves and bypasses, you will be able to mount such systems in which it becomes possible to repair only one radiator without turning off the heating of the whole house.

Another advantage of the two-pipe piping is the possibility of using any direction of hot water.

The principle of operation of the passing circuit

In this case, the movement of water along the return and main pipes occurs along the same path. With a dead-end scheme - in different directions. When the water in the system has a favorable direction, and the radiators have the same power, excellent hydraulic balancing is obtained. This eliminates the use of battery valves for presetting.

With different power of radiators, it becomes necessary to calculate the heat loss of each individual radiator. To normalize the operation of heating devices, it will be necessary to install thermostatic valves. This is difficult to do on your own without specific knowledge.

Hydraulic gravity flow is used during the installation of a long pipeline. In short systems, a dead-end circulation scheme of the coolant is created.

How is a two-pipe system serviced?

In order for the service to be of high quality and professional, it is necessary to perform a whole range of operations:

• adjustment;
• balancing;
• setting.

Special pipes are used to adjust and balance the system. They are installed at the very top of the system and at its lowest point. The air is discharged after opening the upper pipe, and the lower outlet is used to drain the water.

Excess air accumulated in the batteries is bled off with the help of special taps.

To adjust the pressure of the system, a special container is installed. Air is pumped into it with a conventional pump.

Using special regulators that help reduce the water pressure in a particular radiator, a two-pipe heating system is configured. After the pressure is redistributed, the temperature in all radiators is equalized.

How to make a double pipe from a single pipe

Since the main difference between these systems is the decoupling of threads, it is quite simple to perform such an alteration. It is necessary to lay another pipeline parallel to the existing highway. Its diameter should be one size smaller. Near the last device, the end of the old collector is cut off and tightly closed. The remaining section is connected in front of the boiler directly to the new pipeline.

A passing scheme of water circulation is formed. The outgoing coolant must be sent through a new pipeline. To this end, the inlet pipes of all radiators must be reconnected. That is, disconnect from the old collector and connect to the new one, according to the diagram:

The conversion process can cause additional difficulties. For example, there will be no place for laying a second highway, or it is very difficult to break through the ceiling.

That is why, before you start such a reconstruction, you need to think through all the details of future work. It may be possible to adjust the one-pipe system without making any alterations.

Currently, two types of piping are used for heating systems: single-pipe and two-pipe. The presence of various housing stock allows you to choose the most efficient type of heating for each individual situation.

Comfort in the home during the cold season and reasonable savings on the purchase of material and installation largely depend on the correct choice of the heating system. Having studied the pros and cons of the systems, it will be possible to make the best choice for your home, apartment.

Single pipe heating

The principle of operation of such a system is quite simple, along the riser (supply line) the hot coolant rises to the last floor of an apartment building and goes down along the main line, passing through the heating devices of each floor. The intensity of heating will decrease from top to bottom, although in a private 1-2-storey household there is no big difference in temperature difference, the heating of radiators occurs evenly.

The advantages of such a system:

• Hydraulic stability of the system;
• Ease of design and installation of the system, which significantly affects the timing of the work;
• The cost of the material is reduced by a line consisting of one pipe with a coolant;
• A single-pipe line does not overload the design of the premises with complex engineering solutions for wiring and connecting radiators;
• The use of modern radiators, shut-off valves for balancing the system and automatic temperature controllers ensures uniform heating of the air in the premises;
• Shut-off valves provide the ability to dismantle any radiator in the system without stopping the heating system and discharging water in the system.

Negative aspects of using a single-pipe system

• Requires the production of an accurate hydraulic and thermal calculation of the system;
• Difficulty in performing system reconstruction or eliminating calculation and installation errors due to system imbalance;
• High degree of dependence in the operation of heating devices from each other;
• The system is limited to 8-10 radiators on one riser, the temperature difference from the first radiator to the last depends on their number and can cause significant underheating of the premises in winter;
• High hydraulic resistance overloads the circulation pump and requires more performance from it;
• To compensate for heat loss, an increase in the number of radiator sections at the end of the riser is required.

During the operation of such a system, many measures have been developed to improve its operation, which allow you to control the operation of heaters connected to one riser without a significant change in the temperature regime of adjacent radiators in the common system.

Each radiator is equipped with a bypass transit pipeline, this is a jumper with a tap, valve or automatic thermostat that manually or automatically regulates the supply of boiler water to the heating radiator. The presence of shutoff valves allows you to completely exclude the radiator from the system without compromising the heating of the entire house. The correct calculation, installation and balancing of such a system can only be performed by a certified heating engineer.

Distribution of the heating system with two pipes

Such a system serves the battery system with two pipes: a hot coolant supply and a return to return the cooled water back to the boiler.

Currently, this system is recognized by most experts as the most reliable in operation and safe for used heating devices.

Advantages of a two-pipe system:

• Ease of implementation of temperature control in each room without changing the operation parameters of neighboring radiators in the system (on the riser);
• Ease of installation of radiators, which ensures the independent operation of each element of the system;
• Changes in the heating system in the future will in no way lead to a violation of the temperature balance in the premises, in other words, you can add a radiator anywhere or change the number of its sections;
• The possibility of freezing of the heating system in the end sections in insufficiently insulated or office premises has been minimized.

The disadvantages of such a system:

• More complex installation of the system due to the connection diagram of heating devices;
• Additional material consumption due to the increase in the number of pipes;
• Complex decoration of pipes and assemblies in a small apartment and limited areas.

Each type of heating system has its pros and cons, but if you want to get more comfort with a total area of ​​​​heated premises over 100 square meters. m, you need to opt for a two-pipe system. In European countries, the single-pipe system was abandoned in the last century. Well, problems arise in any systems with a certain curvature of the hands ...