Two-pipe closed systems supply heat. We understand together: what is more efficient single-pipe or two-pipe heating system? Advantages of a single-pipe heating system and its disadvantages

When abandoning inefficient centralized heating in favor of an individual system, it can be difficult for the landlord to decide which is better: a single-pipe or two-pipe heating system. Let's find out which type of system is better to choose for installation, what is the difference between these connection schemes and how significant it is.

Advantages and disadvantages of one-pipe and two-pipe heating systems

The main difference between the two heating schemes is that the two-pipe connection system is more efficient in operation due to the parallel arrangement of two pipes, one of which supplies the heated coolant to the radiator, and the other drains the cooled liquid.

The scheme of a single-pipe system is a series-type wiring, in connection with which the first connected radiator receives the maximum amount of thermal energy, and each subsequent one heats up less and less.

However, efficiency is an important, but not the only criterion that you need to rely on when deciding to choose one or another scheme. Consider all the pros and cons of both options.

Advantages:

ease of design and installation;
savings in materials due to the installation of only one line;
natural circulation of the coolant, possible due to high pressure.

Flaws:

complex calculation of thermal and hydraulic parameters of the network;
the difficulty of eliminating errors made in the design;
all elements of the network are interdependent; if one section of the network fails, the entire circuit stops working;
the number of radiators on one riser is limited;
regulation of the flow of coolant into a separate battery is not possible;
high coefficient of heat loss.

Two-pipe heating system

Advantages:

the ability to install a thermostat on each radiator;
independence of the network elements;
the possibility of inserting additional batteries into an already assembled line;
ease of elimination of errors made at the design stage;
to increase the volume of coolant in heating devices, it is not necessary to add additional sections;
no restrictions on the length of the contour along the length;
the coolant with the desired temperature is supplied throughout the entire ring of the pipeline, regardless of the heating parameters.

Flaws:

complex connection scheme compared to single-pipe;
higher consumption of materials;
installation requires a lot of time and labor.

Thus, a two-pipe heating system is more preferable in all respects. Why do the owners of apartments and houses refuse it in favor of a one-pipe scheme? Most likely, this is due to the high cost of the installation and the high consumption of materials necessary for laying two highways at once. However, one should take into account the fact that a two-pipe system involves the use of pipes of a smaller diameter, which are cheaper, so the total cost of arranging a two-pipe option will not be much more than a single-pipe one.

The owners of apartments in new buildings are lucky: in new houses, unlike residential buildings of Soviet development, a more efficient two-pipe heating system is increasingly being used.

Types of two-pipe systems

Two-pipe systems are divided into types depending on:

type of circuit (open and closed);
method and direction of water flow (flow and dead ends);
method of moving the coolant (with natural and forced circulation).

Systems with open and closed circuits

The open-type two-pipe system in city apartments did not take root due to the peculiarity associated with the upper piping, which involves the use of an expansion tank. This device makes it possible to control and replenish the heating system with water, but there is not always a place in the apartment for mounting such a volumetric device.

Flow and dead ends

In a flow system, the direction of water flow in the supply and discharge pipes does not change. With a dead-end scheme, the coolant in the supply and return pipes moves in opposite directions. Bypasses are installed in such a network, and radiators are located in closed areas, which makes it possible to turn off any of them without disturbing the heating.

With natural and forced circulation

For natural water circulation, pipes are laid with a mandatory slope; an expansion tank is installed at the top of the system. Forced circulation is carried out by a pump installed in the return pipe. Such a system requires air vent valves or Mayevsky taps.

Components of a two-pipe individual heating system

The two-pipe scheme of the individual heating network of the apartment includes the following elements:

heating boiler;
thermostatic valves for radiators;
automatic air valve;
balancing device;
pipes and fittings;
radiators;
valves and taps;
expansion tank;
filter;
temperature gauge;
circulation pump (if necessary);
safety valves.

Installation of a two-pipe heating system with top and bottom wiring

The two-pipe system has varieties according to the installation scheme. The most commonly used top and bottom wiring types.

Top wiring

Laying the upper wiring involves installation work to fix the heating system under the ceiling of the room. Batteries installed in places where cold air accumulates (window openings, balcony doors) are supplied with branches coming from the main pipeline. Liquid enters the lower part of the pipeline, which is a bypass, and cools down during circulation. Such a system is suitable for large premises; in one-room or two-room apartments, installation of heating with an upper wiring is not recommended, since this is unprofitable for the owner from an economic and design point of view.

Installation of a heating circuit with an upper horizontal wiring is carried out according to the following scheme:

An angle fitting, necessary for connecting the pipe pointing upwards, is mounted to the boiler outlet.
With the help of tees and corners, a horizontal installation of the upper line is carried out: the tees are installed above the battery, the corners are on the sides.
The final stage of the installation of the upper horizontal is the installation of tees with pipes on the battery, supplemented by a shut-off valve.
On the lower branch, the outlet ends are connected to a common return line, on the section of which an injection pumping station (circulation pump) is installed.

Bottom wiring

In a network with a lower wiring, outlet channels and supply heat pipes are installed. The superiority of the lower mounting scheme is expressed as follows:

Heating pipes are located in the lower, inconspicuous part of the room, which gives more opportunities for the implementation of various design projects.
Minimum consumption of pipes: all installation work is carried out practically at the same level. The wiring point and radiator pipes are located at a short distance from each other.
Due to the simplicity of the scheme, the installation of such a system will be possible even for a non-professional.

Important! The lower wiring is installed only if the circulation of the coolant is forced, otherwise the water will not move through the heating pipes. This scheme is applicable only in city apartments or one-story buildings.

One of the disadvantages of the circuit is the complexity of adjustment and balancing, but the ease of installation and reliability in operation covers these shortcomings.

Installation work begins with a drain from the boiler nozzles using an angle fitting in a downward direction.
Wiring is carried out at floor level along the wall using two pipes of the same diameter. One of them connects the boiler pipe to the battery inlet, the other is connected to the receiving pipeline.
Connections of radiators with pipes are made using tees.
The expansion tank is located at the highest point of the supply pipe.
The end of the outlet pipe is connected to the circulation pump, the pump itself is located at the entrance to the heating tank.

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.

Most of the heating systems of multi-apartment and private houses are built according to this scheme. What are its advantages and are there any disadvantages?

Can a do-it-yourself two-pipe heating system be installed?

The difference between a two-pipe heating system and a single-pipe

Let's first decide what kind of animal it is - a two-pipe heating system. That she uses exactly two pipes is easy to guess from the name; but where do they lead and why are they needed?

The fact is that in order to heat the heater with any coolant, its circulation is needed. It can be achieved in one of two ways:

One-pipe scheme (the so-called barrack type)
Double heating.

In the first case, the entire heating system is one large ring. It can be opened by heating devices, or, which is much more reasonable, they can be placed in parallel with the pipe; the main thing is that a separate supply and return pipeline does not pass through the heated room.

Rather, in this case, these functions are combined by the same pipe.

What do we gain and what do we lose in this case?

Advantage: minimal material costs.
Disadvantage: a large variation in the temperature of the coolant between the radiators at the beginning and at the end of the ring.

The second scheme - two-pipe heating - is a little more complicated and costly. Through the entire room (in the case of a multi-storey building - at least on one of its floors or in the basement) there are two pipelines - supply and return.

According to the first, the hot coolant (most often ordinary industrial water) is sent to the heaters in order to give them heat, according to the second, it returns.

Each heater (or a riser with several heaters) is placed in the gap between the supply and return.

There are two main consequences of such a connection scheme:

Disadvantage: much more pipe consumption for two pipelines instead of one.
Advantage: the ability to supply a coolant of approximately the same temperature to ALL heating devices.

Tip: for each heater in the case of a large room, it is imperative to install a control throttle.

This will allow you to even out the temperature more precisely, making it so that the flow of water from the supply to the return line on the nearby radiators will not "land" those more distant from the boiler or elevator.

Features of two-pipe heating systems in apartment buildings

In the case of apartment buildings, of course, no one puts chokes on individual risers and regulates the flow of water all the time; equalization of the temperature of the coolant at different distances from the elevator is achieved in a different way: the supply and return pipelines running through the basement (the so-called heating bed) has a much larger diameter than the heating risers.

Alas, in new houses built after the collapse of the Soviet Union and the disappearance of strict state control over construction organizations, it began to be practiced to use pipes of approximately the same diameter on risers and logs, as well as thin-walled pipes installed for welding valves and other nice signs of a new social order.

The consequence of such savings is cold radiators in apartments located at the maximum distance from the elevator unit; by a funny coincidence, these apartments are usually corner and have a common wall with the street. Pretty cold wall.

However, we digress from the topic. The two-pipe heating system in an apartment building has one more feature: for its normal functioning, water must circulate through the risers, rising and falling up and down. If something interferes with it, the riser with all the batteries remains cold.

What to do if the house heating system is running, but the radiators are at room temperature?

Make sure the valves on the riser are open.
If all the flags and lambs are in the “open” position, close one of the paired risers (of course, we are talking about a house with where both beds are in the basement) and open the reset located next to it.
If the water flows with normal pressure, there are no obstacles to the normal circulation of the riser, except for air at its upper points. Tip: Drain plenty of water until, after a long snort of the air-water mixture, a powerful and stable jet of hot water comes out. Perhaps in this case you will not need to go up to the top floor and bleed air there - circulation will be restored after launch.
If the water does not flow, try bypassing the riser in the opposite direction: perhaps a piece of scale or slag is stuck somewhere. It can be carried away by countercurrent.
If all attempts have not had an effect and the riser does not go to the discharge, most likely it will be necessary to search for a room in which repairs were made and heating appliances were changed. Here you can expect any trick: a removed and muffled radiator without a jumper, a completely cut riser with plugs at both ends, a throttle blocked for general reasons - again in the absence of a jumper ... Human stupidity truly gives an idea of infinity.

Top filling system features

Another way in which the installation of a two-pipe heating system is carried out is the so-called top filling. What is the difference? Only that the supply pipeline migrates to the attic or upper floor. A vertical pipe connects the feed filling to the elevator.

Circulation from top to bottom; the path of water from supply to return at the same height of the building is half as long; all the air is not in the jumpers of the risers in the apartments, but in a special expansion tank at the top of the supply pipeline.

The launch of such a heating system is immeasurably easier: after all, for the full operation of all heating risers, you do not need to get into every room on the top floor and bleed air there.

It is more problematic to turn off the risers if repairs are needed: after all, you need to go down to the basement and go up to the attic. Shut-off valves are located here and there.

However, the above two-pipe heating systems are still more typical for apartment buildings. What about private traders?

It’s worth starting with the fact that in private houses the 2-pipe heating system used can be radiant and sequential according to the type of connection of heating devices.

Radiation: from the collector to each heater there is its own supply and its own return.
Sequential: from a common pair of pipelines, radiators are powered by all heating devices.

The advantages of the first connection scheme boil down mainly to the fact that with such a connection, balancing of the two-pipe heating system is not required - there is no need to adjust the patency of the chokes for radiators located closer to the boiler. The temperature will be the same everywhere anyway (of course, with at least approximately the same length of the rays).

Its main drawback is the largest pipe consumption among all possible schemes. In addition, it will be simply unrealistic to stretch the piping to most of the radiators along the walls, retaining any decent appearance: they will have to be hidden under the screed during construction.

You can, of course, drag it through the basement, but remember: in private houses there are often simply no basements of sufficient height with free access there. In addition, it is somehow convenient to use the beam scheme only when building a one-story house.

What do we have in the second case?

Of course, we have left the main drawback of single-pipe heating. The temperature of the coolant in all heating devices can theoretically be the same. The key word is theoretical.

Setting up the heating system

In order for everything to work exactly the way we want, we need to set up a two-pipe heating system.

The setup procedure itself is extremely simple: you need to turn the throttles on the radiators, starting from those closest to the boiler, reducing the flow of water through them. The goal is to make sure that a decrease in the flow of water through nearby heaters increases the flow of water in distant ones.

The algorithm is simple: we slightly tighten the valve and measure the temperature on the distant heater. With a thermometer or by touch - in this case it doesn’t matter: the human hand perfectly feels the difference of five degrees, and we don’t need more accuracy.

Alas, it is impossible to give a more accurate recipe, except for “pressing and measuring”: it is an unrealistic task to calculate the exact permeability for each throttle at each coolant temperature, and then also adjust it to achieve the desired numbers.

Two points to consider when adjusting a two-pipe heating system:

It takes a long time simply because after each change in the dynamics of the coolant, the temperature distribution stabilizes for a long time.
Adjustment of the heating of a two-pipe system should be carried out BEFORE the onset of cold weather. This will prevent you from defrosting your home heating system if you miss the setting.

Tip: with a small amount of coolant, you can use non-freezing coolants - the same antifreeze or oil. This is more expensive, but you can leave the house without heating in winter, without fear for pipes and batteries.

Horizontal wiring system

With the horizontal arrangement of the supply and return pipelines, recently from its patrimony - private and low-rise buildings - it began to penetrate into multi-storey new buildings.

Apparently, this is most due to the fact that studio apartments began to gain popularity: with a large area of \u200b\u200bthe room without internal partitions, it is simply unprofitable to pull risers through the ceilings, as a 2-pipe vertical heating system implies; much easier to do horizontal wiring.

A two-pipe horizontal heating system in a typical modern house looks like this: risers from the basement pass along the porch. On each floor, tie-ins are made into the risers, which supply the coolant to the apartment through the valves and drain the waste water into the return pipeline.

Everything else is exactly like in a private house: two pipes, batteries and chokes on each of them. By the way, a horizontal heating system - two-pipe or one-pipe - is easier to repair: to dismantle and replace a pipe section, it is not necessary to violate the integrity of the ceiling; this, of course, should be written down in the merits of such a scheme.

The horizontal two-pipe heating system has one feature that follows from its design and leaves its mark on the start of heating. In order for the heater to transfer maximum heat from the coolant to the room air, it must be completely filled.

And this means that each such heating device, being in a typical case above the supply and return pipelines, must be equipped with a Mayevsky crane or any other vent in the upper part.

Tip: Mayevsky taps are very compact and aesthetic, but they are not the most convenient device for removing air from a radiator.

Where aesthetics are unimportant (for example, when heating appliances are closed with decorative grilles), it will be more convenient to install a tap with a spout up or a ball valve.

We will not add this feature to the list of shortcomings: bypassing the batteries in one apartment once a year is not a big deal.

As you might guess, a two-pipe horizontal heating system is not only a solution strictly for one-story buildings or for apartment buildings with studio apartments. For example, a two-story house with separate rooms can also be heated in the same way; you just have to make the wiring identical on both floors and bring the pipelines from the boiler to both systems.

Of course, balancing such a heating system will have to take a little more time; but this is a one-time event, and it is not difficult to experience it once in a few years.

Finally - a few definitions and just useful tips.

In the direction of water flow in pipelines, a 2-pipe heating system can be dead-end and direct-flow.

A two-pipe dead-end heating system is a system in which the coolant moves through the supply and return pipelines in opposite directions.
In a direct-flow two-pipe heating system, the direction of the current in both pipelines is the same.

In private houses, two-pipe heating systems can be used with both forced and natural circulation.

Forced circulation of the coolant is provided by a circulation pump; this quiet and low-power device is supplied, in particular, in the same housing with many electric boilers.
Natural circulation is used in small heating systems; the principle of its operation is based on the fact that hot water has a lower density and rushes up.

A two-pipe closed heating system, that is, a system with constant pressure and without both water intake and heat carrier inflow from the outside, is the most popular solution for private houses with electric boilers.

In order to transfer heat to distant rooms from a solid fuel boiler or stove, an open one and two-pipe system is quite suitable.

The project of a two-pipe heating system may include radiators of any type, registers and convectors as heating devices; underfloor heating implies a different connection method.

In order to install the heating of a two-pipe system, it is certainly better to involve specialists in the work. However, the abundance of materials on this topic on the Internet and the ease of assembling modern plumbing and heating systems using fittings and machines for makes it possible for an amateur to do this work - there would be a desire.

If you are installing a two-pipe heating system for a two-story house, when balancing the system, it is worth considering the peculiarity of the communicating floors in terms of heat distribution: all other things being equal, it will always be warmer on the second floor.

In the process of designing a heating system, the question arises of how best to connect radiators - according to single pipe scheme or two-pipe?

Each connection method has its own characteristics, advantages and disadvantages. To choose the correct wiring diagram, you need to determine it efficiency for your home. What is the difference between single and double pipe systems? And what are the selection criteria?

Single-circuit heating scheme

A single-pipe system is the simplest option for connecting radiators and a boiler. It is used for heating small and medium rooms.

It has an important advantage - it gives the ability to organize work independently of the electric circulation pump.

In simplicity and independence from electricity, the main advantages of single-pipe wiring. How does it work?

Principle of operation

In a single-pipe scheme, the same pipe performs the function of supplying hot water and returning cold water. main pipe connects in series all radiators. At the same time, in each of them, the water loses part of the heat. Therefore, in a single-pipe heating scheme, there are hotter radiators - at the beginning, and cooler ones - at the end of the circuit.

Attention! The warmest rooms will be located right after the boiler. The rooms located in front of the entrance to the boiler will be cool. This must be taken into account when building a house.

With such a heating scheme, the first from the boiler should be large rooms - kitchen-dining rooms, halls. And the last - small bedrooms.

Arrangement

Single-pipe wiring ideal for organizing the movement of the coolant by gravity. With the correct location of the heating devices, the water inside the pipes will move independently, without the help of a circulation pump. For this, it is necessary to organize significant height difference between the boiler and the distribution manifold.

The heat carrier heating boiler is located as low as possible- on the ground floor of the premises or in the basement.

The collector through which heated water is distributed is located as high as possible - under the ceiling of the upper floor or in the attic. Water rises from the boiler into the collector during the heating process.

When heated, it expands, becomes lighter and therefore - rises up. Then from the distribution manifold it enters the supply pipe, then to the radiators and returns to the heating boiler.

Reference! In heating a large house, a single-pipe circuit can be divided for several successive runs. In this case, all of them will start from the distributing manifold and end in front of the boiler.

In addition to the boiler, the distributing manifold and radiators, they must be built into the circuit expansion tank. The coefficient of expansion of water depends on the amount of heating, with different heating, water expands in different ways. In this case, a certain amount of coolant is displaced from the system. To collect and store the displaced water, a tank.

The main driving force of the coolant is temperature rise of water. The higher the temperature of the coolant, the greater the speed of water movement through the pipes. The diameter of the pipes, the presence of corners and bends in them, the type and number of locking devices also affect the rate of gravity flow. In such a system, only Ball Valves. Conventional valves, even in the open position, create a barrier to the movement of water.

Vertical and horizontal wiring: differences

More often a one-pipe scheme collected at the level of one floor— in the horizontal plane.

Pipes are laid along the floor, connecting radiators in adjacent rooms located on the same floor. This distribution is called horizontal.

Less often the scheme is collected in a multi-storey building vertically. In this case, pipes connect rooms located one above the other. Such a heating scheme is called vertical. What is the difference between the two wirings, and which one is better for a private house?

Vertical layout:

Requires connection of specific batteries — elongated in height. Most of the radiators on the market are designed to be included in a horizontal system - they are extended in width. If the radiators are connected incorrectly, their efficiency is reduced.
Narrow batteries for vertical wiring heat well small spaces. And worse - large rooms.
Is different low probability of airing pipes, the formation of air congestion - the air is removed through a vertical riser.

Attention! Vertical wiring is optimal for a large number of floors with small areas of rooms.

Horizontal wiring:

Provides great choice of radiators.
Works more efficient vertical, which is due to the physics of the movement of the coolant through the pipes.

Horizontal wiring is used in the arrangement of heating on one floor. In a house of several floors, water is transferred between floors through a vertical riser. So for two- or three-storey cottage will be optimal combined system with elements of vertical and horizontal wiring.

Pros and cons of Leningradka

We list the advantages of single-pipe heating:

Simple and inexpensive arrangement, which provides a small number of pipes, connectors, nozzles and other additional devices in the system.
The ideal scheme for gravity water movement and for the organization gravity heating system without the need for a circulation pump.

Flaws:

Uneven heating rooms - there are hot and cool rooms.
Not suitable for organizing heating of large houses, the area of \u200b\u200bwhich more than 150 sq.m, or in the heating system of which is built more than 20 radiators.
Large pipe diameter makes unaesthetic their appearance on the walls.

Dual battery wiring

A two-pipe heating system differs from a single-pipe one by dividing it into two pipes - coolant supply and return. It provides uniform heating of all rooms. This wiring is used in most new homes.

Principle of operation

In a two-pipe scheme, water from the boiler enters the radiators through supply pipe (main).

Near each radiator, the supply line has a connecting inlet pipe through which the coolant enters the battery. The supply line ends near the last radiator.

In addition to the inlet pipe, each radiator has outlet pipe. He connects it to the return pipe. The return line starts from the first battery and ends with the entrance to the boiler.

Thus, heated water enters the radiators evenly and at the same temperature. From each radiator, water is discharged into the return pipe, where it is collected and fed into the boiler for subsequent heating. Thanks to this movement of the coolant, all rooms in the room warm up equally.

What is the difference

A two-pipe heating system includes elements of a one-pipe system and additional devices. In addition to the boiler, radiators, pipes for supplying and collecting water (the so-called return), the two-pipe scheme also includes circulation pump.

The large length of the lines, the presence of corners and turns in the supply pipes complicate the movement of the coolant. That's why needed his forced circulation electric pump.

Photo 1. Circulation pump model 32-40, voltage 220 Volts, manufacturer - "Oasis", China.

Also in the two-pipe scheme there is more faucets, regulating the supply of water and its quantity. Such a valve is installed in front of each radiator - at the inlet and outlet.

Location classification

In a horizontal two-pipe system, pipes connect the radiators horizontally. This scheme works in heating one-story house or one floor of a multi-storey cottage.

In a vertical two-pipe system, pipes connect radiators located one above the other in one "riser". However, there are differences from the single-pipe vertical scheme. Here - due to the presence of a supply and return pipe, vertical heating can be used batteries of any width — multi-section(since the supply and return risers can be removed from each other). Therefore, the efficiency of two-pipe vertical heating is higher.

Reference! It is desirable that the batteries of rooms located one above the other have the same number of sections. This makes it easier to lay a vertical return pipe.

Bottom and top strapping: which is more effective

The term "lower" and "upper" strapping means how to connect batteries to the system heating. With the lower piping, incoming water enters the battery through the lower pipe.

If it exits the radiator also at the bottom, then the efficiency of the radiator will be reduced by 20-22%.

If the outlet pipe is located at the top, then the efficiency of the radiator will be reduced by 10-15%. In any case, with the lower water supply to the batteries, the heating efficiency is reduced.

With the upper piping (supply), the inlet pipe is connected to the radiator in the upper part. In this case, the movement of the coolant is organized more efficiently, the battery will work by 97-100% (97% - if the inlet and outlet pipes are located on the same side of the radiator, and 100% - if the inlet pipe is on one side from the top, and the outlet is on the other side from the bottom).

Advantages and disadvantages

Advantages:

Suitable for organizing heating large private houses, while the circulation pump necessarily crashes into the system.
Heats all rooms on a floor or in a riser evenly.

Flaws:

manages expensive single-pipe system, since twice as many materials are required - pipes between the boiler and radiators, as well as connecting devices, taps, valves.
The circulation electric pump makes the system work dependent on the availability of electricity.

Important! An increase in the number of pipes and the amount of coolant in the system leads to growth of hydrodynamic resistance and does not allow the water to move by gravity. Forced circulation and a working circulation pump are required.

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Heating systems: one-pipe, two-pipe.

Nowadays, 2 different heating systems are installed in houses: one-pipe or two-pipe. Each has its own design features. Two-pipe heating systems are the most popular.

Nowadays, 2 different heating systems are installed in houses: one-pipe or two-pipe, and each has its own characteristics.

Single pipe heating system

In order to understand what it looks like, look at the ring with a stone. In the heating system, the boiler plays the role of a stone. As for the ring, these are pipes of a specific diameter that run along the perimeter of the entire building. Radiators are connected to them. The coolant is often water and sometimes antifreeze. The functionality of a single-pipe heating system is based on the gradual release of heat by water. After passing through the ring, the water returns to the boiler with a lower temperature.

This scheme usually has a natural circulation of the coolant. Hot water is first supplied to the top floor. And then, passing through the radiators, the part of the heat that has been given off descends to the boiler, having carried out full circulation. A single-pipe heating system can be supplemented with elements:

thermostatic valves;
radiator regulators;
balancing valves;
ball valves.

Thanks to them, it becomes more balanced and it becomes possible to change the temperature in certain radiators.

Distinctive features of the heating system

The biggest plus is electrical independence, and the minus is the pipes, which have a large diameter and the wiring is sloped.

Compared to the two-pipe option, there are quite a few advantages:

pipes can be diverted to the “warm floor” system or heating radiators can be connected;
it can be carried out regardless of the layout of the room;
it covers the entire perimeter with a closed ring;
it is less material-intensive and has a lower cost.

In use, it may sometimes be difficult to circulate through the pipes, but this is easily solved by installing pump equipment. It produces competent circulation of the coolant through the pipes.

The vertical single pipe scheme is a popular example of wiring in apartment buildings.

And the horizontal one is used mainly for heating huge rooms and is very rarely used in private buildings (mainly in small one-story houses). Here the supply pipe bypasses the heaters, which are on the same level. The water in each radiator cools down and, approaching the last heating devices, it becomes already significantly cooled. This scheme will help reduce installation and piping costs, but has two drawbacks.

Firstly, this is a problem with heat regulation in any heating device. You can not increase heat transfer, reduce it, turn off the radiator. In installation practice, there is a jumper - a bypass, which allows you to turn off the radiator without shutting down the system. Heating of the room is carried out indirectly by means of a riser or supply pipes. Another drawback is that you need to use radiators of various sizes. In order for the heat transfer to be the same, the first heater must be very small, and the last one must be large. A horizontal single-pipe heating scheme is also used.

Two pipe system

There are several types of it. The principle of operation is the same and consists in the following. Hot water rises through the riser and from it enters the radiators. And from them it enters the pipeline through highways and return lines, then into the heating device. With this system, the radiator is served by two pipes at the same time: return and supply, therefore it is called two-pipe. Water in this system is supplied directly from the water supply. She needs an expansion tank, which can be either simple or with water circulation.

The composition of the simple includes a container with 2 pipes. One is a water supply riser, and the second is used to drain excess liquid.

A more complex design has 4 pipes. 2 pipes provide circulation, and 2 others are needed for control and overflow, they also monitor the water level in the tank.

Two-pipe systems can be operated using a circulation pump. Depending on the circulation method, it can be co-current or dead-end. In the second, the movement of warm water is completely opposite to the direction of the already cooled one. Such a scheme is characterized by the length of the circulation rings, which depends on the distance of the heater to the boiler. Circulation rings have equal length in systems with one-way water flow, all devices and risers work under equal conditions.

A two-pipe heating system has a large set of advantages compared to a single-pipe:

the possibility of distributing the heat supply in different rooms;
can be used on one floor;
locking systems of the return and supply risers are located in the basement - this significantly saves the area of \u200b\u200bliving premises;
minimizing heat loss.

The only drawback is the considerable consumption of materials: you need 2 times more pipes than for a single-pipe connection. Also, the disadvantage is the low water pressure in the supply line: taps will be needed to bleed air.

The horizontal closed two-pipe scheme comes with a lower and upper wiring. The advantage of the lower wiring: sections of the system can be put into operation gradually, as the floors are built. The vertical two-pipe scheme can be used in houses with variable number of floors. Any of the varieties of two-pipe schemes is more expensive than single-pipe horizontal wiring; for the sake of comfort and design, it is worth giving preference to a two-pipe scheme.

One-pipe and two-pipe systems: comparison

Single-pipe systems, unlike two-pipe systems, do not have return risers. The heat carrier from the boiler, under the action of the circulation pressure or the pump, enters the upper heating devices. Cooling, he returns back to the supply riser and goes down. The lower radiators receive a mixture of coolant from the riser and from the upper radiators. Passing through all radiators and other heat consumers, the coolant returns to the boiler, where the process is repeated again. The temperature of the coolant decreases when passing in a circle, and therefore the lower the radiator is, the larger the heating surface should be.

For one-pipe systems, there are 2 schemes. This is a flow and mixed scheme. The flow circuit has a feature - the complete absence of jumpers between the supply and exit from the radiator. These schemes are almost never used in the installation of heating systems due to their impracticality. One battery breaks, and the riser needs to be turned off, because there is no way to turn on the coolant bypassing it. The advantage of single-pipe systems is the lower cost of building materials and ease of installation. Installation of single-pipe systems requires top wiring.

A two-pipe heating system can be operated in any houses: multi-storey, one-story, etc. A two-pipe heating system is easy to implement with normal circulation, since its configuration makes it possible to organize a circulation pressure, do not forget that the boiler must be installed below the level of the radiators. You can organize a heating system with forced circulation by simply placing a circulation pump in the circuit.

If it is possible to implement a ring scheme, then it must be done. A two-pipe system usually needs to be installed where there are difficulties with gas, power outages, etc. For this system, a solid fuel boiler and pipes with a larger diameter are enough. Bring firewood or coal, and do not worry about frost.

Methods for installing heating systems

Mounting methods depend on the characteristics of the system.

The cost of heating installation work is determined by the characteristics of a particular project, and only specialists with experience in such work can calculate everything.

If it is necessary to install heating with normal circulation, the installation of a system with a top spill will be effective. The water circulates through the pipes itself. Bottom spill systems do not work effectively without a circulation pump.

Scheme of the collector (beam) wiring of the heating system.

Installation methods are also classified:

by type of wiring (collector, beam);
by the number of risers;
by type of pipe connection (side or bottom).

Heating installation with bottom pipe connection is the most popular. It becomes possible not to run the pipeline directly along the walls, but to hide it under the floor or baseboard. An aesthetic appearance of the room is achieved.

The main classification of mounting methods is carried out in complete dependence on the scheme. You can install a two-pipe heating system or install a single-pipe heating system. In the second case, the water flows through the pipeline through the radiators, cooling along the way. The last radiator will be colder than the first. With a two-pipe system, 2 pipes are connected to the radiators: return and direct. This allows you to create the same temperature of the radiators. The first option is the simplest and cheapest, due to the low cost of materials. But it is effective only in small houses. If your house is over 100 square meters or it has more than 1 floor, it is better to install two-pipe heating.

The two-pipe system gives an excellent choice of ways to install radiators:

serial connection;
parallel connection;
lateral one-way connection;
diagonal connection.

Depending on the location of the supply risers, there are certain ways to install autonomous heating:

Heating with horizontal wiring.
Heating with vertical wiring.
Heating without risers with supply and return lines.

A single pipe system is cheaper. If you care about the quality of the heating system, there is no need to spare money for a two-pipe wiring, because we get the opportunity to control the heat in the rooms.