Autonomous heating based on electric heating element
Modern comfortable living is somehow connected with heating. This is one of the most important communications, which is considered at the stage of creating a development project. Central heat and power systems most often run on gas. But what to do if there are no gasification lines nearby, but heat is needed? In this case, autonomous heating is your option.
There are quite a lot of varieties of it, and they are very hotly discussed on the Internet. Typically, disputes arise around the profitability of a particular scheme, because the main task of all home-made autonomous heating systems is not to bankrupt their owners. And now we will look at one of these economical assemblies.
Operating principle
The battery is packed in the usual way using four bags. At the lower point of the radiator's beginning, instead of a shut-off fitting, an electric heating element is mounted. At the opposite upper point there is a Mayevsky valve for releasing excess air pressure. According to the author's plan, the radiator is filled with distilled water by gravity. The system is controlled by two thermostats - water and air.
- Radiator;
- Three standard fittings: two closed with plugs, one empty;
- Mayevsky crane;
- Heating element (heating element);
- Two thermostats – water and air;
- Plumbing fulente or tow;
- Three-core power cable for grounding with a plug.
- Gas or other large adjustable wrench;
- Open-end wrench for Mayevsky tap;
- Screwdriver, pliers, painting knife. Assembling the heating system
Step one - prepare the radiator and install the heating element
We pack the radiator liners in the usual way, winding sealing tape or tow with silicone sealant, and screw them through rubber gaskets. We tighten them with an adjustable or gas wrench. The heating element must be matched to the internal thread of the radiator. We screw it through the paronite gasket, wrapping the threads with fume tape. In his assembly, the author used a heating element with a power of only 0.8 kW for a cast iron radiator with 10 sections. The calculation can be made using the following formula, and selected according to the provided table (photo).
Step two - fill the battery
Prepare the coolant (distilled water). One section of cast iron batteries holds about 1.5 liters of liquid. We set the radiator horizontally and pour in coolant through a watering can or hose by gravity. The final liquid level should reach the beginning of the Mayevsky tap, leaving an air gap in the battery. Having filled the radiator, screw the tap through the rubber gasket into the sleeve, pressing lightly with an open-end wrench.
Step three - connect thermostats
The key to the rationality of such a heating system is the economical operation of the heating device (heating element). In our case, heating is carried out in two media of different densities - water and air. Therefore, there should be two thermostats.In addition, there is also a cast iron radiator, which has its own thermal resistance, thermal conductivity and heat transfer coefficients.
The water thermostat is responsible for limiting the heating of the coolant inside the radiator. Usually it comes as a standard addition to the heating element, and is a device in the form of a probe with a temperature sensor at the end. We insert it into the technological hole and connect it to the heating element. Using a rheostat, we set a limit on the temperature of the water inside the battery.
The air temperature in the room is regulated by a single-channel air thermostat. It can be placed nearby. Most of them are compact, intuitive to use and can be attached to almost any surface, such as a wall. The principle of operation is similar to a switch, so to connect it to the system, you just need to connect zero or phase through the breaker to choose from. One thermal sensor is also connected to the body, which can be extended at will. The thermostat is electronically adjustable and contains only two modes for setting the temperature - on and off. The memory of such a device is volatile, consumption is no more than 3 W.
We combine the thermostats into a single circuit, through which we connect the heating element. We install the radiator in its place, and glue the wall under it with foil insulation. This measure will reduce heat loss to the enclosing structures and make the operation of the system even more economical.
