Do-it-yourself installation of heating pipes
Self-installation of home heating pipes is a rather difficult task, but quite doable. The work is based on welding individual pipe sections into a whole heating system, connecting radiators and a heating boiler. To weld metal pipes, you will have to use the services of a welder. Such a procedure promises extra costs, as well as smoke and soot from welding in the apartment. Well, if you decide to do the installation of heating pipes with your own hands, use polypropylene pipes for work.
Piping layout
The performance of your heating system depends on the correct wiring of the pipeline. There are various schemes of heating systems, but there are two, the most popular:
Very advantageous due to its independence from forced circulation of water. The water heated in the boiler will rise through the pipe to the upper point and descend through the pipeline through the radiators into the lower (return) pipe. From the return pipe, the water flows back into the boiler for heating. For the operation of this system, the pipeline is mounted in level. It is necessary that from the outlet of the boiler towards its inlet, along the entire pipeline there should be a slight slope for arbitrary circulation of water.
Such a system is advantageous in that it does not require the installation of a pump for water circulation. You save on electricity, and when it is turned off, the heating system continues to work. The disadvantage of the system lies only in its unaesthetic. The upper pipe is used with a larger diameter than in the bottom spill system. Such a pipeline is more difficult to hide in the wall. In addition, by saving on electricity and purchasing a pump, you will overpay for the increased consumption of the energy carrier used to operate the boiler.
Allows the use of plastic pipes of small diameter. The circulation of water in the pipeline will be provided by the pump. This type of system has a higher efficiency than the one discussed above.
The advantages of installing the pipeline include laying a thin plastic pipe under the floor of the building and connecting the underfloor heating system to it. Two small pieces of pipe will come out from under the floor to the radiator for connection. The disadvantage of this system is its dependence on the pump. If the electricity is turned off or the pump is broken, you will not be able to use the heating system.
All work begins with a plan for the heating system. If you decide to install heating from polypropylene pipes, practice soldering joints on unnecessary pieces of pipe. This will save you from unnecessary marriage at work. Based on the plan, purchase the required number of polypropylene pipes, fittings, taps, soldering iron.
- Punch holes in the walls and ceilings of the building where the pipeline will pass.
- Use scissors for cutting pipes to cut pieces of the required size, remove a small chamfer at the edges, for a better entry of the pipe into the fitting. On a reinforced pipe, clean the edge from the foil at a distance from the depth of the fitting. The reinforced pipe, covered with plastic on top, does not need to be stripped.
- Heat up your soldering iron and get ready to solder. Calculate so that most of the soldering of the structure is done on the table. The last soldering points should remain near the wall to connect the entire structure. This installation method will make your work easier, and you will not be in an uncomfortable position with a soldering iron on the floor to solder each pipe joint.
- Insert the end of the pipe into the nozzle of the soldering iron on one side, and at the same time the fitting on the other side. Warm up at 260°C. Remove the blanks from the soldering iron and connect by inserting the pipe into the fitting. Feeling the stop of the fitting wall, do not put any more pressure on the pipe. Otherwise, the crushed edge may reduce the diameter of the orifice. After a couple of seconds, the workpieces are soldered. Soldering pipes of different diameters requires its own time, which can be found in this table:
- Having soldered all possible areas on the table, lay the workpieces in their permanent place and fix the pipes in special holders. Next, you will have to solder all the blanks into a single pipeline by weight.
- The next step is to connect the radiators to your system. It is desirable to install a ball valve for each inlet and outlet of the radiator. If one radiator fails, it will be possible to turn it off with taps, and the entire heating system will continue to work. When installing taps, seal all threaded connections with FUM tape. Screw the fitting into the faucet with the transition from thread to plastic and solder to the common piping system. But this type of connection will be one-piece. To replace the radiator, you will have to cut the pipe, and then solder again. To avoid such a problem, install a detachable connection between the fitting and the tap - an American.
- Blow out the completely finished heating system with a compressor, directing the air flow into the upper pipe - the supply. Air must pass freely through the entire pipeline and radiators and exit into the lower pipe - the return. If the air does not pass, it means that during soldering you made a marriage and soldered the pipe through hole. There's nothing you can do about it, you'll have to cut the pipeline in places and look for defective soldering.
- After a successful test, connect the pipes to the pump and the heating boiler. Keep in mind that the boiler must be located at the lowest point from the entire piping system and a separate room. You make the connection with the same fittings with the transition of the thread to plastic.
- Pump water into the system, bleed air from the radiators and check all connections.
After that, your heating system is ready to work, you can turn on the pump and fire up the boiler. And polypropylene pipes will give you a guarantee of high-quality system operation for at least 50 years.
Video
In this video, a specialist will share his knowledge and tell you how to install a home heating system with your own hands:
