Reasons for the appearance of air in the heating system
Air in the system
It is very difficult to surprise with air locks in a water heating system. With the onset of the heating season and the network fills with hot water, in many apartments located on the upper floors, the radiators often remain cold, while the rooms below are fully heated. If the system is looped, then the entire riser will be cold. The reason for this phenomenon is known and it lies in the accumulation of air in the heating system. There are many reasons for its appearance:
- Carrying out repair work on a separate section of the network, during which the dismantling and installation of pipelines and elements embedded in the network takes place. The entry of air into the system in this case is quite natural.
- During the assembly work of the main line, the slope angle was not observed.
- The presence of low pressure in the system, at which the water level drops, resulting in air entering places not filled with water.
- When the water heats up, air bubbles appear in the medium. Since air is lighter than water, it rises and concentrates in the batteries and upper sections of the network. This creates air pockets.
- The process of filling the system does not follow the rules. The network must be filled with hot water in a slow mode with parallel drainage of water from the heating system.
- Poor tightness of joints and connections of network elements. The coolant in these problem areas gradually leaks unnoticed and evaporates, and air is sucked inside.
- Due to a malfunction, unsatisfactory operation of the air intake devices may occur.
- Connection to a “warm floor” heating system, the network of which is located with a height difference.
Blowing out scale in batteries
With hot water, scale and foreign particles almost always get into the pipes. Just 1 mm of such deposits reduces the heat transfer coefficient by 15%. Therefore, experts necessarily recommend blowing out the batteries at the beginning of each heating season.
If it is the appearance of scale that is to blame for the loss of the desired temperature in the house, this will be indicated by the higher temperature of the riser compared to the batteries. Also in this case, you can feel uneven heating of the radiator sections and each part of it separately.
Deaeration methods
Air release
Often, one or more of the above problems are observed in heating systems in an apartment or house. They need to be solved and the air released so that the radiators heat up normally and transfer heat to the rooms. The operation of releasing air from the network can be carried out using different methods. In many ways, the chosen method depends on the type of hot water circulation: forced or natural.
- In a heating system with natural circulation, which is installed at the top of the pipes, unwanted air congestion can be eliminated using an expansion tank. It is located at the highest level compared to the entire network. The supply pipe must be laid with a rise to the expansion tank. If the pipe distribution is lower, the de-airing scheme occurs in the same way as in heating systems that are equipped with a circulation unit.
- If the heating system uses forced circulation, then an air collector is installed at the highest point through which air is discharged. In this mode, the pipeline gradually rises upward in the direction of hot water movement, and air bubbles are released through the air taps. These devices are always mounted at points located at the very top of the network. If repairs are necessary, during which the system is emptied, the return pipeline along its entire length is arranged with a slope that facilitates drainage of water.
A slope is required
How to remove a clogged heating battery: a review of chemicals
Quite often, an acid solution is used to clean pipes. We do not recommend using it at home. Most often, such techniques are used by mechanics who perform work at home or pick up batteries and carry out cleaning in a production environment.
To help remove scale better, you can tap the batteries with a wooden hammer during the cleaning process. It will not damage the paint and will promote better descaling. Typically used to clean car radiators.
List:
- Wynn's Cooling System Flush
- Cooling system cleaner LIQUI MOLI 1994
- Flushing the cooling system - Kuhler Reiniger
- Wynn's Radiator Flush
Cleaning products
We advise you to take care of this in advance and use the services of professionals. Thus, your pipes will be ready for the heating season, and you will be able to winter in warm and comfortable conditions.
Types of air vents
Air vents are divided into automatic and manual. In everyday life, manual air vents are called Mayevsky taps. These are small devices that are installed at the upper end of the battery. Typically, the tap is adjusted manually or using a screwdriver or wrench. Since the device is small, the performance is low. It is used locally - mainly for releasing air from a heating radiator.
Automatic and Mayevsky crane
Air vents of the second type operate without external intervention and are automatic. They are mounted on both horizontal and vertical sections of the network. Such devices are highly efficient, but since they suffer greatly from dirty water, they are installed complete with filters, both on the supply and return pipelines. Automatic devices are installed in closed heating systems along the length of the pipeline in different places. With this option, air is released from each unit separately. Deaeration of the system at different stages is considered quite productive. If the pipes are laid at a certain angle, the air will be released automatically. Everything is simple and easy.
Note!
The exit of air from the system occurs due to an increase in the supply of coolant and an increase in pressure in the network. If the water pressure in the system drops, it means that the pipes and devices are not properly sealed. A temperature difference indicates the presence of air in the batteries.
How to clean a heating battery at home? Blow out the heating batteries
Unfortunately, not everyone has such tools; therefore, it is almost impossible to carry out similar cleaning at home, without the help of specialists. If you live in an apartment building, you can do the cleaning yourself using hot water and baking soda.
Instructions:
- To do this, you need to lay several old sheets and towels on the bottom and walls of the bathroom. This will protect your bathroom enamel from damage. Next, the heating radiator is removed and immersed in the bathroom.
- Now you need to fill a basin with hot water, which is quite close in temperature to boiling water, and add soda ash there. For about 10 liters of water you will need a glass of soda.
- Using this solution, it is necessary to flush the pipes. This liquid is poured into the pipes and left for a few minutes. Next, a hose is connected to one of the holes, and hot water is supplied under pressure.
- Do not forget to put a mesh in the drain hole, because a lot of scale and solid particles will come out of the battery, which can cause sewer blockages.
- You will see that during the manipulation process, dirty water with small particles will begin to flow from the pipes. These are pieces of scale that appear. You can also clean it without using soda ash, using hot water. However, the efficiency will be much lower.
Radiator
Identifying the problem area and correcting the situation
How to identify the problem area
As a rule, the presence of air in the heating network is indicated by various sounds in the form of gurgling, as well as water leakage. In order for hot water to circulate normally, the air must be released. When looking for a place where air accumulates, you can use a regular hammer, which you need to lightly tap the problem areas. A ringing sound emanating from the impact of the instrument indicates the presence of an air blockage. It is usually found in apartments on the upper floors in radiators. To vent the heating radiator, you need to open the thermostat as much as possible, then do the same with the Mayevsky tap, and you need to place a container under the hole for water that will flow out.
Note!
A slight hiss will indicate that air is being removed. When water flows from the tap, the valve can be closed.
Hydraulic cleaning of radiators
This method of purging batteries is as effective as possible, although it is quite expensive. But with the help of hydraulics, the pipes and heating sections will completely get rid of all scale and other deposits.
A specialist with special equipment launches the working mixture into the riser located in the apartment. The process is carried out under high pressure, so it is better to place a deep dish at the exit so as not to flood or dirty the room too much. Plumbers use a powerful compressor to provide the required pressure in the channel that requires cleaning. This method removes all scale deposits from the walls inside the batteries, freeing up space for unhindered circulation of hot water.
According to many years of practice, hydraulic blowing is the optimal and most effective method for cleaning cast iron batteries. When it is impossible to carry out work in the apartment, the option remains to hand over the radiator to the service department. You can take a clogged battery for cleaning to a housing maintenance organization or to a plumbing store if they have a service center.
Remedies
Once we have figured out where the air in the batteries comes from, the next step is to learn how to eliminate it from the system. The most important thing is to know how to blow out the battery with your own hands, so as not to make the heating situation even worse. After all, if you do not purge correctly, you will only add even more air to the system.
In addition, air in heating radiators can lead not only to insufficient heating of the room, but also to failure of the batteries themselves. The presence of air in the system contributes to the onset of the corrosion process, which only requires air and high humidity. Therefore, the sooner this problem is resolved, the better. And the apartment will become warmer, and the batteries will be healthier. (See also: Infrared heating)
A decrease in the efficient operation of the heating system due to the fact that air congestion has formed in the radiators has a very negative effect on it, especially in private homes. Indeed, in an individual residential building, double-circuit boilers are very often used as the main heating element. Continuous circulation of water is ensured only through the operation of a special pump.
Therefore, when an air lock that has formed for a very long time is not eliminated, it turns out that the pump runs idle, which leads to rapid wear of parts. That is why it is recommended to periodically open the shut-off valves on the radiators and bleed any air that may accumulate in the system. Even if you have not performed any repair work, it is better to be on the safe side.
In order to remove air from the heating system, you will need some tools: an adjustable wrench and a screwdriver. Be sure to have a small container to drain the water. (See also: DIY pool water heater)
- first you need to open the valve using a key (it is also called the Mayevsky valve); Prado heating radiators, for example, have special air vents. To bleed air, simply turn the valve. After opening the valve, a slight hiss will tell you that air has begun to escape from the battery.
- Be sure to place a small container under the tap (a regular glass jar will do), because some water may be released along with the air. So, the air comes out, and all you have to do is wait until the hissing stops and water flows from the radiator. Now the tap can be closed. After some time, you will need to check whether the batteries have warmed up completely.
It is possible that even draining water from it will not help to improve the operation of the heating element; this also happens. The battery still remains cold or works normally for a certain period of time, and then becomes cold again. In this case, you will have to do work such as purging bimetallic batteries. (See also: How to connect a water heater)
It is quite possible that a blockage has formed in the radiator due to dirt or rust accumulated in it, then it will be necessary to blow out the battery. Perhaps due to improper installation of the heating system, a blockage has formed at the turning point of the pipeline. This is possible when metal-plastic pipes are used during the installation of the heating system, and the permissible pipeline slope standards were not met. In this case, it is best to dismantle the heating pipes and connect them again, but using the correct values.
Blowing cast iron batteries is a labor-intensive process. Before flushing the radiators, they will have to be completely disassembled and then washed with a hose. If the batteries installed in the apartment have been working for decades, you will have to face great difficulties when dismantling the pipe.
Heating water supply boiler room
Heating installation
LLC DESIGN PRESTIGE > https://resant.ru/
Telephone: 8(495)744-67-74
We provide installation services for heating and water supply systems for private country houses, dachas, and organizations. We supply equipment for work at discounts.
Our services:
Heating: > https://resant.ru/otoplenie-doma.html
Installation, design, service repair. Heating by type: autonomous, water, private, wood, individual, gas, natural.
Water supply: > https://resant.ru/vodosnabzhenie-doma.html
Boiler room: > https://resant.ru/kotelnaya-doma.html
For private homes and industrial enterprises. We will install the boiler, distribution modules for heating circuits, and install automation elements for temperature control.
We carry out all work on a turnkey basis. LLC DESIGN PRESTIGE
Home heating systems sometimes need cleaning. You can clean both entire pipes and individual parts. It is important for residents of private houses and owners of autonomous heating cycles to know how to bleed the battery themselves.
Feeling the batteries
Diagnostics
Heating radiator diagnostics
To understand what caused the drop in radiator efficiency, you need to perform a few simple manipulations.
The first sign that the inner walls of the pipe and radiator are covered with scale will be that the riser along which the coolant moves is significantly warmer than the radiator. The second sign that the pipelines are clogged is different temperatures of batteries installed in the same room or on the same line. The third sign is different heating of sections mounted in one radiator.
Signs that it's time to clean your batteries
There are five signs that indicate a clogged battery:
- Some radiators are less warm than others. If you notice that one battery is colder than all the others, this is the first sign that the coolant channels are definitely dirty.
- The battery is not as hot as the riser. Another sign indicating problems with the system.
- Your neighbors are warm, but your apartment barely warms up. If it is cold in your home, this is not always due to poor functioning of the heating network. Quite often the cause of this is clogged batteries.
- The radiators below are cold. Uneven heating of the batteries indicates clogged channels.
- Sections in the radiator warm up differently. Since it is not possible to clean cast iron batteries inside individual sections, they will need to be completely cleaned.
