Coolant for the heating system of a country house: selection criteria
Coolant for the heating system of a country house: selection criteria
The harsh climate of our country obliges every owner of a country house to think about how to keep warm in the cold season. Setting up an efficient and economical system is not an easy task. However, if you choose the right coolant for the heating system of a country house and take into account all the recommendations of specialists, the result can exceed all expectations. Let’s consider what a coolant is and what you need to pay attention to in the selection process in the first place.
The choice of a high–quality coolant is the key to a comfortable temperature in the house, as well as a long service life of the heating system
Coolant for the heating system of a country house: what is that?
The heat carrier in the heating system is called a liquid that transfers heat to the radiators from the source, that is, the boiler. Usually, water is used for this purpose, as well as special antifreezes (liquids that can not react even to very low temperatures, and do not freeze).
The type of coolant depends on the type of heating system
In order to buy a coolant for heating systems that will ideally fit the parameters of your home, you need to pay attention to the following criteria:
- safety. In the heating system, like any other, malfunctions and leaks may occur periodically. The safety of the coolant will be of great importance in this case, since the person eliminating the breakdown will have to come into contact with the liquid. And there is no need for extra risks for the owners;
- it is equally important that the coolant is safe for the heating system, since any failure of it entails significant financial costs;
- efficiency is another criterion that determines the coolant. Some liquids handle heat transfer better, and some worse. And you need to pay attention to this in the selection process;
- the duration of the service life may be different, and it is advisable to choose a liquid that will last long enough.
The use of water as a heat carrier requires the installation of high-quality thermal insulation of pipes and other elements of the system
If we talk about which liquid for heating systems is suitable according to these criteria, then undoubtedly, water can be called the best option. Its heat capacity is quite sufficient, and it does not pose any threat to pipes or humans. But this solution has one serious drawback – it is easily exposed to freezing.
Therefore, before pouring water into the heating system, you need to understand that in case of freezing, it will expand and simply break the pipes and radiators. That is why the use of antifreeze for heating the house is considered mandatory. Under the influence of low temperatures, the liquid loses some fluidity, but it does not harm the equipment.
So it is necessary to approach the choice of a coolant with all responsibility. The use of ordinary water is allowed, but only if you are able to ensure constant monitoring of the system and monitor its performance. If we are talking about the arrangement of a country house, which periodically remains unattended, and the heating system may be turned off for some time, then adding antifreeze can be considered mandatory. In this case, it is better to buy propylene glycol coolant.
The maximum temperature of the coolant for a two-pipe heating system should be no more than 95 ° C
Useful advice! When deciding how to fill the heating system, you should also pay attention to the risks of power outages. If the house is located in a region where such outages are the norm, then it is also necessary to use special antifreeze.
Which heat carrier is better to use in the heating system: features of the use of water
If we talk about water as a liquid used to transfer heat from a source to radiators, then this option can be called ideal with confidence. Its heat capacity and fluidity are extremely high, so that heat can be easily delivered to the radiator in the required amount.
Many people are interested in the question of what kind of water is best to pour into the heating system. In this case, the answer is simple – ordinary tap water is suitable for closed heating systems. Of course, its composition is hardly ideal, and one way or another, it contains salts, as well as a certain amount of mechanical impurities that can settle on the equipment. However, this process will happen only once, and considering that ordinary water is able to circulate regularly through the heating system for years and does not require replacement, the damage will be negligible. Simply put, the amount of precipitation that will appear in the system simply will not be able to somehow affect its operation.
When using a closed type heating system, it is necessary to control the level of the coolant
You need to pay more attention to the choice of water for closed-type systems, since during the operation of the system there is a partial evaporation of the liquid, and the water has to be refilled periodically. As a result, the concentration of salts and impurities will constantly increase, which, accordingly, will lead to the accumulation of more precipitation on the inner surface of the equipment. Therefore, for systems in which an expansion tank is provided, distilled or purified water must be used.
Of course, constantly adding distilled water to the system is a rather expensive pleasure, and it is not always available at hand in the required volume. Therefore, filtered water is allowed as an alternative.
Important! The most negative impact on the heating system is caused by hardness salts, as well as iron contained in water. All kinds of mechanical impurities are also not useful. Therefore, during the cleaning process, it is worth paying special attention to this.
For an autonomous heating system, it is recommended to use only pure water without impurities
What you need to do before pouring water into the heating system
You can also prepare the water for use yourself. It will take some time, but it will save you from having to spend money to buy distilled water. Here are some simple recommendations:
- first of all, the necessary amount of water must be collected in a container of a suitable volume and defended. This will allow most of the iron to settle to the bottom;
- after the water has settled, it must be carefully poured into another container and boiled without covering with a lid. Thus, magnesium and potassium salts are eliminated.
Water prepared with these simple tips in mind can already be considered sufficiently prepared for use. Of course, it is quite tedious to carry out such procedures every time, so you can already top up distilled or filtered water, but as an initial filling, this option is great.
The water for filling the closed-type heating system must be pre-cleaned
What are antifreezes, which one is better to choose, features of their use
Speaking about the use of antifreeze for heating systems, you need to understand what it is, and which antifreeze to choose. These are aqueous solutions of polyatomic alcohols, although not so long ago a new type of antifreeze appeared, glycerin was used as the basis for it. In order to figure out in favor of which option it is best to make a choice, let’s take a closer look at the characteristics and properties of each of them.
Varieties of antifreeze for the heating system of a country house
To date, the manufacture of antifreeze is based on the use of two substances: propylene glycol and ethylene glycol. The first option is more expensive, but it is completely safe, even if you use it inside. But it has another serious drawback – it can lose fluidity at low temperatures, to which ethylene glycol would not react.
The best option for filling the heating system is to use a safe propylene glycol-based coolant
Important! Ethylene glycol is extremely toxic and can cause serious poisoning even with its vapors, not to mention direct contact.
Interestingly, despite all the dangers of using ethylene glycol, it is preferred much more often, which is most likely due to its lower cost.
Antifreezes made on the basis of ethylene glycol are also distinguished by the fact that they are chemically active, have increased fluidity and are capable of foaming. And if foaming can still be fought with the help of special additives, then the increased level of fluidity cannot be adjusted. And considering that the substance is also toxic, this significantly increases the risks of using such antifreeze.
Summing up, we can say that if it is possible to use propylene glycol for the heating system, then it needs to be used. Therefore, ethylene glycol will necessarily leak wherever possible. And its poisonous fumes can provoke serious poisoning and further health problems.
The use of a toxic ethylene glycol-based coolant requires the availability of high-quality connectors and pipes
Important! If the propylene glycol-based coolant is completely safe, then in the process of working with ethylene glycol, it is necessary to use personal protective equipment: a respirator, protective glasses and clothes that can be thrown away. This is necessary because when it gets on the fabric, the substance remains toxic, and cannot be completely eliminated from the surface.
What kind of coolant for heating systems to buy: the most popular brands on the market
Before you buy a coolant, you need to familiarize yourself with the offers available on the market and compare their characteristics. Let’s look at some of the most popular options and their properties.
Popular heat carriers and their properties:
| Title | Active substance | Operating/crystallization/ decomposition temperature, °C | Service life, years | Is it possible to dilute with water | Price, rub/10 kg |
| Heat carrier Dixis 65 | monoethylglycol | 65-95/-66/111 | 10 | yes | 850 |
| Heat Carrier Warm House Eco | propylene glycol | 30-106/-30/170 | 5 | yes | 1050 |
| Heat carrier Termagent Eco 30 | ethylene glycol | 20-90/30/170 | 10 | no | 650 |
| Heat carrier by Heat pump | glycerin | 30-105/-/- | 8 | no | 780 |
| PRIMOCLIMA ANTIFROST coolant | propylene glycol | 30-106/-30/120 | 5 | yes | 762 |
Useful advice! Another extremely popular option is the heat carrier Warm House 65. This option can be considered universal, since its characteristics and security level fully meet all requirements.
The use of low-quality coolant entails clogging of pipes and breakdown of the heating system
Another important drawback of heat carriers made on the basis of ethylene glycol is that they react extremely poorly to overheating, which, moreover, occurs at fairly low temperatures. That is, already at +70 °With a huge amount of sediment appears, which immediately settles on the surface of heating appliances. Such deposits negatively affect heat transfer, which again leads to overheating. It is for this reason that antifreeze is never used for solid fuel boilers.
Important! An ethylene glycol-based coolant can have a destructive effect on pipes, especially if they are galvanized. Therefore, when purchasing such a substance, it is worth thinking about the safety of the system elements.
As for propylene glycol, its chemical composition is completely neutral, and therefore the heat carriers made on its basis react little with other substances. Overheating occurs under the influence of significantly higher temperatures, and its consequences are not so unpleasant.
Related article:
Country house heating options: boiler selection
Boiler selection by capacity and type of fuel. Advantages and disadvantages of water heating from a wood-burning stove. Features of solid fuel, gas, electric units: description and prices.
Glycerin-based antifreeze appeared only at the end of the last century. According to the characteristics, it represents something in between the first two options. It does not pose any danger to human health, but as for its effect on gaskets, some difficulties arise here. Glycerin coolants react badly to overheating.
When buying a coolant, it is important to pay attention to the manufacturer’s quality certificates
Filling the heating system with antifreeze: features of use
It is worth thinking about what kind of coolant will be used at the design stage of the system. This is due to the fact that non-freezers for heating have a low heat capacity. If the system was originally intended for water, then pouring antifreeze into it, you may encounter the following problems:
- the received power will not be enough and as a result – it will be cold in the house. This is explained by the same low thermal conductivity. It is possible to solve this problem by installing a circulating nanosheet of greater power, and thereby increasing the speed of movement of the coolant through the system. Well, if you already act according to all the rules, then it would be nice to increase the number of sections in radiators;
- before pouring the coolant into a closed heating system, you need to make sure that the volume of the expansion tank will be sufficient. This is due to the fact that water and antifreeze expand differently, and if a certain volume may be enough for water, then there is no antifreeze. As a simple solution to the problem, you can simply install additional capacity;
When choosing a coolant for a closed heating system, it is important to take into account the volume of the expansion tank
- before using antifreeze based on ethylene glycol or glycerin, you need to take care of the availability of appropriate gaskets. The thing is that chemically active substances will easily destroy ordinary rubber, which will lead to leaks. Therefore, before pouring antifreeze, all gaskets must necessarily be replaced with Teflon or paronite.
Thus, once again we have to make sure that the best coolant is water. It costs several times cheaper, and all its characteristics meet the requirements. But in cases where it is impossible to use ordinary water, antifreeze still helps out.
Important! In no case should you try to pour car antifreeze into the heating system. For this purpose, only special heating fluids can be used.
When choosing a glycerin coolant for the heating system, it is necessary to replace the gaskets with Teflon or paronite
As for the choice, the use of propylene glycol coolant is much preferable. And for greater convenience, dyes are added to antifreeze, which make it easier for customers to distinguish between compositions. Ethylene is usually colored red or pink, and propylene is green. If the antifreeze has a blue color, it means that it is made on the basis of glycerin. During use, the dye may fade or disappear completely under the influence of temperature, but this will not affect the quality of the coolant itself.
Filling the heating system with a coolant with your own hands: rules and recommendations
The question of how to pour antifreeze into an open-type heating system does not arise so often. This can be done as simply as possible using an expansion tank. So the coolant needs to be poured into the tank, and under the influence of gravity, it will already spread itself throughout the system. At the same time, it is important that during the filling of the coolant, all air vents are in the open state.
The method of pumping the heat carrier depends on the type of heating system
It is somewhat more difficult to work with closed-type systems. Various refueling methods are used for them. So, you can pour the coolant by gravity, without using any technique. Sometimes a small submersible nanos is used for this purpose, or a specially designed one for this purpose, with the help of which the crimping of the system is designed. Let’s consider each of the options, its advantages, disadvantages and features:
To pump the liquid into the system, a manual pressure coating is used
Useful advice! It is not necessary to purchase a pump for crimping. It is quite possible to rent it from a company specializing in this, which usually also sells equipment for heating and plumbing.
Rules of commercial accounting of thermal energy of a heat carrier: what is it?
To date, almost everything related to individual construction and arrangement of residential buildings is regulated by law. This case is no exception, since there are special rules for accounting for thermal energy and coolant, which are formulated in the Decree of the Government of the Russian Federation of November 18, 2013.
In general, the method of commercial accounting of thermal energy of a heat carrier is an interesting question, although it is quite difficult for an ordinary user. But if you want to figure out how certain calculations are made and what makes up the norms applied in the future, you can read the documentation on this topic.
According to the rules of commercial accounting of thermal energy of the heat carrier, admission to the operation of metering units is carried out by a representative of the energy supply organization
Important! The formula is used as the basis for calculations. The flow rate of the coolant is calculated based on what natural heat losses will be in a particular room, and what the temperature of the radiators should be in order to maintain a comfortable temperature in the room.
Summing up, it is worth noting that it is possible to buy a coolant for a country house heating system based on various criteria and factors. For many, the decisive factor is the price of the coolant for the heating system, and someone pays more attention to the issue of safety and efficiency. In any case, before buying, it is worth weighing all the arguments in favor of a particular decision.
Temperature chart of the coolant: requirements and norms
For the coolant, the temperature norm in the heating system is indicated based on the indicators obtained when the liquid has already gone full circle and returns to the boiler. According to the standards, the average daily temperature in the room should not be less than +8 ° C for three days.
The water temperature in the heating system should not fall below the dew point
In addition, in addition to the standards that have been provided, the minimum heating in the boiler must also be taken into account. It is very important that the water temperature does not fall below the dew point. Usually this indicator ranges from 60-70 ° C, although some deviations related to the characteristics of the fuel used, as well as the unit itself, are acceptable. If for any reason this rule is violated, then as a result, condensation will occur, which will negatively affect the operational life of the device.
Interesting! The temperature schedule of the coolant supply to the heating system provides that in houses where people live, the air temperature should not fall below 20 ° C. For industrial buildings, this indicator is slightly lower – 16 ° C.
In addition, in the process of heating the coolant, such a factor as the air temperature outside the window should be taken into account. That is, if it is very cold outside and the temperature has dropped below -20 ° C, then the coolant should be heated more.
In order for the heating system to work properly and maintain a comfortable temperature in the house, it is necessary to choose the right coolant according to the operational characteristics of the equipment
At the same time, the temperature schedule of the coolant, the limits of which are defined as 30-90 ° C, should not be violated, as this may lead to the fact that the paint coatings of the equipment will decompose. And sanitary standards prohibit exceeding these indicators.
Thus, when choosing a coolant for electrode heating boilers and other systems, it is necessary to take into account many factors. Of course, the price is an important criterion, and for many it is the determining one, but do not forget about safety. If possible, it is better not to save money, and give preference to the best heat carriers, which are also characterized by high efficiency.
