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The device or reconstruction of the heating system involves the installation or replacement of heating devices. The good news is that if you wish, you can do it yourself without involving specialists. How the installation of heating radiators should take place, where and how to locate them, what is needed for the work – all this is in the article.
What is needed for installation
Installation of heating radiators of any type requires devices and consumables. The set of necessary materials is almost the same, but for cast-iron batteries, for example, the plugs are large, and the Mayevsky tap is not installed, but, somewhere at the highest point of the system, an automatic air vent is installed. But the installation of aluminum and bimetallic heating radiators is absolutely the same.
Steel panel ones also have some differences, but only in terms of hanging – brackets are included with them, and on the back panel there are special metal-cast shackles with which the heater clings to the hooks of the brackets.
Mayevsky crane or automatic air vent
This is a small device for venting air that can accumulate in the radiator. It is placed on a free upper outlet (collector). Must be on every heater when installing aluminum and bimetallic radiators. The size of this device is much smaller than the diameter of the manifold, so another adapter is required, but Mayevsky taps usually come with adapters, you just need to know the diameter of the manifold (connecting dimensions).
In addition to the Mayevsky tap, there are also automatic air vents. They can also be placed on radiators, but they are slightly larger and for some reason are only available in a brass or nickel-plated case. Not in white enamel. In general, the picture is unattractive and, although they deflate automatically, they are rarely installed.
Cap
There are four outlets for the radiator with lateral connection. Two of them are occupied by the supply and return pipelines, on the third they put a Mayevsky crane. The fourth entrance is closed with a plug. It, like most modern batteries, is most often painted with white enamel and does not spoil the appearance at all.
Shut-off valves
You will need two more ball valves or shut-off valves with the ability to adjust. They are placed on each battery at the input and output. If these are ordinary ball valves, they are needed so that, if necessary, you can turn off the radiator and remove it (emergency repair, replacement during the heating season). In this case, even if something happened to the radiator, you will cut it off, and the rest of the system will work. The advantage of this solution is the low price of ball valves, the minus is the impossibility of adjusting heat transfer.
Almost the same tasks, but with the ability to change the intensity of the coolant flow, are performed by shut-off control valves. They are more expensive, but they also allow you to adjust the heat transfer (make it smaller), and they look better outwardly, they are available in straight and angular versions, so the strapping itself is more accurate.
If desired, you can put a thermostat on the coolant supply after the ball valve. This is a relatively small device that allows you to change the heat output of the heater. If the radiator does not heat well, they cannot be installed – it will be even worse, since they can only reduce the flow. There are different temperature controllers for batteries – automatic electronic, but more often they use the simplest – mechanical.
Related materials and tools
You will also need hooks or brackets for hanging on the walls. Their number depends on the size of the batteries:
- if the sections are not more than 8 or the length of the radiator is not more than 1,2 m, two attachment points from above and one from below are sufficient;
- for every next 50 cm or 5-6 sections, add one fastener at the top and bottom.
Takde need a fum tape or linen winding, plumbing paste to seal the joints. You will also need a drill with drills, a level (a level is better, but a regular bubble one is also suitable), a certain number of dowels. You will also need equipment for connecting pipes and fittings, but it depends on the type of pipes. That’s all.
Where and how to place
Traditionally, heating radiators are installed under the window. This is necessary so that the rising warm air cuts off the cold from the window. In order to prevent the glass from sweating, the width of the heater must be at least 70-75% of the width of the window. It needs to be installed:
- in the middle of the window opening, tolerance – 2 cm;
- distance from the radiator to the floor – 8-12 cm;
- to the windowsill – 10-12 cm;
- from the back wall to the wall – 2-5 cm.
Distance from the heating radiator to the window
These are all recommendations, the observance of which ensures the normal circulation of warm air in the room and its efficient heating.
How to choose polypropylene pipes read here.
How to install correctly
Now about how to hang the radiator. It is highly desirable that the wall behind the radiator be flat – it is easier to work this way. The middle of the opening is marked on the wall, a horizontal line is drawn 10-12 cm below the window sill line. This is the line along which the upper edge of the heater is leveled. The brackets must be installed so that the upper edge coincides with the drawn line, that is, it is horizontal. This arrangement is suitable for heating systems with forced circulation (with a pump) or for apartments. For systems with natural circulation, a slight slope is made – 1-1,5% – along the course of the coolant. You can’t do more – there will be stagnation.
Wall mounting
This must be taken into account when mounting hooks or brackets for heating radiators. Hooks are installed like dowels – a hole of a suitable diameter is drilled in the wall, a plastic dowel is installed in it, and the hook is screwed into it. The distance from the wall to the heater is easily adjusted by screwing and unscrewing the hook body.
When installing hooks for heating radiators, please note that the main load falls on the top fasteners. The lower one serves only for fixing in a given position relative to the wall and it is installed 1-1,5 cm lower than the lower collector. Otherwise, you simply will not be able to hang the radiator.
When installing the brackets, they are applied to the wall in the place where they will be mounted. To do this, first attach the battery to the installation site, look where the bracket will “fit”, mark the place on the wall. After putting the battery, you can attach the bracket to the wall and mark the location of the fasteners on it. In these places, holes are drilled, dowels are inserted, the bracket is screwed onto the screws. Having installed all the fasteners, the heater is hung on them.
Floor fixing
Not all walls can hold even light aluminum batteries. If the walls are made of lightweight concrete or sheathed with drywall, floor installation is required. Some types of cast-iron and steel radiators come with legs right away, but they do not suit everyone in terms of appearance or characteristics.
Floor installation of radiators from aluminum and bimetallic is possible. There are special brackets for them. They are attached to the floor, then a heater is installed, the lower collector is fixed with an arc on the installed legs. Similar legs are available with adjustable height, there are fixed ones. The method of fastening to the floor is standard – on nails or dowels, depending on the material.
Heating radiator piping options
Installation of heating radiators involves their connection to pipelines. There are three main connection methods:
- saddle;
- unilateral;
- diagonal.
If you install radiators with a bottom connection, you have no choice. Each manufacturer strictly ties the supply and return, and its recommendations must be strictly followed, because otherwise you simply won’t get heat. There are more options with lateral connection (read more about them here).
Binding with one-way connection
One-way connection is most often used in apartments. It can be two-pipe or one-pipe (the most common option). Metal pipes are still used in apartments, so we will consider the option of tying the radiator with steel pipes on the spurs. In addition to pipes of a suitable diameter, two ball valves, two tees and two spurs are needed – parts with external threads at both ends.
All this is connected as shown in the photo. With a single-pipe system, a bypass is required – it allows you to turn off the radiator without stopping or lowering the system. You can’t put a tap on the bypass – you will block the movement of the coolant along the riser with it, which is unlikely to please the neighbors and, most likely, you will fall under a fine.
All threaded connections are sealed with fum-tape or linen winding, on top of which packing paste is applied. When screwing the tap into the radiator manifold, a lot of winding is not required. Too much of it can lead to the appearance of microcracks and subsequent destruction. This is true for almost all types of heating appliances, except for cast iron. When installing all the rest, please, without fanaticism.
If you have the skills / ability to use welding, you can weld the bypass. This is what the piping of radiators in apartments usually looks like.
With a two-pipe system, a bypass is not needed. The supply is connected to the upper entrance, the return is connected to the lower one, taps, of course, are needed.
With lower wiring (pipes are laid along the floor), this type of connection is made very rarely – it turns out inconvenient and ugly, in this case it is much better to use a diagonal connection.
Binding with diagonal connection
Installing heating radiators with a diagonal connection is the best option in terms of heat transfer. She is the highest in this case. With a lower wiring, this type of connection is implemented easily (example in the photo) – supply from one side at the top, return from the other at the bottom.
A single pipe system with vertical risers (in apartments) does not look so good, but people put up with it because of the higher efficiency.
Please note, with a single-pipe system, the presence of a bypass is again required.
Strapping with saddle connection
With lower wiring or hidden pipes, installing heating radiators in this way is the most convenient and most inconspicuous.
With saddle connection and bottom single-pipe wiring, there are two options – with and without bypass. Without a bypass, the taps are still installed, if necessary, you can remove the radiator, and install a temporary jumper between the taps – a drive (a piece of pipe of the desired length with threads at the ends).
With vertical wiring (risers in high-rise buildings), this type of connection can be seen infrequently – too large heat losses (12-15%).