Many apartments and houses are equipped with gas boilers, they are quite economical and efficient. The heat exchanger for geysers is the main working element along with the burner. The service life of equipment depends on the quality of its manufacture. In the article you will learn what materials radiators are made of, why they are needed, how to do repairs yourself.
How is the heat exchanger
A heat exchanger, or radiator, is designed to heat water from a burner. The stream flows through the tubes of the coil, instantly warming up from the burning fuel. Most often, the block is steel or copper. How much does the device weigh? Copper device – from 3 to 3,5 kg. The steel apparatus is much heavier, for this reason it has a lower efficiency.
Features of steel product:
- Lower cost compared to copper.
- Due to the plasticity of the material, heating does not harm the surface.
- Differs in resistance to corrosion.
Copper Appliance:
- Possesses high efficiency, fast heating.
- Products that contain additional impurities are cheaper.
- Corrosion resistant.
- Light weight if it is pure copper.
Trying to reduce the cost of production, manufacturers add impurities to copper. Because of this, the radiator heats up unevenly, which leads to burnout of individual parts. Some cover the surface with heat-resistant paint, but this brings little results. Service life does not exceed 2-3 years.
Copper is more resistant to corrosion than steel. Most manufacturers do not indicate how much copper goes into the production of the product, assuring that the heat exchanger is made of a thick layer.
To extend the life of the device, install water filters. They soften and purify the liquid from impurities that settle on the parts in the form of scale.
How much does it cost to replace a gas boiler radiator? If you take into account the purchase of a new device, delivery and installation, it will be cheaper to repair the heat exchanger.
Radiator repair
Let’s figure out what to do if your column is broken.
Cleaning
In one of our publications, we wrote how to clean a gas stove generally. Let’s take a closer look at flushing the heat exchanger.
If you notice that the column has become worse at heating water or the pressure has decreased, clean it. Salts of potassium and magnesium settle on the walls, clog the tubes of the coil. Therefore, it is required to descale the product at least once a year.
How to clean:
- Shut off the water and gas supply.
- Remove the cover of the device. Often it is mounted on the two lower screws.
- Lift the cover up, pull it towards you.
- The plates are cleaned of dust with a brush or vacuum cleaner.
You can wash the product at home with citric and hydrochloric acid. The latter must be used very carefully in case of severe contamination. To create a circulation of fluid through the coil, you can use a watering can or a pump.
- Locate the tube that goes from the electronic unit to the radiator.
- Disable it.
- Open the mixer; you can loosen the nut so that the water drains better.
- Connect the rubber hoses to the inlet and outlet of the product, having previously disconnected the nozzles.
- Place the heat exchanger over a large tank, a bathtub.
- Pour a solution of hydrochloric acid (5-15%) from a watering can into the inlet. Repeat the flush cycle at least 5 times.
- Then rinse the serpentine under the faucet until the water runs clear.
To clean with citric acid, do this:
- Dilute 100 g of powder in 350 liters of water.
- Pour the solution inside with a watering can.
- You can leave it to stand for 30 minutes or place it in a container of water and heat it on the stove until the scale has gone.
Then the product is dried and connected in the reverse order.
Some users use the calcination method, but it is more risky. To do this, the radiator is evenly heated by a burner until the scale inside cracks. Then it is washed with small portions of water.
Soldering and Troubleshooting
We described the soldering process in detail in the article “How to solder a gas column“. Recall that you can solder corrosive damage using a soldering iron with a power of 100 W or a gas burner. POS-61 solder and flux are also used.
What to do if the heat exchanger burned out? How to glue the device? Useful copper and tin patches. Can lids can be used.
Galvanized sheet is not recommended. At temperatures above 70 degrees, zinc melts and releases toxic substances.
You can fix the patch with a riveter. It is necessary to make holes around the hole with nails and fix the plate with wire.
Cold welding can also be used to eliminate leaks. The material is kneaded to a plastic state and superimposed on the damage. Wait until it hardens, and you can operate the radiator.
This is how you can return the column to working capacity yourself. During disassembly, do not forget about safety rules, shut off the gas supply.
The video shows the repair of the gas column: