Installation of taps on radiators
The next step in the installation of the heating system is the installation of shut-off and control valves in the plugs. Radiators are equipped with "full-bore" ball valves or valves in which manual adjustment of the movement of the coolant works. Thermal heads are now being produced that have automatic flow control.
Taps for heating systems can have a different design, but taps with an “American” connection with union nuts are considered the most practical. The advantage of taps with an "American" connection lies in their design, which allows you to remove any type of radiator without turning off the heating system. The flow of coolant with the help of such a tap is quickly blocked, and to remove the battery, you only need to unscrew the threaded connection.
The use of "American" taps is especially in demand when the heating system is forced to start, when the heaters are installed on the draft wall. Their use allows you to easily remove the radiator and finish the finishing work of the wall section without turning off the heating system (make strobes, putty or plaster walls, glue wallpaper, and so on). Most importantly, taps with a detachable "American" connection can be used repeatedly, regardless of the type of gaskets (rubber or paranitic) or the option when sealing is carried out only with stainless alloy cones.
Valves with union nuts can be straight or angled. They are selected depending on the pipeline supply system to the radiator (from the wall or niche slopes).
The tap is screwed into a plug with an “American” connection using a special key that is inserted inside the pipe. The cross section of the key can be of various shapes. It is easier if a hexagon is used, it is enough to choose the right size for work. It is more difficult when two protrusions are made in the “American” connection, you have to look for a suitable profile for a reliable hook.
Sponges of an adjustable wrench or pliers are sometimes used in work, but more often craftsmen make an L-shaped key with a square section. Its ends are slightly tapered. This allows you to work with different manufacturers of taps with an American connection.
The connection of the through plug is sealed with the “American” branch pipe by means of winding. Plumbers use imported flax and packing paste (like UNIPAK) for this purpose. FUM tape is used when the thread profile does not have sharp corners. Also, the thread must have a special notch that prevents the sealing material from scrolling.
Two parts must be checked for thread compatibility by connecting them without tow. The degree of density of the assembled connection shows how much tow must be used. With a large layer of winding, cracks may form or thin-walled parts may be deformed. And an insufficient layer often causes a connection to leak.
The winding must be assembled into a thin bundle and wound in the direction opposite to the direction of the pipe thread. It is necessary to start from the edge of the thread that comes out. It is necessary to fill the entire depth of the thread with flax fibers, pressing the previous one with each new turn and preventing the winding from scrolling. Next, the part is lubricated with UNIPAK paste, which is then screwed into place.
If the heating system is mounted using metal ball valves, threaded couplings are screwed onto them using winding, which are necessary for switching to polypropylene pipes. The Mayevsky crane included in the radiator fittings kit comes with a rubber gasket, so it does not need winding.
The radiators prepared for work are installed in their place, after which the installation of pipes can begin.
After completing the installation of the heating system, you need to start it, after filling the riser from the bottom up with coolant and bleed the air. It is necessary to open the supply valve and check the connections for leaks.
Proper replacement of radiators is a good way to increase the efficiency of heating in your home or apartment and reduce the cost of paying bills. This work can be done quickly and easily with your own hands, but if you are not familiar with the intricacies of the process, it is better to turn to professionals.
Procedure for replacing heating radiators
Correct and incorrect installation of radiators. Click on the photo to enlarge.
If it is necessary to replace central heating heaters, it is necessary to coordinate the upcoming work with the Housing Office. It is necessary to shut off the system and drain the coolant (in a private house this is also relevant).
We inform and negotiate with neighbors from below and above about the replacement of risers below and above the ceilings on the floor.
We dismantle old pipes and radiators. If there are no special threaded connections in the old heating system, we use a gas cutter or a grinder.
We prepare and install new radiators. It is better to replace old batteries with any new type of radiators, as long as the design is securely fixed.
We cut new threads on the risers. Currently, welding is not used when connecting the pipeline. Radiators are connected to pipes by means of threaded connections. This simplifies installation, they are reliable and practical in operation.
We assemble the piping system and connect the heating devices.
Installing a tap on a radiator
Replacement of a heating radiator.
Posted by entrance Thermoregulator 20 December 2018Tags: Khrushch, Cast iron, Adjustment, Dirty_pipes
It’s very hot in the apartment - It’s not freezing with a bottom supply in the heating riser. When it’s cold in the apartment, they also want to install a tap in front of the battery - but already on: thoughts often arise,
that through it a lot of water goes past the radiator.
If you are visited by thoughts:
In short: who does not want to be a Bedouin on a camel in an Arab country - there is only one way: to put a control valve on an old cast-iron battery.
Often, customers squeal before installing batteries: I want 26 -28 degrees. But it happens the other way around - who suffers from the heat in the apartment: it’s literally impossible to sleep!
Or live in drafts with constantly open windows - this is unacceptable with small children!
It is better to install a tap on a very hot radiator during the heating season: the beginning or the end - since working on old fragile cast-iron batteries and rusted pipes is very dangerous: it will burst and you will not notice. A pressure test is required at the start of the heating.
It is also necessary to be mentally prepared for the following big expenses: purchase for a new radiator and a complete new installation.
Probability: fifty-fifty - 50 to 50%.
Between the riser and the battery there is a decent length pipe: there is where to put a new tap.
And the old welds on the riser and the rusty end cap on the end of the battery are safe.
They cut the pipe and immediately stunned the client with terribly dirty pipes: the jaw did not sag, but immediately fell on the collarbone with a thud. In general: we presented this cut piece of pipe to the customer.
On such dirty pipes, it is better to install full bore valves: there is less chance of clogging and failure.
But they installed an Itap control valve with a smaller flow area than FAR.
And at such a minimum flow section, the cast-iron was fired up like a steam locomotive.
They worked at the minimum wage: they didn’t pull out the pipe bender and gas welding - otherwise it’s easy to accelerate to the end: to a comprehensive replacement.
If, in the process of threading or winding taps, something burst: at the start of heating, there are immediately leaks. Gas welding is always in the car near the entrance (figuratively: plumbing resuscitation - quick restoration of heating in winter).
And immediately a complete installation of a new radiator (already with the replacement of drains and a displaced bypass).
These old Soviet cast irons are now sold new, but who doesn't like their design
large gaps between sections and the roundness of each section on the front surface - there are more beautiful KONNER Modern.
The Belarusian flat model falls under the same 2 design change factors.
Useful tips for choosing
Several features are described below in order to determine which products are best to use.
Locking mechanism
Thermoregulators have two types of locking mechanism: valve and valve with a cone (stem). The last preferred one allows smooth adjustment. The temperature is set manually using a restrictive ring mechanically. There are also electronic mechanisms, they are more autonomous.
It is better to install ball valves than gate valves, which have a number of disadvantages: the stuffing box wears out faster, overgrows with deposits, and closes for a long time. Disadvantages of the Mayevsky crane: low permeability, it requires a special key or screwdriver, which is inconvenient to use. If its stem is accidentally unscrewed, it is very difficult to screw it back, overcoming the pressure of water. Instead, it is recommended to install a conventional valve or special automatic radiator air vents. The optimal and affordable option if temperature control is required is a faucet with a thermal head.
Housing and connections
It is better to install not standard ball valves on batteries, but full bore ones. In residential, houses and apartments, such mechanisms with a coupling connection are used.
It is better to choose taps for heating radiators with a steel or bronze body, but most often they put brass ones, as they are cheaper. Imitation of brass is silumin. You should not buy a product made from it, it is a very soft metal. Polymer ones are no less reliable, but they have large dimensions. To replace them, you need to cut a piece of pipe.
Products with polymer rather than rubber gaskets are more durable. Taps for adjusting the coolant on heating radiators exclude the possibility of changing them without draining the water, this can be done with through taps or with an American installed (towards the battery).
The products of Itap (Italy), Danfoss are considered to be of the highest quality. Approximate price range 700–2000 rubles. In the middle price range there are Oventrop brand products - 550–950 rubles. For a limited budget, Luxor is suitable - 450–800 rubles. Chinese or Turkish brands.
Installation of radiators
Let's figure out how to properly hang the battery with your own hands. Regardless of the type of radiators chosen, before installing them, carefully prepare the installation site. Very often, batteries are installed under windows to provide the necessary air convection.
When making a major overhaul of a private house or apartment, the outer walls are often insulated, and the inner walls are sheathed with drywall. Before insulation, metal frames are mounted. In this case, before installing new batteries, it is necessary to solve two problems: determine at what distance the radiator will be located from the supporting base, and install fasteners in advance (a radiator cannot be fixed on drywall, especially cast iron).
To do this, the wall on which the battery will be attached must first be sheathed with a frame. If the alignment or plastering of the walls is done from scratch, special beacons are installed. In the case when the frame is mounted, inserts 25 mm thick are made at the installation sites of the fasteners. The material used is OSB or plywood. Inserts should rest with their bottom on the floor and go into the UD profile. Each heater needs two or three inserts, depending on the number of brackets planned (4 or 6).
After preparing the base, marking the location of the fasteners is done. On temporary stands, the battery is set to the design position using a level. If the radiator is installed near the window, it is done in the center of the opening at a distance of 100 - 150 mm from the floor and about 100 mm from the window sill. After marking, the battery is removed and the holes for the brackets are made with a puncher.They need to be screwed in so that a distance of 30-40 mm remains from the back of the radiator to the wall.
Heavy cast iron radiators with more than ten sections should preferably be fixed with at least six brackets. For other types of batteries, four is enough.
Why do I need a set of plugs for tying radiators?
Set of plugs for tying radiators. Click on the photo to enlarge.
Each radiator has four open inputs (two on each side). This is done in order to avoid problems when connecting heaters, because the connection can be different: one-sided, cross, lower, one-pipe. Before installation, depending on the connection option, the radiators are prepared accordingly. Some entrances are closed with blind plugs, others are made through with ½ or ¾ inch threaded connections.
The procedure in which plugs and shut-off and control equipment are installed is called “packing” of threaded connections and is the most critical stage in the installation of a heating system. The reason is that after piping the radiators and starting the heating system, leaks can most often appear in these places.
The most common and effective type of battery connection in an apartment is considered to be a one-way connection, in which the supply is connected at the top left or right side of the radiator, and the “return” is connected from the same end of the battery from the bottom. To vent air from above, a Mayevsky valve is installed on the opposite side of the radiator, and the lower entrance is closed with a plug-plug.
Each heater must be equipped with a set of four plugs, three of which are through, and one is deaf. We determine the thread (right or left) at the entrances to the extreme sections of the radiator. Select plugs accordingly. The threads on the plugs can be half inch or ¾ inch diameter. We choose the diameter depending on the supply pipe. When connecting the twentieth pipe (outer diameter - 20 mm), a plug with a passage of ½ inch is selected. If the twenty-fifth pipe is connected, we take a ¾ inch plug. Such pipes are installed in a vertical single-pipe system when the battery is part of the riser.
It should be noted that the plugs have sealing gaskets, so there is no need to apply any windings. When screwing in the plugs, it is necessary to apply a noticeable effort, having previously cleaned the base with the help of a knife, to which the plug gasket is adjacent. This operation is best done even with new heaters.
Valves that regulate the temperature of the batteries
Control valves for heating radiators are of the following types:
- standard;
- with thermal head.
The most successful way to solve the problem with the temperature of the coolant is to install a thermostatic head. After adjusting it with a trimmer throttle, it will last throughout the heating season.
The control valve on the heating radiator will maintain a comfortable temperature in the room. The thermostat is mounted on the supply line of the supply pipe in such a way that the temperature-sensitive element is not heated due to the upward flow of hot air masses. A choke is considered a cheaper option, but it must be manually adjusted depending on the required degree of space heating in the house, which of course is not very convenient. After all, both the radiator and the rooms have great inertia: the air temperature can only stabilize after a few hours after the throttle is changed.
Also, to regulate the movement of the coolant through the supply pipe, a conventional plug valve is used. In principle, it is not intended for this, but with its help, configuration is possible.
