It is no secret that for a comfortable stay in a private home, heating is necessary - sometimes it is impossible to live without heat even in the summer. And if for a small one-room house a small “potbelly stove” is quite enough, then for a two-story house something more serious is needed. And the temperature in all rooms needs to be the same. It’s no good if a person languishes from the heat in one room, and freezes in the next room. Today we will try to understand which heating scheme for a 2-story private house is better, whether it is possible to design and install it yourself and what nuances each of them has.
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Heating diagram for a 2-story house: types of systems and general information
Designing and installing heating systems in two-story private houses is a rather complex process, but quite feasible. And no matter which of the existing schemes is used, installation will not require any special skills. Basic rules and careful and strict adherence to instructions are enough. Today we will try to provide this information to our dear reader in as much detail as possible.
Heating in private houses can differ not only in the energy component, but also in the distribution systems - they can be either single-pipe or double-pipe. What advantages one scheme has over another remains to be seen. And the quality of subsequent design and installation, as well as the comfortable temperature in all rooms of the building, depends on how accurately the home craftsman understands the difference.
In the meantime, we can say one thing - having detailed diagrams in hand in a private house, it is quite possible to install it with your own hands. But first, let’s figure out what it can be, based on the energy component.
Energy sources for heating a house, their features, as well as positive and negative qualities
Heat sources in residential buildings can be:
- electricity– these can be not only various heaters, but also boilers connected to a hydraulic heating system;
- natural or liquefied gas– again boilers or various heaters (for example, infrared);
- alternative systems– geothermal heating;
- using solid fuel– in other words, stove heating.
Previously, houses were heated mainly using stove heating, but now more and more people are switching to electricity or gas. The fact is that progress does not stand still and new types have become much cheaper than solid fuels such as coal or firewood. There is one more advantage of all other types of heating over stove heating - no time or effort is required to transport fuel, prepare it and remove waste combustion products.
So, let’s figure out what this or that type of energy used for heating is.
Heating a private house with electricity - the advantages and disadvantages of such a solution
Related article:
How to significantly reduce costs? We will consider the most economical method in more detail in an article on our portal, comparing some types of heating systems.
Nowadays, when many new types of heaters have appeared, such heating has become very economical. But installing infrared heaters or convectors in every room of a two-story house is quite expensive. In addition, it is not a fact that the electrical wiring was installed taking into account such loads. This means that the only option left is to install an electric boiler with. Some homeowners argue that it is cheaper to buy a tankless heater that does not require a storage tank. However, this is a misconception. Indeed, in this case, the boiler will work constantly, 24 hours a day, and with such operation, all savings from the purchase will be negated in the first months of use.
But we won’t talk about it in too much detail today; there is a separate topic for that. Now it is important to understand that the use of electric heating in a private home, with proper installation and selection of equipment, can become a fairly convenient and economical way of heating.
Expert opinion
ES, EM, EO design engineer (power supply, electrical equipment, interior lighting) ASP North-West LLC
Ask a specialist“If you plan to purchase an electric boiler, you need to make sure that the wiring in the house is designed for the load that it will consume. The ideal option would be to install a separate line specifically on the boiler with the installation of an automatic circuit breaker and a residual current device.”
Heating a private house with gas and what difficulties are associated with it
Such a system, if it runs on natural gas, is also very economical. And yet its installation is quite complicated and impossible to do with your own hands. All work must be carried out by a service organization that has all licenses and permits. And this, as you might guess, is quite a large cost to pay for their labor. Even the internal installation of a boiler yourself is strictly prohibited, unlike an electric one.
Related article:
As part of this review, we will try to sort it out. How to choose the best option and set priorities for ordinary users, what models exist, how to properly carry out installation on your own.
Periodic inspections required during operation, which are also performed only by a licensed company, also become costly. However, if a private house is heated with gas cylinders, costs increase several times. But even despite this, such systems remain in demand due to the fact that they are still more economical than purchasing and using solid fuel.
Heating a private house with a gas boiler, in the absence of periodic audits and checks, becomes very dangerous. A very small leak of liquid fuel in a closed room can cause an explosion. That is why homeowners try not to skimp on the services of professionals.
Heating a private home with solid fuel is gradually becoming a thing of the past.
Or coal is really gradually disappearing from our lives. Of course, it will never completely disappear, even if it remains in the baths. After all, what would a Russian bathhouse be without the birch smell and smoke. Well, in houses, of course, such heating today is extremely irrational. In addition to the expenditure of effort and time, there is also a fairly significant expense in financial terms - firewood is now very expensive.
Of course, the stoves have not left the houses. Now they are being modernized everywhere for gas. But as heating in a private house without gas and electricity (which is extremely rare), this option is quite good. After all, when compared with the import of liquefied gas, there are savings due to the absence of the need to install additional equipment and maintain it. It turns out that, although heating private houses without gas and electricity cannot be called economical, it also has a right to exist.
The use of alternative heating in private homes and what it is
This type is quite rare for Russia, although in America and Europe almost all private homes are heated with it. The essence of geothermal heating of a private home is to use the heat from the lower layers of the earth. After all, even from school courses, everyone knows that the deeper, the warmer the soil. The principle of this method is based on this. The main work here is performed by a heat pump, which concentrates high temperatures, subsequently supplying them to a private house.
This kind of heating has a lot of positive qualities. Eg:
- absolute fire safety - there is no need for gas or any other fuel;
- efficiency - the only cost item is electricity, which requires an insignificant amount to operate the heat pump;
- noiselessness;
- operation in two modes - heating in winter and cooling in hot weather;
- environmental friendliness - there are no harmful emissions into the atmosphere;
- compactness - the owner does not need to equip a separate room in the house for a boiler room or boiler room.
Of course, most often such systems are laid out at the construction stage. But Russia is not yet accustomed to such heating. Let's hope things change. After all, this is indeed a very profitable option for heating in winter and cooling in summer - after all, there is no need to purchase and install air conditioners and other similar equipment.
Differences between open and closed heating systems: advantages and disadvantages of each of them
Those who have encountered the installation of heating systems know that they can be either closed or open. If not, then now we will try to explain what they are and how they differ.
Schemes of closed heating systems with forced water circulation imply sealed lines. This prevents the pipes located at a higher level from airing. When the water heats up, the valve is activated and the excess flows into the expansion tank. When cooling, the reverse process occurs.
A closed-type heating scheme with a circulation pump is implemented in all apartment buildings. Its main advantage is the absence of evaporation and the possibility of using pipes with a smaller diameter. In such a system, the use of any type of boiler is allowed, regardless of the fuel on which they operate.
The layout of the open-type heating system is fundamentally different from the previous one. The expansion tank, which is located above the level of the boiler and all pipes, is connected to the system directly, without any valves, which means that when the water level decreases, air may enter the highest points, which will lead to the cessation of circulation (in this case it is natural).
The size of the pipes when using an open heating system in a private house is much larger. For this reason, the costs of its installation increase. It is also inconvenient that it is necessary to use as few shaped elements as possible, such as knees. With a large number of turns, the circulation slows down. Electric boilers cannot be used as a heater. After all, the movement of water is quite slow, and therefore there is a danger of it boiling and failure of the heating elements.
And of course, one cannot help but dwell separately on the types of circulation.
Forced or natural - which is better to give preference to and what other types are there?
Natural circulation is the independent circulation of water in the system, without the use of a pump or pump. Used when installing an open heating system. The fact is that when installing a recirculation pump in this case, the water will take too long to warm up due to the large diameter of the pipes.
The heating scheme for a two-story house with natural circulation is quite complex to implement. This applies not only to the size and number of pipes. The main task is to create the necessary uniform slope of the highway along its entire length. And it’s not easy to do this on such a scale.
A heating scheme with forced circulation of a two-story house is free of such problems, and therefore it is much easier to install - water moves through the pipes using a pump. This means that a uniform slope is no longer necessary.
Important! If the circulation is forced, then you should not think that you can install radiators and mount pipes at random. In any case, accuracy is important. Here, all pipes should be located horizontally and vertically, and radiators should be strictly vertical.
It becomes clear that when choosing between a forced and natural (gravity) heating system for a two-story house, you need to make a decision based on your capabilities and desires. But nevertheless, a closed one, according to experts, is more reliable, easier to implement and requires less financial costs.
Features of various wiring, their pros and cons, as well as the nuances of installing various circuits
Before installation, you need to complete the most important part of the work - draw up a wiring diagram for the heating system in a private house. After all, no matter how simple it may seem, you cannot do without a detailed project. Especially if you plan to heat a two-story house with many rooms.
In addition, it contains another useful function (if it is really compiled in detail). It is according to the heating project for two-story houses (as, in fact, any others) that you can calculate the amount of required material, shaped elements and radiators. And based on this data, it will be possible to determine the upcoming costs. But this is a rather important point.
Many people believe that it is very difficult to do such work as installing heating in a private house on their own and that such work can only be done by professionals. However, this is not true.
And to prove this, we will now present to the attention of our dear reader several different schemes by which such installation can be performed. And after that, everyone will decide for themselves which one is closer to them and which one is easier to do on their own. Although, looking ahead, we would like to say that, having understood the very essence of these schemes, it becomes clear that any of them is quite simple.
Single-pipe systems: how to install them
This is the simplest, and therefore the most common heating installation system. Its name already speaks for itself. For convenience, we will try to explain its essence in simple and accessible language. Let's take a room with 5 radiators installed around the perimeter. Then the hot water, leaving the boiler, enters the first radiator, passes through it and goes to the second, and so on in a circle.
The output from the last battery is connected to the boiler return. It turns out that one pipe runs around the perimeter. It does not matter how the radiators themselves are mounted to it - whether it will be a parallel connection or a serial one. It also doesn’t matter whether the diagram of a single-pipe heating system will be with bottom wiring or with top wiring (we’ll talk about this a little later).
It is this type of connection that is most often used in houses with a small number of rooms - it allows you to significantly save on the purchase of material. A single-pipe heating system for a private house is quite convenient and unpretentious, but it has one drawback. As the number of radiators increases, the temperature of the last one in the chain will be noticeably lower than the first. This is explained by the fact that the water has time to cool down while it passes through all the rooms. This means that the scheme of a single-pipe heating system in a two-story house with a large area and many rooms will not work. This means that other options should be considered.
Two-pipe systems and their advantages in houses with large areas
The design of a two-pipe heating system in a two-story house is also not complicated, but it has its own fundamental differences from the previous version. Taking the same room with 5 radiators around the perimeter, you can build the following “project”. There are two pipes running from the boiler along all the radiators - supply and return. At the last radiator they are connected to form a closed circuit.
The connection is made as follows. Hot water from the boiler enters each of the radiators, and from it it returns to the return line (back to the heater). Thus, we get a system in which each heating device works directly with the boiler. It is in this case that there will be virtually no temperature difference between the radiators, which is what is required for comfortable living.
Installing double-circuit heating in a private house with your own hands is not difficult, but it requires care. In addition, material costs increase. But sometimes there is simply no other option. In addition, with such a device, even if in winter you open a window in one of the rooms, cooling it down to street temperature, even this will not affect the remaining radiators too much - they will be almost as hot.
At the same time, a two-pipe heating system with overhead wiring can be made with both forced circulation and natural circulation. One of the varieties of such a system is the “Tichelman loop”. We will talk about it now.
Tichelman scheme - what it is and why it is better than a conventional two-pipe system
If you look at Tichelman’s diagram for two-story houses, you can see one interesting detail. Hot water is also supplied to the first radiator, but the return flow comes from the last, although both pipes run along the perimeter. Thus, a kind of loop is obtained, which, as it were, combines two connections - one-pipe and two-pipe.
The advantage of installing a Tichelman loop on two floors is that even the slightest difference in the temperatures of the radiators disappears, regardless of which room or room they are located in. Of course, such a system will cost a little more, and therefore it is worth using it only in cases of really large areas and the number of radiators.
Tichelman’s scheme for a two-story house is quite interesting both in terms of design and installation, but it also has its own difficulties. It's much easier to get confused with her. It would be advisable to first stretch one pipe, marking each of its branches to the radiator, and only then take on the second one. Otherwise, there is a chance of mixing up the supply and return.
Leningradka scheme: are there any differences between it and a conventional single-pipe system?
If we turn to a conventional single-pipe system, then Leningradka can be called one of its varieties, and now we will explain why. In fact, taking the same room as an example, with a single-pipe system you can connect radiators in series, which makes it impossible to adjust the temperature of each of them separately. By connecting the heating of a private house with your own hands according to the Leningradka scheme, you can get this opportunity.
Standard Leningradka circuit - the simplest connection Installation is carried out as follows. The pipe from the boiler also runs along the perimeter of the room, but is not interrupted anywhere. Through such shaped parts as tees, both the supply to the battery and the return from it are connected to it. In this case, by installing the regulator on the radiator, you can freely adjust the temperature, setting it to comfortable - this will be the Leningrad heating system. The scheme for a two-story house is quite simple, which means it can be easily done with your own hands, even by a home craftsman who does not have such experience.
Of course, two-pipe circuits are much more reliable and distribute heat better, but if the area of the house is small, then such a circuit will come in handy. It is also possible to perform top wiring. Of course, this is a little more complicated, but then there is the option of installing heating with natural circulation.
It is due to its simplicity that such a scheme has become quite widespread among homeowners. If the building area is large enough, then the Leningradka system is unacceptable for heating a two-story house.
Collector heating system - what is its advantage
The use of a collector heating circuit in a two-story house is a fairly rational solution that is suitable for both one-pipe and two-pipe systems. Let's try to explain what it is.
It is clear that in a two-story house there is more than one room - there are several of them in one. This means the question arises of distributing the hot water supply from the boiler to different radiators. To avoid installing many loops, you can do the following. At the outlet of the boiler, a collector is installed, from which as many pipes depart as there are rooms on the floor. For the second, it is better to install a separate one, through a tee.
Also, shut-off valves are installed at each supply outlet. As a result, we get each room connected separately, the heating of which can be turned off if necessary. The same steps apply to the return line, but without shut-off valves.
It is this system that will allow you to get by with only one pump. In the case of connection through tees, you will have to install a second one, because one simply cannot cope with two floors. And for a more complete understanding of this topic, we suggest watching a short video about collector heating in two-story houses.
Many people call this home heating radiant, which is also correct. If we consider a conventional two-circuit system, then it is simply impossible to do without the use of such a scheme - after all, a person will not install a two-pipe scheme for 2-3 rooms.
As for installation, the radiant heating system is also at its best - with its use, the implementation of such work is greatly facilitated. In other words, we were unable to find any negative qualities in her, although we tried very hard. If any of our respected readers succeeds, we kindly ask you to write about it in the discussions, we will be very grateful.
Now regarding the use of radiant heating systems in private houses with a single-pipe scheme. And here it does not fail, comparing almost perfectly the temperature readings of the first and last radiator in the chain, even without the use of a Tichelman loop. This means that the collector system can be considered a real find.
Thermal engineering calculation of a heating system: why it is needed and how to do it
First, let's try to understand why it is needed and what we can ultimately learn.
| Options | Description |
|---|---|
| Boiler power | Indeed, having carried out complete calculations, we will determine this parameter with accuracy. This is necessary in order not to purchase a boiler of less power than necessary (there will not be enough heat to heat all the rooms) or more (why overpay for unnecessary excess consumption of fuel or electricity) |
| Radiators power | This is necessary to determine whether the heat they generate is enough for the room in which they are located and whether they will have to be kept covered, which again will hit your pocket when purchasing |
| Monthly heating costs | Budget planning is a fairly important component. Knowing how much you will need to spend per month, this process will be much easier. |
| How to reduce heat loss | This is also very important. After all, in the absence of heat leaks, savings on heating the house increase. We will definitely talk about this today |
| Will moisture accumulate? | This factor is important not only from the point of view of dampness as a component of heat loss, but also as a factor determining the service life of the house itself. |
Of course, it is better to hire professional designers for this purpose, but in this case the payment for their services will be quite an impressive amount. If this is unacceptable, it is better to calculate the heating of a private house yourself. But you need to be prepared for the fact that this will be quite difficult. Let's look at the main things you need to know for this.
Calculating the power of a heating boiler based on the area of the house is the simplest step
According to generally accepted rules, 1 kW of power is required for every 10 m2. Thus, provided that the total area of all heated rooms in the house is 170 m2, a 17 kW boiler is required. But don’t forget about additional coefficients.
Thus, these calculations are also very important. Typically, the volume of the expansion tank is taken as 10% of the total amount of liquid in the system. We suggest you, again, use an online calculator. After all, it is much simpler and faster.
Arranging a heating system for a two-story private house requires a competent approach, since the main thing that any cottage resident requires—comfort—depends on this indicator. Today, air and electric heating systems are becoming more and more popular. But electric does not mean standard heaters or heated floors, but those that run on alternative energy sources such as solar panels.
Standard wiring diagram
Typically, such a scheme involves the use of metal plastic pipes - this is what the design and engineering bureau can tell you. However, these pipes can be easily replaced with polypropylene or even copper. Interestingly, today copper pipes have again become in demand.
The fact is that despite all their disadvantages, including high cost, they have a very significant advantage: the coolant circulating through copper pipes and radiators does not need to be replaced for many, many years. In fact, you can fill it once - and that’s it, it’ll last for a lifetime!
Standard wiring diagram for a heating system in a two-story house Fittings, various shaped systems, connectors and other components are connected only depending on their angle of inclination and relative position from each other. This wiring diagram usually requires the use of various taps: from ball taps to radiator taps (all of them are straight).
After the calculation has taken place according to the diagram, the required number of radiators and their sections is calculated. The latter are mounted on special brackets. Accordingly, the more sections there are, the more brackets (or other fittings that can replace them) will be needed.
You should not install more radiator sections than necessary: this will increase energy consumption, and the effect will be minimal.
Upper and lower wiring
In a house where there is both a basement and an attic, you can use one of two types of wiring: upper or lower. Of course, almost any 2-story house will have both an attic and a basement.
Features of wiring, depending on their type:
- With the top supply, the coolant will be supplied from the attic, entering the distributor, and then going down through the pipes;
- At the bottom, the coolant, accordingly, will be supplied from the basement, flowing downwards.
Of course, it seems logical that the easiest way is to use the upper wiring, because in this case the pump will have the lowest power and the coolant itself will circulate much faster.
Scheme of a two-pipe heating system with bottom wiring However, it depends on which side you look at: the upper wiring will be irrelevant, for example, if the house has an attic (living in the “embraces” of a heating boiler is another pleasure, it should be noted), and if a leak occurs, the entire house will be completely flooded. Is it worth the risk?
It’s worth saying right away that the coolant does not always mean water: now many owners of private houses also use antifreeze (this will not affect the choice of lower or upper wiring).
But in any case, there are 2 rules that apply regardless of the selected type:
Two-pipe and one-pipe heating system
The choice between a single-pipe and a two-pipe heating system when building houses was the most difficult decision for the owner. The systems differ significantly from each other, and each has one significant advantage and one of the same disadvantages.
For small houses, it is better to prefer a two-pipe heating system.
Diagram of a single-pipe heating system Brief characteristics of two types of heating systems:
Plastic pipes are the best option for a modern heating system - Single-pipe, as you might guess, requires the use of only one centralized line (pipe), regardless of what type of heating is used: water boiler, stove, gas, steam, using or without an electric boiler, and so on. But there is one problem: the already cooled coolant enters the same pipe from which it was supplied, to the main riser. It turns out that the lowest radiators will be much colder than the first ones. Consequently, their heating area will also increase, which is good (what is meant here is that such a heating system will require a much larger number of radiators and batteries);
- The two-pipe system requires complex technical conditions for its installation, but is more efficient. Cooled and hot water circulates through different lines, without touching in any way and without interfering with each other at all. It turns out that all the batteries warm up evenly, and the heat does not just go away;
- In general, single-pipe is cheap, but far from the most effective; two-pipe - expensive and complex, but very effective. The dilemma will have to be resolved directly by the owner of the building himself; nothing can be done about it.
Installation of the system when planning a heated floor
The main nuances that must be taken into account when planning the installation of heated floors:
When installing a heated floor, it is necessary to take into account the type of subsequent finishing. - It is very important to choose the right flooring. Very! For example, if a screed is placed on top of a heated floor (and it is required and will be in any case), and a 10-centimeter parquet floor is placed on top of the screed, then why is this heated floor needed at all if the efficiency of such a system is zero? All such points must be taken into account;
- The underfloor heating pipeline is always and under any circumstances installed exclusively in the screed of the floor itself. Then people usually ask the question: what should its thickness be? But specialists will be able to answer this question only if they have information about all the initial parameters of the house itself and the power required for the heating circuit;
- Even if it is planned to install heated floors on the ground floor only in some parts, thermal insulation will have to be carried out over the entire surface of the floor, otherwise the heat will go into the basement, thereby wasting energy virtually nowhere and reducing the efficiency of the entire system. Of course, this is provided that there are no living rooms or any animals in the basement. For the second floor, this condition is not necessary;
By the way, any water supply scheme will work more efficiently if it has natural rather than forced circulation, which is extremely important. Do heating systems differ much?
For example, what will be the difference between the heating system of a one-story brick private house with polypropylene pipes (polypropylene pipes are now popular) from a two-story wooden one, which is heated by an electric boiler?
The difference will be significant, because here it will be necessary to determine how to properly connect the heating system (for each type of house - differently), is it possible to do this with your own hands, is it possible to connect devices with very high power in a private house?
General diagram of a heated floor in a house In any case, the heating system in a one-story house will a priori be simpler from a technical point of view than in houses with two or more floors. And if you take huge houses, the area of which starts from 500 m², then everything is so complicated and completely confusing that it seems that even a nuclear physicist will not immediately figure out where to insert this or that fitting and with the help of which pumps circulates water or some kind of another coolant.
Video
You can watch a video where experts talk about how to install a heating system in a two-story house and organize collector heating.
In front of us is a three-story country house. On the ground floor there is a garage and utility rooms. There will be residential premises on the second and third floors. A two-pipe system will be chosen as heating, and radiators as heating devices.
three-story country house
It is not practical to install a single-pipe system in this house, since the area of each floor is more than 60 m2. This means that if we install a one-pipe system, then the first radiators will receive all the energy from the coolant, each subsequent one will receive a little less. And since we have large floors, the difference between the first and last radiator will be very significant. To avoid this we must make a two-pipe or manifold system. 
boiler room
The boiler room will be located on the first floor. The boiler will be gas with a closed combustion chamber and a coaxial chimney.
The boiler power will be 43 kW. This power is calculated using the following formula (195 m2 x 170 W) + 30%. 30% is the reserve necessary for efficient operation of the boiler in severe frosts or for quickly heating up a cold house.
connecting the boiler to metal-plastic pipes and installing a filter
installation of coolant drain and fill unit
Our boiler already has a pump, expansion tank, and safety group installed, and we just need to install a filter in front of the boiler and a coolant drain/fill unit at the bottom of the system. 
installation of two-pipe heating on the ground floor
main pipe routing
We assemble and hang the radiators, do the wiring and connect the main pipes. 
radiator connection diagram in a two-pipe system
Let's look at connecting a radiator to a two-pipe system. 
closing radiator in a two-pipe system
The last radiator is the closing one and we immediately connect a 16 mm pipe to it.
And so we looked at the installation of a two-pipe heating system for the first floor. This floor will be designed for non-residential premises, so the radiators will not operate at full capacity, but will provide a temperature of about 15 C, which we will set using thermostats installed on the radiators. 
diagram of two-pipe heating of the second floor
Now let's look at the second floor.
We extend the riser, install radiators and connect the main pipes. 
thermal insulation of metal-plastic pipes
Let's turn our attention to the front door. To lay the pipes, we need to deepen them into the floor and insulate them well. 
radiators are connected in the same way as on the first floor Let's look at the risers and their connections. Radiators are connected in a similar way to what we looked at on the first floor. 
to connect the third floor we will need 32x26 adapters We will connect the third floor through adapters; pipe 26 will go there immediately. 
third floor diagram
Now let's look at the third floor. The radiators here are installed similarly to the first and second floors. There is a radiator under each window to prevent the windows from fogging up in sub-zero temperatures.
Now we will briefly tell you how to calculate the power of radiators for each room. Let's take one room as an example. The calculation is based on the following formula:
19.5 m2 (room area) x 170 W (required power for heating 1 m2 of a country house) / 180 W (power of one section of an aluminum radiator) = 18 sections.
But since there are 3 windows in our room, we divide 18 sections by 3 and get 3 radiators of 6 sections each. This simple formula is used to calculate the radiator power.
3D heating diagram of a two-pipe system made of metal-plastic
And so we looked at a 3-story house with a two-pipe heating system.
Nowadays, in projects of private residential buildings, a heating scheme for a two-story house with forced circulation is laid down as more optimal and modern. Some homeowners still prefer heating with natural circulation, seeing its advantages. To find out the advantages of each heating scheme, we will consider various options for pipe distribution in a two-story house.
Natural circulation of heated water through pipes is still relevant, but is becoming a thing of the past
Nowadays, in heating projects for a private two-story house, you will no longer find drawings of heating circuits that operate without including circulation pumps in the diagram. But not so long ago, heating of private households with individual water heating was carried out solely due to the natural movement of water through pipes. In some houses built and equipped with everything necessary earlier, heating systems with gravity circulation of coolant still function to this day.
How does fluid move in such pipe circuits? The circulation here is ensured by the difference in density of water at different temperatures. A hot liquid is lighter (lower density), so it tends upward, while a colder liquid tends downward. The coolant heated by the boiler goes up the riser and is replaced by cooled water from the return pipeline. This is called convection, which provides half the energy needed to carry out natural circulation.
The other half of the driving force comes from gravity. In order for the force of attraction to act more efficiently, the horizontal pipes of the circuit (beds) are installed with a slope towards the movement of the coolant. The supply pipeline is inclined to the heating radiators, the return line is inclined to the boiler. In addition to the slope of the pipes in the gravity circuit, the following factors are of great importance for the successful implementation of circulation:
- the position of the boiler relative to the return pipe (the lower the unit is installed, the better);
- diameter of pipe communications (the wider the lumen of the pipeline, the lower the resistance);
- cross-section of internal holes in batteries (the same pattern as for pipes).
Compliance with these rules allows you to make an effective gravity circuit in the house with your own hands. However, the conditions that must be observed when installing a system with natural coolant movement are the cause of its following disadvantages:
- bulky pipes (usually steel) cannot be laid hidden, they are always visible;
- it is necessary to make a recessed platform for the boiler, which makes its maintenance inconvenient;
- it is necessary to maintain a difference between hot and cooled coolant of at least 25 degrees;
- the optimal ones, having the largest internal clearance and less susceptibility to corrosion (with natural circulation in the coolant there is a lot of air), are cast iron (the choice is small);
- large volume of coolant and the need to mount a bulky one;
- It is difficult to carry out correct thermal calculations for uniform heating of rooms.
In addition, a gravity circuit is not capable of fully heating large buildings. Effective natural circulation is possible with a length of sunbeds up to 45 m and an area of up to 180 m 2 (in a two-story house). These disadvantages make gravity circuits minimally in demand among homeowners. But there are still adherents of gravity heating systems who argue their preference with the following advantages of gravity circuits:
- independence from uninterrupted power supply;
- noiseless movement of liquid through pipes;
- efficiency of the heating system when operating solid fuel boilers (high inertia partially eliminates frequent and significant temperature changes).
When installing gravity circuits, two piping schemes are used - one-pipe, when the coolant from the batteries is removed through the same pipe as it is supplied, and two-pipe, when the liquid is supplied and discharged back to the boiler by two communications. For natural circulation, the same wiring diagrams are used. The coolant is supplied to the second floor through a riser extending from the boiler; the cooled liquid is discharged from above through a return vertical pipe. The sunbeds on both floors are connected to the risers according to the applied heating communications wiring diagram.
A system with forced fluid movement is optimal by today's standards
When developing a modern heating project for a two-story house, the authors of the document will probably include a heating circuit with a circulation pump. Systems with natural movement of liquid through pipes do not fit into the concept of a modern interior; in addition, forced circulation provides better performance characteristics of water heating, especially in private houses with a large area.
Forced circulation makes it much easier to relate to the arrangement of heating system elements relative to each other, but there are still general rules for the installation of boiler piping, the preferred connection of heating radiators, and the laying of pipe communications. Despite the presence of a circulation pump in the circuit, when installing the wiring, they try to minimize the resistance of the pipes, their connections and transitions in order to reduce the load on the liquid pumping device and avoid turbulence of the liquid in difficult to pass places.
The use of forced circulation in the pipe circuit allows one to achieve the following operational advantages:
- high speed of fluid movement ensures uniform heating of all heat exchangers (batteries), thereby achieving better heating of various rooms;
- forced injection of coolant removes restrictions on the total heating area, allowing communications of any length;
- a circuit with a circulation pump operates effectively at low liquid temperatures (less than 60 degrees), making it easier to maintain the optimal temperature in the rooms of a private house;
- low liquid temperature and low pressure (within 3 Bar) allows the use of inexpensive plastic pipes for installing a heating system;
- the diameter of thermal communications is much smaller than in a system with natural circulation and their hidden installation is possible without observing natural slopes;
- the ability to operate heating radiators of any type (preference is given to aluminum batteries);
- low heating inertia (from starting the boiler until the radiators reach the maximum temperature takes no more than half an hour);
- the ability to make the circuit closed using a membrane expansion tank (although installing an open system is also not excluded);
- thermoregulation can be carried out throughout the system as a whole, or zonally or pointwise (adjust the temperature on each heater separately).
Another advantage of the forced heating system of a two-story private house is the arbitrary choice of location for installing the boiler. Typically, it is installed on the ground floor or in the basement, if there is a basement, but the heat generator does not have to be specially deepened and the level of its location relative to the return pipe needs to be calculated. Both floor and wall mounting of the boiler are allowed, which provides a wide choice of suitable equipment model according to the personal preferences of the homeowner.
Despite the technical perfection of heating with forced fluid movement, such a system has disadvantages. Firstly, this is the noise that is generated during the rapid circulation of the coolant through the pipes, especially increasing in places of narrowing and sharp turns of the pipeline. Often the noise of moving fluid is a sign of excessive power (performance) of the circulation pump applicable to a given heating circuit.
Secondly, the operation of water heating depends on electricity, which is necessary for constant pumping of the coolant by a circulation pump. The circuit design usually does not promote the natural movement of fluid, so during long power outages (if there is no device for uninterrupted power supply), the home is left without heating.
Like a circuit with natural circulation, heating a two-story house with forced pumping of coolant is done using one-pipe and two-pipe wiring. How such schemes look correctly will be discussed further.
Single-pipe circuit with circulation pump - easy to make, but far from perfect
With a single-pipe wiring diagram with a circulation pump included in the circuit (all heaters on the floor are connected to one communication), hot coolant is supplied through it and cooled liquid is discharged into it. Due to the high circulation rate with a short length of the deck, the temperature difference between the first radiator from the riser and the outermost battery is insignificant. But with a large contour length the difference becomes noticeable.
Often, such a wiring diagram is the result of an improvement in a single-pipe heating circuit with natural circulation, when a circulation pump is inserted into the system, and the heating has been installed for a long time.
Single-pipe wiring can operate as an open system or using a membrane expansion tank. If this is an advanced system, an atmospheric compensation tank is usually left. When the circuit is made from scratch, a closed membrane-type tank is installed.
The advantage of such a circuit is the possibility of its temporary operation without the participation of a circulation pump (during a power outage), although with less efficiency. In order for the heating to operate in two modes, the pump is installed in a bypass - a special pipe bypass loop with a system of valves and stopcocks. The circulation pump is placed on a thinner pipe that goes around the main line. When the coolant injection device is operating, the liquid moves in a roundabout way, while the valve on the central pipe is closed. If there is no electricity, the tap on the bypass is turned off, but opened on the main line and the coolant begins to circulate naturally.
A 2-story private house is effective only with a small floor area. In such situations, it makes sense to do the wiring with one pipeline - it turns out to be more economical in terms of materials (pipes, fittings) and much faster. If the square footage of the floors is significant, you will have to spend money on pipes and make the most efficient wiring using two thermal communications.
Two-pipe heating distribution - options for a two-story house, diagrams
All the advantages of a circuit with forced movement of coolant are realized during the construction and operation of a two-story house. With such wiring, which has several options for operating schemes, the coolant is supplied and removed from the batteries through different communications. Radiators are connected to the system in parallel, that is, independently of each other.
The hot coolant from the boiler enters the riser, from which a supply branch departs on each floor and supplies each heater. From the batteries, the outlet pipes discharge the cooled liquid into the return communication. The “cold” sun loungers flow into the outlet riser, which turns into a return pipe on the ground floor. On the return line before entering the boiler, the following are installed sequentially:
- membrane expansion tank;
- circulation pump in the bypass system with a set of shut-off valves;
- a safety valve that relieves excess pressure in the heating pipe circuit.
The independent supply of coolant to each battery in a two-pipe heating circuit makes it possible to regulate (including automatically) the speed of fluid flow through the radiator and thereby change the temperature of the heater. This is done manually using a shut-off valve at the coolant supply inlet or using a thermostatic valve that adjusts the inlet opening automatically in accordance with the set room temperature. Balancing valves are often installed at the outlet of radiators, with the help of which pressure is equalized in each section of the system and throughout the entire circuit.
A two-pipe heating system can be implemented in several versions, and a different scheme can be used on different floors. The simplest wiring with two pipes is called dead-end. It consists in the fact that both pipes (inlet and outlet) are laid in parallel, alternately connected along the way to the batteries, and are ultimately closed at the last heater. The cross-section of the pipes (both) decreases as they approach the last radiator. Such wiring requires careful adjustment of pressure using balancing taps (valves) in order to achieve uniform flow of coolant to the batteries.
The next pipe connection is called a “Tichelman loop” or counter loop. Its essence is that the supply pipe and return pipe, having the same diameter throughout, are brought to the radiators and connected from opposite sides. This wiring is more optimal and does not require system balancing.
The most advanced, but also the most material-intensive, is the collector heating system of a two-story house. Each heating device on the floor is supplied individually; separate supply and return pipes are connected from the collector to the radiators. In addition to batteries, in-floor convectors, heated floors, and fan coil units can be connected to the collector. The advantage is that each heating device or system is supplied with coolant with the required pressure, temperature and circulation rate. All these parameters are regulated by devices (servos, fluid mixers, thermostats, valve systems) installed on the distribution manifolds.
The heating circuit is an integral part of residential buildings - both apartment buildings and private cottages, including those with two floors. The latter case is complicated by the need to equip a heat supply system with hot water rising to the second floor of the building; To solve the problem, several practice-tested types of wiring are used. In this case, provided that the total area of the cottage is more than 150 m2, a two-pipe heating system for a private two-story house is best suited.
The essence and advantages of a two-pipe heating scheme
Such a system includes a heating boiler, heating radiators, control devices, pipes for supplying coolant (hot water), associated fittings and other elements. Provided the correct selection of all design components, reasonable planning of the wiring and conscientious assembly of the heat supply circuit, the use of the circuit will allow, by ensuring the preferred temperature regime in all rooms of the house, to significantly reduce heating costs.
The principle of operation of a two-pipe heating system for a two-story house is to supply coolant (in this case, hot water) through a collector and supply pipe to each of the connected radiators and then remove the moisture that has released heat through the outlet pipe. In accordance with the number of pipes used, such a scheme is called two-pipe.
System advantages:
- Achieving uniform heating of all radiators included in the circuit due to the flow of coolant having the same temperature into them.
- The ability, subject to the installation of a manually controlled thermostat, to determine its own temperature regime for each room of the building and change it as necessary.
- Small pressure losses in the system, due to which, without losing temperature, you can use a pump that is less productive and, accordingly, does not consume a lot of electrical energy. In one-story buildings, the use of a pump can be eliminated altogether, but then the energy efficiency of the circuit is significantly reduced.
- Versatility. The two-pipe system can be used in private houses with any number of floors.
Before purchasing the necessary materials and proceeding with the installation of the circuit, you need to plan the heating scheme and calculate the possibility of its placement in a given area. The lengths of the pipes leaving the unit should be approximately the same.
Types and descriptions of pipe layouts
There are two main schemes for a two-pipe heating system for a private two-story house:
- with horizontal pipe distribution;
- with vertical wiring.
Horizontal layout
The horizontal type of pipe routing, in turn, is divided into:
- radial (collector);
- consistent.
The collector circuit, which, as the most popular, will be described in more detail below, is characterized by the presence of a separate supply for each radiator.
The sequential method implies the existence of a single branch extending from the riser, running along the perimeter of all floors and containing supply and return pipes.
Regardless of the subtype chosen by the owner, horizontal wiring has common distinctive features (read also: ""). In particular, such a scheme is most often installed in those houses where there is a flat roof on top and a basement below. The attic cannot be used as a location for heating equipment and communication networks.
Advantages of horizontal wiring:
- high level of hydraulic stability;
- the ability to automatically set and maintain the temperature in each individual room;
- when using the scheme, it is allowed to install separate heat meters, either two or more;
- Wiring of this type can be placed discreetly without spoiling the appearance of the rooms with pipeline parts.
Disadvantages of wiring:
- a complicated heating startup scheme: to ensure uninterrupted operation, gently release the air from it first;
- on all radiators it is required to install taps to release air pockets;
- the cost of a project involving a collector is quite high, since more building materials need to be purchased for the arrangement.
Vertical layout
The diagram of a two-pipe heating system for a two-story house provides for the presence in the house of one vertical riser, to which other heating devices and elements are connected. Such a scheme requires more pipes, and the cost of a heating circuit with horizontal wiring will be 15-20% higher than its horizontal counterpart. In addition, the arrangement of a vertical system is more difficult.
The advantages and disadvantages of vertical wiring generally do not differ from horizontal wiring.
Collector heating system
Horizontal collector-type wiring in private houses with two or more floors is most common. Among its obvious advantages is the ability to mount a separate collector circuit on each floor and hide the pipeline elements in the floors or under the baseboards.
To implement the scheme, you should install a collector comb on each floor in a special cabinet (or niche), and run pipes under the floor; then, in addition to their direct purpose, these elements will heat the floor.
Two pipes are connected to each radiator - supply and exhaust. Each of them departs from a manifold unit, which includes two manifolds, which are connected to the supply and return pipelines. If desired, you can install shut-off valves on each supply pipe to turn off any individual radiator without stopping the operation of the others - for example, to regulate the room temperature or to service this radiator.
High-quality circulation of hot water in a two-pipe system of a cottage with two or more floors cannot be ensured without installing a circulation pump. This device also increases the cost of arranging the circuit.
The procedure for arranging two-pipe heating in a two-story cottage
A heating circuit of this type requires the presence of the following elements:
- heating boiler;
- auto air hub;
- radiators in the required quantity;
- valves – balancing, thermostatic, safety;
- circulation pump;
- expansion tank;
- valves;
- supply and return collectors (with a collector circuit);
- supply and discharge pipes;
- measuring equipment - for example, a thermomanometer.
Installation algorithm:
- Choose the most suitable scheme.
- Order schematic drawings and calculation of the amount of required materials from the design office.
- Install the heating boiler in a suitable room with good ventilation and fire-resistant coating of surfaces. If the boiler is electric, these precautions are not necessary.
- Install an expansion tank, connected, if necessary, to the distribution manifold.
- Equip the system with measuring and control devices.
- Connect inlet and outlet pipes to all radiators. Connect a circulation pump to the return circuit (the device works better at low temperatures).
- Visually assess the quality of work and conduct tests.
If the calculations were carried out correctly and the assembly was carried out with due care, the heating system will last a long time, without interruptions in operation.