Heating systems that use liquid as a coolant are equipped with devices to increase or decrease the water supply in pipes and heating elements. The regulating devices here are various taps and a valve for the heating radiator. With their help, a smooth change in temperature in a heated room is achieved.
Valve functions for heating battery
The need for valves is due to two reasons:
- Achieving a comfortable temperature in the room is impossible without controlling the heating of the radiators.
- Systems in which there is no adjustment are energy consuming.
In the first case, due to the built-in thermostat, the heating elements can be switched on and off automatically. Savings are achieved due to the fact that the boiler does not heat the entire volume of the coolant, but only that part of it that is currently circulating.
Varieties of valves
The heating system, regardless of the type of boiler, involves equipping its mains with several types of valves for radiators. This is due to the fact that such products are not universal. Therefore, the desire to save money and supply a cheaper ball valve instead of a special control valve leads to inefficient operation of the equipment and unnecessary labor costs for its maintenance.
You need to know the four principles of constructing a heating circuit, so that the meaning of using a specific element in each of its links becomes clear:
- The lines should be balanced among themselves - have approximately the same resistance to the coolant.
- Separate heating elements must be equipped with an adjustment mechanism.
- In case of emergency or when performing battery maintenance, you need to be able to quickly remove them.
- It must be possible to remove air from the circuit.
Semi-turn ball valves
The simplest products in design, which consist of a locking mechanism of a spherical shape with a through duct. Control is carried out using a handle acting on the ball through the stem. Semi-turnaround devices are called, since to completely shut off the water flow it is enough to turn the handle 90 degrees. Cranes can be made of steel coated with nickel, or bronze and its alloys.
Ball-type half-turn shut-off valves have one significant drawback - when the flow is quickly blocked in equipment with high internal pressure, a water hammer occurs, which can lead to destruction of the line. In order to avoid accidents, structurally designed hydraulic accumulators must be provided to absorb shock.
Manual adjustment valves for airing heaters
Mayevsky’s crane is a mechanical action device designed to remove air from batteries. To solve the problem, a valve is installed at the top of the battery opposite the supply pipe.
The product consists of such parts:
- case in brass design;
- a needle-type valve having a slot for a screwdriver and a turnkey hexagon head;
- plastic casing with a hole for air exhaust.
Air removal is carried out by unscrewing the needle valve until it seeps through the holes in the water.
Balancing valves
Regulators of this type are designed to create uniform throughput in the lines of a complex heating system. As an example, multi-story buildings. Without balancing valves, the coolant will circulate according to the law of least resistance and warm up mainly the batteries on the lower floors. According to the rules, such stop valves are installed at the inlet of the supply pipe and at the outlet of the return.
Thermostatic valves for radiators
Instruments of this type in construction have two main modules - thermostatic head and a mechanical valve. Products can be made of bronze and its alloys, as well as stainless steel. The following processes occur inside the device:
- The temperature in the room affects the working environment in which the sensitive component is present.
- The latter has the property to change its linear dimensions.
- When expanding the element, it presses on the rod and blocks the channel of movement of the coolant.
- During compression, the reverse process occurs.
Valves come in single pipe and double pipe designs. Also, by type of control, they distinguish:
- conical thermal vents for a manual regulation heating radiator, in which the heat carrier flow is blocked and released by the regulator handle;
- semi-automatic devices of direct action - in them the operator sets the response temperature on a mechanical scale, and the thermal head controls the mechanism;
- automatic devices with built-in electronic thermostat, where you can lay a specific program of work.
As valves, you can use any valves - ball, wing and butterfly valves. To remove water from the heating element, it is permissible to drain it through the lower radiator connection valve.
Rules for the use and installation of thermal valves for heating
When choosing the type of control valve for the heating system and the method of its installation, they are repelled by the following conditions:
- For conventional construction systems, where two pipes and circulation pumps are used, simple two-pipe thermostatic valves for the radiator are used.
- For gravitational circuits with one pipe - single-tube devices with a high throughput channel.
- Take into account the direction of receipt of the coolant - from above or from the lower channel.
- The shut-off valve for the radiator is mounted at a distance of 60-40 cm from the bottom of the room.
- The direction of connection of the stop valves is selected in accordance with the marking of the flow movement on the body.
To ensure the tightness of the threaded connection in hard-to-reach places where it is difficult to use FUM tape, special pipe thermostable silicones can be used.
Among the well-known product for regulating heaters on the market are: Italian products RBM and ICMA, devices of the German company PROFACTOR, Chinese thermal vents UNO New.
