Replacing gas-fired heating batteries: a review of technology

When constructing a new house or during the overhaul of an apartment, you have to solve the problem of installing new heating elements. Moreover, the problem here is not only the choice of radiators and pipes along which the coolant will move, but also the method of combining disparate parts of the structure into one reliable working system.

There are several options for connecting pipes: replacing heating batteries with gas welding, electric welding or a threaded method. Although each technology has its pros and cons, most masters are inclined specifically to gas welding. Why? Let's consider in detail and on examples.

Features of gas welding technology

Bonding of heating pipes by gas welding is carried out according to the following principle: the end parts of the two elements are combined, and then gradually heated in the tribe of the gas-oxygen mixture to high temperatures.

It is best to replace the radiators in the warm season, since during the cold season you will have to turn off the house heating for at least a few hours, which is unlikely to please the neighbors

For extra strength of the seam, filler material is used in the form of a wire or bar. When the hot metal cools, a monolithic compound is formed.

Advantages and disadvantages of joining pipes by welding

One of the main reasons for the popularity of the gas welding method is the specifics of our heating systems. When circulating coolant all structural elements are constantly under pressure, deforming the joints.

Therefore, a durable welding seam reliably protects against breakthroughs and helps to prevent an accident during short pressure surges and even water hammer, which are often accompanied by the launch and shutdown of central heating.

Advantages of the gas welding method:

• Durability and reliability of the connection (it is believed that the strength of the joints after gas welding even exceeds the strength of the radiators themselves!).
• The ability to use parts of any shape and size. The only requirement is that the elements be made of metal with a thickness of not more than 3.5 mm (in case of exceeding it is more economical to use electric arc welding).
• Aesthetic moment - pipes and batteries welded by gas welding become a solid monolith, which easy to recolor in a suitable color for the interior.
• It is possible to carry out work without connecting to the power grid (especially relevant for a new building).
• Many metals from which pipes are made, for example, copper, cast iron, brass and lead, form the strongest connection precisely by gas welding.

The main disadvantage of this installation method is the large heating area. As a result, it is easy to damage furniture and flammable finishing materials, such as parquet, wallpaper, wall panels made of plastic, chipboard or MDF.

To avoid damage, it is recommended to remove thermally unstable elements from the working area, and non-mobile ones to cover it with an asbestos cloth or other protective material.

If replacing batteries with gas welding is carried out after finishing finishing work, be sure to use insulating gaskets between the wall and pipes

In addition, during gas welding, substances that are harmful to health enter the air - it is strictly forbidden to work without special protection means. That is why everyone who wants to learn how to use a gas welding machine in practice should study the safety rules and obtain work permits.

Restrictions on working with a gas welder

Installation heating system gas welding is allowed to be carried out only by professional welders who, in addition to special education, have permission to carry out work from the fire service.

Note that the document is issued only for a certain period, so when hiring a master, you should not just look at the “crust”, but also examine its validity period.

Of the other mandatory requirements for welders: serviceability of the gas apparatus and mandatory protective equipment - glasses, work gloves, a shield.

It is advisable that the master use filler wire for joints and modern equipment working on a mixture of oxygen and acetylene. Other combustible gases, such as methane or propane, are permissible provided that their combustion temperature is twice the melting temperature of the filler rod.

A certificate of this type confirms that the specialist has the appropriate qualifications and has passed safety training. A prerequisite for authenticity is printing.

If you are not a professional gas welder, you can contact your local heating network or home organization for work. For this, the owner of the apartment draws up a statement on the need to replace the batteries and agrees on a date for blocking the movement of the coolant in the communal main.

After welding and installation of radiators, the invited master must make pressure test and make sure the system is working. It is strictly forbidden to independently stop and start heating in apartment buildings.

Differences from other installation methods

An alternative to connecting pipes when replacing batteries is the thread method. It is especially popular among home masters who do not have in their arsenal such expensive equipment as a gas welding machine and working skills with it.

In this case, the system is assembled and the batteries selected for replacement are installed using threaded threads and special connecting elements - tees, fittings, nuts and other adapters.

Mounting using threaded technology is not possible without differences and visible fasteners - when replacing one radiator, more than 12 joints come out, while when welding, only 5-6

The main (and perhaps the only) advantage of the threaded method over gas welding is the ability to quietly and without fire hazardous heating to assemble the system with your own hands, without resorting to the expensive services of professional craftsmen. And also such a design can be further disassembled if it becomes necessary to clean or replace any element.

But the assembly process requires a detailed study, precise fit and proper selection of all the connecting elements. And even if you manage to do everything right and start the system, over time it will still fail.

As a result, the water will quickly detect “weak points”, undermine the gaskets and break out. Therefore, in high-pressure pipelines, threaded connections quickly “give up” under the onslaught of hydraulic shocks.

Another popular alternative to gas welding is electric heating. Both technologies work according to a similar principle - heating to the melting point and joining metals. At the same time, electric welding costs a little cheaper, and the scale of “destruction” after such work is small, since the heated area of ​​the electric device is much smaller.

But despite these advantages, gas welding has an important feature - the ability to adjust the melting rate by changing the angle of the flame. Unlike almost instantaneous heating by electric welding, gas technology works gradually, without violating the structure and strength properties of the metal.

That is why gas welding with a good margin leads in choosing a method for replacing batteries among those who like to make repairs efficiently and reliably.

Radiator Replacement Process Requirements

Modernization of house heating is impossible without preliminary calculations and the selection of batteries suitable for the design. Moreover, it is not necessary to replace the old radiators with identical ones.

It makes sense to consider models from other materials, add / reduce the number of sections. But here it is important to observe the rule of the "golden mean" and calculate the power of the heating system in order to obtain maximum efficiency with minimum costs.

General recommendations for determining the number of sections for radiators with different capacities, designed for rooms with different sizes and ceilings

On your own, find out the right size, working power and battery number For a room, there are several ways. The simplest option is applicable for rooms with a ceiling height of 2.4-2.65 m. To calculate the sections, you need to find out the area of ​​the room and multiply by 100 W (design power for heating 1 m2 according to building standards).

The resulting figure must be divided by the heat transfer of 1 radiator section, which can be found out from the product passport (the standard value is 170 W) and rounded up to an integer.

For rooms with high ceilings, it will be better to use volume calculation. To do this, you need to multiply the area of ​​the room by its height, and then by the recommended heat output for your house (in a panel building it is 41 W, for a brick building - 34 W).

It remains to divide the resulting value into the same efficiency of one section, then round the number. Of course, such calculations can only be averaged.

For more accurate indicators, a number of individual factors should be additionally considered:

• climate specific to your area;
• number of storeys and the location of the heated premises;
• the number of windows and the quality of their glazing (plain glass or energy-saving packages);
• the presence of a balcony or loggia adjacent to the room;
• internal or external insulation of the apartment.

It is also important to determine whether installation of decorative screenswhich many radiators cover when decorating.

To accurately determine the thermal power of the system, it is necessary to take into account all the heat losses that are possible in the room where it is planned to replace the batteries

As for the materials of which the radiators are made, the most popular options for today are: steel, aluminum, copper, bimetallic (alloy of several metals) and time-tested cast iron appliances. Each of them has its own nuances and advantages, but most importantly - all are available for installation by gas welding.

Basic Battery Replacement Steps

In order to dismantle radiators in an apartment with an open heating system, you must obtain permission in the local housing office and heating systems. Separately, you need to coordinate and modernize the design, for example, if you plan to move the batteries to another place, add or remove several sections.

Welding work, as already mentioned, is allowed to be carried out only by specialists with access and vocational education - independent initiatives can result in a decent fine. Therefore, we consider the main stages of the upcoming repair in order to avoid unpleasant surprises.

Preparatory work

To begin with, it is worth minimizing the possible consequences of the gas welding apparatus. Furniture adjacent to radiators must be removed or protected from possible damage. Also protect the area of ​​the floor and wall adjacent to the battery.

Then, water is drained from the heating system. If we are talking about a private house or other room with independent heating, a special crane is used, which should be provided for during the design.

In an apartment with central heating, it is impossible to disconnect and drain the coolant from the system yourself - you should call a specialist from the service organization. Next, disconnect the old radiators. This is easiest to do with a grinder.

To safely dismantle the old battery with the grinder, be sure to use protective equipment for yourself and auxiliary materials for sheltering the floor and the adjacent wall

But here, you will need a good skill to work with the tool, because in order to connect new heating appliances with a minimum of effort, it is important to make a neat and even cut.

Assembly of a new design

Next, a new radiator is packaged. If you want to save on the services of masters, this work is quite feasible to do yourself.

Necessary materials and tools:

• A set of nuts (for radiators).
• Ball valve American.
• Mayevsky crane.
• Adjustable wrench.
• Inner paste.
• Sealant (flax or fum tape).

To assemble the battery, you need to tighten the nuts, process with paste and screw onto the pipes at the joints. The radiator layout is being completed by installing cranes.

Mayevsky cranes can work from a special key or screwdriver, the latter being much more practical, because a small key is so easy to lose

From the side of the connection to the heating system, an “American” is mounted in order to be able to block the access of the coolant to a specific battery. Above, on the opposite side of the pipe entrance, a Mayevsky crane is screwed with a wrench, with which it will be possible to remove the “plugs”, dumping air from the system.

Gas welding method

The assembled radiator is suspended in place of the old battery using special fasteners, and it is mandatory to check the evenness with the building level. Before starting welding, thoroughly clean the ends of the connected elements from dirt, dust and degrease.

In order to be able to turn off the radiator for replacement or repair, but not interfere with the circulation of the coolant, a special jumper is additionally welded between the pipes - bypass

Next, an inlet and outlet pipe with a verified slope is welded, which helps prevent the formation of air jams. To do this, the connecting section is heated with a burner, at the same time using a filler wire filling the gaps between the fragments of the system.

The metal bar filling the space between the two ends to be welded should be as close as possible to the material of the pipe.

The type of seam and the heating rate are chosen by the master, based on the wall thickness, pipe material and other professional nuances.

Suturing and finishing

After the gas welder works, the pipes look unaesthetically: black taps and stains are unlikely to become an interior decoration. But this is fixable.

To process the welding spot, you need to follow the following algorithm:

1. Sand the pipe with a sandpaper with a grain size of 3 or 4 numbers. With inaccurate work of the welder, there can be a thick influx at the junction, which some try to level with the help of the same grinder. But this is not worth doing - you can violate the strength properties of the seam.
2. Drain the pipe - wipe it with a damp and then dry rag.
3. Degrease with white spirit.
4. Coat with a corrosion-resistant primer in 2 layers.
5. Paint with heat-resistant enamel also in 2-3 steps (the lighter and more transparent the paint, the more layers may be needed to mask the black color).

Of course, all painting work should be carried out before connecting the system, on cold pipes. If the batteries were replaced during the heating season, it is necessary to block the access of the coolant and wait for the system to cool completely.

The paint for the elements of the heating system must withstand at least 100 degrees, be resistant to abrasion and not emit toxic substances when heated

You can decorate only pipes or the entire structure complete with a radiator. The color is usually chosen white, silver, bronze or the tone of the walls.But for some interior styles, you can apply a contrasting shade, for example, dark chocolate, glossy black or spectacular red.

Open the system and fill the circuit with coolant It is possible only after the paint has completely dried

Conclusions and useful video on the topic

And finally, we suggest studying our selection of videos for a clear idea of ​​the specifics of the upcoming work and important nuances that you should know when replacing batteries.

Video recommendations for choosing the optimal time of year for replacing heating appliances:

This video instruction will help you to visually study the process of gas bypass device using filler wire:

The video is an example of a professional installation of heating pipes and batteries using gas welding and a pipe bender:

Replacing radiators with gas welding is a reliable way to protect your home from possible leaks in the heating system and the effects of water shocks.

But for the work to be done efficiently, it is important to entrust it to a specialist with good experience and modern equipment, because an improperly or inaccurately welded seam can lead to an accident in the next heating season.

Please leave comments in the block below, post pictures on the topic of the article, ask questions. Tell us how gas welding was carried out when installing new heating devices in your apartment / office / house. Share useful information on welding technology with site visitors.