Country house heating system: an overview of 5 popular
The advantage of an autonomous system used to heat an individual dwelling is that it can be used to set the most comfortable microclimate in the house by adjusting the amount of supplied thermal energy and the flow rate of the selected energy carrier. However, in order for this engineering network to be most efficient, you need to know what kind of heating systems exist for a country house, what are their advantages, disadvantages and features of use. The instructions below will help you understand this.
Varieties of heating networks
Option 1. Gas heating
The principle of operation of this type of climate system is to maintain a given microclimate in the house with the help of heat exchange equipment (radiators), in which the heat carrier heated by the gas boiler circulates.
Liquid (water or antifreeze) receives thermal energy from the combustion of fuel (gas) in a special chamber. Then, using pipelines, the coolant flows to radiators installed in all areas of the house, where it gives off heat to air and objects in the room. After that, having cooled, the liquid is transported along the return pipe to the boiler, in which the next cycle begins.
Tip! To make the heating system more efficient, it is recommended to turn on the circulation pump in the climate network, which increases the flow rate of water and, accordingly, heat exchange. In addition, this equipment allows you to choose among a larger number of pipe wiring schemes. The disadvantage is dependence on electricity.
The heating system for a country house that works on gas has the following advantages and disadvantages:
| pros | Minuses |
| The main gas is available in most of the settlements, and its price is lower than that of other types of fuel. | Connecting a gas boiler requires a special permit and compliance with fire safety regulations. |
| During the combustion of natural gas, a minimal amount of substances are released that are harmful to the environment. | The installation of gas boilers with an open combustion chamber requires inlet ventilation and a vertical chimney with natural draft. |
| The use of electronic equipment makes it possible to precisely regulate the temperature in the rooms, making the system as cheap as possible in operation. | Powerful gas units can be installed only in a special boiler room, which has a certain area, height of ceilings, and so on. |
| Turbocharged gas boilers allow you to maintain a minimum temperature in the house in the absence of its owners. Thanks to this mode, gas is saved and the coolant does not freeze. | Modern gas boilers can not operate without electricity. Therefore, in order not to freeze in winter in the event of a power outage, it is necessary to worry about an uninterruptible power supply or a diesel generator. |
Option 2. Heating fuel oil boilers
Such a heating system in a country house is used in cases where there is no gas line connection to the cottage.
The main element of the boiler operating on diesel fuel or used engine oil is the burner. It is equipped with a fan that mixes diesel with air until it ignites. By adjusting the power of the air flow and the amount of fuel supplied to the combustion chamber, it is possible to increase or decrease the amount of thermal energy produced by the boiler.
The installation of the described equipment is allowed only in individual boiler houses, since the operation of the unit is accompanied by strong noise, and diesel fuel emits an unpleasant smell. It is also necessary to take care of the pipe that displays the products of combustion.
Let us dwell on the strengths and weaknesses of the liquid fuel boiler:
| pros | Minuses |
| Can work autonomously. The boiler does not need to be connected to the general engineering networks, with the exception of power supply. | The combustion chamber of the boiler requires regular cleaning of soot and soot. To do this, invite the appropriate specialist. |
| Modern boilers are equipped with burners that save fuel. Therefore, such heating, although not the most economical, will not ruin you in winter. | For storage of used fuel, it is necessary to buy a sealed heated storage. Otherwise, diesel fuel will thicken and damage the pump and filters. |
| The unit does not require constant attention to itself from the person. The started boiler will continue to operate until the supply of fuel is interrupted. | Control equipment and automatic ignition systems are powered by electricity. Because this boiler also need to equip the UPS or generator. |
| Some liquid-fuel air-conditioning systems can be equipped with gas-fired burners. So you get the most universal and independent solution. | The boiler burner needs periodic preventative maintenance (like a car). This can also be done only by a person who has the relevant knowledge and experience. |
Option 3. Heating with solid fuel boilers
Air-conditioning systems for solid fuels operate on wood, coal, peat and other similar energy sources. Most often, solid fuel boilers are installed in the area where it is impossible to organize heating with the help of other equipment.
Another area of application is the heating of small cottages or cottages. The big disadvantage of this equipment is the need to constantly fill the combustion chamber with the selected type of fuel.
Consider the positive and negative characteristics of the described units:
| pros | Minuses |
| The low cost of solid fuel boilers makes them accessible to anyone. | The boiler requires periodic refueling (at least four to five times a day). |
| Solid fuel boilers have an optimal ratio of cost to the efficiency and usability. | Increased attention is paid to fuel quality. Too high levels of humidity can significantly reduce the efficiency of the climate equipment. |
| The fuel used to heat the coolants is easy to get in any terrain at the lowest cost. | Boilers can not be operated fully automatically. |
| Solid fuel boiler can serve any person. Call any specialist in this case is not necessary. | It is necessary to provide a place to store a sufficiently large amount of wood or coal. |
Note! There are new heating systems for country houses that run on biofuel, which is sold in the form of pellets or pellets. The principle of operation of such boilers does not differ from solid fuel, but they have a higher efficiency and have a very long operating time on one fuel tab (up to one and a half days). The wide spread of such devices is hampered by their high cost.
Option 4. The use of electric boilers
Electricity can be used as an energy source for the operation of the boiler. Leading manufacturers of HVAC equipment produce models that can heat a house up to 600 square meters. meters
There are wall and floor models that are connected to a 220V outlet or a three-phase wire with a voltage of 380V. Powerful units are installed only according to the second scheme.
The principle of operation of an electric boiler is as follows:
- The incoming electrical energy is converted into heat through tubular electric heaters or electrodes immersed in a liquid.
- Further, the heated coolant, as in the case of a gas boiler, enters the radiators, which heat the air in the rooms.
- All electric heating boilers are equipped with control devices for more economical energy consumption., which change the modes of their work depending on the temperature in the rooms.
- Part of such a climate system is often a circulation pump., increasing the flow rate of the coolant.
We list the main advantages and disadvantages of electric boilers:
| pros | Minuses |
| Allow you to adjust the temperature in all rooms with a single control panel. | Electric boiler consumes a large amount of expensive electricity. |
| To install electric boilers do not require the arrangement of a separate room and a chimney that removes combustion products. | The work of the climate network is completely dependent on the functioning of the engineering networks of the settlement where the house is located. |
| The mounted system has a long service life, high reliability and works almost silently. | Power lines may not sustain the transfer of such amount of energy and melt. |
Option 5. Mobile electric heating
There is a heating option where no heat transfer fluid is used. You can easily design such a country house heating system with your own hands.
To do this, you will need not the boiler and radiators, but the following devices:
- electric convectors;
- infrared heaters;
- thermal fans (they emit noise during operation and therefore are less common than the two previous devices).
The design of these devices already provides for the presence of control circuits and sensors that read temperature readings and change operating modes.
You can independently set the heating level of the device depending on the time of day and many other parameters. This allows you to significantly save energy consumption and, accordingly, the money needed for payment.
The pros and cons of this method of arranging the climate network are:
| pros | Minuses |
| This type of heating allows you to quickly and accurately regulate the microclimate in the premises. | As in the case of boilers, the energy used is rather expensive. |
| Heating devices are small, and for their installation does not require the laying of pipes. | Power outages can leave you completely without electricity. |
| Electric convectors and infrared emitters are completely silent and maintenance-free. | Convectors are not designed to heat hot water. Therefore, to provide yourself with it, you need to buy and install additional equipment. |
Tip! The described heating scheme is ideal for heating the cottage, which is not supposed to provide year-round living for people. It has a low inertia (within a few minutes after turning on in the room it begins to warm up) and does not contain a coolant that can freeze.
Conclusion
When choosing a suburban home heating system, it is necessary to correctly calculate their power and cost of operation. Otherwise, the boiler will not be able to provide the necessary amount of heat energy, or you will overpay for unnecessarily consumed energy. For more information about the design of engineering networks, you can learn from the video in this material.