What is the mixing thermostatic valve used in domestic

Currently, many owners of private houses and residential apartments, for heating their homes and getting independent hot water supply, install autonomous heating systems with their own heating boiler. This makes it possible to maintain a comfortable temperature in the house throughout the year, moreover, the indisputable advantage of this scheme is the constant availability of hot water in the house.

Overview of Thermostatic Mixing Valve

The principle of operation of an autonomous heating system is that the working fluid that constantly transfers heat from the boiler to the water radiators and distributes it evenly throughout the house circulates around the closed loop of the gas, liquid or solid fuel heating boiler. The same principle applies to the hot water system, only in this case it works not according to a closed circuit, but according to a flow-through scheme, transferring the heated water from the boiler to sanitary sanitary appliances.

In order to constantly maintain the temperature of water or other coolant in the system at a given level, an automatic device is used, which is called a thermostatic mixing valve for hot water supply and autonomous heating systems.

Main functions of the thermostatic valve

The main purpose of the three-way thermostatic mixing device is to stably maintain the set temperature of the working fluid (water, antifreeze, or other coolant) in autonomous heating and hot water systems.

Compliance with this condition when installing home engineering communications with your own hands helps to solve a number of the following tasks:

1. Water in the DHW heating circuit can be heated to a temperature of +95 ° C, which can lead to burns when opening the taps of consumers, and in the presence of a mixing valve, its temperature will have a constant value not higher than +60 ° C.
2. Low temperatures in the return heating circuit may cause condensation to form., Installing a three-way valve allows you to raise the temperature of the water in the return pipe to the recommended value.
3. Adding cold water to the hot water supply line directly in front of consumers saves up to 25% of fuel or electricity, which are spent on heating.

Tip! In addition to the main radiator heating and hot water for domestic use, such devices are also advisable to use in domestic systems of warm water floor.

Specifications

In normal mode, a thermostatic distributor can work flawlessly for several years, properly performing its functions, while there are several models of these devices that differ from each other in their parameters and type of threaded connection for connecting to the heating or water supply circuit.

According to the instruction manual, depending on the specific model, modern three-way mixing thermostatic valves have the following technical characteristics:

1. The case of the device is made of high-quality brass or bronze, which has a nickel-chromium protective and decorative electroplated coating.
2. The maximum allowable pressure in the heating or hot water system is 10 kg / cm ?.
3. The maximum permissible coolant temperature is: for heating boilers - 95 ° C; for solar panels and water heating solar stations - 110 ° С.
4. The range of manual adjustment of the temperature of the working fluid, depending on the specific model, may be in the following limits from 20 to 60 ° C.
5. The type of threaded connection, depending on the model, may be of the following types: Rp3 / 4 ”; G3 / 4 ”; G1; G1 1/2 ”.
6. Nominal throughput in operating mode, respectively, can range from 1.6 to 2.5 m? / Hour.

Tip! At first glance, the price of this device may seem quite high, but given the savings in fuel and consumed electricity, the cost of purchasing it can pay off within 1-2 years.

Internal structure and principle of operation

Structurally, the thermostatic mixing valve is a cast metal body made of brass or bronze, which has three threaded leads for connection to the pipeline. Inside there is a temperature-sensitive element, a movable rod, and a spring-loaded valve, which can hermetically abut one of the two seat seats.

The general principle of operation of a thermostatic mixing valve is that the temperature-sensitive element increases in volume under the influence of heat, and is moved by a movable rod, on which a shut-off valve is installed.

1. When hot water comes in from the lower nozzle, it freely enters the right nozzle until the operating element is heated to a certain temperature.
2. After the temperature-sensitive element is heated above a predetermined temperature, it begins to expand, and moves the valve down, thereby shutting off the hot water supply from the lower nozzle, and opening the cold water supply from the left nozzle.
3. After mixing in cold water and equalizing the temperature, the body of the working element of the demolition is compressed, and the valve plate under the influence of the spring takes the same position.

Note! In the heating boiler return circuit system, the installation of the mixing valve takes place in the reverse order: when the coolant cools, hot water from the direct supply pipeline is mixed into the pipeline.

Conclusion

In conclusion, it should be noted that the mechanical mixing valve is a fairly simple and very reliable device, whose operation may be imperceptible at first glance, but its use will help to avoid many unpleasant consequences in the future, so its installation should not be neglected.

In order to visually evaluate his work in action, you can view the video in this article, as well as explore other schemes showing the principle of its work on this site.