Most often, there are no problems with. But sometimes it suddenly becomes cold in the house or strange sounds occur in the radiator. What could it be? Unfortunately, in this case, there is air in the heating system, which means that it is necessary to bleed air from there. Today you will learn how to do it without a Mayevsky crane.
Airiness in the battery: what is it and how to determine
What is airiness in a heating battery? This concept means the accumulation of air, most often in the upper part of the heating radiator. A similar situation becomes a problem and quite common for those who live in multi-storey buildings on one of the last floors. There may be several reasons for such a nuisance:
- Carrying out renovation works on the plot / on adjacent floors. If work was carried out with heating pipes in a residential area, there is a high probability of a small air flow entering the system.
- A coolant leak has occurred in some of the sections (which means that an immediate system check is required to eliminate the leak).
- Feature of the underfloor heating system. The problem of airiness in the system is indeed a frequent picture in the presence of a floor heating system, especially if it has complex scheme and many branches.
Cast iron battery
- High temperature water contains air and the more frequently it is refreshed in the system, the more likely a problem will occur.
- If the appearance of an air "plug" coincides in time with the start of the common heating main, it is more likely that it was the start of the system that caused the airiness.
Advice. If you live in a private house, then, in principle, you should not worry too much about the airiness of the system (if it is small), The fact is that in private heating systems, the coolant most often changes extremely rarely, which means that the air must be released on its own within a few days.
Determining the presence of an air lock is quite simple. For example, if the temperature of the water in the battery has dropped sharply or the battery has become cold only partially, it may even begin to gurgle - all these are signs of airiness.
Bleeding without a Mayevsky tap
Most home radiators have a special device that helps to simplify the task of bleeding air as much as possible - or an automatic valve.
But here's the question: what to do if there is simply no such device on the battery? If you have just such a picture appeared before your eyes, most likely they are installed in your house. On such batteries, a simple plug is often installed, which was screwed on a tow covered with paint. In addition, it was also covered with a layer of paint while painting the heating batteries.
Mayevsky crane
It is difficult to remove it in order to gain access to the coolant located in the system. For this reason, the simplest way out of the situation is to contact the neighbors from the top floor of the house (they will probably have Mayevsky's crane on the battery). But if the neighbors, for example, have left or you yourself are a tenant of the last floor and there is no crane? In this case, you will have to resort to the "old-fashioned" method of bleeding air from the heating system.
So, you need to stock up on a basin, a bucket and a lot of rags. Moreover ( with bare hands after all, do not take this "barrier"), you will need an adjustable wrench to unscrew the cork and some kind of paint thinner. Otherwise, you simply will not be able to move the plug from the "dead" point.
So, first apply the solvent to the place where the plug is installed and wait 15 minutes. After that, carefully start moving the adjustable wrench along the thread until the plug starts to feed. You will hear how the air begins to bleed. When the sound dies down (a sign of lack of air), be sure to wrap a layer of "fumka" around the plug and insert it into place. If desired, you can lightly paint over the junction of the plug with the battery.
Advice. Before starting work, it is advisable to close the riser for the safety of work, otherwise, with a sufficiently sharp jerk, you completely unscrew the plug and the water from the battery cannot be stopped.
You learned how quickly and quite simply you can cope with the task of bleeding air from a heating radiator in the absence of a Mayevsky crane. Good luck!
Installing a crane on a battery: video
The problem of removing air from the heating system is solved at the design stage. For this, the pipes are mounted with a slight slope, which ensures the free ascending movement of air bubbles, to collect which air collectors are installed in closed heating systems, and in systems with natural circulation, open expansion tanks are used.
In theory, air bubbles should not interfere with the operation of the heating. However, in practice, almost every owner of a house or apartment knows about air jams, which can block the operation of not only individual radiators, but the entire heating system as a whole.
If the heating system is correctly installed ...
In a properly installed heating, where slopes are observed that ensure the upward movement of air bubbles, plugs can form when the system is initially filled with coolant too quickly. The air simply does not have time to leave the radiators: the movement is blocked by a mass of water.
As a result, air accumulates at the top of the radiators and in horizontal sections risers at the top distribution of the coolant.
When two-pipe system heating and with vertical one-pipe wiring, it is not difficult to avoid traffic jams. To do this, during the initial filling of the heating system, the coolant is fed gradually, thereby ensuring uniform filling of pipes and radiators, which in turn creates the proper conditions for squeezing air into the air collector (for systems with forced circulation) or into expansion tank(for gravity heating systems).
During the operation of the heating system, gas bubbles released from the coolant when it is heated rise up and are removed through the air collector or expansion tank.
With a single-pipe horizontal heating system, in which the coolant is supplied from below, air locks are inevitable. They are also inevitable when using aluminum in the heating system.
Problems with aluminum radiators
Aluminum of even the highest quality heating devices can react with the coolant, followed by the release of hydrogen. The intensity of this process depends on the quality of the heat carrier (its pH level), the heating temperature, as well as on the presence in the heating system separate parts and elements made of steel, which is the cause of the process of electrochemical corrosion of aluminum.
To protect against corrosion, the metal is covered from the inside with a layer protective film, the action of which weakens over time, and then completely stops. This means that when installing aluminum radiators, the process of hydrogen evolution, which can also form air locks and block the movement of the coolant, is inevitable. It's all about time: the appearance of hydrogen can begin literally from the first days of the heating device's operation, or it can be "late" for several years, or even decades.
The danger of aluminum radiators is also that the process of hydrogen evolution can proceed at a high speed, at which the gas does not have time to rise up and forms zones high pressure, capable of completely disabling the heating system. Pipes and radiators burst and cannot be repaired.
To remove air locks from one-pipe heating systems, as well as from heating systems with aluminum radiators, air vents of various designs are used, which are installed in the places where air locks are most likely to form.
How to bleed air from aluminum batteries - video
How to determine the presence of a plug in the heating system
An air lock in the heating system disturbs the circulation of the coolant, "blocking" its movement. As a result, hot and cold areas appear in the system, according to the location of which the airing of radiators and pipes is found. Do it by touch.
A simple example: the coolant supply pipe to the radiator is hot, the bypass and return are also hot, and the heating device itself is cold. All this suggests the presence of an air lock in the radiator.
It is more difficult to find plugs in pipelines. To do this, look through the course of the pipe and establish the places of the drops in its level. it is in them that the accumulation of air is most likely, for the elimination of which a discharge is made sequentially through all connected heating devices, alternately disconnecting them from the general network (blocking the shut-off valves).
Types of air vents
The simplest and at the same time the most inconvenient way to bleed air from the heating is to discharge through the radiator plug, which is slightly weakened, creating conditions for the accumulated gas to escape. At the same time, there is a great risk of breaking the tightness of the heating device, and it is almost impossible to unscrew the plug itself without special skills and tools.
To simplify the process of venting air, in the past, an ordinary water tap was installed in the plug, which really simplified the "fight" with plugs in the heating, but spoiled the interior.
More convenient and at the same time aesthetically consistent is the Mayevsky crane, which is a manual air vent operated with a special key or a conventional screwdriver. For ease of use, Mayevsky taps are installed on all heating devices.
It is not difficult to use the tap: if necessary, it is enough to loosen the valve, wait for the coolant to appear, and then close it again.
Mayevsky's crane allows you to eliminate traffic jams, but does not prevent their appearance. It is possible to completely get rid of air locks only with the help of automatic air vents.
Automatic air vents in the heating system
An automatic air vent is a valve in the design of which a float is used, which, in the presence of a coolant, tightly closes the discharge hole. An air vent is installed in the highest part of the heater in the place of the most likely accumulation of air volume.
The air lock displaces the coolant, which in turn leads to a weakening of the float and the opening of the vent hole through which air is released into the atmosphere. In this case, the level of the coolant rises, the liquid takes up the vacated volume and returns the float to its place, again locking the vent hole.
The process is repeated when a new airlock forms.
The use of automatic air vents today is the best way preventing the formation of air congestion in the heating system.
User questions:
- hello, tell me please! changed the old boiler to Lemax 10, as well as increased the heating route, accordingly filled it with water, vented the air, there is no result of heating the batteries, the boiler heats water only at the outlet of the boiler, what should I do?
- Forgive us the gasman came when they called for an airlock, he broke the boiler with too high a temperature, now if there are jams and increase the temperature in the boiler, the boiler starts to "boil" the sound is like boiling inside
- Hello, please help me, the pore heating of the cathel fills the water and cold pipes in the circle The pump is working, put a new one
- Good morning. We have such a problem, we live in a private house around the perimeter of the house, pipes with a diameter of 70 mm are installed. boiler "Baksi 240", tubes periodically knock and click, it is impossible to sleep. Tell me what to do?
Cold weather sets in on the street, the heating season is approaching, water gurgling merrily in the pipelines filling the system. Together with it come the annual problems in the form of barely warm radiators with air locks. How to release air from the battery will be discussed in this article.
Consider three possible options for the production of work:
- in the presence of an air vent;
- if a conventional tap is installed on the radiator;
- any fittings are missing.
There is no difficulty in bleeding air from a battery equipped with a manual air vent - a Mayevsky crane. To do this, arm yourself with a crane unscrewing tool, a small container and a rag.
Note. Various modifications of the Mayevsky crane can be equipped with screws for different tool... Most often they are made for an ordinary flat screwdriver, sometimes for a special wrench or with a plastic handle that does not require a tool.
After spreading a rag on the floor, you need to make sure that side opening the drain cock is not directed towards the wall. If so, then you need to cover it with something so that dirty water does not get onto the finishing material of your room. Further, a container is placed under the hole, and with a screwdriver (or other tool), carefully and slowly unscrew the screw until a characteristic hiss appears. Here you have to stop and wait until the sound disappears.
The cessation of hissing does not at all mean that the air in the battery has already ended and all has gone out. Part of it remains mixed with the coolant, so it is necessary to unscrew the screw a little more until water comes out of the hole. Here you need to be especially careful, since in the first moments the coolant may come out unevenly and with splashes. After waiting for a small stable stream, you can turn the valve. To make sure that everything is done correctly, you need to feel the previously cold part of the battery after a few minutes, it should warm up. If this does not happen, the operation should be repeated.
Often, on various Internet resources or forums, not entirely correct advice is given on eliminating air accumulations from heating equipment. For example, that before unscrewing the needle valve of the air vent, you need to go to the basement and shut off the entire riser. Or even worse - that you have to wait until the coolant in the system has cooled down.
Remember that air will only leave the battery under the pressure of the water displacing it. Being on the top floor and turning off the riser, you reduce the pressure and success of your event to zero. On the lower floors, when disconnected, the pressure of the water column located above your apartment will remain, but its value will not be enough.
The conclusion is simple: if you do not plan to disassemble the heater, then you do not need to shut off anything to perform air bleeding, you just need to take measures so that hot splashes do not burn your hands.
Removing air with a tap
The essence of the method is that air is “squeezed out” from the system if the speed of water movement is increased in this area. In this case, the turbulent flow "picks up" oxygen with itself, gradually removing it from the heating network. For this purpose, a conventional valve was installed instead of the lower or upper plug of the cast-iron battery.
In order to bleed air from the radiator in this way, it is best to have a long hose in the household, which will be enough for the toilet. Otherwise, you will have to run with buckets, sometimes long enough. One end of the hose is connected to the valve, the other is lowered into the drain, after which the valve is gently opened. Moreover, it is desirable to open it to the maximum in order to create a good flow of coolant inside the battery.
Important. The degree of valve opening is determined locally. If the pressure in your system is too high, then it will be noticeable and you do not need to open the valve fully.
The operation can take a long time, it depends on the capacity of the airlock and the pressure in the heating network. The higher the speed of the water flow, the faster it will remove all the air. The process should be monitored according to the degree of warming up of the cold sections of the heater.
Bleeding without a tap
It is most difficult to bleed air if there is no Mayevsky crane and other fittings. Good news for those who have modern sectional radiators: you can gently unscrew the top cap in them. True, you will have to cover everything with rags and perform the operation very slowly and carefully. It is not required to completely unscrew the plug, it is necessary to make 1-2 turns so that the air can pass along the thread.
Advice. Often the batteries are equipped with ball valves and thermostats. It makes sense to try to release air through them.
Owners of cast-iron Soviet "accordions" of the MS-140 type are much more risky to perform the operation. Not only is it not easy to move a large old nut from its place, but there is also a danger that after tightening the gasket will cease to hold and a leak will appear. Then the exhausting work of emptying the riser and installing the same Mayevsky valve in the plug is waiting for you. Although for such events it is supposed to involve a team from the local utilities.
Who should bleed the air from the batteries in the apartment?
A little about the legal side of the issue. The answer depends on the legislative acts of a particular state. For example, in the Russian Federation there is a Resolution of the State Construction Committee dated 09/27/2003, in accordance with it, the situation when there is air in the heating batteries must be corrected by housing and communal services employees. Other CIS countries also have similar legislation.
In practice, housing and communal services personnel long ago shifted this responsibility onto residents of the 5th, 9th, 16th and other upper floors. Although, according to homeowners, in some cities, plumbing crews, after the launch of the system, in good faith carry out an inspection heating appliances in each apartment and are engaged in the elimination of air locks.
Conclusion
The operation to remove air from the batteries is not the most difficult, especially if the appropriate fittings are installed. In the event that there are no fittings, you need to worry about this in the off-season and put air valves on all heating devices. Moreover, the price of the issue is quite low.
The natural air content in the system creates problems during the season: cold heating radiators, noise, corrosion begins over time metal pipes... To avoid uncomfortable operation and extend the service life of steel wiring and heating blocks, the system is freed from atmospheric jams. Let's talk why they arise and how to get rid of them!
Installing a tap on a heating batteryCauses of air concentration in the heating system
One condition for the accumulation of traffic jams is clear - a long break in the operation of the heating system. Other reasons are as follows:
- The calculation of the home wiring is wrong. Slopes and bends are not taken into account. Due to this, even a professionally designed system will contain some air after being put into operation. is formed without fail and in some cases it is necessary to rework the entire system.
- Uneven media filling the system. This happens due to unstable pressure in the pipeline, damage in areas outside the entrance to the house, or when working intermittently. The filling of voids with atmospheric masses also occurs during heating season if the carrier pressure is low. Air vents are also used for bleeding.
- Leakage of the pipeline. As a result of the operation of the heating system and, accordingly, repairs, the replacement of sections with separate branch pipes can be negligent. The absence or insufficiency of the seal will lead to depressurization and, due to the pressure force, the fistula will draw air into the water circuit, accumulating it in sections of the pipeline. Before removing the airlock, the pipeline is checked by soaping the prepared emulsion.
- Air locks appear as a result of heating the water. Of school course Physicists understand that when heated, the air in the heating system of a private house or apartment building expands and forms bubbles. Bursting, they release air, which immediately accumulates.
- Lack of air intake devices or their improper operation. The air relief valve from the heating system is the first thing to look for when designing your own home heating. A closed system with an autonomous-type heating unit in your own house should have a similar device on a boiler or stove.
The formation of traffic jams is affected by the connection to the heating system of other water circuits - boilers, warm floors. Finding level additional devices strikingly different from the situation heating devices, which is why the appearance of the atmosphere is inevitable. For the operation of these types of heating, a bypass circuit with check valve, the pressure in the instrumentation systems will remain stable and no blockage will occur.
Removing the airlock from the aluminum and bimetallic battery
When the cause of the accumulation is determined and eliminated, they begin to eliminate the air obstacle. Before bleeding air from the heating system, it is important to know how the coolant circulates - forcibly or naturally. The method of bleeding the cork mass depends on this. So:
Natural circulation
For such a system, an expansion tank at the top point is sufficient - the supply pipeline is laid to it with an upward slope. To bleed air from the heating system, each radiator is equipped with a Mayevsky drain or tap in order to sequentially squeeze out the mass towards the previously empty tank.
Forced circulation
In this case, the supply line slopes downward. Drainage taps are installed on it, and the return flow is directed to the water drain, so that in case of emergency measures, the air from the heating radiator can be quickly released for subsequent repairs.
Tools for bleeding air from the heating system
Numerous taps and drain valves have a dump function. The most common in private house systems are as follows:
- Mayevsky crane. It is listed in the documentation as an air needle radiator valve for heating. Required to vent the heating system. Consists of a brass body containing an outlet hole and a screw. Use it with a special key or screwdriver turns counterclockwise. When air ceases to escape from the system, the valve is closed all the way. It is imperative to prepare a container for collecting water and rags - they are thrown over the tap to avoid splashing on the walls dirty water... The pump in use is temporarily turned off.
- The air vent is automatic. The principle of operation is the actuation of a float built into the body - the air automatic valve itself is already at the point of the system. When air accumulates in the pipeline, the float will descend, thereby opening the relief valve and removing it. After the pressure has returned to normal, the mass of water presses the float down again. To prevent media leakage, the instrument case is equipped with a screw cap. The device is indispensable for forced circulation.
- Separator. "Advanced" air vents in the heating system. It is installed mainly in extended networks with autonomous heating. Allows you to dump not only air, but also sludge - scale, dirt, sand and clay. It consists of two parts: a common cylinder body with two outlets - an upper chamber for air and a lower one for solid waste, and a filter mesh that traps air bubbles and directs them upward into the chamber. In order to bleed air from the battery, both taps are opened and the line is cleaned.
For the high-quality operation of the home heating network, the masters recommended installing several types of bleed devices. For example, an automatic relief valve for heating is mounted on a boiler or stove - there the pressure is consistently high. Radiators are equipped with Mayevsky cranes each. The collector is complemented by a separator.
Determining the airborne area and removing the plug: how to release the air
There are several ways to detect air build-up in a system. The main one is the cold section of the network. In addition, the sound when tapped is louder than through pipes with normal water circulation. The characteristic noise - gurgling and hissing - will indicate the presence of air. So, when the site is determined, proceed as follows:
- An important condition: it is possible to expel air from the heating system only in the direction of the coolant and from a point behind a certain area using the nearest Mayevsky crane or another type of drain.
- Next, slowly open the air valve for heating, prepare the appropriate tools, containers and rags and release the air.
- The control release is made by short-term activation of the circulation pump. Then the tap is closed, and the system operates as usual.
Thus, it turns out, remove air from the heating system. Simple and independent work will take no more than an hour.
If the system is still airy
It also happens that Taken measures do not work, and it was not possible to remove air from the heating system. How to proceed in this case:
- Try to move the accumulated air from a location far from the vent valve. To do this, raise the system temperature by increasing the dose of fuel. The pressure grows accordingly. The method is good, as it allows you to remove excess air automatically through valves, an expansion tank or an air collector for the heating system. At least, it will be possible to adjust the mass of air to the valve.
- Shock method. Acting with a hammer on the radiators, they create oscillations of the carrier, which move the plug. For experienced craftsmen, this method helps to move the mass of air to the desired location.
- Cardinally. The heating will have to be dismantled and reassembled. To get by with "less blood", dismantled from Italian manufacturers are good for such a purpose, since they have prefabricated elements that lend themselves to neat twisting. The radiators are also disassembled, removing accumulated sludge from them, and assembled using gaskets. The method is available only to professionals and with the permission of the service company, since it is necessary to block the riser when it comes to an apartment building.
WATCH THE VIDEO
So, having learned why the heating system is airing, it is no longer difficult to eliminate the cause and drive out the accumulated masses - the process is clear.
It is important to constantly subject your own heating model to preventive measures, so that in the future operation can do without such unpleasant surprises that affect comfort.
It is not difficult to bleed air from the battery, the main thing is to study all the nuances!
How to bleed air from a heating radiator? Every year this question is asked by the freezing owners of apartments and private houses. The problem of cold and noisy batteries is typical for the beginning of the heating season, and incidents occur even with ideally mounted systems. We will tell you how to eliminate the trouble and carry out the prevention of airborne airing.
Signs of air congestion in radiators
Identifying airborne batteries is fairly straightforward. The following symptoms indicate gas accumulation:
- a clear decrease in heat transfer (the risers are hot, and the radiators do not warm up);
- crackle, noise, murmur in the system;
- decrease in pressure in pipes;
- increased fuel consumption (with individual heating);
- coolant leakage;
- cessation of fluid movement in the system (with natural circulation).
The air in the heating radiator threatens not only with a decrease in the temperature in the room, but also with more serious problems. Steel batteries oxidize, rust and fail. Pipes and bottlenecks are silted up and need to be flushed or replaced.
Airlock is a common reason for cooling radiators
Airing the heating system can damage the circulation pump. Under normal conditions, sleeve bearings are constantly in an aqueous environment. When gas locks form, they are subjected to "dry friction", which provokes the release of a large amount of heat. Excessive heat can damage the slide rings and damage the shaft.
Reasons for airing the heating system
Before figuring out how to remove an air lock from the heating system, it is worth determining the cause of its formation. The most common factors include:
- installation or repair work;
- incorrect direction or slope angle of the highway;
- low pressure, as a result of which the voids are filled with air;
- natural gas formation with strong heating of water;
- incorrect filling of the system after installation or downtime;
- violation of the tightness of the joints;
- connection of a water "warm floor" system located below the level of the radiators;
- internal corrosion of pipes;
- too high speed of the coolant;
- malfunction of air intake devices.
Important! Air locks are more common in aluminum radiators installed in multi-storey buildings. The material enters into a chemical reaction with the coolant, resulting in the formation of many gases. In this case, it is better to replace the batteries with bimetallic, steel or cast iron. Installation of automatic air vents can be a temporary measure.
Mayevsky's crane is included in the installation kits for radiators
Types of air vents
To control the gas content of radiators in apartments and private houses, manual or automatic air relief valves from the heating system are used. Let's dwell on each of them in detail.
Important! In a closed heating system, the expansion tank membrane acts as an automatic air vent. Under pressure, the gas plug is released into the atmosphere, and its place is taken by the coolant.
Monitor the pressure in the autonomous heating system
Airborne prevention
Airing the heating system is an extreme method. To prevent it from becoming a habit, it is necessary to take preventive measures:
- Bleed air when filling / refueling the line.
- Check the pipe pressure regularly during the heating season.
- Thoroughly inspect radiators and piping for leaks several times a year.
- Monitor fuel consumption and coolant consumption.
- Do not carry out repairs yourself unless you have the necessary skills.
The main reason for the appearance of air in the radiators is errors at the design stage of an autonomous system. When developing a plan, it is necessary to develop a multi-stage scheme, including:
- automatic valve on the boiler;
- air outlet on each manifold and riser;
- Mayevsky's tap on each radiator.
In order not to urgently solve the issue with air-conditioned batteries, it is worth "on the shore" to take care of the correct installation of heating, installation of automatic or manual valves and regular maintenance systems. Warm winter to you!
Video: how to bleed air from an autonomous system without draining water
This article is about how to remove air in the heating system and how to prevent it from re-airing. In it I will talk about solutions for different heating schemes and different levels the reader's qualifications, the reasons for the appearance of air jams and the prevention of their formation.
Than it is bad
- What is the harm of an airlock in the hot water heating circuit?
The main danger is that it is able to completely stop the circulation in the entire circuit or in its separate section. The pressure difference in a typical heating system of an apartment building between the mixture after the water jet elevator and the return (that is, at the beginning and at the end of the heating circuit) does not exceed 0.2 kgf / cm. On a separate riser, it does correspond to a pressure of a few centimeters of a water column.
This difference is not enough to overcome the difference in the density of air and water. As a result, the top of the riser remains airy, and the circulation of the coolant in it is impossible. The consequences are the lack of heating in the apartments, and in the very first serious frosts - the defrosting of the heating circuit section.
Not only that: in most Soviet-built apartment buildings, black steel is still used for heating. Her contact with air under conditions high humidity dramatically reduces the resource of the pipeline. Corrosion, you know.
Where does the air come from
- Where do air batteries come from? Shouldn't the contour be filled all year round?
Should. On this score, there is the strictest instruction of "Heating Networks" responsible for the operation of the central heating system.
Only - that's the problem! - besides instructions, there is also a harsh reality:
- Summer is the time of revision and repair of valves on risers and in elevator units. Fill the circuit and bleed air from each riser after replacing each valve and squeezing out, the housing organization will simply go broke on paying for water consumption if this is done;
Summer is the time to revise shut-off valves on heating.
- Residents of apartments during the holidays are often puzzled by the replacement and relocation of radiators. At the same time, they also throw off the risers, or even the whole house;
- With closed valves and cooling of the circuit, the volume of the coolant in it drops. Physics, however. It is worth opening any valve - and the riser will suck in the air with a noise;
- Finally, cooled down cast iron radiators after stopping heating, they often begin to flow between sections. The reason is the same thermal expansion. After the tenth - fifteenth leak in one entrance, the locksmith faces a difficult choice: spend the whole summer rebuilding batteries with replacement of gaskets, or simply reset the circuit for a couple of months remaining until the fall.
How to bleed
The way in which the heating circuit is vented depends, quite predictably, on two factors:
- From its configuration. The bottom and top filling systems are arranged differently;
- From who you are - a tenant of one of the apartments or a locksmith serving an apartment building. This determines your goal: whether you need to try to run as many risers as possible without going up to the upper floors.
Bottom filling, access level - user
- How does it look like removing an airlock in a house with a bottom fill if you are the owner of one of the apartments in an apartment building?
The key feature of the bottom filling is the pairing of heating risers. The supply and return outlets are located in the basement; risers are cut off from them by valves, after which there are plugs or taps for water discharge.
All air from the bottom filling heating system is forced into the top of each pair of risers. In apartments on the upper floor or (less often) in the attic, there is a lintel between the risers. Directly on it or in the radiator plug of one of the radiators, there is a Mayevsky tap - a simple device that allows you to bleed air.
The tenant of the upper floor just needs to turn off the tap half a turn and wait until water flows out of it in a thin stream instead of hissing air. If you live below - pay a visit to the neighbors above at a convenient time for them.
If the tenants of the upper floor have not moved in or are away, the problem is solved by the housing organization serving the house. Your task is to fix the request for the lack of heat in the apartment.
If the problem is not resolved in as soon as possible, you have the right to demand a recalculation for heating, so residents usually try to do everything possible and impossible to start the riser.
Bottom filling, access level - administrator
- How to remove air locks from the heating system of the bottom filling, if you are familiar with the plumbing and have access to the basement?
Bypass the entire heating circuit. To do this, it is enough to close one of the house heating valves and open the discharge into the sewer located in front of it; if the air does not come out after 5-10 minutes, the system can be bypassed in the opposite direction (from supply to return or from return to supply).
Do not forget, after closing the drain, return the valves to operating mode: the shut-off valves at the inlet and outlet of the heating circuit must be completely open.
If the problem concerns individual risers, in many cases they can also be bypassed from the basement. Having closed the valve on one of the paired risers, open the vent on it. If together with the water from the tap comes out a large number of air, you have a chance of success.
First of all, this applies to a pair of risers, one of which is idle, and heating devices are installed on the second. When starting water for discharge from the working into the idle riser, complete air removal always occurs.
One of the paired risers feeds the radiators, the other is idle.
If there are plugs on the riser instead of dumpers - do not despair, we can try to solve the problem in this case.
Here are two obvious solutions:
- Shut off both risers and, after dropping them, replace one of the plugs with a ball valve with male-female threads. Unplanned expenses (price ball valve the size of DU15 - DU20 is about 100-200 rubles) will hardly seem like a nightmare to you against the background of the lack of heating;
- Close both valves on the risers and then unscrew one of the plugs. Having overtaken the riser to discharge, stop it and screw the plug back, then start it in operating mode. The water hanging in a relatively thin tube will prevent it from collecting a new portion of air.
This technique works only at the beginning of the heating season, when the temperature of the mixture at the outlet of the elevator does not exceed 45 degrees. In the cold, instead of running the riser, you get pretty serious burns.
Top filling, access level - administrator
- How to remove an airlock from a top-pour home heating system?
The peculiarity of this system is the filing of the supply placed in the attic of the house with the return flow in the basement. Each riser is disconnected at two points - above and below; all risers are equal and have the same temperature on the same floor.
When the circuit starts up, air is forced out of the radiator and then from the riser to the supply filling, and then to the closed expansion tank located at its upper point. Having opened the house valves, you must go up to the attic and for a while open the tap at the top of the tank. After the air is displaced by the coolant, circulation in all will be restored.
Above right - a closed expansion tank with a valve for air relief.
If you are far from the secrets of valves and valves, just apply to a service company. In the house of the upper filling, you will not be able to drain the air from the battery on your own, but pouring the residents of the upper floor from the attic is easy.
Private house, access level - administrator
- What to do in a private house if the heating circuit or part of it does not start up?
The bad news is that universal recipes no: the heating circuit of a private house is always designed individually.
The good news is that the designers are guided by the same principles:
- With forced circulation, automatic air vents in the heating system are mounted near the circulation pump (usually in front of it in the direction of movement of the coolant). The air vent can also be installed in the boiler drum. If there is air in the circuit, it is possible that the air valve is simply clogged with debris or scale;
Boiler safety group. In the center there is an automatic air vent.
- On individual heaters, an air relief valve is installed only if they are located above the filling. If the filling takes place under the ceiling or in the attic, look for an air valve for heating in its upper part;
- Each bracket (bending of the filling in the vertical plane) is also always supplied with an air vent. If for some reason they are not there, you can try to overtake the bottling to discharge using one of the methods described above.
The reason for the lack of circulation is often not air, but a completely or partially closed throttle on one of the heating devices or sections of the circuit.
In the photo - the throttle on the radiator liner. If it is covered, the battery will be cold.
Safety
- What not to do by bleeding the air?
Human fantasy is truly limitless, so I will cite only recurring cases from my practice.
Of course, from the repertoire of apartment residents: plumbers have their own quirks.
- Do not completely unscrew the rod from the vent. It cannot be turned back under the pressure of hot water;
- Do not try to unscrew the valve body itself. Even half a turn. If the thread is torn off, flooding of the apartment will become inevitable;
- An even worse idea would be to partially unscrew any of the radiator plugs to bleed air. There were precedents. In the last case I know, 6 floors were flooded with boiling water.
Prevention
- Is it possible to modify the heating system with your own hands so as not to face the problem of airing?
If you live on the top floor or in a private house, you can.
The recipe is extremely simple:
- In the autonomous circuit, connect the heaters according to the “bottom-down” scheme. Even if air accumulates inside the radiator, it will not in any way affect the circulation of water through the lower collector. In this case, the battery will be hot throughout the volume due to its own thermal conductivity;
- Install automatic air vents at the top of the riser or the entire circuit. They rarely require maintenance and bleed air locks without your participation.
Conclusion
As you can see, all the problems of air heating are completely solvable. Learn more about possible solutions you can from the video in this article. I look forward to your additions and comments. Good luck, comrades!
Cold times have come, and every house has a heating system for a long time. Modern radiators are so convenient and practical that many have already forgotten how it was possible to heat a house without small, compact and convenient batteries. But even heating has its drawbacks. The first is very dry air, which can be humidified using a special air humidifier on the battery. Second, there are many technical issues, one of which we will discuss today.
What is battery airiness and how to determine it?
If you notice that the batteries do not heat up at full capacity, although yesterday the whole system worked fine and the house was warm, the problem is most likely that you only need to bleed air from the battery that is not quite hot. This article will tell you in detail how to bleed air from a battery.
Before bleeding air, you need to make sure that this is indeed the cause of the system failure.
First, check all the batteries: if they are all too cold or, on the contrary, too hot, there may be a problem directly in the heater or maybe another sediment has accumulated in the batteries. Also watch for water dripping from the batteries. Perhaps there is a leak in the battery, then you just need to turn off the heating system and.
If the situation has not changed as a result of the actions taken, the nut may have corroded and must be replaced. There are times when on the upper floors the batteries remain cold, while on the floor below the batteries are very well heated. In such cases, it is advisable to call a master who specializes in this area.
And if, as a result of a detailed examination of the heating system, you did not find any other problems besides the fact that some battery is partially or completely cold, then you just need to understand how to bleed air from the battery.
What can the airiness of the heating system lead to?
But first, let's figure out what the consequences can be from such a seemingly harmless airiness of one battery.
As it turned out, the fact that the radiator does not heat the room is not the biggest problem. The main problem is that the air in the batteries leads to rusting from the inside, and as a result - a decrease in the service life of the heating radiator.
The next nuance - if you have an autonomous heating system, then the boiler is forced to "drive" air through the system, not liquid. And this leads to premature damage to the bearings on the shaft and, as a result, the pump fails in advance.
How to properly bleed air from the battery?
Useful scheme for work
In order to bleed air from the heating battery, use a special key, which can be used to open the "air valve".
Most often, in such cases, a special radiator wrench is used, which can be purchased at a hardware store. Modern batteries allow you to use a screwdriver for such purposes.
Now that the key or screwdriver, as well as the container for draining the water, are at your fingertips, inspect the battery and from either side of it, find a small valve, which is popularly called the Mayevsky tap.
Today, you can install several of these valves, or you can get by with one, at the top of the radiator. When you find the valve you want, unscrew it to the side until you hear the air hiss.
Place a container under the tap and wait for all excess air to come out and water begins to drip. Wait until the water stops bubbling and runs in a thin stream. Now all the air in the batteries has been deflated, and the valve can be turned back to its original position.
In addition to the aforementioned Mayevsky tap, an automated air vent or a conventional valve can be installed on the heating radiator, which is simply screwed into any of the upper radiator plugs. An automated drain will spontaneously perform all actions to bleed excess air from the battery.
Little details and nuances
If, when installing the heating system, the craftsmen were too lazy and did not install a special valve on the heating radiator, then you yourself will have to carry out a simple procedure for bleeding air from the battery, but in a slightly different way.
To do this, you need to have a gas or adjustable wrench with you, with which you begin to very slowly unscrew the cap. If the unscrewed plug on the cast-iron battery does not unscrew in any way, apply thread lubricant directly to the thread itself and after a certain time try again.
In private houses with an autonomous heating system, it is sometimes necessary to drain the water using an expansion tank, which is always located at the highest point of the heating system.
After the water is drained, wait a while and then unscrew the tap on the expansion tank. Almost always, the plug comes out on its own when the temperature of the radiator rises. If these actions did not lead to the desired result, bring the water in the heating system to a boil and then the airlock will definitely come out.
Also keep in mind that an air lock can form in places where the pipeline is bent, for this reason, when installing the heating system, it is necessary to observe the optimal distance of the direction of the slopes when laying the pipeline.
If the actual slope of the pipe differs from the projected one or the pipeline makes a loop, then it is necessary to install additional air vent valves.
Modern manufacturers heating radiators sometimes they are not very conscientious in their production, and as a result, we get a poor-quality radiator, which can bring additional headaches. And all because, no matter how much you bleed air from a battery that is not manufactured according to standards, the air in it will be endless. Because the material of the radiator itself contributes to the formation of gases. There is only one solution to this problem - to buy a new high-quality battery.
If the format of the video instructions is closer to you, see the video below. Everything is shown there step by step.
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Warm home and not airy batteries!
In this article we will try to figure out how to bleed air from a heating radiator with different configurations of the heating circuit. We will study solutions for apartments in apartment buildings and for cottages with water heating. So let's get started.
Why is it needed
A typical heating system operates with a minimum pressure differential between supply and return. Usually the drop is only 2 - 3 meters (0.2-0.3 kgf / cm2); when this value is exceeded, the increased circulation rate of the coolant generates hydraulic noise.
The downside of a small difference is the sensitivity of the circuit to air locks. With a difference of 2 meters, an air-conditioned riser or a whole circuit simply cannot work: the pressure of the coolant is not enough to push the air, overcoming the difference in density between it and water.
However: systems with forced circulation and a simple circuit structure (without several coupled risers) are quite capable of operating partially airborne.
The pump generates a significant head with limited capacity, which eliminates the appearance of noise.
A special case
When the radiators are located above the spouts and the diagram of their connection “from bottom to bottom”, the air will be forced out into the sections; in this case, the coolant will circulate through the lower manifolds of the heating devices. The presence of air locks will not interfere with the performance of the circuit, but will somewhat reduce the heat transfer of the batteries.
Central heating
The reset heating system of an apartment building is started as follows:
- A reset in the circuit is opened.
- Slowly (to avoid water hammer) the gate valve or valve on the supply line opens. In this case, a significant part of the air is expelled from the circuit.
- After water without air bubbles enters the discharge, the discharge is closed, and the valve or valve is not transferred to the open state.
- In houses with an overhead filling (the supply is in the attic or in apartments on the upper floor), air is vented from the expansion tank.
In houses with a bottom filling (supply and return in the basement), some of the risers will inevitably be airy. To bleed the air, you need to get access to Mayevsky's taps. They are always located at the highest point of each pair of heating pipes.
Possible cranes placement options:
- In the stopper of the end section of the radiator on the top floor;
In the photo - Mayevsky's crane in the end section of the cast-iron battery.
- In the lintel under the ceiling of the upper floor, connecting the radiators in adjacent rooms or apartments;
- In the lintel placed in the attic.
Please note that the latter scenario is the most unfavorable.
In the absence of circulation in very coldy the lintel freezes in half an hour or an hour, and thermal insulation can only slightly increase this period.
What if the heating system is running, but your battery remains cold?
Do you know how to use Mayevsky's crane? Then the next section is for you.
Routine procedure
Suppose you have gained access to an air vent. How to bleed air from a heating radiator using it?
The instruction is ridiculously simple:
- Unscrew the valve stem one or two turns. Depending on the type of crane, this can be done with a special wrench, screwdriver, pliers, and even with your own hands, without tools. At the same time, the air coming out of the batteries should hiss.
- Wait for the moment when, instead of air, water comes out of the tap.
- Close the tap - carefully, without excessive force.
What should not be done when bleeding air?
- Unscrew the stem completely. It is not easy to screw it in, overcoming the resistance of water; overcoming the resistance of hot water is impossible.
- Unscrew the radiator cap completely or partially. Alas, there were precedents.
- If the tap does not close, try to tighten it by force. You just break the stock and flood the apartment. The price of a new Mayevsky crane does not exceed 100 - 120 rubles; an emergency team of locksmiths will replace it free of charge.
Emergency procedure
If the vent is not accessible, in some heating system configurations, air can be vented from the basement.
Please note: this is possible in houses where plate radiators or convectors are used as heating devices, as an option - a riser with sectional radiators is paired with an idle riser.
An airlock when bypassing paired risers flies out at the front of the water flow.
The procedure looks like this:
- Paired risers overlap.
- The plug on an idle riser, riser with plates or convectors is replaced by a vent of the same diameter.
- The riser is bypassed for discharge until the air is completely exhausted and transferred to the circulation mode.
Heating system
The use of Mayevsky cranes is no different from a similar operation in central heating systems. However, this annual procedure can be avoided.
How to bleed air from an aluminum radiator in automatic mode? An automatic radiator air vent will do this job for you. It is installed at the top point of the circuit or its section and releases air locks without any participation of the owner immediately after their formation.
Conclusion
Residents of private houses and residents of city apartments regularly face the problem of airy batteries. This phenomenon occurs especially often at the beginning of the heating season or during repair work. Of course, you can call a plumber from the management company, but it may take a long time to wait. How to bleed air from the battery on your own and restore the heating system to work?
Signs of an airlock
You can understand that air has accumulated in the battery by several signs:
- ... This may concern an individual battery or the entire heating system of an apartment. In the first case, the air-conditioned part of the radiator will not heat up. In the second, the plug will interfere with the normal circulation of the coolant through the system, which is why some batteries will be hot, while others will be much colder.
- Hissing or gurgling in radiators is a clear sign of excess air.
Why is the air in the battery dangerous?
Before figuring out how to release air from the battery, you should understand how it got there and how dangerous it is.
In addition to reducing heating efficiency, the appearance of air in the batteries can lead to the following problems:
- The metal from which radiators are made is more susceptible to corrosion when it comes into contact with air. Therefore, the service life of the elements of the heating system is significantly reduced.
- Temperature difference various elements pipeline can lead to its destruction.
- The service life of the circulating sediment is significantly reduced. Under normal conditions, its bearings are in water; if air enters, it significantly increases friction, leading to a breakdown of the device.
Causes of Airy Batteries
There can be several reasons for air entering the system:
- In an apartment building, this most often happens when the system is filled with a coolant. According to the rules, the process should be carried out rather slowly, with constant air release, but in reality this is not always the case.
- Incomplete tightness of the heating system. In this case, you will have to bleed air constantly until the shortcomings are eliminated.
- Carrying out various kinds of repair work. If at least a partial disassembly of the pipes was carried out, a certain amount of air will inevitably get inside. Therefore, after such events, it is imperative to bleed air from the heating battery.
- Poor quality of the heating medium: the increased content of air dissolved in the water over time can lead to the formation of an air lock.
Eliminating the airlock
A special valve, usually located at its end, will help to bleed air from the battery. In older models, you will need a radiator wrench. IN modern models a Mayevsky crane is installed, for working with which a simple screwdriver or a special small metal or plastic key, which can be bought at a hardware or hardware store, is enough.
The sequence of actions is as follows:
- A sufficiently capacious container must be substituted to the radiator. When air is released from the battery, a certain amount of water will certainly be released. Better not to let it fall on the floor.
- In movies and in life, you can see plumbers bleeding water, wet from head to toe. Indeed, this operation can be accompanied by the spraying of pressurized water in the system. This is not only unpleasant, but can also harm the decoration of walls or furniture. To solve the problem is quite simple: you need to hang a rag on the valve, which will stop all the splashes, and the water will calmly drain into a bucket or basin.
- Using a key or a screwdriver, carefully unscrew the valve until you hear a clear hiss of the outgoing air.
- Water will drip as it bleeds. We must wait until it pours out in a thin trickle. The tap can be closed as soon as air stops bubbling in this jet. This operation usually takes 5-7 minutes.
Advice. If you don't want to repeat the bleeding procedure too often, then follow the advice of a professional and drain at least 2-3 buckets of water. This will ensure that all air is removed from the radiator.
The video will help to visualize this operation.
Highly convenient device- automatic air vent. Here, the procedure takes place without any human intervention: when air accumulates, a float is lowered, which closes the drain hole. After air release, the float returns to its place. A significant drawback of such devices is the increased requirements for the quality of the coolant. Therefore, in apartment buildings with centralized heating, they are rarely installed, since they quickly fail.
What if there is no drain valve?
Sometimes there is no drain valve on the radiator. This usually applies to old ones, where a stub plays its role. In this case, the work becomes more complicated, but not so much that it would be impossible to do it yourself.
- You need to stock up on a gas or adjustable wrench, with which you can unscrew the plug.
Important! It is imperative to block the access of the coolant to the radiator from the riser. This is done in case the plug comes out completely. The pressure of water then simply will not allow it to be inserted into place, and this will result in flooding of neighbors.
- The main problem is that usually a thick layer of paint and hardened tow prevents the plug from being unscrewed. You can solve it with kerosene or thread lubricant. We apply it to the connection and wait 15–20 minutes.
- We carefully turn the plug and release the air in the same way as in the case of the Mayevsky crane. Don't forget about the water container and the anti-splashing cloth.
- When screwing the plug back, do not forget to apply a sealant to the thread, for example, an FUM tape, in order to prevent the battery from leaking in the future.