Installation of valves on radiators
The next stage in the installation of the heating system is the installation of shut-off and control valves in the passage plugs. The radiators are equipped with "full bore" ball valves or valves, in which the movement of the coolant is manually controlled. Thermal heads are now produced, which have automatic flow control.
Taps for heating systems can have different designs, but taps with an American connection with union nuts are considered the most practical. The advantage of taps with an American connection lies in their design, which allows you to remove any type of radiator without shutting down the heating system. The flow of the coolant with the help of such a valve is quickly shut off, and to remove the battery, you just need to unscrew the threaded connection.
The use of American taps is especially in demand when the heating system is forced to start when heating devices are installed on a rough wall. Their use allows you to easily remove the radiator and finish the finishing work of the wall section without turning off the heating system (close up the grooves, putty or plaster the walls, glue the wallpaper, and so on). The most important thing is that valves with a detachable American connection can be used many times, regardless of the type of gaskets (rubber or parasite) or the option when the sealing is carried out only with the help of tapered parts made of stainless steel.
Valves with union nuts can be straight or angled. They are chosen depending on the pipeline supply system to the radiator (from the wall or niche slopes).
The valve is screwed into the plug with the American connection using a special key, which is inserted into the pipe. The key section can be of very different shapes. It is easier if a hexagon is used, for work it is enough to choose the right size. It is more difficult when two protrusions are made in the "American" connection, it is necessary to look for a suitable profile for a reliable hook.
In the work, sometimes they use an adjustable wrench or pliers, but more often the craftsmen make an L-shaped wrench with a square section. Its ends are slightly tapered. This allows you to work with different manufacturers of cranes with an American connection.
The connection of the passage plug is sealed with the "American" branch pipe by means of a winding. Plumbers use imported linen and investment paste (UNIPAK type) for this purpose. FUM tape is used when the thread profile does not have sharp corners. Also, the thread must have a special notch that prevents the sealing material from rolling.
The two parts must be checked for thread compatibility by connecting them without tow. The degree of density of the collected compound indicates how much tow should be used. With a large layer of winding, cracks may form or thin-walled parts may deform. An insufficient layer is often the cause of joint leakage.
The winding must be collected in a thin bundle and wound in the direction opposite to the direction of the thread of the branch pipe. You must start at the edge of the thread that extends outward. It is necessary to fill the entire depth of the thread with flax fibers, pressing the previous one with each new turn and preventing the winding from scrolling. Next, the part is lubricated with UNIPAK paste, which is then screwed into place.
If the heating system is installed using metal ball valves, threaded couplings are screwed onto them using winding, which are necessary for switching to polypropylene pipes. The Mayevsky crane supplied with the radiator fittings is supplied with a rubber gasket, so it does not need rewinding.
The radiators prepared for work are installed in their place, after which you can start installing the pipes. After completing the installation of the heating system, you need to start it, having previously filled the riser from the bottom up with a coolant and bleed the air. It is necessary to open the supply valve and check the connections for leaks.
Smart battery replacement is a good way to increase heating efficiency in your home or apartment and reduce the cost of paying bills. This work can be done quickly and easily with your own hands, but if you are not familiar with the intricacies of the process, it is better to turn to professionals.
Ball valve
Ball-type Kan in section
Dignity
- Compact dimensions, which practically do not affect the dimensions of the entire structure.
Compactness is always welcome
- Attractive appearance, the main feature of which is the elegant handle.
- Affordable price. Achieved due to the simplicity of the product design.
- High wear resistance. For manufacturing, only durable and corrosion-resistant materials are used.
- Easy to use with your own hands. To change the operating mode of such shut-off valves, it is enough to turn the handle 90 degrees.
Structure
Ball valve structure diagram
| Designation in the diagram | Name |
| 1 | Brass body |
| 2 | The locking ball is the main working element, it is created from steel |
| 3 | Saddle rings |
| 4 | Stem, connects the handle to the ball |
| 5 | Sealing gland |
| 6 | O-rings |
| 7 | Support washer |
| 8 | Stuffing box bushing |
| 9 | Nut fixing the handle |
| 10 | Handle |
Principle of operation
Handle turning moment
The mechanism in question works very simply:
- The external handle rotates, which is usually upholstered with rubber or plastic for convenience.
- This drives the stem, which is connected to the check ball.
- The ball, on the other hand, has a through hole in the middle, which, when turned, coincides with the outlet of the valve.
That is, while the handle is in one position, the inner part of the crane is blocked by two walls of the steel ball, and when we change its position by 90 degrees, we get an open through passage.
Positions of the crane handles in different modes
Appointment
The instruction involves the installation and subsequent use of ball valves for the following purposes:
- Insulation of the radiator for the purpose of replacing it or performing repair work. In this case, taps with two connecting pipes are used and installed in the pipes for supplying and removing the coolant. By blocking them, you completely block the access of liquid to the battery.
Two taps and a jumper will allow you to isolate the radiator without affecting the entire system
- Discharge of dirty water. The fact is that after a summer inactivity, the coolant is supplied to houses incredibly dirty with many different impurities. And if you want to extend the operating life of your heating system, then you need to drain the first liquid.
Ideally, this should be done for at least two days, but it will be enough to at least turn on the tap for the night. In order for this to be possible, you need to pre-install it on the edge of the battery or on the branch pipe.
Example of removing water from a heating radiator
Procedure for replacing heating radiators
Correct and incorrect installation of radiators. Click on the photo to enlarge.
If it is necessary to replace heating devices for central heating, it is necessary to coordinate the forthcoming work with the housing office. It is necessary to shut off the system and drain the coolant (in a private house this is also important).
We inform and agree with the neighbors below and above about replacing the risers below and above the floors on the floor. We dismantle old pipes and radiators. If the old heating system does not have special threaded connections, we use a gas cutter or grinder.
We prepare and install new radiators. It is better to replace old batteries with any new type of radiators, the main thing is that the structure is securely fixed.
We cut a new thread on the risers. Currently, welding is not used when connecting a pipeline. Radiators are connected to pipes by means of threaded connections. This simplifies installation, they are reliable and practical in operation. We assemble the piping system and connect the heating devices.
Valve design
A standard three-quarter-inch valve is designed to provide acceptable head and flow rate for a single radiator. If you take a standard sized pipe and compare it with the diameter of the valve, you can see a significant reduction in the diameter of the latter. A valve with a smaller diameter is installed to increase the pressure. The narrowed hole interferes with the normal circulation of the coolant, while disrupting the heat supply on one or more risers. A slight narrowing of the diameter will lead to the fact that the temperature in the premises of all neighbors will drop. In addition, in the neighboring rooms of the apartment, the batteries will begin to cool down faster.
Installing a tap on a radiator
Replacing the heating radiator.
Published from input Thermostat 20 December 2018 Tags: Khrushchev, Cast iron, Regulation, Dirty_pipes
It is very hot in the apartment - It is not freezing with a lower supply in the heating riser. When it is cold in the apartment, they also want to install a tap in front of the radiator - but already on: often there are thoughts that a lot of water goes through it past the radiator.
If you have thoughts:
In short: who does not want to be a Bedouin on a camel in an Arab country - one way: to put a control valve on an old cast-iron battery.
Often, before installing the batteries, customers squeal: I want 26-28 degrees. But it also happens vice versa - who suffers from the heat in the apartment: it is literally impossible to sleep! Or to live in drafts with constantly open windows - this is unacceptable with small children!
It is better to install a tap on a very hot radiator during the heating season: start or end - since work on old brittle cast-iron batteries and rusted pipes is very dangerous: it will burst and you will not notice. A pressure test is required at the heating start.
You also need to be mentally prepared for the following big expenses: purchasing for a new radiator and a complete new installation. Probability: fifty-fifty - 50 to 50%.
There is a decent length pipe between the riser and the battery: there is where to put a new tap. And the old welds on the riser and the rusted end cap on the end of the battery are safe.
They stabbed the pipe and immediately stunned the client - with terribly dirty pipes: the jaw did not drop, but immediately fell on the collarbone with a clatter. In general: we presented this cut piece of pipe to the customer.
On such dirty pipes, it is better to install full-bore valves: there is less chance of clogging and failure. But they installed an Itap control valve with a smaller bore than FAR.
And at such a minimum flow area, the cast iron was fired up like a steam locomotive. We worked at a minimum salary: the pipe bender and gas welding were not pulled out - otherwise it is easy to accelerate to the end: to a complex replacement.
If in the process of threading or screwing on taps, something burst: at the start of heating immediately leaks. Gas welding is always in the car near the entrance (figuratively: plumbing resuscitation - rapid restoration of heating in winter). And immediately the complete installation of a new radiator (already with the replacement of drains and an offset bypass).
These old Soviet cast irons are now sold new, but who doesn't like their design
large gaps between sections and roundness of each section on the front surface - there are more beautiful KONNER Modern. the Belarusian flat model falls under the same 2 factors of design change.
Helpful tips for choosing
Several features are described below in order to determine which products are best to use.
Locking mechanism
Thermostats have two types of locking mechanism: a valve and a valve with a cone (stem). The latter is preferred, it allows for smooth adjustment. The temperature is manually set using a stop ring mechanically. There are also electronic mechanisms, they are more autonomous.
It is better to install ball valves than valves, which have a number of disadvantages: the gland will wear out faster, overgrow with deposits, and close for a long time. Disadvantages of the Mayevsky crane: low permeability, it requires a special key or a screwdriver, which is inconvenient to use. If you accidentally twist its stem, it is very difficult to twist it back, overcoming the pressure of the water. Instead, it is recommended to install a conventional valve or special automatic radiator air vents. The optimal and affordable option if temperature control is required is a faucet with a thermal head.
Housing and connections
It is better to install on batteries not standard ball valves, but full bore. In residential, houses and apartments, such mechanisms with a sleeve connection are used.
It is better to choose faucets for heating radiators with a steel or bronze body, but most often they use brass ones, since they are cheaper. The imitation brass is silumin. It is not worth buying a product made from it, it is a very soft metal. Polymer materials are no less reliable, but they have large dimensions. To replace them, you need to cut a piece of pipe.
Products with polymer rather than rubber gaskets are more durable. Taps for adjusting the coolant on heating radiators exclude the possibility of changing them without draining the water, this can be done with straight-through taps or with an American installed (towards the battery).
Products of the firm Itap (Italy), Danfoss are considered to be of the highest quality. The approximate price range is 700–2000 rubles. In the middle price range, there are products of the Oventrop brand - 550–950 rubles. For a limited budget, Luxor is suitable - 450-800 rubles. Chinese or Turkish stamps.
Installation of air vents
A typical tap for a radiator is Mayevsky's product. The valve is a simple construction of a brass rod, in the closed position, overlapping the hole in the saddle, and the thread to install it in the radiator plug (for more details: "What is Mayevsky's valve for - features of use, characteristics").
Such faucets for heating radiators are reliable and rarely need to be repaired or replaced, but:
- their permeability is small. If you put the tap on the riser and wait about 10 minutes once throughout the year, until the air comes out easily, then such an air vent on the expansion tank of an apartment building with an upper filling is hardly worth installing. It is better to give preference to a conventional valve;
- when buying a Mayevsky crane, you need to choose a product for a screwdriver, and not for a special key, which is not always possible to quickly find before starting the heating;
- part of the products of this type allows you to unscrew the stem completely, unfortunately, such cases are not uncommon. No one has yet succeeded in screwing the stem back into place, overcoming the resistance of the hot coolant.
An alternative to Mayevsky's tap is a drilled radiator plug or an adapter with a screwed-in plug valve. Sometimes for this purpose, a conventional water tap is used, which is placed in an inverted position - with its nose up.
When such a tap is installed on a heating radiator, you need to remove the handle and the lamb from the valve, since a small child in the house will be attracted by a bright object, and he will eventually try to turn it. The consequences will be unpleasant.
Installation of radiators
Let's figure out how to properly hang the battery with our own hands. Regardless of the type of radiators chosen, before installing them, you should carefully prepare the installation site. Very often, batteries are installed under windows to provide the necessary air convection.
When making major repairs to a private house or apartment, the outer walls are often insulated, and the inner ones are sheathed with plasterboard. Before insulation, metal frames are mounted. In this case, before installing new batteries, it is necessary to solve two problems: to determine at what distance the radiator will be located from the supporting base, and to install the fasteners in advance (it is impossible to mount a radiator on drywall, especially cast iron).
For this, the wall on which the battery will be mounted must first be sheathed with a frame. If the alignment or plastering of the walls is done from scratch, special beacons are installed. In the case when the frame is mounted, inserts with a thickness of 25 mm are made in the places where the fasteners are installed. The used material is OSB or plywood. The inserts should rest on the bottom of the floor and go into the UD-profile. Each heater needs two or three inserts, depending on the number of brackets planned (4 or 6).
After preparing the base, the layout of the location of the fasteners is made. On temporary stands, the battery is set to the design position using a level. If the radiator is installed near the window, this is done in the center of the opening at a distance of 100 - 150 mm from the floor and about 100 mm from the window sill. After marking, the battery is removed and holes for the brackets are made with a puncher. They must be screwed in so that a distance of 30-40 mm remains from the rear of the radiator to the wall.
Heavy cast iron radiators with more than ten sections should preferably be fastened with at least six brackets. For other types of batteries, four are sufficient.
Why do you need a set of plugs for piping radiators?
A set of plugs for piping radiators. Click on the photo to enlarge.
Each radiator has four open entrances (two on each side). This is done so that there are no problems when connecting heating devices, since the connection can be different: one-sided, cross, bottom, one-pipe. Before installation, depending on the connection option, the radiators are prepared accordingly. Some entrances are closed with blind plugs, others are made with 1/2 or 3/4 inch threaded connections.
The procedure in which plugs and valves are installed is called “packing” threaded connections and is the most important stage in the installation of a heating system. The reason is that after strapping the radiators and starting the heating system, leaks can most often appear in these places.
The most common and effective type of battery connection in an apartment is considered to be a one-way connection, in which the supply is connected at the top of the left or right side of the radiator, and the "return" is connected from the same end of the battery at the bottom. To release air from above, on the opposite side of the radiator, a Mayevsky valve is installed, and the lower inlet is closed with a plug.
Each heater must be equipped with a set of four plugs, three of which are through and one is blind. We determine the thread (right or left) at the entrances to the extreme sections of the radiator. We select the plugs accordingly. The plug threads can be 1/2 "or" in diameter. We choose the diameter depending on the supply pipe.When entering the twentieth pipe (outer diameter - 20 mm), a plug with a ½ inch bore is selected. If the twenty-fifth pipe is supplied, take a ¾ inch plug. Such pipes are installed in a vertical one-pipe system when the battery is part of the riser.
It should be borne in mind that the plugs have sealing gaskets, so there is no need to apply any coils. When screwing in the plugs, it is necessary to apply a noticeable effort, first using a knife to clean the base, to which the plug gasket is adjacent. This operation is better done even with new heating devices.
Cocks regulating the temperature of batteries
Control valves for heating radiators are of the following types:
- standard;
- with thermal head.
The most successful way to solve the problem with the coolant temperature is to install a thermostatic head. After adjusting it with a trimming throttle, it will serve throughout the heating season.
The control valve on the heating radiator will maintain a comfortable temperature in the room. The thermostat is mounted on the supply line of the supply pipe in such a way that the thermosensitive element is not heated due to the upward flow of hot air masses. The choke is considered a cheaper option, but it needs to be adjusted manually depending on the required degree of heating of the premises in the house, which of course is not very convenient. After all, both the radiator and the rooms have great inertness: the air temperature can only stabilize after a few hours after the throttle passability has been changed.
Also, to regulate the movement of the coolant through the pipe, a conventional plug valve is used. In principle, it is not intended for this, but with its help, customization is possible.
Needle faucet
Mayevsky crane
| Situation | The reasons for its occurrence |
| Starting the heating structure | After assembling the pipeline, a certain amount of air masses will necessarily remain in its components, which by themselves will not come out of the closed system |
| Starting heating after a summer shutdown | There is always some air in the water, which, during a prolonged state of rest, will collect in the upper part, forming a cork. |
| Long operational period | Corrosive processes inside the pipes provoke the release of hydrogen, which requires mandatory periodic elimination |
Exploitation
If one of the above situations takes place, and the air valve is installed, then proceed as follows:
- We prepare the container in case of a water flow.
- Turn off centrifugal pumps, if any.
- With a screwdriver or a key, turn the working part of the product counterclockwise one turn.
Opening the Mayevsky crane
- After that, the accumulated air begins to come out with a characteristic hiss. If its amount is too large, then further adjustment of the valve on the heating battery is allowed in order to increase the outgoing gas flow.
- After the sound stops, and water begins to drip from the tap, close it.
There are also automatic models, which, although they are more expensive, do not require forced descent of gas accumulations, but perform this task on their own.
