Temperature control of heating batteries

To create comfortable conditions in an apartment, it is often necessary to change the temperature of heating devices. How can this be done? You need to understand that the intensity of heating depends not only on the temperature of the hot liquid, but also on the volume that enters the radiator. Since it is impossible to independently influence the coolant in a centralized heating system, the temperature of the heating batteries is controlled by a change in the volume of fluid passing through device.

Using heating batteries with a temperature controller, you can:

• save on payment (if there are individual heat meters in the apartment);
• maintain in each room its own temperature regime;
• Avoid drafts from open vents and discard blankets on radiators when the heating temperature is too high.

Most often, regulators are installed on batteries in rooms where the temperature often changes - in the kitchen, rooms on the sunny side of the house. Also, they may be needed where you need to constantly maintain a comfortable temperature, - in the nursery, bedroom.

Attention! Not all types of central heating systems allow the setting of radiators. It is impossible to adjust the batteries in multi-storey buildings in which the supply of heat-carrying liquid occurs vertically from top to bottom. Changing the temperature of radiators using a control valve is available in buildings with single pipe and two-pipe heating system.

Types of temperature regulators for batteries

Devices that allow you to adjust the temperature of radiators can be divided into several groups depending on their device and principle of operation.

Stopcocks

The simplest device that can change the temperature of the batteries is a shut-off valve. He can at the most primitive level control the supply of hot water from the heating system of the house. Shut-off valves have the form of a ball valve having only two positions:

• “Closed” - the movement of hot liquid is stopped, the battery cools down;
• “Open” - the maximum volume of coolant passes through the radiator, and it warms up at full strength.

A significant disadvantage of using a stopcock is the need for constant manipulation. It is impossible to create a stable temperature regime using this device.

Important! The ball valve must not be left in an intermediate position, since the shut-off valve is damaged due to solid particles in the water of the heating system.

You can only use a faucet to control the temperature of the radiator if a bypass is installed in front of the battery (bypass pipe). Otherwise, a closed tap will disrupt the circulation of the coolant in the common house system.

Hand valves

Valves with manual adjustment allow you to change the volume of coolant entering the radiator, by increasing or decreasing the diameter of the bore.

The cone valve has a valve with a shut-off head. It, in turn, is connected with a handle on which a scale with divisions can be applied. The rotation of the handle causes the locking head to move and the volume of incoming coolant to change to a smaller or larger side. The marks on the scale allow you to set the desired battery temperature.

Manual valves are simple, reliable and inexpensive, but require regular monitoring.

Automatic thermostats

There is a more advanced type of regulators for batteries that can respond to room temperature and automatically vary the degree of heating of the radiator. In this case, the change in the diameter of the passage section of the valve dosing the volume of the incoming fluid occurs according to the signal of the temperature sensor.

Automatic heat controllers are divided into two types:

• Thermostatic
• electronic.

In the next video, you can clearly get acquainted with the principle of operation of the thermostat.

Thermostatic thermostats

By design, the thermostatic device resembles a manual valve. At the same time, a thermostatic head is installed on its valve that controls its operation. The thermal head includes:

• a temperature sensor that responds to air temperature and is associated with the valve shut-off head;
• an adjustment mechanism having a control handle and a tuning scale.

You can select a room temperature that will be maintained at a constant level without further intervention by turning the knob in accordance with the required value on the scale.

Electronic thermostats

The maximum functionality is possessed by electronic devices equipped with a control unit, as in the following photo. In addition to the electronic temperature sensor, it includes a microprocessor circuit and a panel with buttons and a display. The locking head is moved using a mechanical relay with electric drive by a signal from a control circuit.

Such temperature controllers allow not only to maintain the required temperature with maximum accuracy, but also make it possible to program their work. For example, daily on weekdays during the absence of tenants in the apartment, the degree of heating of the devices automatically decreases, and before the owners arrive, the rooms will again warm up to the optimum temperature.

Tip: you don’t have to buy a new thermostat to change the way you adjust the batteries. You can usually install any type of thermocouple on one valve: manual or automatic.

Details on self-installation and configuration of the thermostat for the heating battery are written in this article.

Three-way valve

An unconventional device for regulating the temperature of heating devices is a three-way valve, shown in the photo below. It is placed on the connection of the bypass and the supply pipe, which goes to the battery. In order for the device to perform the function of stabilizing the heating level of the radiator, it must have a thermostatic head.

• If the temperature near the head rises above the required temperature, the coolant supply to the battery stops, the fluid flow moves through the bypass.
• When cooling takes place, the valve opens again and the radiator heats up.

This method of adjustment is used in single-pipe systems having a vertical wiring.

Important! In multi-unit buildings with central heating, the coolant usually contains foreign particles that clog the thermostats. Therefore, in the apartment you can safely put manual taps or valves, as well as three-way valves. If you want to install automatic regulators, you must always put filters in front of them, which will have to be cleaned regularly.

Increased battery heat dissipation

We found out how to set the temperature of heating radiators using thermostats. However, it should be borne in mind that all adjustment devices can reduce the degree of heating of the heater, but are not able to force it to give more heat.

If the radiators in the apartment do not need a decrease, but an increase in temperature, you can resort to measures that can change the situation.

1. The minimum intervention that will help the batteries get hotter is pipe cleaning and filters and the release of radiators from air congestion.
2. Change the connection scheme. The most effective is the diagonal installation of heating elements, the largest heat losses are observed at the lower connection.
3. Adding additional sections.
4. Installation in a radiator TENA.