If you believe the statistics, with the help of automation, included in the heating circuit, achieves up to 18 - 20% savings in energy. In addition, the correct organization of management of technological processes allows you to maintain the microclimate in all areas of the house at a comfortable level for the owner.
Let's see what thermostats are for domestic heating boilers and what to consider when choosing a device for a particular model of a heat generator.
The thermostat switches directly into the heating circuit and reacts to the temperature of the heat medium. These are the simplest( mechanically controlled) and cheap products of this type. As a rule, they are already installed in the boiler itself, at least in its modern models.
The assortment of such devices is much larger, they are somewhat more expensive, but their efficiency is much higher. Plus - the convenience of adjusting any temperature in the room.
What is the advantage of thermostats?
The microclimate in the house depends not only on the set boiler operation mode. It is influenced by fluctuations in temperature on the street, changes in wind direction, the position of the sky in the sky and many other factors. All this happens all the time, during the day. Therefore, when using a thermostat, you have to systematically change( manually) its setting.
The thermostat itself monitors all fluctuations, jumps and automatically corrects the operation of the boiler without user intervention. Hence, regardless of whether the home owners or not, the microclimate in it remains unchanged. What this means is well known, for example, to those who breed decorative( mostly "whimsical") plants.
Types of thermostats
Indoor
This is a general name for the instruments, only indicating that they are placed indoors( and for any purpose) and react to the air temperature in it. The correct functioning of such thermostats depends on the correct choice of the installation site. They should be installed so that they are not closed any items of furniture or interior( curtains, curtains, sliding partitions and the like).In this case, the natural circulation of air currents is disrupted, and the sensitivity of the temperature control sensor is reduced.
Such thermostats can work together with outdoor sensors, which increases comfort.
TRS
Thermostats of this type control not the boiler itself, but the valve devices mounted on the heating pipes. Therefore, each sensor is "tied" to a specific contour line.
Thermostat cylinder
It is advisable to purchase if the heating system includes a dual-circuit boiler, with the simplest electronics. Such thermostats protect the ingress of a high-temperature coolant into the system, which is fraught with deformation of PP or PE pipes and the appearance of ruptures or leaks. It is enough to set its limit value, and the boiler will automatically shut down for a while.
Zone controllers
It is unlikely that such devices are needed in a private house, but they should also be mentioned. Thermoregulators of this design are more suitable for large areas, which are broken into certain sectors, heated by separate circuits. The controller with IR-type sensors works in conjunction with the valves and regulates the heat-carrier current for each "string" depending on the temperature in a particular zone.
Tips for choosing a thermostat
Instrument compatibility with the electronics of a
boiler Many companies are involved in the release of thermostats. How not to be mistaken? You should purchase the product from the manufacturer whose boiler is installed in the house( how to choose a gas boiler, read here).
Boiler control principle
For this feature, the thermostats are divided into wire and remote control devices. The criterion for choosing one is ease of installation. The wire model is more reliable in operation, but how to build a signal line from the thermostat to the boiler so that it can not be seen?
Wireless devices communicate with a heat generator using a radio signal. Therefore, there should be a direct visibility between these products.
Number of options
If you are familiar with the possibilities of thermoregulators costing more than 3 800 rubles, the question arises involuntarily: is all of what the electronics of the device is capable of is useful in practice? If it makes sense to overpay for what, in principle, and not needed?
Before buying a thermostat, you need to decide what it is actually purchased for. The most used options, or, as they say, the minimum set:
- switching the mode of operation of the boiler day / night;
- maintaining the temperature unchanged in the room at the exposed level;
- emergency boiler shutdown in case of an emergency situation.
And here, for example, programming for a week, by days - is it necessary? Firstly, usually after the work, the owners still return home, and they can always make adjustments. Secondly, even professional weather forecasters can not give an accurate forecast for any long period. In the opinion of the author, the possibility of programming boiler management for a week, a decade, etc. is nothing more than a marketing move by producers and sellers, since it has no practical meaning for the owner of the house.
There are other options that also raise certain issues. Well, they need it or not, the reader will decide for himself. Here no advisers are required. But the meaning is clear - first to understand, and then pay.
The cost of the thermostat
The fact that cheap is not a synonym for a word is good, nobody needs to explain it. Taking into account the fact that when the thermostat is correctly operated, the en / resource saving is achieved, the maintenance period of the boiler equipment is prolonged, it is hardly worth to purchase the device at a too low price. Failures of its settings, errors in control will lead not only to the violation of the microclimate, but also to the breakdown of elements of the circuit, especially sensitive to temperature changes.
The price spread, like the assortment of temperature controllers, is huge. Experts recommend not to purchase devices in less than 1 700 rubles. A quality thermoregulator, "stuffed" with electronics, can not cost less. The price of more versatile, multifunctional samples can be from 12,000 and above.
Recommendation - before buying the thermostat you like, it's useful to view the product certificate. The label of a well-known manufacturer is not a guarantee that the thermostat is not a counterfeit. Documents are forged far more seriously than a simple sticker.
And lastly - if there is a possibility, it is worthwhile to question acquaintances( colleagues, neighbors) from among those who live in their own home. Have they installed a thermostat, how does it work, what has improved, what functions are really needed? Their opinion will help determine the choice.
