Types of heating fireplaces, their thermal power, material and functionality
Let's briefly explain how to make a home water fireplace with your own hands. Imagine a conventional device made of cast iron or heat-resistant steel. To create a water heating in the house, it is enough to place a heat exchanger in the furnace, along which the coolant circulation will take place. It is not necessary to use water, antifreeze, too, will do. The heat exchanger itself can be in the form of a coil or a water jacket. Some place a container between the chimney and the flame.
Dense cold water masses push up the heated water, which expands. As a result, the house has a ready source of heat in the form of a gravity-type system.
Thermal power can be varied. For example, for small models it is equal to 8 kilowatts. They are suitable for an area of 80 sq.m.
Heating fireplaces can be used in a single circuit with an electric, gas, solid fuel or solar boiler. To connect the device to the general scheme of heating use a water gun.
There are also models with a capacity of 32 kilowatts. They are able to heat the house with a total area of up to 300 sq.m.
As for the material, it has already been mentioned above that the fireplaces are made of cast iron or heat-resistant steel. However, cast iron products are very massive due to their less mechanical strength. Cast-iron fireplace is suitable for heating a small room. To make a large fireplace, you have to use a lot of cast iron, which means its cost will be impressive. For such purposes, steel is used 4-6 mm thick, while the water jacket is also steel. But the frame of the door and the grate for firewood are made of cast iron.
The weight of the product in the shirt ranges from 145 kg and above( without coolant).
Functional features of
Some modern fireplaces provide such functions:
- additional insulation of the furnace;
- cleaning of glass;
- built-in automation;
- use of pyrolysis;Supply of air from the street.
Additional insulation of the furnace allows you to protect the steel from burn-out, which means it increases the life of the device. Due to the cleaning of the glass, soot does not settle on it. Built-in automation allows you to control the dampers. The supply of air from the street may be needed for fireplaces with a large thermal capacity.
Price
The price of a water fireplace, like any other thing, has its lower and upper limit. In the market you can find both cheap and expensive models.
So, for example, a modern 8-kilowatt fireplace will cost about 1080 euros, but a fireplace fireplace, with various functions, reaches up to 3000 euros. However, you can always get to a pleasant discount or make your own water fireplace. To do this, it is sufficient to place a heat exchanger in a furnace of a brick fireplace, made of ordinary or stainless steel. Of course, there will be less efficiency, but this is an economical and simple option.
Assembly features and fuel requirements
Virtually all modern fireplaces use hardwood firewood, as coniferous wood is resinous and will often have to clean the chimney, glass and the furnace itself. Firewood should not be too large. Depending on the fireplace, the size can vary from 20 to 40 cm. At the same time, it is better not to use wood, humidity of more than 20%.
For fireplaces with a gravity system, the wiring requirements are standard:
- After the fireplace, install the collector.
- Put the expansion tank.
- Make a slope of the spill.
- In parallel, the radiators are cut.
When connecting heaters, use a lower or diagonal circuit.
