How to release air from a heating battery - expert advice. How to bleed air from a central and autonomous system heating radiator How to bleed air from a battery in a basement

During the operation of heating systems, situations often arise when the normal operation of the batteries is disrupted due to the formation of air jams in them. The undesirable consequences of such a violation include the appearance of extraneous noise in the radiators, as well as a sharp deterioration in the quality of heating. In this article, we will tell you how to bleed air from a heating battery in an apartment without assistance.

Before starting work, it is advisable to understand the reasons for the formation of traffic jams, which are explained, most often, by defects in the design of the radiators or their improper operation. Only after their elimination will it be possible to proceed to the direct removal of air from the system.

Methods for removing air locks

The choice of the method for bleeding air from the heating system is determined by what type of circulation of the coolant in the batteries you are dealing with (natural or forced). With natural circulation of the coolant, the air accumulating in the upper piping is easily removed through the expansion tank installed at the highest point of the system.

In systems with forced circulation, a small air collector is mounted at the top of the wiring, designed specifically to remove plugs. It is possible to release air from such a system only when the supply pipe is laid with a slight rise in the direction of movement of the coolant; at the same time, air locks that rise with it are removed through special valves installed at the highest point.

With any type of circulation, the return line of the pipeline (the so-called "return") should be laid with a slight slope towards the drain, which allows, if necessary, to quickly drain the carrier from the system.

Types of bleeding mechanisms

Known mechanisms used to remove air from heating systems are usually divided into manual and automatic. Hand-held devices (or Mayevsky taps) are small in size and are usually installed on the end cut of the radiator. The valve is controlled when air is bleed using a special key, a simple screwdriver, and sometimes manually.

Bleeding air using the Mayevsky valve should be carried out after the coolant in the system has completely cooled down (that is, when the batteries are cold). Due to their small size, Mayevsky's devices do not differ in high performance and are usually used only to eliminate local malfunctions.

Automatic air vents are used in closed-type heating systems and work without direct human intervention. Distinguished by high performance, they are quite sensitive to the content of impurities in the coolant and are mounted in conjunction with filters installed both on the supply and on the return branch of the heating system.

To increase the efficiency of automatic bleeding systems, they are made in multi-stage, which provides the possibility of separate air discharge in each group of devices. In the event that the pipes are mounted with a slight slope in the direction of water movement, the release of air in them is accompanied by an increased flow rate of the coolant, which, as a rule, leads to a gradual increase in pressure in the system.

With aluminum batteries

Now many people have begun to install aluminum batteries in houses and apartments, so a completely reasonable question may also arise, about how to release the air from the bottom. Here, too, difficulties will not arise, since in most cases the already familiar Mayevsky crane is installed in the battery, therefore the process of bleeding air occurs in the same way as with cast-iron batteries.

Note also that a decrease in pressure in the pipes is a sign of a leakage of the system, and the appearance of a noticeable temperature difference indicates the presence of air locks in the radiators.

Video

An example of work to remove an airlock:

Oxygen is dissolved in water in small amounts.

However, over time, it can lead to great difficulties in the heating system.

And if you have at least one radiator in your apartment (or house), you should definitely know how to bleed air from a radiator. And you can do without calling the master!

Airiness, or airlock, is the accumulation of air in the upper part of the heater (or pipeline).

In apartment buildings, the inhabitants of the upper floors suffer especially from the problem.

There can be several reasons for airiness. Let's list the main ones:

Repair work (if manipulations were made with the pipeline, this leads to the ingress of air into the system).
In city apartments, it is difficult to start up a line without traffic jams, since, ideally, the system should be filled with water very slowly, with simultaneous bleeding.
Somewhere there is a leak (even a small leak at the junction must be immediately repaired).
Difficulties often arise with the underfloor heating system, if its branches are not laid strictly horizontally and at different heights.
In any water, when the temperature rises, oxygen is released. In private houses, over time, all the air comes out, and if the coolant does not change, you can forget about the problem. But in central heating, the portions of the liquid are constantly updated.

If there is absolutely no way to do everything with your own hands, you can leave an application with the company servicing the house so that a master can be sent.

But it usually takes two weeks for the system to work in, so you shouldn't rush into complaints before that.

How to define it?

It is easy to find the cork, it will make itself felt:

Batteries may gurgle;
The temperature in the rooms will drop for no apparent reason;
Part of the radiator will warm up, while the other area will remain almost cold.

Tap the top of the radiator with a metal object lightly, then compare the sound from the knock at the bottom of the unit. Where there is a traffic jam, the sound will be more sonorous, high-pitched.

What can the airiness of the heating lead to?

The phenomenon paralyzes the operation of the system - circulation is disturbed, which leads to overheating of certain sections of the heating system and insufficient heating of others.

Due to prolonged contact with oxygen, many metals are scaled and destroyed. Aluminum radiators are especially sensitive to starting the heating system.

In private houses with forced circulation, the air is in contact with a circulation pump. The service life of the device is reduced.

How to properly bleed air from a battery

In the gravitational system of a private house, all the bubbles themselves go out through the expansion tank located at the highest point.

In city apartments, an air vent is installed on each radiator:

Manual (Mayevsky crane).
Automatic valve.

Depending on what is installed, the technology of work will change.

Aluminum, bimetallic or cast iron

Aluminum- not the most suitable material for heating. It actively enters into chemical reactions and releases hydrogen. But due to its modest price and good thermal conductivity, it is often used. To combat the shortcomings of aluminum, it is covered from the inside with a layer of a special film. But over time, it ceases to work, and hydrogen begins to inevitably be released.

Bimetallic radiators- another invention that improves the quality of heating devices. Where contact with the coolant occurs, a different metal is used here. And the fins are made of aluminum.

If a thermostat is installed on the battery, you just need to open it periodically and wait until the air comes out. The process of bleeding air from bimetallic batteries does not differ from working with an aluminum radiator.

Video on the topic

Owners of private houses with autonomous heating face the problem of air in pipes and radiators.

But it is even more pronounced in residential and office buildings that are heated centrally.

Several methods are used to combat airborne heating of heating mains. We will talk about them below.

What is the danger of congestion

Air trapped in pipelines and heating radiators causes serious troubles:

Air locks prevent the normal circulation of fluid in the system.
As a result, it decreases or stops altogether. coolant flow to radiators.

The batteries do not warm up enough, and by reducing the temperature difference between their surface and the air in the premises, the efficiency of heat transfer decreases;
air and water are the cause of intense corrosion of internal surfaces.
Additional factors(for example, the addition of active chemicals to the coolant in district heating) increases the risk of destruction of materials of pipelines and radiators many times over.

Attention! Especially dangerous is the presence of air for aluminum radiators. Electrochemical corrosion of this metal occurs with the release of hydrogen!

Free hydrogen is an explosive gas.

In addition, depending on the pH level (determined by the chemical composition of the coolant) of the material and the quality of the protective coatings, the contact of aluminum radiators (video of aluminum welding with an electrode, watch the inverter) with other metals, the process of electrochemical corrosion and hydrogen evolution proceeds with different intensities.

At a high rate of gas formation, it does not have time to rise up and creates high pressure zones inside the radiators.

This can compromise the integrity of the batteries.

Reasons for appearance in highways

Air in heating systems- a phenomenon that is practically inevitable. The reasons for its appearance are as follows:

Important! It is difficult to notice a small leak, since the heated coolant quickly evaporates.

Removal methods

How air is removed from the heating system?

The answer to this question depends on the configuration and mode of circulation of the coolant - artificial or natural.

What are air vents

To remove air from radiators and other elements, taps or valves are used.

Possibly use for air bleeding of ball valves- in houses of venerable age, they are often installed on old cast-iron radiators.

Lack of such equipment- low bandwidth.

When the air is removed, a significant amount of the heat carrier is also drained.

Consumers use this property to drain hot water for domestic needs.

Air vents with a needle valve are more common today.

Manual Needle Valves(the so-called Mayevsky taps) are installed to remove air locks in heating radiators.

They effectively release the accumulated air, but due to the small diameter of the calibration and drain holes, they prevent significant losses of the coolant.

Mayevsky's cranes - small-sized, easy-to-use devices.

Their use in district heating is fraught with some problems:

Automatic type

In automatic devices, the valve is controlled sensor signal. Float-type sensors are used in the design of the devices.

When the liquid level drops to the threshold value, the valve is unlocked and air is released.

An increase in the level of the coolant triggers the sensor and closes the valve.

Such devices function without human intervention..

Manufacturers produce horizontal and vertical automatic air vents.

The performance of these devices allows them to be installed on centralized heating lines, in places where air congestion is likely to occur.

Important! Automatic air vents are sensitive to the quality and purity of the coolant!

With district heating, multistage de-airing systems are most effective.

They include automatic air vents, in various places on pipelines, and Mayevsky taps, on radiators and indirect heating boilers ().

In this case, separate air bleeding from groups of devices, risers, etc. guarantees, practically, its complete removal and high efficiency of heat transfer.

Remember! The use of air vents leads to additional losses of the coolant during de-airing and an increase in pressure in the lines.

How to detect a blockage and restore circulation

The consumer, on his own, can remove the airlock only in those areas and elements of heating systems where manual air vents are installed.

The operation of automatic devices is monitored and maintained by specialists from organizations - suppliers of heat and housing and communal services with an appropriate level of professional training.

Not always, not enough warming up radiators - a consequence of the formation of an air lock.

Other reasons for this phenomenon:

insufficient coolant temperature,
losses in highways,
decline, etc.

Therefore, before bleeding air from radiators, you need to make sure that the cause is in air locks, and determine the places of their formation.

Airborne evidence is evidenced by:

uneven heating of heating devices.
An example is the heating of only the lower part of the radiators or its complete absence, while the temperature of the supply and return pipe indicates the flow of a hot coolant;
extraneous sounds in pipes and heating devices - gurgling, etc.;
coolant leakage (read how to repair XLPE pipes).

The place of formation of the plug is determined by light tapping on the surfaces of heating devices and pipe sections.

In places where air is accumulated, the sound turns out to be sonorous.

To bleed air from radiators, if they are not equipped with Mayevsky taps, loosen the cap.

Air comes out with a characteristic hiss... When the sounds stop and water begins to leak, the plug is tightened again.

The de-airing procedure on radiators and sections of systems with a Mayevsky crane is much simpler and more convenient.

Important! It will not be possible to remove air without leaking the coolant! Therefore, a container and / or rag for collecting liquid will not be in the way.

To bleed air:

turn the locking screw half a turn (turn) until a characteristic hissing sound appears;
the tap is left in this position until the sounds stop and a uniform stream of coolant appears from the drain hole;
turn the locking screw all the way.

If the problem cannot be solved, the procedure is repeated, draining a certain amount (up to 200-500 ml) of the coolant.

When this does not help, they clean the supply pipes and radiators.

Very important! In the case of aluminum radiators, be sure to comply with fire safety requirements (read about equipment for aluminum welding).

Exhaust gas contains hydrogen- such a mixture is fire and explosive!

You can also try from the pipeline sections on your own.

For this, the shut-off valves on the supply pipes are closed in turn.

In each of the heating devices equipped with air vents, an attempt is made to bleed the air. In most cases, this will solve the problem.

How to remove the air lock without draining the water from the heating system, watch the video.

Before the start of the heating season, there is often a problem with the air in the system. This leads to partial or complete blocking of the heating circuits for the flow of coolant through them. As a result, the batteries do not heat up. Also, this problem is often encountered in apartment buildings built according to old projects. In them, as a rule, automatic air vents are not installed and are not provided at all. And then the question arises: "How to release air from the battery in an apartment building?" Usually, when the central heating system is turned on, housing and communal services workers independently bypass all apartments in such houses and release the air. But if this does not happen, then, probably, they have forgotten about you. And then you need to take matters into your own hands. Call the housing and communal services or deflate with your own hands.

Air in the apartment

So how do you release air from the battery in your apartment? If it is cold in your apartment, although the downstairs neighbors do not know where to get away from the heat. Then most likely you have air in the radiators. To release it, you must open a valve specially designed for this. It is usually found at the top above the horse in homes with radiators built into the walls. To open it, you need a special key that you can make yourself. In the new houses, the radiators are located inside the apartment and they have the so-called Mayevsky taps. It is a nut with a bolt in the middle. The bolt is tapered and covers the air outlet.

It must be remembered that the pressure in apartment buildings is very high, therefore, the union must not be unscrewed too much. All actions are performed slowly and as carefully as possible.

Air in a private house

In a private house, everything is much simpler, because the heating system is autonomous. If necessary, you can always turn it off for a while. Moreover, for effective removal of air in the system, it is just recommended to do this. Air can occur for two reasons:

Poor air removal after the last repair. After carrying out all types of repairs with the heating system, it is necessary to lower it from each radiator. But if the plug was far enough from the valve, then perhaps they simply did not wait for it to come out.
Chemical processes in radiators, and airiness is gas formations. In case of poor-quality casting of a radiator with many shells, not only the strength of the radiator is lost, but also the efficiency of its heat transfer decreases.

Why, will help to understand this issue.

Air removal methods

Depending on the type of heating system, there are several ways to get rid of air in the batteries:

When bleeding air from batteries in a forced circulation system, it is recommended to turn off the boiler or boiler. Because when the valve is opened, due to a sufficiently high pressure (0.8-1.5 atmospheres), even more air can enter it, and it may end up in other radiators.

To bleed air from the battery, it is necessary to open the valve, as a rule, a Mayevsky valve is installed, and a small container is placed under its outlet. Water will also flow there during the release of air. Today there are valves of different types and even universal ones. To open them, you must have an ordinary flat screwdriver or a special 4-sided wrench with you. It is freely sold and is also available in a radiator kit. It is recommended to drain at least 200 g of water, this will allow all the air that might have entered the radiator to escape. After carrying out preventive maintenance in the system, the pressure will drop and it must be raised to the desired level. When using boilers of the Ariston brand, a pressure of 1.5 to 2 atmospheres is required. It is enough for heating the cottage.

When a new heating system is started, when the coolant is replaced, and in some other cases, air accumulates in pipes and radiators. These air locks interfere with the movement of the coolant, cause noise and other unpleasant phenomena. How to bleed air from the heating system will be discussed below.

What threatens the airing of the heating system

The greatest danger posed by air in the heating system is traffic jams that interfere with the movement of the coolant. For example, in a situation where the batteries in one room are warm and in another they are cold, most likely, it is the airlock that is to blame. The gas in the coolant accumulates in some place, blocks or impairs circulation.

This forms air locks and blocks the flow of the coolant. This is just the place to install

The second trouble that airing the heating system brings is noise. Radiators, pipes, pump begin to make noise, gurgle, whistle. During the day, such noise may not be noticeable, but at night, it often interferes with sleep.

It also threatens to activate oxidative reactions and other chemical processes. As a result of these reactions, rust is formed, the walls are overgrown with salts and other deposits. All this impairs circulation. Sometimes so that heating becomes ineffective.

How air enters the heating system

Air enters the heating system in different ways. Nobody will tell you everything possible, but there are the most common options:

These are only the most common sources of air in the heating system. If we talk about an open system, then in it this is generally a common occurrence. Water in an open tank comes into contact with air, naturally, some of it can get into the system. And there may be more unusual reasons. For example, the filter installed in front of the circulation pump is clogged. Due to the fact that the pump does not have enough fluid, it "sucks" through cracks or not completely sealed connections somewhere along the line.

How to delete - technical points

The problem of venting the heating system should be solved at the planning and installation stage. You will not be able to pass by, so you must immediately provide for opportunities for bleeding air and properly mount the components. Here's what you can do:

During installation, hang the radiators with a slope of about 1 ° - one side will turn out higher and it is on this side that you need to install. It can be a Mayevsky tap or an automatic valve. The disadvantage of the first option is that you have to bypass the radiators and manually release the air. Automatic air vents are better in this regard, as they remove gases as they accumulate. Their disadvantage is that they usually have a considerable size, so it is quite difficult to deal with aesthetics (there are also small ones, but imported, so they are more expensive).
At high points of the system (in the supply) and at bends, install an automatic air vent. In addition to radiators, air accumulates in the upper points. If you do not put a valve here to remove it, an air lock may occur.
If the system is large, with a comb, leave an air vent (preferably automatic) on the supply and return manifold.
Another way to automatically remove air from a system with a comb is to install a flowing or non-flowing air collector in front of it. This is for houses with two floors or more. For smaller systems, there is a more elegant solution - linear degassers. They work on the same principle as an automatic air vent (this is one of the options), only they are installed in a pipe break.
Correctly calculate the volume of the expansion tank (for closed systems this is especially critical), monitor its serviceability (membrane integrity) and the pressure in it.

And do not forget this moment: if your heated towel rail is connected to the heating, it is also the top point. It is also advisable to install a device for removing air from the heating system on it.

How to bleed air from the heating system

It is not so easy to bleed air from the heating system. You need to know in what order to act, where to open what, where to close. And the order of actions depends on the composition of the system.

When filling

When filling the system (first start-up, repair or change of the coolant), air locks will be mandatory. Therefore, they must be removed before starting the boiler. This is done on a cold boiler, that is, the coolant must be cold. They act in this order:

If at the same time the pressure in the system is normal, the boiler can be started. If the pressure is lower than required, add a coolant and repeat everything again. Please note that venting the diaphragm expansion vessel is prohibited. This is not air from the system, but a specially inflated reservoir to maintain a stable pressure in the system.

If there are high points in the system (for example, bypassing the door from the top), there should be a bleed valve at any such point to bleed air. If you can still put a mechanical crane on the radiators, then automatic models are definitely better at these points. But keep in mind that for stable operation it is better to take more expensive models. They break less often, so you will spend less money as a result.

To make it easier to bleed the air from the heating system, air vents are installed at all possible points of air congestion - manual or automatic

Also, devices for venting air should be located at the turns of the pipeline. These are also points of accumulation of bubbles and the presence here of automatic valves for venting air will greatly simplify life - less often you will have to worry about air congestion, since big part will be retracted automatically.

In systems with water underfloor heating

With a combined heating system - warm floor + radiators - you can try to expel air through the radiators. The process is described above. If the air was deflated 5-6 times, and some of the circuits are still cold, you will have to alternately "drive" each of them. The process of removing air from a water-heated floor is as follows:

With the boiler stopped (standby mode), close all valves on the supply manifold.
We open the supply of the primary circuit, turn on the boiler and leave it to work for several minutes. We release the air with the help of the valve. At the same time, it leaves on the boiler, through the built-in automatic air vent.
Once again, we drive it away, we lower it. So until the coolant goes without bubbles.
We stop the boiler, close the supply of the first circuit, open the supply of the second.
We turn on the boiler.
Letting off the air.

We run each circuit in this way, not forgetting to stop the boiler. If the boiler is not turned off, there can be two situations. First, all contours will be closed, which can lead to a break in the "weak" point. Second, two circuits will be open and the air from the “unpumped” one can get into the “pumped” one, so that all the work done earlier will go down the drain. Therefore, we try not to get lost with the algorithm and stop the boiler before closing / opening the next circuits.

Now you know how to bleed air from underfloor heating systems.

Branched radiator system

Typically, in heating systems for cottages on two or more floors, air locks appear in the radiators of the upper floors. However, simply blowing air on them a couple of times doesn't always help. It accumulates over and over again. Let's analyze the correct sequence of actions.

If the heating system has several "branches", it is necessary to act in approximately the same way as described with the underfloor heating collector: squeeze out the air in each of the branches one by one. It is necessary to close all the "branches" except one, by pumping the coolant through it to release the air (through the air vents on the radiators and other devices). In the same way, stop the boiler, close the tap on the "spent" part of the system, open another. In theory, in houses on several levels it is better to move from bottom to top, first bleeding air from the radiators of the base floor (if any), then the first, second, etc.

Features of multi-storey buildings

In most high-rise buildings, the distribution of the heating system is vertical. If you have a vertical pipe (or two) in every (or almost every) room, to which one or two radiators are connected, you have just such an option.

Farther. The feed can come from the bottom, or it can go from the top. In the first version, the batteries on the lower floors will be warmer, in the second - on the upper ones. This is about the structure of the system, in order to imagine how to act in the event of airborne air.

If, after turning on the heating, your radiator does not heat up, start by bleeding off the air. If there is a Mayevsky crane, you will have to do it manually. Be prepared for a fairly strong jet of water coming out of the radiator. The higher your house, the higher the pressure in the system and the higher the pressure. Bring some kind of container (bucket or basin), a rag and you can start working.

Use a special wrench or an ordinary flat screwdriver to turn the valve stem counterclockwise. A hiss should be heard, the coolant may begin to come out in a "ragged" stream. This is the air that has accumulated in the radiator escapes. When an even stream goes without jerks, the air has been removed. Tighten the tap and watch the heating of the radiator. If it helps, you're in luck. No - it is necessary to release air from the neighbors from below / from above, remove it from the entire riser.