Subtleties of crimping the heating system

The heating system with a water carrier is complex, its work must be uninterrupted. The reliability of the heating system may be impaired for a number of reasons. For example, installation may be made with inaccuracies, or equipment may have been worn out. To find the fault that caused the violation, you need to make a pressure test of the heating system. It is worth considering what the subtleties of this procedure should be taken into account, if it is produced on its own.

Compression of the finished heating system is called verification, which is produced to clarify the reliability of nodes. The test results will show the possibility of commissioning heating equipment. Before turning on the heating such control is required.You can press the system as already existing, and again established.

It is clear that possible problems may appear at the points of connection of parts, for example, where the fittings were used. Insufficiently secure fastening can cause the destruction of the pipes themselves, for example, from corrosion, which will be present at the place of attachment, from mechanical water hammer.

Pressure testing is, in fact, a set of actions, thanks to which you can be convinced of the reliability of not only the heaters, but also the water supply system, as well as sewage systems and wells, if any.

The procedure includes the following work steps:

• washing and testing process;
• checking and removing damaged parts as necessary;
• repair damage if necessary.

Usually nodes are checked by pressure, which makes it possible to clarify the following points:

• the strength condition of the hulls;
• condition of fasteners and connecting parts;
• condition of taps, pressure gauges, gate valves and valves.

In addition to the method of supplying pressure, a liquid supply method is sometimes used. At the same time, the filling level should also be quite high. The working pressure of the system being tested is 1.5 atm. Technical requirements for the work imply mandatory compliance with the working conditions.

In order for the technical requirements to be fully complied with, only a certified employee should perform pressure testing of the heating system. The worker must have special equipment. SNiP regulates the standardized pressure level. The recommended parameters should be 1.5 times higher than working, but not less than 0.6 MPa. The technical rules of the operated heating networks suggest that the indicators of the pressure supplied should be 1.25 above the workers and not less than 0.2 MPa.

The usual working pressure of the heaters of a private house up to three floors is no more than 2 atm. In houses with five floors working pressure is 3–6 atm. In buildings from 8 floors and above the working pressure is from 7 to 10 atm. The pressure tested must be maximized. This parameter is often associated with the features of the components of the heating system.Pipes, radiators, reinforcement in multi-storey buildings are in worse condition than the same parts in a private house.

If the work is carried out by professionals, specialists are guided by a number of regulatory documents, namely:

• SNiP 41-01-2003 “Heaters, ventilation systems, air conditioning systems”;
• SNiP 3.05.01-85 “Sanitary technical equipment inside buildings”.

And there are also technical rules governing the operation of thermal power plants, which are approved by the Order of the Ministry of Energy of the Russian Federation.

Tubes and deposits often appear on the pipes, which reduce the permeability by almost half. The quality of the circulation of the carrier is also reduced. If the requirements specified in the documents are not met, the usual preparation for the heating season can turn into an emergency situation, which will entail a lot of problems. If the situation arises in cold weather conditions, then the heating system should be thawed, which will entail the complete or partial replacement of pipes.

If the pressure test is performed in centralized heaters, the staff uses standard equipment. Private heating or water supply involves the use of slightly different devices. The electrical device used in the work is a special pump.

There are two types of pumps.

• A handheld device is a standalone device. The system is controlled by the pressure supplied by the device lever. Pumps of this type are considered suitable for a small private house. It is quite difficult to use a hand pump for volumetric systems, since at the same time it is necessary to pressurize and monitor the readings on the integrated pressure gauge in the unit.
• Electric pumps are more complicated and expensive. In pressure testing, they are convenient, as they initially have the ability to create a certain pressure. The necessary parameters are entered by the operator, and already in the system it will be in automatic mode. Such opressovshchik is optional to buy if it is a question of private one-time use.

Typically, these devices are available in companies that provide services for pressure testing professionally. Home heating is rarely tested annually.If you compare the cost of devices, the difference will be about 25%. Firms that provide crimping services sometimes rent their equipment. You can specify the price of services, but they are usually identical to the cost of the equipment itself.

Not in all cases, the work can be carried out independently. If these works are needed as proof of verification of the integrity of the heating system, then an act of confirmation is often needed. Such paper will be issued only if the work was carried out taking into account all regulatory requirements and specialists who have special permission to do so. The cost of this activity is not spelled out in legislation, it is usually calculated individually. Prices of companies are associated with the volume of systems, as well as architectural features of buildings. Much more depends on the state of valves installed on the system.

Tariffs are taken into account based on the cost of work per hour, they vary from 1000 to 2500 rubles. However, if there are no papers confirming the work, and there is a desire to do pressure testing of the system, then you can carry it out yourself.In this case, hydraulic tests are possible even with clogged radiators and pipes. Hydraulic presses have different capacities. Pump units used to test systems are also called pressure testers.

Often the equipment for crimping is confused with other types of devices, for example, a hydraulic electric press is used for pressing in bearings, gears, shafts and other things. And also use this tool for stamping plastic, rubber products. The machine, which is a hydraulic press, is not used for crimping the heating system. This equipment is usually used in car repair shops.

There is still a press for crimping - this is a device that tighten the press fittings. This tool is also called press mites, and its purpose, of course, is connected with the arrangement of the heating system, however, this tool is not suitable for crimping.

The scheme of work is carried out according to a specific scheme.

• Rules imply mandatory discharge of coolant. If not a whole system is checked, but a certain area, then it is isolated from the rest of the system with the help of special cut-outs or shut-off valves.
• The contours of the system being tested must be filled with cold water, while filling must be carried out through the lower pipe. If this stage passes correctly, then when filling the air will leave the system.
• When the pipes are completely filled with water, they need to be connected to a manual compressor or electric pump. With the help of the unit in the circuit, the pressure rises, the parameters of which must correspond to the working scheme.

• Pressurized system in the presence of pressure and fluid inside. This makes a visual inspection of the nodes. After the initial inspection, the pressure gradually rises to the value at which tests are usually performed. Usually it is 1.5 times more than the worker. In this case, it is necessary to fix the values ​​issued by the controller (pressure gauge).
• The system is kept under test pressure for about 10 minutes. This time is enough to inspect all parts of the tested nodes. The system to be checked is to be repaired if there is misting or leakage in the parts joints of the parts. If this is not observed, and the instrument readings remain at one point, it means that the system has been verified successfully.

In some cases, the pressure test is carried out by air. The need for this arises when the contours cannot be filled with water or the tests are carried out at sub-zero temperatures, because if in these conditions the pipelines are filled with water, it can simply freeze. The tightness of the system with this method is easy to check on the readings of the pressure gauge.

Pressure testing of the heating of an apartment building is carried out by contractors. Apartment owners are helpful to know what works this process involves. Usually they are carried out with the completion of the heat in the apartment. As a rule, before carrying out the work, the operating organizations accumulate messages on problem areas.

Among the complaints of tenants frequent comments relate to such moments as:

• not enough high temperature in the apartments;
• coolant leaks;
• the difference in temperature in the rooms;
• much more.

According to the information that is available, the problems are corrected first.

Activities related to pressure testing can be as follows:

• flushing of risers in those apartments, where the information about the temperature insufficiency came from;
• check of valves where flaws have been reported;
• checking heat insulators on street pipes and repairing damage;
• general house systems are checked for leaks and leaks;
• if necessary, experts will replace the glands, gaskets, valves.

All these actions are called preparatory activities. After their completion, the testing phase begins. The principles and methods of work are similar to those for private house systems. The only exception is the period of exposure, which in the case of an apartment building is not 10 minutes, but 30 minutes. Well and, accordingly, the pressure in the system is more - about 10 atmospheres.

Even in a new apartment building with a newly commissioned system, about 10% of effective heating is lost during the first months.Sludge and corrosion appear in the joints, which cause scaling and sediment. Sediment reduces system performance. The layer of scale can be so massive that it prevents heat transfer. Items due to this wear out.

The first sign of sedimentation is uneven heating of the pipes. Usually in this case, the bottom of the battery is cold. More about the presence of scale can be found on the characteristic crackle of the battery. This effect is due to water vapor that enters the scale. This reduces the power of the boiler equipment, and fuel costs increase.

The system is descaled by chemical or physical method. Physical methods involve the use of special equipment - compressors. The chemical method is carried out using special preparations. And in fact, and in another case, the cost of cleaning will be less than they would have been when replacing the nodal connections.

In a private apartment, flushing the heating system is possible with the help of available tools, for example, citric acid. Craftsmen are advised to add detergent with citric acid to the system. An aqueous solution with the means must be left in the system for a day. The soapy water from the system then needs to be drained, and the system itself should be flushed with a product like Calgon. And also it is possible to consider the ready structures offered in shops for heating washing. Purchased funds can be used according to the method described above.

Washing of radiators separately from the system is possible if special cranes are installed on them. The fixture includes a ball valve and a battery plug. A hose is connected to the device, the free end of which is diverted to the sewer. In addition to cleaning the system itself, it may sometimes be necessary to clean the boiler itself if it is about heating in a private apartment. When flushing equipment, water must be fed in the opposite direction from the flow of coolant.

In the case of equipment, it is also possible to use mechanical or chemical methods. Flushing boilers should be done separately from pipe systems. Equipment must be completely disconnected from pipes during cleaning. If the work is done correctly, most of the sewage will be removed. The work of the heating system will be adjusted to all its effectiveness. There are no ways to completely eliminate corrosion of metal pipes, because metal will in any case turn into rusty dust if the system is left without flushing and cleaning.

Tests for tightness and durability are needed regardless of the installation conditions of the system and the technologies used. When crimping modern systems, this technology involves dropping the applied pressure to a working value when checking for possible leak points. If defects are found, they are eliminated, and the test procedures are repeated again.

Modern techniques allow even small leaks to be found. However, any problems require visual inspection. Therefore, specialists checking systems in apartment buildings should have access to apartments. To clarify the terms of work in their homes, you should contact the appropriate housing and utilities service.

See below for tips on crimping an air heating system.