Balancing valve for heating system: operating principle, installation, instruction

Whatever the heating system, it involves the need for customization, you can do it in many different ways. These manipulations are required to ensure that the parameters on individual sections of the network are as close as possible to the calculated ones. So you can achieve good performance. Adjust the functioning of the system by several means, but the most modern and effective of them is a balancing valve for the heating system.

Need to use

No heating system can operate without hydraulic adjustment, which is balancing. The purpose of these manipulations is to bring the flow of water in each branch to a standard value. At the same time, the required amount of heat will be delivered to the batteries. Whereas in the case of the simplest schemes, the flow rate is ensured by properly selected pipe diameters. If you have a complex system, the adjustment can be done with washers, but the size of their passage must ensure the flow of water in the right amount.

New methods

The listed methods are not used now, as they are obsolete, today it is more acceptable to use a balancing valve. By design, this device is a manually operated valve, through which the volume of water is regulated. In addition to the fact that the system has a flow overlap mechanism, chokes are built into the body, which serve to connect to the capillary tube. They are necessary to ensure interaction with other controls.

Principle of operation

Before installing the balancing valve for the heating system, you need to understand the principle by which it works. To do this, take as a basis a dead-end branch with several batteries that act as consumers. The pipes receive a certain amount of coolant, which should be sufficient for heated rooms. After you learn how the balancing valve works in the heating system, you can proceed with its installation, this will be discussed below.

If the radiators do not have a thermostatic valve, and the coolant flow for each is unchanged, the hydraulic adjustment is done by a manual balancing valve. This element must be installed on the return line at the point where the tapping into the common pipeline occurs. At the next stage, measurements must be made, the valve is set to the required number of revolutions. This will ensure a certain flow rate of the coolant in the regulated branch. However, the conditions can be different: the flow rate is constantly changing, which occurs when the radiators have thermostatic regulators, the latter can create an obstacle in the way of water, while the flow will be reduced. The flow of the coolant will change all the time. Here, the balancing valve for the heating system helps, which guarantees the amount of coolant in a certain volume. Especially relevant is the approach when the number of batteries does not exceed 5 pieces.

Additional information on the principle of operation

If the limits for the regulation of thermostatic devices are limited, the circuit can be adjusted. In the event that the radiators are larger than the quantity mentioned above, they must go pie-wise. Overlapping the water of the first radiator will cause a significant increase in the flow at the second. The valve closes, then the flow goes to the next, and so on. In the end, such work will cause overheating of some radiators and underheating of others. The system will be unbalanced.

When mounting a balancing valve for a heating system that has risers or branches with a large number of heaters, you must install the described elements without fail. The principle of operation in this case is as follows. It is important to adjust the balancing valve by setting it to the maximum design flow rate of the coolant. In the process of the system, when the consumer thermostat will reduce water consumption, the pressure will begin to increase. With the help of a capillary tube, the information will go to the automatic regulator, which is responsible for the pressure drop. This component of the system reacts rather quickly, then the thermostats do not have time to work, they will not block the flow of water, and the system will maintain the hydraulic balance at the same time.

Installation work

The balancing valve for the heating system, the principle of operation of which was described above, can be installed by yourself. It is very important to ensure the necessary position of the element. The arrow on the body must be in the direction of water movement. This will provide the required design resistance, and will also guarantee the required flow. Some manufacturers allow the possibility of mounting the valve in both direction and against the flow. The stock in most models can occupy different positions.

The balancing valve for the heating system, the principle of operation of which must be clear to you prior to the purchase of the device, requires the protection of the working parts of the valve: they should not be contaminated with mechanical impurities. For this purpose, a special filter or mud collector is installed before the valve. In order to avoid turbulent water movement, it is necessary to provide straight sections of sufficient length before and after the valve. In confirmation, it can be noted that this requirement is specified by the manufacturer in the documentation for the valve.

Installation and operating instructions

Installation of balancing valves in the heating system requires certain rules to be observed. Thus, the filling of the system, which possesses the described element, must be performed by a special technology. For this, provision should be made for the presence of filling nozzles, which is true for systems that have dynamic valves. The fittings are located close to the valve on the return line. As for the main element, which is located on the supply pipeline, it is important to close it.

The automatic balancing valve for the heating system is adjusted using the differential pressure and flow table, as well as the flowmeter. But the initial calculation is important at the design stage of the heating system.

Recommendations of a specialist

As for the straight sections of the pipe, which were discussed above, their length should be 5 diameters, after the described element it is necessary to leave two pipe diameters. If there is an automatic valve in front of you, there must be a connection in the circuit, which is necessary for filling the circuit with the inlet valve closed.

Conclusion

The balancing valve for the heating system, the installation instruction of which was presented above, can be with manual adjustment, automatic or by adjusting the temperature level of the working medium. The latter are used in air conditioning, cooling systems, as well as in the arrangement of warm floors.