The first question to be decided upon, is the choice of the boiler and fuel type on which it will work. The most convenient in use are gas-fired boilers, the most environmentally friendly – electric and solid, if you use wood or briquettes. In each case, everything depends on the location of the house, already penciled or anticipated communication. If the station is a gas line, it is natural, most likely need to install a gas boiler. Gas, as well as liquid fuel boilers differ on several dimensions – the material of heat exchanger, burner type, floor or wall location, etc.
Floor or wall location of the boiler is important. With a large total area of heated space, using a large number of radiators and underfloor heating device should be used outdoor boilers. These boilers are more powerful and usually have several circuits circulation of the coolant or water. One circuit is responsible for radiant heating, another for the warm floor or hot water. The radiant heating system with outdoor boiler is a serious and expensive construction. Heat outdoor boilers are made of iron or steel. Each material has its own peculiarities. Cast iron heat exchanger is more massive, has a higher corrosion resistance and relatively long life. But cast iron is a brittle material, so it is quite possible micro-damages boiler during transportation and operation. Steel boilers have less weight, less susceptible to shocks during transportation from their negative aspects can be called a tendency to rust when the regular formation of condensation on the surface of the heat exchanger. But the material of the heat exchanger of the boiler – not the main criterion for selection, because, given the right equipment, its fine-tuning and operation of any modern boiler will last a long time.
Wall-hung boilers are used for medium-sized (approximately 400 square meters) and small size of the area heated, have much less value as compared with outdoor, also can have two circuit coolant circulation, but at the expense of compactness can be embedded in almost any room. Heat wall boilers to facilitate the construction often made from steel. Wall-mounted boilers already in the set contain all the necessary additional devices – burners, circulating pumps, expansion tank, security system and instrumentation. In the case of outdoor pot all these devices are purchased and installed separately, which greatly increases the cost of the entire heating system, in addition, to install outdoor boiler requires a special room with separate entrance. For many wall boilers are not required of traditional chimney, you can install a compact coaxial (twin-tube chimney, the external tube from the street climbs the air, the inner, nested in the first, are spent combustion gases).
Gas boilers (floor and wall) are completed, both atmospheric and forced-air fan or burners. Boilers with atmospheric burners are simple and less noisy. Boilers with fan burners have higher efficiency, and sometimes much more power but are more expensive. At the same burners not included in the boiler itself and sold separately. This equipment is relevant if your site has not yet been placed on a gas pipeline, but gas may occur in the near future. Then you can install a gas boiler additionally equipped with forced-air burners for liquid fuel. It must be borne in mind that liquid-fuel forced-air burner is a rather complicated technical device, at a cost comparable to the boiler itself. But the boiler for solid fuel most environmentally friendly.
Another important factor is the possibility of reducing the power boiler. Since the work of heating at full power typically need about a quarter of the entire heating season, boilers, except for one power level, may be two-stage (two levels of power) or with a smooth change of power. Pluses of such boilers is – reducing fuel consumption and emissions, increase the operating time of the boiler and burners.
Oil heaters boilers (floor and wall) in contrast to gas, equipped with only the more expensive burners. Such boilers can be less dependent on various communications – gas and electricity. When installing the heating system would be required for the installation of tanks for storing liquid fuel.
Also, an important condition is non-volatility of boiler equipment. If power outages happen often enough, you can reduce the dependence of the automation of the boiler, the most translated it over to manual control, or by placing an independent power generator.
Solid fuel boilers can run on different fuels – wood, pellet, coal and peat. There are models that can use two or more types of solid fuel. Solid fuel boilers are indispensable in places where there are no gas communication and electricity networks. If the pluses of boiler plants – autonomy of communications and the availability of fuel, the negative – the absence of automatic operation the need for periodic cleaning and laying of fuel. In some modern models of solid fuel boilers possibility of regulating the combustion of fuel partially resolved as a mechanical or automatic means. Believe solid fuel boilers is a very economical way of radiant heating a country house.
With a constant and sufficient power supply section of the most convenient solution is to install a radiant heating electric boiler. It must take into account the relatively higher level of electricity prices compared with other fuels. Of the advantages can be noted compactness, lower cost, simpler and less expensive installation of equipment (for example, do not need to do a chimney), environmental friendliness and ease of management.
