How to choose a boiler for heating a private house?

Individual heating is a great alternative to arranging your home, especially if, in principle, there is no possibility of inclusion in a centralized system or it seems unreasonably expensive to you. How to choose a boiler for heating a private house? To answer this question, you need to consider many different factors. In this article we will consider the main types of boilers, their features, advantages and disadvantages. Thus, you can decide which of the options will be optimal for your home.

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Which boiler to choose for the house?

To know how to choose a boiler for heating a private house correctly, and not to experience difficulties regarding its subsequent maintenance, you need to immediately consider several factors:

• What type of fuel is the most affordable in your area. And we are talking not only about the cost, but also about its availability in warehouses and the possibility of a trouble-free purchase.
• The possibility of independent work. Often during the working hours of the day there is no one at home, so you need to consider the ability of the boiler to work autonomously, without the intervention of outsiders, so that your home is warm upon return.
• Convenience and practicality in use. People who do not want to visit the boiler regularly should better buy the most automated version. Such models require minimal maintenance, but are more expensive.
• The need for maintenance. Regarding maintenance, it all depends on the type of fuel the boiler is running on. Some types require periodic cleaning of burners or combustion chambers. If you do not want to do this, then it is better to opt for gas or electric heating boilers.

Next, we will consider the main types of heating systems, which will help determine which boiler to choose for heating your own home.

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Gas boilers

If a gas main passes near the house, then you can consider the option of installing a gas heating boiler.

Important! Today gas heating is the cheapest in many regions.

Among the advantages here are their autonomy and the lack of the need for technical work. A significant drawback is only the cost of installing and connecting the boiler to the mains.

But despite the considerable amount of money that will have to be paid for the boiler itself and its installation, such units are very popular. Consider the main types of such equipment for heating a house.

Types of gas boilers

According to the location method, the boilers can be wall and floor:

• Wall mounted units have a maximum power of 60 kW. They are convenient in that they make it possible to place them in a living room, for example, in a kitchen. They can be easily integrated into the design of the room.
• Floor standing boasts more power, up to 100 kW and more. A gas boiler can be installed even if there is no gas line near, but it is possible to buy liquefied gas. In this case, put a gas boiler floor type with a burner.To install the floor version with high power, you will need a separate room - a boiler room.

Important! The room must meet some security requirements, one of which is a separate entrance.

Types of burners

Wall-mounted gas boilers can serve two types of burners - turbocharged (closed) and atmospheric (open):

• Turbine burners must be connected to a coaxial chimney. Oxygen for combustion is carried out through one of the chimney pipes. Given this factor, there are no special ventilation requirements.

Important! It should be borne in mind that a chimney led into the wall can be covered with snow and overgrown with hoarfrost. In this case, the boiler will not turn on.

• Atmospheric burners. They require a chimney with good draft. Combustion air is taken from the room, therefore, the room must be equipped with sufficient power supply ventilation.

Also, when choosing a model of a gas boiler, it is worth considering the number of positions in which the gas burner can work. There are three modifications:

• Single stage. Only two modes are provided - off and at full power.

Important! Boilers with such burners are the cheapest, however, gas consumption is the largest, that is, such boilers are not economical to use.

• Two-stage. In addition to the shutdown position, there are two more operating modes - at full power and 50%.

Important! With such burners it is easier to maintain the required temperature, they are more economical.

• Modulated. They have a smooth adjustment of the power of work, can be switched on at a power of 10% and up to 100%.

Important! Such burners are the most economical, although the cost of these boilers is the most expensive. However, in the long run, you will not find the best gas-type heating device.

Condensing gas boilers

Above we talked about traditional (high-temperature) gas boilers, which are ideal for working with radiator heating, because at the outlet they give off a coolant with a high temperature of about 45-50 degrees. But there are also condensation boilers, which are distinguished by their efficiency when working in low temperature mode. In the return pipe, the temperature can be no higher than 40 degrees Celsius. In this case, gas is used most economically, because a greater amount of heat is transferred due to the condensation of the vapors that are contained in the flue gases. Thus, gas consumption is significantly reduced.

Important! If you are interested in the question of which boiler to choose for heating a house with warm water floors, it’s better not to find a condensing gas boiler.

However, it was not without drawbacks:

• The condensate that forms is very corrosive, so the chimney must be installed only in high quality stainless steel.
• The cost of such boilers is significantly higher than any traditional type boiler of the same capacity. This is explained by a more complex scheme, as well as the use of materials resistant to harmful condensates.

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Electric heating

For ease of operation, electric boilers are considered the best units. If there is electric energy, they work in the established mode, practically do not make noise and do not require maintenance. The biggest drawback of this kind of heating is its large electricity bills.

Types of electric boilers

At the moment, there are three types of electric boilers for heating a private house. Let's consider each of them.

At heating elements

It is the most common and common type of electric boilers. They are multi-stage, and therefore can work in several power modes.

Among the shortcomings, one can point out a rather low efficiency, which is explained by losses on heating of heating elements. Of the advantages - inexpensive repair costs and a relatively simple setup process.

Induction

Such a boiler is a small pipe segment, the length of which varies depending on the power (from 35 cm to a meter with a small one). He heats the water as it passes through an inductive coil. This type of boilers is considered more economical than the previous one, since there are no losses for heating the heating elements, and there is practically no inertia in them.

Among the advantages are also small size.

Important! The disadvantage is the reaction to the absence of coolant flow. In this case, the boiler quickly overheats, which leads to its combustion.

Electrode

This type of boiler is the least popular, although it is quite economical. Such demand for them is explained by the fact that water having certain electrical characteristics (electrolyte) must circulate in the pipes. This need is due to the fact that the coolant is heated due to the release of heat during the passage between two current electrodes.

Important! The device is quite simple, however, requires constant monitoring of the state of the electrodes and coolant. Another concern is the fact that the heating system is constantly energized.

We cheapen electric heating in a private house

Electric boilers are far from the cheapest, however, are some of the easiest to maintain and install. Is there any way to reduce the cost of such heating services?

• One way to make heating cheaper is to install a two-rate electric meter. If there are multiphase tariffs in the region, heating a private house will not cost so much.
• In order to save money, a large-capacity heat accumulator is installed in the system. During the night time, water is heated in it (the tariff for electricity is lower at night), and during the day the boiler is turned off and the temperature is maintained by transferring the heat stored in the heat accumulator.

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Solid fuel boilers

Despite significant disadvantages, such boilers are very often used for heating a private house. Basically, such boilers use firewood and coal as fuel. In the first case, the boiler must have a large loading chamber, so that it is possible to lay it with firewood as much as possible. In coal-fired boilers, the furnace should be with thicker walls, since the combustion temperature of coal is very high.

Advantages of TT boilers:

• Relatively inexpensive type of heating.
• The design of the boilers is simple and reliable.
• There are non-volatile models that do not need electricity to work.

Disadvantages:

• Cycle mode of operation. It's cold and hot in the house. To eliminate this drawback, a heat accumulator is installed in the system in the form of a large container with water. It stores heat in the active phase of combustion, and when the fuel burns out, the stored heat is spent on maintaining the temperature in the house.
• Regular service. To keep the house warm, you need to constantly lay coal or firewood, and regulate the intensity of combustion. To start the process again, you must first clean the firebox, which is quite troublesome.
• No battery life. In order for the house to always be warm, the presence of a person who will plant fuel is necessary. Otherwise, the system will not work, and with a long idle time it can even freeze.
• It should be noted that the laying and cleaning of the boiler TT is a rather dirty process. Therefore, it is better to place the boiler closer to the front door so that dirt is not worn around the room.

Important! Although the purchase of solid fuel is relatively inexpensive, the installation of a solid fuel boiler is an inconvenient and not the best solution for a private house.

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Long burning boilers

In order to increase the time interval between the fuel tabs, long-burning boilers were created. They are made on the basis of two technologies:

• Pyrolysis. Such boilers have two or three combustion chambers.If there is a lack of oxygen, fuel burns in them, forming a large amount of combustible gases. These gases are transferred to a second chamber, which has special openings for air penetration. When mixed with oxygen, gases ignite and produce an additional portion of heat.
• Top burning mode. In the traditional type of boilers, the fire goes from the bottom up, which leads to the rapid combustion of fuel and overheating of the system and the house, respectively - to significant discomfort in the home. When using the upper combustion mode, the fire burns only in the upper part of the bookmark, therefore only a small part of the wood burns. Thus, the temperature in the house is equalized, and the burning time of the bookmark is increased.

The effectiveness of such technologies is quite high: burning one bookmark of firewood can last from 6-8 hours to 24, and coal - from 10-12 hours to a couple of days. But it is worth considering that such a result can only be obtained if high-quality fuel is used, coal and firewood must be completely dry.

Important! Using wet fuel, the boiler may not start to warm up, as it will be difficult for it to even go into smoldering mode.

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Oil boilers

The most rare in private homes are boilers that run on liquid fuel. This trend is explained by a large number of disadvantages of this type of heating:

• The high cost of fuel.
• The complexity of fuel storage. It is necessary to store liquid fuel in a large capacity, which should not be installed very far from the house so that it is possible to supply liquid to the boiler.
• The storage tank must be heated. Only in this case will the boiler work normally.

Important! At low temperatures, liquid fuel thickens and can clog the burner.

• When working, the burner emits noises and odors, therefore, for such equipment, a separate extension or boiler room, which would have good ventilation and sound insulation, is necessary.

Important! Considering the specifics of using a liquid fuel boiler, it makes sense to install it only if there is a free or inexpensive source of fuel. In all other variants, alternative heating devices are a priority.

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Pellet boilers

These boilers require a separate mention:

• As fuel for such boilers, small special granules from compressed sawdust are used. To store them, make a bunker near the boiler - its size depends on the desired battery life of the heating system.

Important! If space is available, the hopper can be made with the expectation of up to several tons of fuel. The minimum size is for several buckets, which is enough for one day of work.

• Such boilers are equipped with special burners. Pellets automatically fall into the combustion zone, where they burn almost without residue.

Important! Pellets of good quality give ashes only 3-5%, so cleaning the combustion compartment is rarely required, about once a week or less.

• Pellet equipment is fully automated, so if you have enough fuel you can not come to the boiler for weeks.
• The disadvantage of this system is the high cost of equipment.
• The quality of pellets should be high, they should have a good ability to create heat, low ash content, should not crumble and break.

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Combined type boilers

The most popular models of combined boilers is a variant of a system that runs on solid fuel and has several electric heating elements. Such equipment works on coal or wood, as long as they are in the compartments, as soon as the fuel burns out and the boiler cools down a bit, the electrical part automatically turns on. TENs in the boilers will not be able to fully heat the house, but their capacity will be enough to maintain the system.

Important! Such a system of switching to electric resources will not allow freezing the heating system in the event of a long absence of owners in the house.

Equally popular is the combination of solid and liquid fuels.

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How to choose a heating boiler for a private house?

So all the same, which boiler to choose for a private house, because most of them have significant advantages, but, at the same time, significant disadvantages. By systematizing the already known information, we can distinguish the most typical requirements that are important when choosing heating equipment:

• Profitability of heating. The cheapest fuel option is coal, firewood and gas. Next in the ranking are pellets, electricity and liquid fuel. However, it all depends on the region of residence, so you need to focus on specific prices.
• Degree of autonomy. The most automated boilers are gas, pellet and electric. Such units can be left to work without regular supervision. Liquid fuel boilers require a little attention, and the least automated are solid fuel systems.
• Difficulties connecting. It will be most difficult to install and connect gas equipment. There may also be problems with electric heating - not all substations have a reserve for allocating power to such units. The remaining boilers are mounted without any problems, the main thing is to observe safety precautions.

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Stock footage

When choosing equipment, rely not only on general information, but also on the availability of fuel resources in your region and its price. In the cold season, your home should be warm, and you should be comfortable and not bothered to heat.