Heat carriers for the heating system. Antifreeze for heating: price

As a rule, before the start of the heating season, owners of industrial enterprises or country houses are thinking about how to properly choose heat carriers for the heating system and to calculate the amount. When using water as a coolant, when there is a cold, there is a big risk of damaging pipelines and radiators, as well as defrosting the system. Fill the autonomous heating system at industrial plants with water is not recommended yet and because of an emergency stop.

How to choose a coolant?

To correctly choose the non-freezing liquid, you need to answer a number of the following questions.

• In what conditions is the operation of the heating system planned?
• How often will you be able to fill the heating system with antifreeze?
• What is the limit of the temperature of the circulating liquid in the system, for its normal functioning?

To date, it can not be argued that there is a single antifreeze, which is ideal for all systems without exception. All known heat carriers for the heating system have their advantages and disadvantages and are intended for use under strictly defined conditions.

Basic rules of choice

These rules will help you choose the most high-quality and safe coolant.

• The heat carrier must transport the maximum possible amount of heat in a short period of time, so a good heat carrier must quickly pass through the entire working circuit of the system, thus ensuring a quick start-up of the system and, accordingly, heating the room. One of the main quality criteria is the circulation rate of the coolant.
• The non-freezing liquid for the heating system should not be toxic, nor does it belong to easily flammable substances. This will not only ensure your safety, but also protects residents from the troubles associated with the volatilization or ignition of toxic fumes.
• To increase the efficiency, in other words, the circulation in the coolant system, it is required that the liquid be more viscous.
• To ensure that the heating medium for the heating system is as efficient as possible, they must have good thermal conductivity.
• A quality non-freezing liquid should not cause corrosion, since not all modern heating appliances have sufficient protection against this phenomenon.
• Choosing a coolant, it is necessary to be guided by the principles of reasonable economy and common sense - the optimal combination of cost and quality.

Water

Of all available liquids on the Earth in the natural state, water is characterized by the highest heat capacity - on average somewhere by 1 kcal / (kg × hail). In other words, if you heat one kilogram of water to a temperature of 90ºC and then cool it to 70ºC in a radiator, then 20kcal of heat should enter the room that is heated by this device.

Water for the heating system has a high density (917 kg / m ³ ), which decreases with cooling or heating. It should be noted that water is the only natural liquid that can expand both during cooling and heating.

Toxicological and ecological characteristics of water largely surpass the similar parameters that are characteristic of any synthetic heat carriers - in case of accidental leakage from the heating system, it will not create problems for the health of the household, unless it falls directly on the human body.

With such a leak, the initial volume of water is restored very simply - just enough to add the required amount of liters to the expansion tank of the heating system.

Types of antifreeze

By and large, antifreeze in the house heating system is an all-embracing name for substances that do not freeze at a certain low temperature. It is also worth noting that the non-freezing liquid that can be used in individual heating systems has appeared not so long ago. However, many owners of apartments and houses with individual heating are thinking about the use of a substance with these properties, so that the system does not freeze.

Despite the fact that today the market offers a lot of options for non-freezing liquids for heating systems from different manufacturers, most of these solutions are made from three basic substances - propylene glycol, glycerin or ethylene glycol.

Propylene glycol

It is a non-toxic viscous mixture that has no color. Propylene glycol has a characteristic sweet taste and a harsh odor. This version of the antifreeze is the best option, but the mixture based on it is quite expensive.

Glycerol

Heat carriers for a glycerin-based heating system are viscous liquids that have a slightly sweetish flavor, but are odorless. This substance is not toxic and cases of poisoning are very rare. In addition, glycerin dissolves very well, and if distilled water is used in the heating system , there will be no sediment.

Ethylene glycol

This substance is a polyhydric alcohol, has no odor and color, but has a sweetish taste. Ethylene glycol is very toxic and, even when used in small amounts, can lead to serious poisoning, which in most cases leads to paralysis or death.

Despite the toxicity, the heating system for a private house with this coolant is the cheapest, so it is most in demand. When using this mixture, special care is required, and all requirements must be met when the system is installed to prevent liquid from entering the drinking water and possible leaks.

Antifreeze for heating: price

To determine the cost of the heating system with the use of non-freezing liquid, you should know the total volume of the system, you need to calculate with a margin of 10-15%.

Should be considered:

• Meterage and number of pipelines, as well as their diameter;
• Volume of coolant in the basic designs (expansion tank, radiators, boiler).

The cost of household non-freezing liquid for heating systems depends on the country of manufacture, the composition of the solution. Concentrated formulations require additional water dilution activities, but the purchase will generally be cheaper.

For example, antifreeze on ethylene glycol can be purchased in two types.

• "Warm house-30" is ready for use with an aqueous solution, which can be purchased for 70 rubles per 1 liter.
• "Warm house -65" is a concentrate, 1 liter of which costs 85 rubles. When the solution is diluted with a freezing point down to -30 ° C, the cost of 1 liter will be approximately 50 rubles.

The preferences of consumers depend on the material and the type of elements that make up the heating system. Some note that the use of non-freezing liquids eliminates the energy overexposure due to the impossibility of salt deposits on the walls of the boiler and pipelines, and this significantly reduces the cost of repairs and maintenance. According to reviews, this coolant is economically justified to use for electric heating of premises, when long-term power outage is possible, as well as for country houses and cottages with periodic residence.