In our latitudes, no house can do without a heating system. Pressing this design is an important maintenance part that should not be neglected unless you want to run into big trouble one day. It is necessary to carry out this procedure in certain cases, be sure to strictly follow the safety requirements. Everything in order in this review from the editorial staff of HouseChief.
Read in the article
- 1 Is this crimping necessary
- 2 When and under what conditions it is necessary to carry out crimping
- 3 What result to expect from crimping
- 4 Necessary equipment for checking the heating system, SNiP requirements
- 5 Types of crimping: which one to prefer
- 6 How to find a leak
- 7 Pressure testing of the heating system in an apartment and private house
- 8 The procedure for crimping
- 9 Test pressure level
- 10 Important points in conclusion
Is this crimping necessary
Let's start with the basic concepts. What is a home heating system? Unless you have electrical panels, then, most likely, this is a pipe line with a circulating coolant. For it to move inside the system, by default the coolant must be in a liquid state. And the liquid, as you know, always strives to find a way out of a closed space. If the circulation is disrupted for some reason, the entire system stops working.
There is only one simple way to check for possible irregularities in the operation of the line - to increase the pressure in system so that connection defects are detected, which should be paid attention to before starting heating. Thus, pressure testing is the actual pressure test of the heating main before the operating season.
To check the system for leaks, the pressure should be raised 20-80%. The percentage of pressure increase depends on the equipment installed in the line. After finding all the malfunctions during pressure testing, the necessary repairs are made, the tightness of the system is restored.
When and under what conditions it is necessary to carry out crimping
When should the heating main be checked and should it be done regularly? Pressure testing is recommended under the following circumstances:
- before starting a newly installed circuit;
- after repair work on any of the nodes of the highway;
- during preparatory work for the season after draining or downtime of the circuit.
In apartment buildings flushing usually performed after the end of the season, this is the only way the utilities have enough time to carry out large-scale repairs.
Does the material of heating pipes matter for crimping?
Related article:
Flushing the heating system: causes of clogging and signs of poor condition of the heating circuit elements; mechanical, hydrochemical, hydrodynamic, hydropneumatic, electrohydropulse flushing of the heating system; relevance of preventive measures.
What result to expect from crimping
If high pressure occurs, all the weak points of the line will make themselves felt with leaks. In systems of an autonomous type, there is no need to involve a large team of workers to check pipes: you can completely do it yourself, but with the use of special equipment.
A comment
Sergey Kharitonov
Leading engineer for heating, ventilation and air conditioning of LLC "GK" Spetsstroy "
“If some of your pipes are hidden in the thickness of the walls, then the crimping should be carried out before you sew all the boxes. Otherwise, in case of a possible leak, you will have to do a major analysis and subsequent repairs. "
Necessary equipment for checking the heating system, SNiP requirements
Pressure testing in apartment buildings is carried out by employees of housing and communal services. Powerful professional equipment is used for its implementation. Pumps are needed to work, now they use modern automatic models with pressure control. There are also manual models in everyday life, but they require significant physical effort and are considered outdated.
SNiP rules require an annual pressure test before the start of the heating season in apartment buildings. In private buildings, there is no urgent need to carry out such a procedure every year, usually it is done every 5-8 years.
Do I need to buy a special pump if you have a private home? A good device costs at least 20 thousand rubles, so such a purchase can hardly be called profitable. It is much cheaper to rent such a device if you are going to test your highway every five years. The whole work will take a couple of hours.
Types of crimping: which one to prefer
The system test can be carried out hydraulically or by air.
Hydraulic pressure testing involves filling the line with pressurized water. If there are weak points, the water will seep out, and you can easily identify all the problems in the line. Moreover, the pipes must be under pressure for at least an hour.
For your information! In domestic reality, the limiting pressure should not exceed 10 bar.
You can do a hydraulic test yourself in private householdif you connect the heating circuit to the water supply.
Air pressure testing, as its name implies, involves checking the line with air under pressure. In a private household, such a check can even be carried out using a car pump or a mechanical device, for example, to inflate a boat.
To tightly connect the air injection device, you will need to install a fitting with a check valve so that air under pressure does not go back into the pump. To control the pressure level at the connection point, you need to install a pressure gauge.
A comment
Sergey Kharitonov
Leading engineer for heating, ventilation and air conditioning of LLC "GK" Spetsstroy "
“When testing an autonomous system, it is better to close the boiler valve, since modern devices are equipped with a pressure relief valve, so they will not allow reaching the desired level in highway ".
It must be admitted that air pressure testing is a rather dubious method. Air finds its way out even where the usual liquid heat carrier will never flow. So finding places where air will slowly seep out of the system will not be easy.
How to find a leak
During air pressure testing, a leak can be found by ear: the characteristic whistle of the outgoing air will be heard. But if you can't find the place by ear, you should smear the joints with a soft brush with a solution of liquid soap. The air will blow bubbles and you will find the source of the problem.
If the problem is in the joints, you can disassemble the joint and re-seal it with fum tape.
With the hydraulic method, everything is much simpler - the leak point will make itself felt with a fountain of water or a puddle under the junction.
For your information! In the same way, you can check not only the heating system, but also the water supply.
Pressure testing of the heating system in an apartment and private house
It must be admitted that not all service organizations conscientiously comply with their duties, carrying out an annual pressure test. If you have any suspicions about the integrity of the system, be sure to contact housing and communal services and ask for pressure testing and repair.
The cost of services in a private house for checking the highway will cost, depending on the region, in the amount of 1 to 2.5 thousand rubles per hour. Firms providing such services do not just check your heating system, but also give a guarantee, at least for a full heating season.
The procedure for crimping
The integrity of the line is always checked when the coolant is drained and the heating is turned off. It is important to carefully monitor the pressure level during work in order to avoid an emergency.
The sequence of pressure testing:
- Disconnecting the line from the heater. At the same time, the boiler is stopped.
- Water or other coolant is drained from the system.
- The circuit is filled with water with a temperature not higher than 45 ° C, while simultaneously releasing the air accumulated in the line through the upper point of the system.
- Connect pressurized water injection equipment.
- Increase the pressure to working marks, while inspecting the circuit for leaks.
- Raise the pressure to the test level and hold it in this state for 10-30 minutes, inspecting the circuit to detect malfunctions and checking the operation of the stopcocks and plugs.
- After a specified period of time, check the pressure on the pressure gauge. If it hasn't dropped, the system has no leaks. If the pressure has dropped, they continue to work on detecting malfunctions.
- Carry out the necessary repairs and sealing leaks.
- Repeat the procedure to check the success of the work performed.
The procedure is detailed in this video.:
Test pressure level
SNiP dictates that the pressure in the pipes during testing can be increased by no more than one and a half times of the working indicator. Moreover, its level should not exceed 0.6 MPa. Practitioners recommend increasing the pressure no more than 1.25 times and not exceeding the 0.2 MPa mark.
Important points in conclusion
If you are going to do it yourself, do some thorough preparatory work.
Before starting crimping, visually check all components of the system. If you already know about any malfunctions, make repairs.
Be extremely careful when increasing the pressure in the line. Never exceed the permissible values. Do not leave the equipment unattended during crimping and, moreover, make sure that there are no children near it.
Do not work alone, as if an unusual situation arises, you will hardly be able to cope with it without help.
Pressure testing should be carried out regularly: in apartment buildings annually, in private ownership - at least once every 4-5 years. The older your equipment is, the more carefully you should check it for leaks. Do not neglect this method, and then in the midst of the heating season you will have nothing to worry about.
Have you tested the system yourself? Write about it in the comments!