Each apartment building has a balcony. Many owners try to insulate and glaze it. This is a great opportunity to organize your own small office. But no matter how high-quality the balcony is insulated, it will not be comfortable to be in it in the winter. Therefore, many resort to installing batteries on the balcony. This is a great way to create a favorable indoor climate. But how to do it right? Consider in our article today.
What to look for?
First of all, when choosing the right type of radiator, you should pay attention to technical specifications. An important factor is the working pressure. What should it be? The working pressure must correspond to the limits of the differences in the heating system of the whole house. Usually in five-story houses, this figure is from 6 to 8 atmospheres. In houses on 10-14 floors, the working pressure reaches 15 atmospheres.
Another indicator is resistance to water hammer. The quality of heating and the life of the radiator as a whole will depend on this characteristic. It is impossible to avoid hydroblow in an apartment building. In addition, the choice takes into account the ease of installation and battery design.
Battery removal and law
Before performing the installation, it is necessary to take into account the fact that under the law the installation of a radiator on the balcony is prohibited. Each region has its own document for this, but the principle basis for the ban is the same everywhere. A penalty is charged for taking out the battery on the loggia. In addition, you can be forced to return the design to its original form. According to the decisions of November 15, 2005, it is not allowed to re-arrange the premises, in which radiators are transferred to the glazed balconies.
That is, if you prove that the balcony is not a summer room, you can get permission to transfer the radiator. But at the same time, it is necessary to insulate the loggia in accordance with the requirements of SNiP.
Choosing the right battery
Today there are several options:
- Cast iron radiator. It has a high service life (more than 30 years). But it heats up and cools for a long time.
- Panel steel. The term of operation is 15 years. They have high heat dissipation and low cost.
- Tubular steel. They have the same characteristics, but are available in various color options. The cost is slightly higher than the panel.
- Aluminum They have a long period of operation - about 20 years. They are characterized by light weight and high thermal conductivity. The disadvantages of the reviews include sensitivity to the pH of the filler. Therefore, in apartment buildings, many do not dare to use aluminum radiators.
- Bimetallic. This option is undemanding to the quality and composition of water, as in the previous case. Moreover, the radiator is resistant to water hammer and has good heat dissipation. This is the option that many choose for loggias.
How to perform section calculation? Masters Tips
According to the requirements specified in SNiPs, the battery must have a length of at least half the window length. Thus, we will exclude freezing of the heating system. You also need to correctly perform the calculation to determine the desired number of sections. There is a specific heat transfer standard:
- Bimetal - 1.5 square meters. m for each section in the radiator.
- Aluminum - 2 square meters. m per section.
Connection Methods
There are many ways to install a battery on a balcony. There are three connection options:
- Side. This is a popular way. So, the outlet and inlet pipes are installed on one side of the radiator. The main requirement is to observe the distance between the fittings. Otherwise, the heating battery on the balcony will not warm up normally.
- Lower. In this case, two pipes are installed at the bottom of the battery. But this method is not used often. The reason is the small heat transfer.
- Diagonal. From the point of view of physics, this method is the most rational, since in this case the heat loss is minimal. It is this removal of the battery to the balcony that experts recommend. An input pipe is mounted on one side of the radiator (on top), and an output pipe is installed on the other. The latter is already installed at the bottom.
Pipe selection
Before you bring the battery to the balcony, you need to decide on the choice of pipes. The most popular option is reinforced polypropylene. Among the advantages it is worth noting:
- Ease of installation. Such pipes are easily bent by hand.
- Strength. The design is not deformed during operation.
- No need for welding. So, flux is applied to the joints and then soldering is performed.
- High heat dissipation.
Some also use copper pipes. But it is more difficult to install and expensive. As for conventional polypropylene, such should not be chosen. They quickly deform and lose their appearance.
Cooking Tools
To transfer the battery to the balcony, we need to prepare:
- Hammer drill.
- The grinder.
- Metal plates.
- File.
- Foam
- Cement mortar (prepared by mixing three parts of sand and one share of cement).
What next?
After that, the mounting system is mounted on the wall. For this, experts recommend using a steel plate 2 millimeters thick. The width of the plate is 30 millimeters, the length is 300. Using a puncher, make holes in the wall, up to 5 centimeters deep. Further, the plot is cleaned. Steel plates are mounted on this place. Then everyone is covered with cement mortar. Further along the contours of the battery with the help of a grinder in the wall, a small depression is made. This is where the radiator will be installed. It is advisable to smooth out all sharp corners in the wall with a file.
Then in the main pipe there are two places where the output and input for the additional radiator will be connected, which is installed on the balcony. Opposite these sections, through-hole gating of the supporting wall is made using a punch. Since the load-bearing wall is thick, a drill of the required length is selected for through drilling. After installing the pipes on the additional battery, the holes are filled with foam. You can use any other filler that is resistant to temperature extremes.
Basic radiator installation work
To perform the operation of removing the battery to the balcony, you need to prepare:
- Sealant.
- The grinder.
- Pipes with fittings.
- Dice with tape measure and vise.
So, first we connect to the main heating pipe. According to the size of the holes drilled, the main pipe is cut with a grinder. Further, at the places of the cut, threading is done. Then screw the fittings. It is important not to forget about waterproofing. This can be done using fum tape or tow.
Then, into the prepared holes in the wall, the pipe is led to the installed fittings. The length of the pipes should be such that they go from the side of the loggia outward by 8-9 centimeters. Fittings are screwed at their ends. Then, the battery is set as accurately as possible. Pipes are removed from it. The length of the latter should be from 20 to 30 centimeters. There should also be threaded connections at the ends. Then both ends of the pipes are screwed onto the finished fittings.
How to connect
There are several schemes for connecting the battery on the balcony:
- Battery with a tap, but without a jumper. In this case, it will be impossible to dismantle the radiator for the season.
- Battery without a tap, but with a jumper. Thanks to the latter, you can shut off the radiator at any time of the year.
- Battery with jumper and with tap installed. Thanks to the faucet, heat will pass without loss through the radiator installed on the balcony.
After the radiator has been carried out to the balcony, it is necessary to once again check the quality of the joints and the tightness of the holes in the wall. All holes must be repaired as efficiently as possible so that there is no heat loss. As a result, we get a few square meters of additional space that can be converted into a study or a compact bedroom.
Installation Rules
The battery installed on the balcony must meet certain requirements. So, during installation, such conditions and distances are taken into account:
- From the windowsill to the top of the radiator - at least 10 centimeters.
- From the floor to the bottom of the battery, 12 centimeters or more.
- From the wall - 2 centimeters.
- The windowsill should not overlap the radiator.
- The permissible slope of the supply pipe is from 5 to 10 millimeters per meter.
In this case, the radiator must be strictly in the vertical and horizontal plane. This characteristic must be checked with a building level. It is important to avoid severe pipe bends during installation. Otherwise, this will result in an air lock. This will definitely reduce the efficiency of the heating system. Experts also recommend installing a jumper with a faucet to control the heat supply and the overall temperature in the room.
Solar panels on the balcony
Recently, many owners began to practice the installation of solar panels. If the balcony faces the east, you can get electricity almost for free. All you need is a solar panel on the balcony. Permission to install it is not necessary. As a rule, use 65-watt batteries on the balcony. They accumulate six amperes per hour. Energy is stored in the battery, from which you can further charge your laptop or phone.
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But you need to understand that this battery does not tolerate low temperatures, and therefore the balcony must be glazed. It is also possible to switch all consumers to power from a conventional network (this is done in case of bad weather). The panels are mounted on a special frame from a corner with a shelf width of 5 centimeters. This frame is securely attached to the plates or walls of the building. By the way, the system has the greatest efficiency if the beam falls at a right angle. In winter, the angle of the rays deviates by 12 degrees, so the structure must be rotated by this angle.