What to do if there are cold pipes in the apartment. If the batteries are cold: action plan. Video about DIY heating installation

Ecology of consumption. Home: Start searching for the cause of cold radiators by visiting your neighbors and asking them about the temperature of the radiators. If their batteries are cold, there is a problem in the general building system; if they are hot, the cause must be looked for in your apartment. Let's talk about this in more detail in our article.

Start searching for the cause of cold radiators by visiting your neighbors and asking them about the temperature of the radiators. If their batteries are cold, there is a problem in the general building system; if they are hot, the cause must be looked for in your apartment. Let's talk about this in more detail in our article.

Low coolant temperature

The reason for cold radiators may be interference from neighbors in the heating system of the house. The most common violation in this area is an increase in the number of batteries or its sections, changes in the diameter of distribution pipelines, and new connection schemes. All this leads to overcooling of the water leaving the apartment and imbalance of the heating system. The coolant can no longer heat the next apartment to the required temperature.

If the temperature of the batteries is 30–40 degrees and water movement is heard in the radiator, then perhaps the boiler room cannot cope with the load. You need to call the heat generating company and clarify the situation.

Air jams

Air locks often form in the system at the beginning of the heating season after the pipes are quickly filled with water. On modern batteries (or on risers), special valves are installed that react to the air in the system and release it outside automatically. Often, air bleed valves are located in apartments on the upper floors. If the devices are not automatic, contact your neighbors on the top floor and ask them to fix the airlock.

Bleeding air manually is very simple - just turn off the valve and wait until water flows. Often, an air lock can form in your battery. In this case, you need to bleed the air out of it.

To bleed air using the Mayevsky tap, turn the valve shut-off screw, and when water flows out, screw the screw back.

It is more difficult to restore the system's functionality if there are no air release valves. In this case, unscrew the plug on the radiator until air hisses. The plug is screwed in when water flows out of the gap.

Flushing the heating system

Processes constantly occur in pipelines and radiators that worsen the operation of equipment: the formation of scale and sludge, metal corrosion. As a result, scale and rust build up on the inner walls, and dirt appears in the pipes. A 1 mm layer of scale absorbs an amount of heat comparable to the thermal insulation of pipelines with mineral wool.

Deposits reduce the throughput of pipes, reducing the supply of hot water to heat exchangers, lead to the appearance of fistulas on pipes and reduce the service life of the heating system as a whole.

Regular flushing of pipes and radiators ensures normal operation of the heating system. Washing is done if the thickness of the scale is more than 0.5 mm. It is recommended to carry out the work before the start of the heating season.

Battery flushing

The need to clean the radiator appears if the top of the battery is warm and the bottom is cold.

The battery is removed, disassembled into sections and the dirt is washed off. Scale is removed chemically. After drying, the radiator is assembled and the joints are sealed.

Heavy batteries can be washed in place. To do this, you will need a scale solvent, such as ash salt. The plug is removed from the battery and the lower inlet is plugged. Hot water with solvent is poured inside. After 2 hours, the solution is drained and clean water is poured inside under pressure.

In emergency cases, washing the batteries in the apartment can be done as follows:

1. Shut off the flow of coolant into the battery.
2. Drain the battery.
3. Remove the radiator.
4. Move the battery to the bathroom.
5. Remove the side plugs.
6. Use a hose to rinse the inside of the battery.

If crystalline formations are present, prepare a concentrated vinegar solution (70%). Install the bottom plugs on the radiator and pour the solution inside. After 2 hours, rinse the battery with pressurized water. After washing, install the plugs using tow.

If it is not possible to descale the battery, the battery must be replaced.

Important! The cleaning method also depends on the battery material. For example, aluminum radiators cannot be washed with alkaline and acidic solutions.

Flushing risers

Flushing one radiator will bring little benefit; after a short period of time, dirt will again get into the battery. It is necessary to clean the entire system of the house or entrance. To flush pipes, you will need professional equipment that allows you to clean the system with water hammer, compressed air, or a shock wave, even during the heating season.

Cleaning the system from debris

In the heating system, deposits along with corrosion products enter the lower part of the wiring and clog it, reducing the flow of water to the heat exchangers. Garbage accumulates at tees, downpipes, and bends. To remove debris, it is necessary to dismantle these elements and remove dirt. The elevator nozzle may also become clogged if the heating system is centralized.

Reasons for low water pressure at the battery inlet

The main reasons for low coolant pressure:

1. Polypropylene pipes are soldered incorrectly.
2. Use of taps with a narrowed flow section.
3. Use of small diameter pipes.

In these cases, the coolant pressure is not enough to warm up the entire battery. System elements need to be replaced.

In this case, it is necessary to restore the heating system to design parameters.

In some cases, it is impossible to fix the problem without redoing the entire heating system. For example, if the radiators on the upper floors are hot, but the lower ones are not.

Battery installation

After repair or installation work, the batteries may heat up partially, for example, only the upper part or the first 2-3 sections. The reason is an incorrect connection of the radiator.

In most cases, the batteries are connected to the network diagonally - water enters the radiator from the top and exits from the bottom. The state of the device is considered normal when the temperature of the upper and lower parts differs little. A large difference in the heating of the upper and lower parts may indicate an incorrect connection of the hot water pipe. If water is supplied from below and exits through the upper pipe, only the first couple of sections or only its upper part will heat up on the battery.

The lack of hot water in the heat exchanger may be due to the installation by neighbors of batteries with built-in thermostats that are capable of shutting off hot water. The operation of such batteries requires the presence in the system of a bypass pipe (bypass), through which water flows when the thermostat on the radiator is activated. If there is no jumper, the coolant will not flow further than the radiator.

Heating system is not balanced

With a small amount of water in the system, not all radiators warm up equally. The problem is solved by hydraulic balancing, which will ensure the passage of different amounts of liquid through each device. The adjustment can be made if the system has bypass and balancing valves, as well as pressure flow regulators.

If the top of the radiator is hot and the bottom is cold, modular balancing is used. To do this, the network is divided into separate elements (one battery, a group of batteries, a riser, etc.) and equipped with a balancing valve. This device allows you to individually configure each module.

During repair work, remember that the water in the system is hot and under high pressure. If you are not confident in your own abilities, call a mechanic from a service organization.published

It happens that the heating system fails, and a situation arises - the boiler is working, but all the batteries, or at least part of them, are cold. Let's look at a dozen reasons for this state of affairs, how to fix the breakdowns yourself, without involving...

It's easier with automated boilers

If the boiler is automated, gas or electric, then, as a rule, the automation will not allow overheating of the coolant in the boiler itself when the supply to the batteries for some reason stops. The protections will turn off the device, show an error code, then you need to draw conclusions from this information.

A breakdown of the boiler itself can be repaired by service. It is not recommended to open complex equipment yourself.

Cold radiators, when an automated boiler is running, may occur not only due to the breakdown of complex equipment, but also because... (the most common reasons).

• Air pockets in radiators and on U-shaped elevations of the pipeline. Bleed the air using Mayevsky's taps. Install air vents; if they are not there, convert the system to “normal”.
• Clogged filter, silting of the lower section of the pipes. Check the return filter at the boiler inlet.

Wrong system

For example, in a parallel circuit, if the installation rules are violated, the middle radiators in the ring may turn out to be cold when the boiler is running. Eliminated by balancing or rewiring.

The following is also possible:

• The valves are closed - check the valves, including tuning and balancing valves, which regulated the flow along individual dead-end branches, to individual radiators.
• A sequential battery connection scheme was used, in which the last radiators in the pipe are always colder or do not heat up at all... Rework, use modern circuits.
• Various complex inclusions of radiators, “where everything is confusing.” Remodel and use conventional two-pipe heating systems - dead-end, passing, radial with the presence of balancing valves...

Pipe problems

Polypropylene pipes can create a surprise. When welding them, the internal clearances are not controlled. The installer does not guarantee anything. It is not uncommon for the boiler to heat up, but the polypropylene system is not working properly, some of the batteries are colder for some reason, some are disconnected...
First of all, start resoldering and finding the bottleneck. Or replace the pipes with more reliable ones.

• In any system, there is debris in the coolant. If there are U-shaped depressions in highways, there may be congestion.
• Perhaps just old steel pipes? Their service life is limited; from the inside they become overgrown with deposits and heating stops.

In systems without automation

There is a threat of a serious accident, destruction of the boiler if it is working and the batteries are cold. In a solid fuel heat generator, if the fuel is burning, the liquid in the heat exchanger will boil very quickly if there is no circulation and heat removal, i.e. if the heating system remains cold.

This is not an acceptable situation, which is prevented by installing an uninterruptible power supply for the circulation pump. And also by regularly checking the filter.

First of all, in such systems the operation of the circulation pump is checked, which is often located on the return line near the boiler.

Complex systems - what is the solution

Nowadays there are more and more complex heating systems. Such piping of a private house can be divided into several independent circuits, each of which has its own circulation pump. For example: - radiators of a house, heated floors in a house, an indirect heating boiler, a greenhouse, a garage and a workshop, an outbuilding, and a separate attic.

It’s not uncommon for something like this to be connected to a couple of working boilers (the backup one doesn’t count).

In order for a complex circuit to work stably, all these circuits must be connected to some kind of distributor, which would provide them with the same initial stable pressure, regardless of the operation of neighboring circuits. In complex systems (more than 4 circuits) this is done using a hydraulic arrow or a primary circulation ring of pipes.

Incompetent design or installation under such circumstances leads to the fact that some of the pipelines and batteries remain cold when the boiler is running. Those. one circuit influences the other. The solution is to create a competent scheme.

Situations in apartments

In apartments with central heating everything is simpler. The heating circuit there is not complicated - one or more radiators are connected in parallel to the risers.

• If the riser is cold, it means that the air at the top has not been vented, or the distribution along the risers has not been adjusted. In any case, you need to contact someone to bleed and adjust...
• If the riser is hot and the edge of the battery is cold, then there can be two reasons - the batteries are airy, and you need to bleed the air yourself. Or - a small pressure on the riser - you need to understand it as in the previous paragraph.
• There is also a common problem in apartments - clogging and overgrowing of old cast iron radiators. It also happens that it’s time to change them for new ones, otherwise nothing will help...

Removing cold batteries according to the above descriptions for all reasons, of course, requires certain qualifications. If you can’t do it yourself, then you need to call specialists. Particular care must be taken when handling battery plugs in apartments, since any violation of the system threatens an accident, boiling water, flooding of apartments...

The problem of cold batteries becomes of interest during severe frosts. This applies to apartments with central heating. There could be three problems here:

• Insufficient pressure in the system, as a result it is cold on the 7th – 9th floors.
• There is air in the system, resulting in the batteries being partially cold.
• Insufficient temperature of the coolant (water in the system).

Here are some tips on how to make batteries warmer so as not to freeze in the cold winter.

Cold batteries due to insufficient pressure

There are two reasons for insufficient pressure in the system: leaks and scale formation in the middle of the system.

Leaks appear during a test run of the heating system, when pressure builds up in the pipes and puddles appear in the weakest places. It is very good if these places are in accessible places, but it is much worse if they are difficult to get to or difficult to detect. When leaks are eliminated and sealing is restored, pressure will be restored and heat will appear in the batteries.

If no leaks are found, then it is scale. It must be removed at the beginning of the heating season using a special washing liquid.

Cold batteries due to air lock in radiators

The formation of air jams in professional terminology sounds like “air congestion.” So, it can become airy for several reasons:

• When filling the system after repair.
• When water is heated, gases may be released and one large bubble may form, which prevents the thermal agent from moving.
• Due to outdated radiators, where an air lock forms after a certain time (8 - 21 hours).

To remove air, you need to use a Mayevsky tap and a key; when turned 45 degrees, the accumulated air comes out and the radiator is filled with moving hot water.

The likelihood of air locks forming is high in systems with multiple elbows.

Cold batteries due to low water temperature in them

The temperature in the radiators should be such that in the apartment rooms it is from 18 C (living room) to 25 C (bathroom), this is a comfortable temperature for living. This temperature is ensured by hot water in radiators; its temperature should be from 85 to 90 C (depending on the floor). If the temperature in living rooms is lower, you need to contact the Housing Office, describe the problem in writing and wait for a written response. The problem of insufficient coolant temperature in the system cannot be solved on its own; either the heating network or the housing office needs to solve the problem; the residents’ task is to report the situation.

As soon as the heating season begins, residents of apartments who have managed to freeze in hope approach the radiators and are often horrified to discover that the riser is hot, and the radiator is cold and does not show any signs of heating. What to do in this situation? The main thing is not to panic!

Cold radiator compartments indicate that they do not contain coolant - hot water supplied to the apartment through a central system. The roots of this phenomenon are known, so home craftsmen can only follow the advice and correct the problems.

In order to most accurately identify the cause of a cold heat exchanger, it is recommended to visit your neighbors on the floor above and below and ask how things are going with them. If the situation is similar in other apartments, then most likely the culprits are faulty or closed valves in the basement, or clogged pipes and risers.

Radiators should not only decorate, but also heat the room

If there are several risers in the apartment and all the radiators do not warm up well enough, then the low temperature of the coolant should be blamed for this phenomenon. In this case, there will be similar complaints in neighboring apartments, which should be addressed to the housing department.

The situation is sadder if everything is fine in the neighboring apartments, and the batteries powered by another riser heat up without problems. In this situation, most likely, the flow of hot water is hampered by air pockets accumulating in the radiator, or blockages in the pipes or battery compartments.

How to eliminate air locks in radiators

Air lock is the most common cause of cold radiators. The appearance of air is a natural process caused by heating the water, sudden filling of the system, and a violation of the tightness. Fixing this problem is not difficult if the system is equipped with bleed valves. On modern radiators they are located at the top of the product and operate without intervention, periodically bleeding air from the batteries. If automation is not provided, then the valve is opened manually and air is released until water appears.

Modern heating devices are equipped with special valves

Older type heating appliances do not have such taps. In this case, you will have to work a little and remove the plug. Before you start unscrewing, be sure to place the basin on the floor. Under no circumstances should the lid be completely unscrewed; it should only be unscrewed slightly until a barely audible hiss appears. At this point, you need to put the key aside and wait until all the excess air comes out of the system and water begins to ooze out. After this, the plug must be carefully tightened. Just in case, you can leave the basin for a while to make sure that water does not drip.

It is not allowed to completely unscrew the plug! This may cause the apartment to flood!

Methods for flushing radiators and new methods for cleaning the internal surface

During operation, the internal surface of the heating system becomes covered with rust, salt deposits, and other impurities. All this complicates the circulation of hot water and significantly reduces the air temperature in the apartment. Regular cleaning of heating radiators removes blockages and restores normal circulation of coolant.

It is possible to clean the heat exchanger, equipped with outlet and inlet taps, even during the period when the central heating is already working, but when the riser is hot, the batteries remain cold. First of all, turn off both taps, then remove the radiator using a suitable wrench and divide it into sections. The next part of the work does not require special skills - each element is washed well under a strong stream of water. If a lot of scale has accumulated inside and the sediment cannot be easily removed, you will have to deal with it using chemicals. After drying, the entire structure is assembled to its original form, and all joints are carefully sealed.

This deposit prevents the heating system from working properly.

Heavy batteries that cannot be removed are washed on site. To do this, remove one plug, and then pour inside, preferably under pressure, hot water to which a chemical solvent has been added, for example, soda ash. The heating element is left in this state for a couple of hours, then the solution is drained and clean water is poured under pressure. It is advisable to do several rinses, and if necessary, you can repeat the chemical treatment. To enhance the effect, you can lightly tap the compartments before pouring water, this will help the plaque move away from the walls.

Ideally, flushing should be done before the start of the heating season, when utility services have not yet poured water into the system, but have already managed to blow out the risers.

For heat exchangers that are difficult to turn off and wash, there is professional equipment that allows you to precisely remove deposits in any season, including the heating season. The result is achieved through high pressure, compressed air and shock waves. Such equipment allows you to clean not only radiators, but also pipes.

A powerful device can clean the system at any time of the year.

A drastic measure is to replace the heating batteries

Unfortunately, old radiators that have been heating your home for decades can no longer be brought back to life by flushing. If, even after general internal cleaning, the batteries remain cold when the riser heats up, they will have to be mercilessly replaced with new ones. Radiators made of stainless steel or chrome-plated are ideal for the bathroom. When purchasing a painted radiator, you should take into account the quality of paint application - in conditions of high humidity it must be impeccable.

A new radiator will solve the problem of insufficient heating

Aluminum heat exchangers have low operating pressure, so they are not recommended for installation in apartments located above the 8th floor. In addition to this drawback, they have another significant drawback - the inner surface of these products is susceptible to corrosion, so you should not expect long years of service from them.

Radiators with towel hangers are produced especially for bathrooms. They not only perform their main function, but also allow you to neatly hang towels for quick drying. To decorate your bathroom, you can choose unusual radiators, which are now easy to find.

Replacing radiators is a complex and time-consuming process that is best left to professionals. Naturally, major repairs should be planned for the season when the heating in the house is turned off.

Typical errors when connecting radiators and methods for eliminating them

Sometimes after replacing the batteries, a sad picture is observed - the new radiators remain cold, despite the fact that the old elements somehow warmed up. The reason in this case may be an incorrect connection to the riser. If the upper pipe through which water is supplied and the lower pipe through which it drains are connected on one side, the circulation of the coolant may be difficult and some sections in the battery will not be able to warm up sufficiently. This problem often happens in homes where there is insufficient water pressure in the heating system.

This should be the ideal battery connection diagram

To avoid this, experts connect the input and output diagonally (top and bottom on different sides) - this option allows hot liquid to circulate freely throughout all compartments of the radiator. If the system is already connected, then there is no need to resort to drastic measures. To correct the situation, you can use a special extension cord in the form of a cone-shaped tube. It is connected to the fitting of the pipe that supplies hot water to the battery. This measure allows you to shift the entrance and significantly improve circulation.

The ideal connection for the heat exchanger is considered to be a diagonal arrangement of the inlet and outlet pipes - it copes with the task at any pressure.

Video about DIY heating installation

When doing home heating system repairs, you must remember that hot water is supplied to apartments under high pressure. For this reason, the slightest violation of technology can lead to a serious accident and unexpected expenses for repairs in neighboring apartments. If you don’t have confidence in your own skills, it’s better not to take risks and turn to professionals who will quickly find the cause of the problem and deal with it in no time.

With the beginning of the cold season, any “incident” with batteries puts us almost in a state of panic: the batteries do not heat up! What to do?!

However, the reasons for cold batteries can be very different, and the answer to the question “cold batteries: what to do?” differs depending on what is the reason that the batteries “do not heat up”.

The radiators are cold throughout the house: who is to blame and what to do?

The heating season has already begun: your friends whom you went to visit have been warm for a long time, but there are cold radiators in your house - where can you complain?

In theory, you should have an agreement with an organization that provides services to provide your apartment with heat. This agreement must indicate the conditions for the provision of this service, including the address and contact numbers at which you can express your complaints. A procedure for filing claims against the organization may also be prescribed.

It’s better not to lead to large-scale protests

It is important to remember that you will not be able to actually prove that you have already called and filed a complaint.

If you are calling by phone, ask the person you are speaking to to state their name and position. You must also be informed of the number under which your application is registered in the log book. If these questions are not answered, you have the right to complain to a higher authority.

If you decide to submit a written claim, submit it in two copies. You must take one copy to the reception organization.

Important:

• Make sure that the document you brought is registered according to the rules!
• The second copy must be stamped by the organization confirming its acceptance of your application, and you must take this second version for yourself.

They may refuse to accept your application. According to the rules, in this case you must send your application by registered mail. Please note: this must be a return receipt requested letter.

We will recommend you a not very legal, but effective method: take with you a phone with a built-in voice recorder and, if they refuse to register your complaint, ask to explain the reason for the refusal (of course, without demonstrating that you have a recording device). In 90% of cases, after you report that the conversation was recorded, your complaint will still be accepted.

According to the rules, a company representative must come to you and draw up (in your presence!) an act of non-provision or poor quality of service.

Often the appropriate specialists simply arrive, and the problem is resolved in a fairly short time. According to the law, they must draw up and provide you with a certificate of completion of work for signature. The act is also drawn up in two copies, one of which is taken with them by representatives of the organization, and the second is given to you.

The higher-level organizations to which you can file a complaint are local antimonopoly authorities, municipal or regional authorities, and the Society for the Protection of Consumer Rights. You can submit an application to several authorities at once.

Should your heating bill be recalculated if you have been deprived of this benefit for some time?

The legislation defines the maximum number of days during which the heat supply must be restored and after which the organization providing this service is responsible to the consumer.

As for heating, it must be restored no later than 16 hours later if the temperature in the apartments was not lower than +12° C, and no later than 4 hours - if below +10° C. If the deadline is exceeded, then for each hour of excess, the fee should be reduced by 0.15% of the tariff.

However, there are situations in which the reason that you are not receiving enough heat is a problem with your radiator (improper assembly, corrosion).

In these cases, you must fix the problems yourself or call a plumber.

The most common problems with heating radiators

Let's look at the most common cases:

1. They gave us heating, but the radiators were cold, and the riser was also cold. More likely, . You need to contact a plumber.
2. The battery at the bottom is cold, but at the top it is hot. In principle, any radiator on top has a higher temperature than on the bottom: hot water heats it, but at the same time cools down and comes out from below. In colder rooms (for example, in private houses, if they are not insulated or built with half a stone, or in colder parts of the house, such as, for example, a veranda), the difference between the temperature at the top and bottom of the radiator is even more noticeable. However, if the difference is too noticeable, if the battery is hot on top and cold on the bottom - and not just colder, then this means that it is not connected correctly: most likely, your supply is connected from below, and your return is connected from above.
3. The battery is half cold - most likely you have an air lock. What to do? . But for this you will need the help of a housing office plumber - at least because you will need to drain the water from the system. If you install the Mayevsky crane on the batteries in advance, you will never have this problem again.
4. The riser is hot and the battery is cold. Your battery is faulty (clogged), or the taps on the battery are closed (don’t be surprised, people often forget to check the taps on the radiator!), or, instead of the battery, a jumper is turned on, and water circulates through it without reaching the battery.
5. Cold radiator in one room. Similar to the previous point.

Cold water in the battery can also cause the battery itself to remain cold. Why are we talking about water? Because in apartment buildings they use water as a coolant, in private buildings they use water with the addition of antifreeze or electrolyte.

You need to look for the positives in everything :)

By the way, just in case, ask your neighbors how hot their batteries are. With overhead heating distribution (and this is generally accepted), the temperature of the radiators in apartments on the lower floors is often slightly lower than on the upper ones.

First, figure out why your battery or part of it is not warming up, and only then make a decision on how you will eliminate this problem. Because the problem may be “on your side”.

We hope that the article was useful and relevant to you. And let there be as few complaints and problems with heating as possible.

By the way, we will be very grateful if you press the social network buttons. Let others know what to do when the batteries do not heat up.

Warmth in your homes and families! Have a good day! Come visit us again, there is a lot of useful information here.