Multi -apartment building heating system

Any multi-apartment building must have heating in order to guarantee the comfort and welfare of its residents. In addition to providing warmth during the winter, a well-designed heating system also lowers costs and maximizes energy efficiency. We’ll examine the numerous parts and factors that go into a multi-apartment building’s heating system in this post, explaining how these systems function and the value of appropriate insulation.

The design of a multi-apartment building’s heating system is crucial to its efficacy and efficiency. In contrast to single-family homes, which might get by with individual heating solutions, multi-apartment buildings need a centralized approach. These kinds of buildings usually use a central boiler system that sends heat via a system of pipes to every apartment. Better control, maintenance, and energy management are made possible by this centralization, which is advantageous to the building’s management as well as the residents.

Finding a balance between individual comfort preferences and overall energy efficiency is one of the main challenges in managing heating in multi-apartment buildings. The amount of insulation, exposure to outside elements, and occupancy can all affect an apartment’s heating requirements. Because of this, zoning features are frequently included in contemporary heating systems, which maximize energy efficiency throughout the building while enabling individual temperature control in each unit.

In multi-unit buildings, effective insulation is equally important to reduce heat loss and preserve a cozy interior climate. Proper insulation keeps heat from escaping through windows, roofs, and walls, which not only lowers energy consumption but also improves the efficiency of the heating system. Furthermore, effective insulation contributes to the control of indoor temperature swings, which benefits occupant comfort and may result in lower utility costs.

The choice of heating system for multi-apartment buildings has a big influence on the environmental impact as sustainability gains importance. These days, a lot of buildings choose for environmentally friendly heating options like heat pumps, which generate heat using air heat or geothermal energy. These systems provide energy independence and long-term cost savings in addition to lowering carbon emissions.

In summary, a multi-apartment building’s heating system is essential to guaranteeing occupant comfort, energy economy, and environmental sustainability. Building owners and managers can create spaces that are not only warm and inviting but also environmentally conscious and cost-effective in the long run by embracing eco-friendly technologies, centralized heating solutions, and effective insulation measures.

Varieties of connecting radiators

There are numerous types of primary methods for connecting heating system devices:

• Side (standard) connection;
• Diagonal connection;
• Lower (saddle) connection.

Side connection

The radiator’s side connection.

Connector from the end; the radiator’s feed and return are on the same side. This is the most popular and efficient connection method; it lets you fully utilize the radiator’s heat transfer and remove the most heat possible. Usually, the feed appears first, followed by the return. Pipelines can be hidden as much as possible by connecting from the bottom with a special headset; however, this lowers the radiator’s heat transfer by 20–30%.

Diagonal connection

Radiator’s connection on its diagonal.

Radiator with a diagonal connection: the return is on the bottom side and the feed is on the side facing upwards. This kind of connection is utilized when a sectional radiator’s length surpasses 12 sections and its panel measures 1200 mm. The radiator surface in the farthest-reaching section of the installation experiences uneven heating when long radiators with side connections are installed. The diagonal connection is used to ensure that the radiator warms up uniformly.

Lower connection

Lower connection coming from the radiator ends

Feed and return are at the bottom of the radiator; connect from the device’s bottom. The majority of covert pipeline installations use this connection. The supply pipeline is appropriate to be installed on one side of the radiator and the reverse on the other side of the lower pipe when installing a sectional heating device and connecting it using the lower method. Nevertheless, this scheme results in a 15-20% reduction in the heat transfer efficiency of radiators.

Lower radiator connection.

All of the radiator’s pipes are located at the lower end when a steel panel radiator is connected to the lower connection. The radiator’s construction ensures that the feed enters the collector at the upper section first, followed by the assembly of the return in the lower collector, maintaining the radiator’s heat transfer.

Lower connection in a heating system with one pipe.

The inexorable rise in housing and community service costs prompts apartment building occupants to naturally want to install individual heating systems. Modern building offers zoned poetry during the design phase and then provides heat for apartments.

The original heating system wiring in the apartment’s floor concealed a distribution pipeline system while maintaining the room’s aesthetic appeal. The potential for developing a unique project for the heat supply scheme, the installation of different heating devices, is determined by the independence of the technological pipe installation schemes at individual facilities.

Radiators and batteries for heating an apartment or house

If installing individual heating is chosen, there are two options for operating without a gas supply: installing a heating system using an electric boiler and liquid coolant, or turning on the electric convectors. Only small rooms in an apartment with convector heating work well locally. In an apartment with two or more rooms, installing a gas or electric boiler would be the best course of action. In a private residence, solid fuel equipment is preferred.

Gas heating is the most cost-effective option overall. To put this method into practice, it is advised to buy a double-circuit boiler for the home, whose connection scheme is the same as that of a boiler with a single contour, so that warm, hot water can be provided to a home or apartment right away.Gas-fired heating system

Electric boilers rank second in terms of energy efficiency; their power is roughly equivalent to that of gas equipment. Although they are less expensive than gas boilers, electric units are also made with one or two contours. There is a catch, though, as their subsequent operations reveal that energy carriers must pay more.

Electrode boilers are listed separately. Their dimensions enable the unit to be installed within an apartment; their cost is comparable to that of gas equipment; however, their economy surpasses that of electric boilers. They lack a second circuit, which makes it impossible to set up a hot water system, which is the lone but serious disadvantage.

2 main pros and cons of

One benefit of central heating, for instance, is that occupants of tall buildings do not need to maintain and keep an eye on the state of the boiler room’s equipment. Furthermore, the tariff system in this instance is established by formulas created at the legislative level, and generally, the cost of heat is somewhat lower than in homes with alternative wiring schemes.

However, it is not without clear drawbacks. For example, people living in houses built from central boiler houses and stakers are unable to withstand the start and end of the heating season on their own and frequently have to freeze in the off-season or, conversely, sleep with their windows open. Furthermore, the first homes with centralized boilers have more heat because they are actually receiving it, but in the most isolated typical high-rise buildings, the temperature can drop to dangerous levels. The only way to address this problem is to switch to autonomous heating, which is a more complicated process.

There are advantages and disadvantages to autonomous heating, which involves heating the whole house from a single boiler room. Under these circumstances, everyone living in the house is free to contribute to the collective decision-making regarding the start or end of the heating season. Of course, this is preferable to having no control over the heat supply schedule, as is the case in homes with centralized heating, but owners of apartments with individual feeds have even more freedom to independently adjust this process without the assistance of OSMD or other neighbors.

Higher tariffs set by developers and additional costs for boiler room equipment replacement, maintenance, and repair—all of which fall under the purview of investors—are the drawbacks of such a scheme. Among other reasons, the boiler room’s roof location is not a great idea for upper-story apartment owners, as even the best sound insulation cannot completely shield residents from the noise produced by compressor and generator installations.

On the other hand, this medal has a flip side as well. In the event that the boiler or the supply of gas and electricity are cut off for any reason, the owners will be left without hot water or other convenient amenities that the autonomous heating system’s equipment provides. They will also need to find competent masters and fix any malfunctions on their own dime. The primary drawback of this device’s principle is the high explosion risk associated with gas boilers, along with all the hazards and possible outcomes that follow.

Wiring schemes of modern horizontal heating systems

Horizontal heating systems are becoming more and more common in contemporary apartment buildings and single-family homes with multiple stories. Such a scheme requires one or more vertical two-pipe risers, with branches/inputs on each floor in separate rooms/apartments, at each entrance (in the case of an apartment building). The "horizontal" method is used to lay pipelines further.

When installing these kinds of systems, builders almost always run into the issue of how hard it is to heat the pipes that lead to the radiators. The inhabitants were not hampered by the vertical system pipelines that ran the length of the walls. Horizontal pipes that are left exposed along the walls make it difficult to run the business normally and don’t blend in well with the interior design. As a result, several horizontal hidden gasket techniques are employed.

A branched dead end diagram of wiring with pipes in the screed

Pipeline wiring that includes a complex dead end design.

Mutual pipeline crossing levels the circuit’s minimum pipes and hydraulic resistances, increasing the screed’s thickness (each centimeter costs from 40 rubles/m2).

Perimetric wiring of the heating system

Diagram at a dead end with pipelines hidden beneath skirting or in screed.

Pipe wiring diagram for a system with two dead ends.

The requirement to drill holes in the walls equalizes the absence of pipe crossings in the diagram (five holes must be drilled in the provided scheme).

Pipeline wiring using a scheme that incorporates a flowing water movement (schematikhelman).

The Tichelman scheme is used for pipeline wiring.

In this case, the longest "return" length is found in the last radiator, while the shortest "feed" length is found in the first radiator of the heating circuit. You can balance any number of radiators in the branch because the coolant encounters constant hydraulic resistance while the instrument devices are flowing.

Collector-ray wiring of the heating system

A collector-ray system’s pipe wiring scheme.

This scheme is getting more and more popular all the time. Here, pipes are installed in pairs ("feed" and "return") in the screed of the floor, approaching each radiator from collectors ("sub-" and "reverse," respectively). The scheme’s installation simplicity (no pipe or wall hole intersection) is its main advantage. The drawback is higher expenses as a result of the collectors’ enforcement and the high pipe consumption.

The radial scheme also benefits from the use of pipes with small diameters. The perimetric wiring scheme will require the use of pipes with diameters of 25 and 32 mm in apartments (private house floors). As a result, the screed’s thickness and the radiator-connection tees’ diameter will both rise. Such an element’s price is equivalent to that of the pipe.

The last advantage is obtained by decreasing the diameter of the pipes through the use of radiation wiring, which lengthens the pipes.

Features of the hot water and calculation of the volume of hot water

The following technical and operational variables affect how much hot water the system will hold:

1. Calculated temperature of hot water;
2. The number of residents in an apartment building;
3. Parameters that withstand plumbing devices, and the frequency of their work in the general water supply scheme;
4. the number of plumbing devices that are connected to the hot water.

1. A family of four uses a bathroom of 140 liters. The bath is filled in 10 minutes, the bathroom has a shower with water consumption 30 liters.
2. Within 10 minutes, the water heating device should heat it to the calculated temperature in the amount of 170 liters.

These theoretical computations are based on average resident water consumption indicators.

Providing the heat of apartment buildings: a centralized heating system

As you are aware, a sizable portion of the housing stock has central heating and cooling. Furthermore, central heating is still preferred by apartment building developers, if not by apartment building owners themselves, even in spite of the appearance and introduction of more contemporary heat supply schemes in recent years. It should be mentioned, though, that extensive experience both domestically and abroad with this type of heating option has demonstrated its efficacy and right to continue existing as long as all components are performed with high quality and without incident.

One characteristic that sets this scheme apart is the generation of heat outside the buildings that are being heated, with pipelines being used to transport the heat from the source. Stated differently, centralized heating refers to a sophisticated engineering system that is dispersed over a sizable area and serves to simultaneously heat numerous objects.

How to make an effective heating system in the apartment with your own hands

No matter how technological houses may be in the winter to maintain a comfortable temperature in the home, a person must artificially compensate for the inevitable heat loss. It is for this that heating is necessary in the apartment. In most countries of the post -Soviet space, things are still not very good with the energy efficiency of the housing stock, where, among other things, strongly worn out systems are operated. Making the “European Republics” in the old buildings, the owners necessarily face the problem of complete replacement or modernization of heating, almost always it has to be redone for apartments in new buildings. All heating measures are expensive, energy -intensive, complex technically. Therefore, the customer of work, who will replace the heating system in the apartment, should understand the main points.

In older homes, it is advisable to replace the risers. It is preferable to reach a consensus with your neighbors and complete the overlap.

Two -pipe horizontal heating system

The two-pipe horizontal heating system’s arrangement

None of the aforementioned drawbacks apply to a horizontal heating system with lower wiring. Another radiator-to-pipeline connection diagram makes this possible. Every device has a parallel connection. The trigeminal node receives the hot coolant, which promptly cools and enters the return pipe.

As a result, you can modify the coolant’s volume and speed for every radiator. Additionally, the improved scheme has the following advantages over a single-pipe horizontal heating system with a lower wiring:

• The installation of additional heating devices will not affect the system. The main thing is that the power of the boiler allows you to heat the increased volume of the coolant;
• Repair and preventive work can be carried out without turning off heating. To do this, it is enough to block the coolant on the desired area of the network using locking reinforcement;
• If, together with a horizontal two -pipe heating system with a wiring from below, install distribution manifolds, you can increase the efficiency, thereby minimizing energy costs.

One drawback of using horizontal wiring for two-pipe heating is the increased risk of air plugs. The Maevsky crane is mounted on every radiator to prevent this. A calculation is done for a horizontal two-pipe heating system with a large branched network. It should include any changes in water temperature as well as the extent of pressure drop in each area. Without the necessary skills, it is difficult to complete this work on your own. Therefore, it is best to use a professional online calculator or seek the assistance of specialists.

It is advised to install a pressure gauge and air vent after the furthest remote radiator. This set of controls will prevent abrupt pressure changes in the system and enable visual parameter control.

Types of heating systems of apartment buildings

Apartment building heating is classified into three categories based on pipeline wiring circuits, coolant properties, and building structure:

By the location of the heat source

• The heating system in which the gas boiler is installed in the kitchen or separate room. Some inconvenience and investments in equipment are more than compensated by the ability to include and regulate heating at their discretion, as well as low operating costs due to the lack of losses in the heating mains. In the presence of its own boiler, there are practically no restrictions on the reconstruction of the system. If, for example, the owners wish to replace the batteries with warm water floors, there are no technical obstacles to this.
• Individual heating, in which its own boiler room serves one house or residential complex. Such decisions are found both in the old housing stock (stoker) and in the new elite housing, where the residents" community decides to start when starting the heating season.
• Central heating in an apartment building is most common in typical housing.

Heat transfer from the CHP is accomplished through the local heat station, which is the apartment building’s central heating device.

According to the characteristics of the coolant

• Water heating, water is used as a coolant. In modern housing with apartment or individual heating, economical low -temperature (low -potential) systems are found, where the temperature of the coolant does not exceed 65 ºС. But in most cases, in all typical houses, the coolant has a calculated temperature within 85-105 ºС.
• The steam heating of the apartment in an apartment building (water vapor circulates in the system) has a number of significant drawbacks, it has not been used in new houses for a long time, the old housing stock is everywhere transferred to water systems.

According to the wiring scheme

The primary heating systems in residential buildings are:

• One -pipe – both the supply and the reverse selection of the coolant to heating devices are carried out along one highway. Such a system is found in Stalinks and Khrushchevs. It has a serious drawback: the radiators are located sequentially and due to cooling the coolant in them, the heating temperature of the batteries drops as they remove them from the heating center. In order to maintain heat transfer, the number of sections increases in the course of the movement of the coolant. In a clean one -pipe scheme, it is impossible to install regulation devices. It is not recommended to change the configuration of pipes, install radiators of a different type and dimensions, otherwise the operation of the system can be seriously disturbed.
• "Leningradka" is an improved version of a single -pipe system, which, thanks to the connection of thermal devices through the bypass, reduces their mutual influence. You can install regulatory (non -automatic) devices on radiators, replace the radiator with a different type, but similar capacity and power.

The typical one-pipe system on the left is one that we do not advise changing. "Leningradka" is to the right, where manual regulatory valve installation and radiator replacement are feasible.

In Brezhnevki, the two-pipe heating system for apartment buildings has become popular and is still in use today. Its supply and reverse highways are divided, so all apartment entrance coolant and radiator temperature are nearly constant. Replacing radiators with different types and even volumes doesn’t significantly affect other devices’ functionality. You can install regulation devices, such as automatic ones, on batteries.

On the left is a better single-pipe scheme (the Leningradka analogue); on the right is a two-pipe option. The latter offers more precise regulation, more comfortable surroundings, and more options for radiator replacement.

These days, non-spine housing uses the radiation scheme. Devices connected in parallel have minimal mutual influence. Typically, wiring takes place on the floor, freeing the walls from the pipes. There is a precise dosage of heat by room when regulation devices, including automated ones, are installed. It is technically feasible to replace an apartment building’s heating system entirely or in part, with a radial scheme inside each apartment that significantly alters the configuration of the unit.

The apartment has a radial scheme with feed and reverse highways, and separate contours carry the wiring through the collector in parallel. Radiators are usually neatly and barely noticeable connected from below, and pipes are typically installed in the floor.

Distribution devices

When an elevator node is fully strapped, it can be thought of as a discharge circulation pump that feeds coolant into the heating system at a specific pressure.

The best course of action in a facility with multiple floors and consumers is to distribute the general coolant flow to every consumer.

A comb, also known as a collector, is designed for a heating system in order to address such issues. One way to conceptualize this device is as a container. The coolant enters the container from the elevator’s exit and continues to flow through multiple outputs at the same pressure.

As a result, the heating system’s switchgear comb permits the facility’s individual users to be disconnected, adjusted, or repaired without interrupting the heating circuit’s operation. The heating system’s branches no longer affect one another when a collector is present. In this instance, the pressure at the elevator’s output and the pressure in the heating batteries match.

Component	Description
Boiler	A central heating unit that heats water or air to distribute heat throughout the building.
Radiators	Devices installed in each apartment that release heat into the rooms.
Pipes	Network of pipes that transport hot water or steam from the boiler to the radiators.
Thermostat	A device used to regulate the temperature in each apartment by controlling the boiler.

For the purpose of comfort and economy, multi-unit buildings must have efficient heating. There are several ways to satisfy residents’ needs while reducing energy use and costs, ranging from centralized systems to individual unit configurations.

District heating is one example of a centralized heating system that provides economies of scale and convenience. They frequently use boilers or heat pumps to distribute heat from a central source to several units. Even though these systems have the potential to be effective, proper management and upkeep are necessary to stop heat loss and guarantee that it is distributed evenly throughout the building.

On the other hand, residents have greater control over their preferred heating method with individual heating systems. Each unit has its own independent systems, such as gas furnaces or electric heaters. Although they provide autonomy, they might cause differences in residents’ energy costs and usage.

Enhancing insulation is imperative, irrespective of the type of heating system in use. In addition to reducing heat loss and energy costs, proper insulation also improves overall comfort. An environment that is more sustainable and efficient can be achieved by taking steps like installing double-glazed windows, insulating walls and roofs, and caulking gaps and cracks.

In summary, maximizing the heating system in multi-unit buildings necessitates striking a balance between personal comfort and centralized efficiency. Improvements in insulation and the use of energy-efficient technologies can provide all occupants with affordable housing that is also warm and environmentally sustainable.

We’ll go through the essential elements of effectively heating these complexes in our article on heating systems for multi-apartment buildings. We’ll explore a range of heating techniques, including individual unit heaters, centralized heating systems, and hybrid systems. It is essential to comprehend how to balance tenant comfort with energy efficiency. In order to minimize heat loss and lower energy costs, we’ll talk about insulation strategies, such as wall and attic insulation. We’ll also talk about how crucial routine maintenance is to keeping the system functioning at its best. By the time it’s all through, readers will have a better understanding of how to maximize comfort and cut expenses when it comes to heating multi-unit buildings.

Video on the topic

Heating of an apartment building