How to install a heat meter

Our country adopted the Law “On Energy Saving”. According to the document, all homeowners are required to install heat metering devices. Controlling the consumption of water, gas and electricity has long become commonplace. Many believed that heat could not be calculated in any way, so heat meters became a real novelty. How to install heating meters in an apartment is described in this article.

Benefits of installation

What do users think about apartment heating meters? Reviews indicate that the benefits from installing metering devices are tangible.

The homeowner must pay only for the heat received, without covering the costs of losses during its transportation. For maximum savings, you need to remove all sources that contribute to heat loss in the house: install window frames, characterized by tightness, insulate the room and carry out other measures. There are two options for installing the unit.

Installation of a common house meter

Many people are interested in how to install heating meters in an apartment.

It should be noted that people living in Russia can solve the problem of metering heat consumption by installing not an individual, but a common house meter. This, it should be noted, is the most cheap option. After all, the cost of the metering device is high, but it will be distributed among residents. The resulting amount will be quite acceptable.

The collector takes readings from the device once a month. The owner of each apartment must pay in accordance with the square footage of the living space. In this case, a clear condition is observed: if the heat supplier does not provide the consumer with the proper temperature in the room, then he undertakes to return the money contributed by the tenant.

Where does the installation of a common house meter begin?

The first stage of the event is a meeting of residents of the entire building. It discusses the key issues of the upcoming installation. It is also determined who will act as a collector, taking depositions and issuing payment receipts.

The decision of the meeting must be recorded in minutes, after which you can contact the company with a written statement of consent to install the device.

The main priority of a common home unit is its low cost. However, the economic side of using it may not satisfy users. There are many reasons. For example, insufficiently insulated apartments and entrances can lead to increased heat consumption.

Is there a way out? Is it installed in an apartment?

Residents often resort to installing individual counting devices. These are much more expensive for an apartment, but their level of efficiency is higher.

Technical restrictions on installing an individual meter

Before installing heating meters in an apartment, you should familiarize yourself with a number of technical restrictions. A heat meter for individual use is installed on a drain that leads directly to the apartment. In old-style multi-apartment buildings, as a rule, heating pipes were laid out with a vertical modification. This means that there may be more than one riser in an apartment. Each of them will have to install a meter, which will cost the owner quite a lot.

The solution to this problem is to install specially designed meters on heating devices. But the installation of such a device is not yet practiced in our country, although a similar method has become widespread in European countries.

Manufacturers of metering units offer a solution to this situation. In order to avoid installing several meters, they resort to installing distributors that measure coolant flow based on the difference in temperature on the surface of the radiator and the air in the room.

Another way out of the situation is to install a common home device, which was described above.

In buildings in which the wiring is horizontal, the installation of meters to control heat consumption is not limited in any way. Compact devices are mounted on a pipe that supplies heat to the room. In some cases, installation is carried out on a pipeline.

Heat meters operate with flow meters of various modifications. Depending on the conditions of use, one of four options can be used. Let's look at each one separately.

Mechanical type

This is a meter with a unified design. It can be screw, turbine or vane. The basis of the unit’s operation is the transformation of the translational movement of the coolant into the movement of the element for measurement.

This is the most affordable device in terms of cost. It cannot be used if the coolant is water with increased hardness, or if it contains rust particles, scale or scale. They can clog the mechanical parts of the device. Therefore, before installing the units, special filter systems are installed. In addition, the mechanical configuration does not tolerate sudden fluctuations in flow.

Electromagnetic devices

Electromagnetic devices basically contain the factor of current manifestation when a liquid passes through a magnetic field. The devices are characterized by fairly high metrological stability. They came into widespread use. Inaccuracies in readings may be due to the presence of impurities in the water and poor quality of wire connections during installation.

Vortex devices

The equipment evaluates vortices that appear behind an obstacle located in the path of the coolant. The structure can be mounted on pipelines with both vertical and horizontal modifications. The devices are sensitive to the presence of air in the pipe, the level of welding quality and impurities contained in the water.

Deposits on the pipes do not adversely affect the operation of the device. The devices are demanding on the size of straight sections in the pipeline before and after the flow meter.

Units operating on ultrasound

They can measure the time it takes for fluid to travel through a pipeline from a source to receiving a signal. The devices are Doppler, frequency, time and correlation.

In any case, the operation of the device is impeccable. Measurements by the device are carried out in clean water without the presence of impurities or scale. Incorrect readings may occur if there are bubbles or scale in the coolant. This device is reliable and durable.

What should be included with the meter?

Like any measuring device, the meter must have the appropriate certificate and passport. The documents indicate the initial testing of the unit, which was carried out at the plant. These indicators must be marked on the device body. They look like a brand or sticker. The timing of control testing depends on the device model. The average event is held once every four years.

Who carries out preventive inspection of the device?

The current test of the device is carried out after the test interval has expired.

For this purpose, the homeowner must contact a number of authorities:

  • local branch of Rostest;
  • a private organization that holds these powers;
  • service center of the manufacturing plant.

Important information

In a process such as installing heating meters in an apartment, you should choose a company that will provide installation at a professional level. Many companies guarantee further Maintenance devices. Specialists will be responsible for scheduled inspections.

Procedure for installing and connecting the device

How to install heating meters in an apartment according to all the rules? The owner himself does not have the right to install. The installation is carried out by special organizations that have permitting accreditation to carry out this type of service. Company employees are gradually carrying out the following activities:

  • connection project is being carried out;
  • the document is approved by the company that will install the units;
  • heating meters are being installed in the apartment;
  • after completion of work, the devices are sealed;
  • the equipment is being registered;
  • devices are put into operation and then transferred to the supervision of a supervisory organization.

How to choose a meter installation company?

When choosing a company that will install the device, you should pay attention to a number of important points:

  • availability of a free engineer visit to the site, during which communications will be inspected;
  • implementation of all stages of installation work;
  • availability of special equipment and qualified workers in the company;
  • availability of company approvals and certificates;
  • information about the company in the Unified State Register of Legal Entities;
  • guarantee for the work performed;
  • provision of preferential services to a certain category of citizens;
  • possibility of installment payment and terms of its repayment;
  • provision of service.

Meter installation cost

So how much do heating meters cost for an apartment? The price of the measuring device itself, together with the valve for regulation, filter and shut-off valves, is approximately 10,000 rubles and more, depending on the model.

However, installation costs must be added to this amount. Therefore, you will have to pay not only heating meters for the apartment. The installation price will increase significantly and will be about 20,000 rubles.

What to do with the readings?

Readings from this unit are taken in the same way as from an electric meter. Next, fill out a receipt indicating the difference in readings multiplied by the current tariff.

Payment for heating according to the meter is paid at Sberbank branches. The company providing heat supply is indicated as the recipient.

Conclusion

The heat will be a good assistant to the owner of an apartment or house. The main thing is to determine which device to install, a common one or an individual one, and entrust the job to professional workers.

There are very different reviews about heating meters for apartments. Many residents believe that the presence of individual fixtures helps save their monthly heating bills by 30-40%.

The law “On Energy Saving” has been adopted in Russia. The document obliges all owners to install metering devices in their homes. Monitoring the consumption of water, gas and electricity has long become a habit for most apartment owners. Many people mistakenly considered heat to be a factor that could not be taken into account, so heating meters became a real novelty for them. How to properly install a device that has become mandatory for everyone? Let's figure it out.

Options for installing metering devices

The benefits of installing metering devices are obvious. The homeowner will pay only for the heat received, without forking out for losses during its transportation. To maximize savings, you should remove all sources of possible heat loss in the house: install sealed window frames, insulate the room, etc. There can be two options for installing the meter.

Method #1 - communal meter

Residents of high-rise buildings can solve the problem of heat metering by installing a common building meter. These, by the way, are the most inexpensive option. After all, the price heat meter, which is not cheap, and its installation will be “scattered” among the owners of several apartments. The resulting amount will be quite acceptable. The readings of such a device are taken once a month. Payments are distributed to each apartment according to its area. Moreover, if the service provider does not fulfill its part of the contract in good faith and does not provide the agreed temperature in the house, it will be obliged to return the money paid to the residents.

You should start by holding a building-wide meeting of apartment owners. It is necessary to discuss all the nuances of the upcoming installation and determine who will take meter readings and issue receipts for payment. The decision of the meeting must be recorded in the minutes, after which you can contact management company with a written application for connecting the device.

The most inexpensive heat metering method is a common house meter. However, for a number of reasons, an economic effect may not be expected from it.

Method #2 - individual measuring instruments

The main advantage of a common house device is its low cost. However, the economic effect of its use may be much lower than expected. And there are many reasons for this. For example, insufficiently insulated entrances or neighbors’ apartments, as a result of which heat loss is prohibitively large. Therefore, many people choose individual heating meters, which are installed directly in the apartment. This is a more expensive but very effective option.

Distributors are installed on each radiator in the apartment. Over the course of a month, they record the temperature of the batteries, tracking the slightest changes. Based on this information, the heat payment is calculated

Before planning to install a custom metering device, you should become familiar with some technical limitations. The thermal flow meter is mounted on the riser leading to the apartment. In old multi-apartment buildings, vertical distribution of heating pipes was most often carried out. This means that the apartment may have several risers, on each of which it is necessary to install a device, which is extremely unprofitable. A solution to the problem could be the installation of special meters on heating radiators, but such equipment is not used in our country, although this is common practice in European countries.

Manufacturers of metering devices propose installing so-called distributors in houses with vertical wiring, which measure coolant flow based on the temperature difference on the surface of the battery and in the air in the room. Another solution to the problem is a common house metering device. In buildings with horizontal wiring, installing any heating meters in an apartment is not complicated at all. Compact models of devices are mounted on a pipe supplying coolant to the room or, in some cases, on the return pipeline.

Classification of devices

Heat meters work with flow meters different types. Depending on the operating conditions, you can choose from four options.

Mechanical devices

They are among the simplest counters. They can be screw, turbine or vane. The operating principle of the device is based on converting the translational movement of the coolant into the movement of the measuring element. The most affordable equipment. Cannot be used if hard water is selected as the coolant or if it contains particles of rust, scale or scale. They clog the mechanical parts of the device, so it is recommended to install special filters in front of it. In addition, mechanical devices do not tolerate well sharp fluctuations consumption

Mechanical heat meters are considered the simplest measuring instruments. However, they are very sensitive to the quality of the coolant, they become clogged and fail quite quickly.

Electromagnetic equipment

Electromagnetic meters for heating in apartments use the appearance factor in their work. electric current when a liquid passes through a magnetic field. The devices have fairly high metrological stability and are successfully operated. The inaccuracy of devices increases with the appearance of impurities in the water and poor quality of wire connections during installation.

Vortex counters

The equipment evaluates vortices formed behind an obstacle located in the path of the coolant. Can be installed on both vertical and horizontal pipelines. The devices are sensitive to the presence of air in the system, quality welding work and impurities in water. For their operation, it is necessary to install a magnetic mesh filter. Deposits in the pipes do not interfere with their operation. The devices are demanding in terms of the size of straight sections of the pipeline in front of and behind the flow meter.

Ultrasonic devices

The time it takes the liquid to travel from the source to the signal receiver is measured. Devices are divided into Doppler, frequency, time and correlation. In any case, the equipment works flawlessly, taking measurements in a homogeneous, clean liquid without sediment or scale. Distortions in readings occur when air bubbles, scale or scale appear in the coolant. The most durable and reliable option.

Like any measuring device, the meter must have a certificate and passport. The documents must indicate information about the initial verification carried out by the manufacturer. The same information must be applied to the meter body in the form of a special mark or sticker. During operation, devices must also be subject to regular verification. The timing of this depends on the model of the device. On average, the event is held once every four years.

Compact ultrasonic models designed for installation in apartments are characterized by high accuracy, reliability and long service life

The procedure for installing and connecting meters

Installation of the meter and its connection can only be carried out by an organization that has a package of permits for such services. Its specialists carry out the following work step by step:

  • carry out the connection project;
  • coordinate the document with the organization providing heat supply;
  • install a metering device;
  • register equipment;
  • put the device into operation and transfer it to the supervision of the supervisory organization.

Metering devices are a good assistant to the homeowner, helping to use funds wisely. Anyone who does not want to pay for losses during heat transportation and cold radiators needs to install a heating meter. Moreover, it is not that difficult. The main thing is to decide for yourself whether to connect an individual or a common house device and delegate all other chores to professionals.

With the arrival of cold weather, apartment buildings, turns on central heating and on the one hand, this seems to be a benefit of civilization, but on the other, when we see the bill for the provided utilities, we feel deceived. There are several standard situations when the heating bill becomes unreasonably high:

  • In some apartments, in winter, due to any technical malfunctions or at the whim of unscrupulous housing authorities (who, with the help shut-off valves reduce the flow of coolant through the system, thereby reducing the temperature released by the heating radiator into the apartment) residents have to freeze. In this situation, there is an additional need to heat the apartment using electricity, for example oil heaters, convectors or fan heaters. In this situation, payment utilities spent on heating increases several times completely unreasonably.
  • There is another situation when in an apartment, during heating season, is constantly observed elevated temperature. In this situation, it becomes necessary to constantly open the windows for ventilation, thereby releasing excess heat, throwing away your financial resources on heating the street. And in this situation, the cost of utilities for heating turns out to be unreasonably high.

I would especially like to note that all heat losses on the main networks are scattered across houses that do not have any heat meters.

In these two situations we see that centralized system heating is not universal, and payment for the provided utilities, in most cases, is completely unjustified and unfair, and also does not correspond to reality. It is especially disappointing when not the entire area of ​​the room needs to be heated, but these square meters, which do not need to be heated, are still included in the total amount from which the amount for the heating services provided is calculated.

Now let's look at the apartment heating bill itself. The calculation, in most cases, is carried out according to design standards, but recently, you can come across a situation where the calculation is carried out based on the readings of a heat meter installed for the entire house. It is also possible to install heat meters on part of the house and even connect the meter to the heating riser of one front door. In some situations (but we will consider this situation below), heating meters can be installed even for one apartment, which becomes especially profitable. It is also possible to calculate heating according to gas meter if the house is served by a boiler room, but all these situations cannot take into account the actual consumption of each individual apartment, and also do not take into account such additional points as:

  • By how much, due to any redevelopment, was the heated area of ​​the apartment increased or decreased?
  • Was a heated floor system from a common heating system used or were additional radiators not provided for in the project installed?

All the points listed above highlight the fact that in most situations, payment for heat does not correspond to actual consumption.

If you are a person who is interested in the issue of calculating utility bills for heat and want to pay only for the amount of heat that was consumed and also created in the apartment comfortable conditions for accommodation, they will help you apartment heat meters. These heat meters will help you optimally use, consume and control heat in your apartment. However, I would like to note that it is rational to use a heat meter for those users who have made preliminary preparations for saving heat in their apartment:

  • Insulation of the external facade of the apartment.
  • Installation of energy-saving windows and, if necessary, insulation of entrance doors.
  • It is also necessary to install temperature regulators on apartment radiators.

If you are interested and want to understand the nuances associated with installing a residential heat meter, then further material just for you.

Types of heating distribution in apartment buildings.

In apartment buildings, the following wiring diagrams for heating systems are currently most widespread. The first left figure shows a single-pipe heating wiring diagram with vertical placement. In this situation, a heat energy meter is installed on the entire riser and it is additionally necessary to install temperature sensors on all heating radiators, which can only ensure a large number of models of heat meters for heating. The second option for general house vertical wiring is the two-pipe system in the right figure. With this scheme, a heat meter is installed on each battery and when calculating consumption, all values ​​are summed up. The decision to install common house heat meters or individual ones for one riser is made by the residents of the house or front door.

Single-pipe and two-pipe heating wiring diagrams with vertical placement.

The most cost-effective way to install a heat meter is a single-pipe scheme with horizontal heating distribution in each apartment. We have only one entrance to all heating radiators in the apartment, where only one heat meter should be installed.

Types of residential heat meters.

The heat meter in the apartment is installed either mechanical (tachometer) or ultrasonic, depending on the type of water meter that is used in its structure.

The simplest device, both in design and low cost, is a tachometer (mechanical) counter, for example pollucom E, which is shown in the picture to the left. As you can see, this meter has a temperature sensor (steam). On the right side there is an ultrasonic meter Ultraheat-2WR6, which is a more expensive option, but more reliable, since it does not contain a mechanical part. This counter Powered by a lithium battery with a minimum life of 6 years. For myself, I would choose the second option - an apartment ultrasonic heat meter.

Installation of a heat meter in an apartment or house.

In order to install heat meters in your apartment or house, you need to complete the following preparatory measures:

  • First of all, it is necessary to obtain specifications (technical conditions) for the installation of a heat meter from the heat supply organization or from the balance holder of the building.
  • contact an organization that has a license to develop a project according to previously obtained technical conditions.
  • contact an organization that will install the heat meter in accordance with the project.
  • sign an agreement with the heat supply organization to pay for consumed energy based on the readings of installed heat meters. The housing office or OSBB can act as this organization.

As mentioned earlier, the minimum cost of installing devices will be if the installation is carried out in an apartment. Only one meter will be installed with horizontal heating distribution at the entrance. But most houses have vertical wiring and even several risers, which is why it is necessary to install a heating radiator on each radiator. But even in this situation, there is an option that allows you to reduce the costs of organizing a heat metering system. The organization of this connection method consists of installing additional special cost allocators for thermal energy. The meter installed at the entrance of the entire house is additionally supplied with these distributors to each heating radiator using a wired connection or even using wireless communication (radio transmitters). In this way, it is possible to implement a monitoring system for heat distribution throughout all apartments in the house. The operation of this distributor is that it measures the temperature of the room and the heating radiator, transmitting information to calculate consumption for each apartment separately. This solution can only be used in a situation where the equipment is installed in all apartments of the house, otherwise the only option left is with individual heat meters.

Housing and communal services are becoming more and more expensive, so there is a need to keep records of the consumed benefits of civilization. You won’t surprise anyone with water meters for a long time. They are already installed in many apartments and can really save money on utility bills.

Why do you need a heating meter?

Heat meters are starting to gain popularity. When installing such a device in an apartment, it becomes possible to control how warm the home actually is. Using data like this, costs can be reduced and pay only for the heat actually received, and not for standard consumption rates.

Naturally, many people are concerned about how quickly heat meters for heating will pay for themselves. Practice shows that installation costs are not so high, but savings will be visible quite quickly. The tenant will not need to compensate from his own pocket for the shortcomings of the housing office and heat losses heating systems.

A heating meter can be installed individually for your home or for the entire house. Today on the market you can find a large number of models that differ from each other in price and operating principle.

Types of heat meters for heating

The device measures heat consumption and records the temperature, analyzes the data received and, as a result, gives an indication of how many gigacalories were spent on square meter. Tenants pay utility services for them. The process of taking readings is similar to paying for electricity.

Eat four types of meters heat for an apartment:

  1. Mechanical;
  2. Ultrasonic;
  3. Vortex;
  4. Electromagnetic.

Mechanical heat meters

Mechanical meters are the simplest in technical terms and accessible to ordinary people. A special device rotates inside the device when coolant flows through it and provides readings on a digital display. Meters of this type are turbine, screw and vane. Such a heat meter is inexpensive, which is its advantage, but it does not last long, only a few years, and needs frequent replacement.

Its durability is influenced by factors such as rust, water hardness, scale. The device may become clogged and malfunction. The consumer will have to buy a new one and deal with all related design issues.

Ultrasonic meters

Ultrasonic readers are much more efficient and measure the amount of heat generated with great accuracy. Accordingly, its price is much higher. The service life is practically unlimited, but there are requirements for the quality of the coolant. When installing it, a filter is required, since it only needs pure water. If all conditions are not met, the readings may be distorted.

Such a meter is usually installed in apartments.

Devices are Doppler, time, frequency, correlation. The device records the time it takes for the coolant to travel from the boiler room to the radiator in the apartment.

Vortex heat meters

Vortex devices they estimate the amount of heating consumed using obstacles created by the movement of water or steam, that is, vortices. It can be installed on both vertical and horizontal wiring heating system.

The main advantage of such a heat meter is that it works great, despite possible deposits in the pipes. At the same time, it reacts poorly to excess impurities in the water, air bubbles getting into the coolant and welding. During installation, the dimensions of the pipelines in which the device is installed are also important. This factor should be taken into account when purchasing a device.

Electromagnetic meters

Electromagnetic heat meters for heating read readings using current. It appears when it goes through pipelines hot water. The meters are safe to use. Incorrect installation, poor water quality negatively affects the operation of the device.

Nowadays, such heat meters have become an excellent replacement for mechanical devices due to their accuracy, affordable price and resistance to possible disadvantages heating system. Both of these types of devices are usually used when installing building-wide heat meters, but electromagnetic models are in great demand and are displacing their mechanical counterparts.

Selection of communal and individual meters

The most profitable option for metering heat input would be to install a common house meter. In this case, the residents of the house decide to purchase and install it. The device will be connected to a common pipe that supplies heating to the entire building. Although the cost of a heating meter for general house use is quite high, issue price for apartment residents, in the end it will not be so significant. The readings received are divided by the number of residents, and the payment itself will be made by a person specially selected at the meeting.

If there is no agreement among the tenants, then it makes sense to install a heat meter for heating in the apartment. It will help you save money when paying for housing and communal services. The price of such a device is lower than that of a meter for general household needs. Purchase, installation and maintenance fall entirely on the shoulders of the home owner. But the advantages of heat metering will be immediately visible. The purchase will pay off and bring profit in the future.

The installation of heat meters for heating for the whole house and for the apartment also differ from each other.

First of all, it should be said that although the installation can be carried out on our own, it is better to carry out all the work with the involvement of professionals. Myself the algorithm looks like this:

  1. Drawing up an installation plan and coordinating it with utility companies;
  2. Implementation of all work;
  3. Registering the device with public utilities and putting it into operation.

All meters have documents that indicate when the device needs to be checked. In most cases, this happens once every four years. When the time comes, you should contact a specialized company that will test the heat meter. These may be commercial organizations Rostest, manufacturing companies. The latter often carry out the verification themselves with the help of their employees.

If all the residents of the house decide to keep heat records, they make a purchase and hire specialists to install a heating meter. In advance, at a house-wide meeting, all issues related to price must be resolved.

In the case of installing a heat meter for an apartment, the customer himself carries out the procedures for registration and registration of the device. This method is also good because it can become insurance in case of malfunctions in the operation of a common house heat meter.

During installation, the wiring system in the apartments is important. This may affect how the heat meter will be installed in the apartment and what the price will be. Common in old buildings vertical wiring, that is, there are several risers in the apartment. It is not economically profitable to install a heat meter in each of them. Here you can install distributors that record the temperature on the radiator and in the room, analyzing the heating efficiency.

Fortunately, new apartments are equipped with a horizontal pipe distribution system, so it is enough to install one heat meter. It is best to place it in the pipe itself through which the coolant flows.

Who should I contact to install a heat meter?

You need to choose a company carefully. It is very important to collect information about the availability of qualified specialists and professional equipment. The company must have all certificates and permits. A serious organization provides guarantee for work performed. There must be information about the company in the Unified State Register of Legal Entities. Service maintenance heat meters will be an additional advantage. You should ask whether the company provides installment plans and benefits to its customers.

Money issue

Meter cost may vary from several thousand to several tens of thousands rubles The most expensive models are the most reliable and accurate. Budget options will have to be changed, and the cost savings may not be so significant.

Payment by meters is as follows: every month when the heating system is operating, you should take readings, write them down, and subtract the results of previous measurements from them. The difference derived by calculation is multiplied by the tariff rates and the amount that needs to be paid is obtained.

The use of a heat meter will allow ordinary citizens to reduce housing and communal services costs. Utility services They will become more responsible in their responsibilities, monitor the operation of the heating system, without shifting this burden onto the shoulders of the tenants.

Heating wiring- this is a diagram of the location of heating devices and pipes connecting them. The efficiency of the heating system, its efficiency and aesthetics significantly depend on the type of wiring.
Main types of heating wiring:

  • Single-pipe and double-pipe
  • Horizontal and vertical
  • Dead-end and with counter-movement of coolant
  • Heating with top and bottom wiring

A specific heating system must have one of two characteristics from all four groups of characteristics. For example, the wiring can be single-pipe horizontal with upper heating wiring and dead-end movement of the coolant, or it can be two-pipe horizontal with lower wiring and counter movement of the coolant, etc.
Let's consider these schemes based on the possibility of installing a heat meter for apartment accounting heat.

Vertical wiring of the heating system

It became most widespread in the Soviet Union from 1960 to 1999 due to its low cost and ease of installation. engineering communications. The engineers of that time did not think too much about the problems associated with its applications.

Single-pipe vertical heating system

This wiring system is common mainly in homes. old building until the beginning of 2000. In such houses, the supply line runs along the technical floor or in the basement of the house, and the coolant enters each battery sequentially (gradually cooling) through vertical risers.

Advantages: low pipe consumption. Because of it, some unscrupulous developers continue to create houses with such wiring to this day.
Flaws: the impossibility of turning off individual heating devices and the impossibility of adjusting them, excessive consumption of heating devices, and large heat losses of the coolant. What does it mean impossibility of installing residential heat meters.

If with a one-pipe distribution the coolant moves along one solid circuit through all the radiators, then with a two-pipe system there are two risers: from one the coolant enters the radiator, and into the other it leaves.

Two-pipe vertical heating system

With a two-pipe heating system with bottom wiring, the supply and return main pipelines pass in the floor of the lower floor of the building or in the basement, and the coolant flows independently into each radiator.

Advantages: good regulation of the heating system, the ability to separately turn off each heating device, no overconsumption of heating devices.

Flaws: the length of pipelines increases compared to a single-pipe scheme, making it practically impossible to install residential heat meters.

Reasons for the impossibility of installing apartment heat meters in houses with vertical heating distribution

  • Metrological problem. The heat meter is considered to be working correctly when the difference in coolant temperatures between inlet and outlet (supply and return) is more than 3 O WITH. Heat consumption 1 radiator, depending on the size, finning coefficient and heating area, ranges from 0.5 o C to 2 o C.
  • The need to install heat meters on each riser, which is expensive and very troublesome. In the future, the user will have to manually take readings from each of the meters, sum them up and submit them to the heat supply organization. Risk of mathematical error and human factor. High verification costs, which partially offsets the savings from installation and increases the payback.
  • The scope of application of the device is written in the heat meter passport. For example, for Ultraheat T-230 - “The meter is used to account for energy consumption in apartments, cottages, apartment buildings and small businesses... temperature measurements in the supply and return pipelines are carried out... etc., etc.” There is no word anywhere about the battery, and there is no supply or return pipeline on the battery.

All of the above reasons are arguments for heat supply organizations not to take into commercial accounting heat meters installed in houses with a vertical heating system.

The only way to organize heat metering with a vertical heating distribution scheme is through heat distributors.

Horizontal distribution of the heating system

IN in this case the main pipeline goes through all floors, on each floor there are heating niches, in which, through bends from the risers, each of the rooms on the floor has its own connection (via horizontal pipes located in the floor) to common system heating.

Horizontal single-pipe circuits are rarely used, they have a rather narrow scope of application and are not used for heating apartment buildings, so here we will consider options for two-pipe wiring.

Two-pipe horizontal (floor) heating system with perimeter wiring

Looking at the figure, you can see that from the main supply and return risers along the perimeter of the room, pipelines are laid in the floor to each heating device. Each apartment has its own heating system input. The heating niche with main risers can be located both in the apartment itself and in the corridors common use(on the floor of the apartment or 1 floor below the apartment) depending on the design of the in-house heating distribution.

Each radiator is equipped with Mayevsky valves for bleeding air, and often automatic air collectors are installed on each of the floor heating outlets.

This wiring diagram is the most common in multi-story buildings. residential buildings due to ease of execution and affordability for developers.

Advantages: similar to a two-pipe vertical system, plus there are no risers on each heating device(except for main risers). It is possible to switch off the heating system on a floor-by-floor basis and use radiators with bottom connections, which, along with laying main pipelines in the floor structure or in the baseboard, allows you to minimize the number of open pipes and improve the aesthetics of the interior of the premises.

Flaws: the need to use pressure compensators in high-rise buildings, the complexity of operation due to the presence of air valves on each heating device, high heat loss in the floor and through the building envelope.

Two-pipe floor-to-floor heating system with collectors on each floor (radiant)

In the heating niches at the outlets from the main pipeline (riser) on each floor there are collectors - supply and return. From the collectors, supply and return pipelines under the floor are led individually to each radiator in the apartment.

Advantages: similar to two-pipe horizontal systems heating at more high reliability the system as a whole, high level energy efficiency and lower energy consumption for heating.

Flaws: long length of supply pipelines, high cost.

The radial wiring scheme is innovative for our country. Today, such a system is becoming increasingly popular in construction.

In such heating systems, apartment heat meters can be used.