Buffer tank (heat accumulator) for the heating system. Heat accumulators for autonomous heating systems Accumulator in the heating system of a private house

During the heating of the house, it often happens that during the daytime it is possible to generate excess heat, and at night it is not enough. There is also the opposite situation, in which it is more profitable to use heating at night. Such moments will help smooth out the heat accumulator for heating. But you need to know how to choose it correctly, install it and connect it to the system. You can find detailed information on this topic from this article.

When you need a heat accumulator

This simple element of the heating system in the form of an insulated water tank is recommended to be installed in such cases:

for maximum effective work solid fuel boiler;
together with an electric heat generator operating at a reduced night rate.

For reference. There are also water heat accumulators for greenhouses, used to store solar energy received during the day.

The operation of solid fuel boilers has its own characteristics. The heat generator operates with high efficiency only when operating at maximum modes, if you shut off the air to lower the temperature in the furnace, then the efficiency also decreases. The homeowner also has a lot of worries about the frequency of burning, the firewood has burned out - you have to load new ones, it is extremely inconvenient to do this in the middle of the night. The solution is simple: you need a storage tank that accumulates the previously generated heat to use it after the firewood burns out in the firebox.

The opposite situation occurs with an electric boiler connected to the network through a multi-tariff meter. To save money, you need to get maximum heat at night, when the tariff is low, and do not use electricity during the day. And here the heat accumulator in the heating system will allow you to organize the optimal schedule for the operation of the heat source, giving out hot water to the system while the heat generator is idle.

Important. To work together with a heat accumulator, the boiler must have at least one and a half reserve in terms of thermal power. Otherwise, he will not be able to simultaneously heat the water in the heating system and the storage tank.

A similar situation with excess heat occurs in greenhouses, in the daytime they are even ventilated. In order to accumulate solar energy for use at night, you can use the simplest heat accumulator of Lezhebok to heat the ground. This is a black polymer sleeve filled with water and laid directly on the bed, it does not allow the soil to cool down at night. To absorb more heat, barrels of water, painted black, are placed inside the greenhouse.

Heat accumulator calculation

A container for the accumulation of thermal energy can be either purchased ready-made or made independently. But a natural question arises: what capacity should the tank be? After all, a small tank will not give the desired effect, and too much will cost a pretty penny. The answer to this question will help to find the calculation of the heat accumulator, but first you need to determine the initial parameters for the calculations:

heat loss of the house or its quadrature;
duration of inactivity of the main heat source.

Let us determine the capacity of the storage tank using the example of a standard house with an area of 100 m2, which requires an amount of heat in the amount of 10 kW to heat. Assume that the net downtime of the boiler is 6 hours, the average temperature of the heat carrier in the system is 60 °C. Logically, during the period of time while the heating unit is idle, the battery must supply 10 kW to the system every hour, for a total of 10 x 6 = 60 kW. This is the amount of energy that should be accumulated.

Since the temperature in the tank should be as high as possible, for calculations we will take a value of 90 ° C, domestic boilers are still unable to do more. The required capacity of the heat accumulator, expressed in mass of water, is calculated as follows:

m = Q / 0.0012 Δt

In this formula:

Q is the amount of accumulated thermal energy, in our case it is 60 kW;
0.0012 kW / kg ºС is the specific heat capacity of water, in more familiar units of measurement - 4.187 kJ / kg ºС;
Δt is the difference between the maximum temperature of the coolant in the tank and the heating system, ºС.

So, the water accumulator should contain 60 / 0.0012 (90 - 60) = 1667 kg of water, which is approximately 1.7 m3 in volume. But there is one point: the calculation is made at the lowest temperature outside, which happens infrequently, excluding the northern regions. In addition, after 6 hours, the water in the tank will only cool down to 60 ºС, which means that in the absence of cold weather, the battery can be “discharged” further until the temperature drops to 40 ºС. Hence the conclusion: for a house with an area of 100 m2, a storage tank with a volume of 1.5 m3 is enough if the boiler is inactive for 6 hours.

From previous section it follows that it will not be possible to get rid of an ordinary barrel of 200 liters, unless its capacity is not less than half a cube. This is enough for a house of 30 m2, and then not for long. In order not to waste time and energy in vain, it is necessary to

From the point of view of placement in the boiler room, it is better to make a rectangular container. Dimensions are arbitrary, the main thing is that their product is equal to the calculated volume. The ideal option is a stainless steel tank, but ordinary metal will do.

At the top and bottom, a do-it-yourself heat accumulator must be provided with nozzles for connecting to the system. So that the steel walls do not bulge outward with water pressure, the structure must be tightened with ribs or jumpers.

The battery tank must be well insulated, including from below. For this purpose, foam plastic with a density of 15-25 kg / m3 or mineral wool in slabs of at least 105 kg / m3 density is suitable. Optimal Thickness heat-insulating layer - 100 mm. The resulting apparatus, filled with coolant, will have a decent weight, so a foundation will be required for its installation.

Advice. If you need a container for a gravity heating system, then you should install it yourself on a metal stand, not forgetting to insulate the lower part. The goal is to raise the tank above the level of the batteries.

Wiring diagram

After the tank is in place, it must be properly connected to the piping network. The most popular is the standard heat accumulator connection diagram shown in the figure:

To implement it, you will need 2 circulation pumps and the same number of three-way valves. Pumps provide circulation in separate circuits, and valves provide the required temperature. In the boiler circuit, it should not fall below 55 ºС in order to avoid the appearance of condensate in the solid fuel boiler, this is what the valve on the left side of the diagram does.

The heat carrier in the heating pipelines is heated depending on the heat demand, and therefore the connection of the heat accumulator on the other side is also carried out through the mixing unit. The valve can control the water temperature in automatic mode, focusing on the sensor or using a thermostat. One of the schemes of a heating system with a heat accumulator (buffer tank) is shown in the video.

Conclusion

A heat storage tank can make life easier for owners of solid fuel boilers. They don't have to worry about loading fuel at night, which is a big plus. And the heat generator itself will begin to work in an economical mode, developing the highest efficiency. As for electric boilers, then the benefit when installing the drive is obvious.

Heat accumulator for heating boilers

We continue our series of articles with a topic that will be of interest to those who heat their homes with solid fuel boilers. We will talk about the heat accumulator for heating boilers (TA) on solid fuels. This is a really necessary device that allows you to balance the operation of the circuit, smooth out the temperature drops of the coolant, while also saving money. We note right away that a heat accumulator for electric heating boilers is used only if the house has an electric meter with separate calculation of night and day energy. Otherwise, installing a heat accumulator for gas heating boilers does not make any sense.

How does a heating system with a heat accumulator work?

A heat accumulator for heating boilers is a part of the heating system designed to increase the time between loading solid fuel into the boiler. It is a reservoir in which there is no air access. It is insulated and has enough large volume. There is always water in the heat accumulator for heating, it also circulates throughout the circuit. Of course, an antifreeze liquid can also be used as a coolant, but still, due to its high cost, it is not used in circuits with TA.

In addition, there is no point in filling the heating system with a heat accumulator with antifreeze, since such tanks are placed in residential premises. And the essence of their application is to ensure that the temperature in the circuit is always stable, and, accordingly, the water in the system is warm. The use of a large heat accumulator for heating in country houses temporary residence is impractical, and a small reservoir is of little use. This is due to the principle of operation of the heat accumulator for the heating system.

The TA is located between the boiler and the heating system. When the boiler heats up the coolant, it enters the TA;
then the water flows through the pipes to the radiators;
The return line returns to the TA, and then immediately to the boiler.

Although the heat accumulator for the heating system is a single vessel, due to its large size, the flow direction at the top and bottom is different.

In order for TA to perform its primary function of heat storage, these streams must be mixed. The difficulty lies in the fact that the heat always rises, and the cold tends to fall. It is necessary to create conditions so that part of the heat sinks to the bottom of the heat accumulator in the heating system and heats the return coolant. If the temperature has evened out in the entire tank, then it is considered fully charged.

After the boiler fired everything that was loaded into it, it stops working and TA comes into play. The circulation continues and it gradually releases its heat through the radiators into the room. All this happens until the next portion of fuel enters the boiler again.

If the heat storage for heating is small, then its reserve will last for a very short time, while the heating time of the batteries increases, since the volume of the coolant in the circuit has become larger. Cons of using for temporary residences:

the warm-up time increases;
a larger volume of the circuit, which makes filling it with antifreeze more expensive;
higher installation costs.

As you understand, filling the system and draining water every time you arrive at your dacha is at least troublesome. Considering that the tank alone will be 300 liters. For the sake of several days a week, it is pointless to take such measures.

Additional circuits are built into the tank - these are metal spiral pipes. The liquid in the spiral does not have direct contact with the coolant in the heat accumulator for heating the house. These can be contours:

low-temperature heating (warm floor).

Thus, even the most primitive single-circuit boiler or even a stove can become a universal heater. It will provide the whole house with the necessary heat and hot water simultaneously. Accordingly, the performance of the heater will be fully utilized.

In serial models manufactured under production conditions, additional heating sources are built in. These are also spirals, only they are called electric heating elements. There are often several of them and they can work from different sources:

circuit;
solar panels.

This heating is additional options and is not mandatory, consider this if you decide to make a heat accumulator for heating with your own hands.

Heat accumulator piping schemes

We dare to assume that if you are interested in this article, then most likely you decided to make a heat accumulator for heating and tie it yourself. You can come up with a lot of connection schemes, the main thing is that everything works. If you correctly understand the processes occurring in the circuit, then you can quite experiment. How you connect the HA to the boiler will affect the operation of the entire system. Let's first analyze the simplest heating scheme with a heat accumulator.

A simple TA strapping scheme

In the figure you see the direction of movement of the coolant. Please note that upward movement is prohibited. To prevent this from happening, the pump between the TA and the boiler must pump large quantity coolant than the one that stands up to the tank. Only in this case will a sufficient retracting force be formed, which will take part of the heat from the supply. The disadvantage of such a connection scheme is long time circuit heating. To reduce it, you need to create a boiler heating ring. You can see it in the following diagram.

TA piping scheme with a boiler heating circuit

The essence of the heating circuit is that the thermostat does not mix water from the TA until the boiler warms it up to the set level. When the boiler is warmed up, part of the supply goes to the TA, and the part is mixed with the coolant from the reservoir and enters the boiler. Thus, the heater always works with an already heated liquid, which increases its efficiency and the heating time of the circuit. That is, the batteries will get warm faster.

This method of installing a heat accumulator in a heating system allows you to use the circuit offline when the pump is not running. Please note that the diagram shows only the nodes for connecting the TA to the boiler. The circulation of the coolant to the radiators occurs in a different way, which also passes through the TA. The presence of two bypasses allows you to play it safe twice:

the check valve is activated if the pump is stopped and the ball valve on the lower bypass is closed;
in the event of a pump stop and breakdown check valve circulation is carried out through the lower bypass.

In principle, some simplifications can be made in such a construction. Given the fact that the check valve has a high flow resistance, it can be excluded from the circuit.

TA piping scheme without check valve for gravity system

In this case, when the light disappears, you will need to manually open the ball valve. It should be said that with such a wiring, the TA should be above the level of the radiators. If you do not plan that the system will work by gravity, then the piping of the heating system with a heat accumulator can be performed according to the scheme shown below.

Scheme of piping TA for a circuit with forced circulation

In TA, the correct movement of water is created, which allows ball after ball, starting from the top, to warm it up. Perhaps the question arises, what to do if there is no light? We talked about this in an article about . It will be more economical and more convenient. After all, gravity circuits are made of large-section pipes, and besides, not always convenient slopes must be observed. If you calculate the price of pipes and fittings, weigh all the inconveniences of installation and compare it all with the price of a UPS, then the idea of installing an alternative power source becomes very attractive.

Calculation of the volume of the heat storage

The volume of the heat accumulator for heating

As we have already mentioned, it is not advisable to use a small volume TA, while too large tanks are also not always appropriate. So the question is how to calculate desired volume TA. I really want to give a specific answer, but, unfortunately, it cannot be. Although there is still an approximate calculation of a heat accumulator for heating. Let's say you don't know what heat loss your house is and you can't find out, for example, if it hasn't been built yet. By the way, to reduce heat loss, you need . You can choose a tank based on two values:

the area of the heated room;
boiler power.

Methods for calculating the volume of TA: room area x 4 or boiler power x 25.

It is these two characteristics that are decisive. Various sources offer their own method of calculation, but in fact these two methods are closely related. Suppose we decide to calculate the volume of a heat accumulator for heating, starting from the area of \u200b\u200bthe room. To do this, you need to multiply the quadrature of the heated room by four. For example, if we have a small house of 100 square meters, then we need a tank of 400 liters. This volume will reduce the loading of the boiler up to two times a day.

Undoubtedly, there are pyrolysis boilers that are loaded with fuel twice a day, only in this case the principle of operation is slightly different:

fuel ignites;
the air supply is reduced;
the smoldering process begins.

In this case, when the fuel flares up, the temperature in the circuit begins to rise rapidly, and then smoldering keeps the water warm. During this very smoldering, a lot of energy escapes into the pipe. In addition, if a solid fuel boiler works in tandem with a leaky heating system, then at peak temperature expansion tank sometimes boils. In the truest sense of the word, water begins to boil in it. If the pipes are made of polymers, then this is simply fatal for them.

In one of the articles about TA, it takes some of the heat and the tank can boil only after the tank is fully charged. That is, the possibility of boiling, with the right amount of TA, tends to zero.

Now let's try to calculate the volume of TA, based on the number of kilowatts in the heater. By the way, this indicator is calculated on the basis of the quadrature of the room. 1 kW is taken for 10 m. It turns out that in a house of 100 square meters there should be a boiler of at least 10 kilowatts. Since the calculation is always done with a margin, we can assume that in our case there will be a 15 kilowatt unit.

If you do not take into account the amount of coolant in the radiators and pipes, then one kilowatt of the boiler can heat approximately 25 liters of water in the TA. Therefore, the calculation will be appropriate: you need to multiply the boiler power by 25. As a result, we will get 375 liters. If we compare with the previous calculation, the results are very close. Only this is taking into account that the boiler power will be calculated with a gap of at least 50%.

Remember, the more TA, the better. But in this case, as in any other, one must do without fanaticism. If you put a TA for two thousand liters, then the heater simply cannot cope with such a volume. Be objective.

How to organize the operation of an autonomous heating system in an economical mode? It is necessary to install a heat accumulator for heating boilers. As a result, efficiency will increase significantly while reducing fuel costs, and the overall costs of maintaining the property will also decrease.

We will talk about how the unit works, which allows you to collect and store the heat generated by the boiler. We describe in detail all the device options used in everyday life. In the article presented by us, the scope of application of heat accumulators and the rules of operation are given.

A heat accumulator is a buffer tank designed to accumulate excess heat generated during boiler operation. The saved resource is then used in the heating system during the period between scheduled loads of the main fuel resource.

Connecting the right battery allows you to reduce the cost of purchasing fuel (in some cases up to 50%) and makes it possible to switch to one load per day instead of two.

In addition to the function of accumulating the released heat, the buffer tank protects cast iron units from cracking in the event of an unexpected and sharp drop in the temperature of the working network water.

If the equipment is equipped with intelligent controllers and temperature sensors, and the heat supply from the storage tank to the heating system is automated, the heat transfer will increase significantly, and the number of fuel portions loaded into the combustion chamber of the heating unit will noticeably decrease.

Features of internal and external device

The heat accumulator is a tank in the form of a vertical cylinder, made of high strength black or stainless steel sheet.

On the inner surface of the device there is a layer of bakelite varnish. He protects buffer capacity from the aggressive influence of technical hot water, weak solutions of salts and concentrated acids. The outer side of the unit is powder coated, resistant to high thermal loads.

The volume of the tank varies from 100 to several thousand liters. The most capacious models have large linear dimensions that make it difficult to place equipment in the limited space of a home boiler room.

External thermal insulation is made of recycled polyurethane foam. The thickness of the protective layer is about 10 cm. The material has a specific complex weaving and an internal polyvinyl chloride coating.

This configuration prevents particles of dirt and small debris from accumulating between the fibers, provides high level water resistance and increases the overall wear resistance of the heat insulator.

The heat insulator is not always included in the heat accumulator kit. Sometimes you have to buy it separately, and then mount it yourself on the unit

The surface of the protective layer is covered with a leatherette cover good quality. Due to these conditions, the water in the buffer tank cools much more slowly, and the overall heat loss of the entire system is significantly reduced.

The principle of operation of a heat-saving product

The heat accumulator functions according to the simplest scheme. From above, a pipe is supplied to the unit from a gas, solid fuel or electric boiler.

Hot water flows through it into the storage tank. Cooling down in the process, it goes down to the location of the circulation pump and with its help is fed back into the main passage to return to the boiler for the next heating.

Installing a heat accumulator prevents overheating of the coolant when the boiler is operating at full capacity and provides maximum heat transfer with economical fuel consumption. This reduces the load on the heating system and prolongs its service life.

A boiler of any type, regardless of the type of fuel resource, operates in steps, periodically turning on and off when the optimum temperature of the heating element is reached.

When work stops, the coolant enters the tank, and in the system it is replaced by a hot liquid that has not cooled down due to the presence of a heat accumulator. As a result, even after turning off the boiler and switching it to passive mode until the next fuel filling, the batteries remain hot for some time, and warm water comes out of the tap.

Varieties of heat-accumulating models

All buffer tanks perform almost the same function, but have some design features.

Manufacturers produce storage units of three types:

hollow(not having internal heat exchangers);
with one or two coils, providing more efficient operation of the equipment;
with built-in boiler tanks small diameter, designed for the correct operation of an individual complex of hot water supply of a private house.

The heat accumulator is connected to the heating boiler and the communication wiring of the home heating system through threaded holes located in the outer casing of the unit.

How does a hollow aggregate work?

A device that does not have either a coil or a built-in boiler inside is one of the most simple species equipment and is cheaper than their more "fancy" counterparts.

It is connected to one or several (depending on the needs of the owners) sources of energy supply through central communications, and then through 1 ½ branch pipes it is diluted to consumption points.

It is planned to install an additional heating element operating on electric energy. The unit provides high-quality heating of residential real estate, minimizes the risk of overheating of the coolant and makes the operation of the system completely safe for the consumer.

When the residential building already has separate system hot water supply and the owners do not plan to use solar thermal heat sources for space heating, it is advisable to save money and install a hollow buffer tank in which the entire useful area of the tank is given to the coolant, and not occupied by coils

Heat accumulator with one or two coils

A heat accumulator equipped with one or two heat exchangers (coils) is a progressive version of equipment for a wide range of applications. The upper coil in the design is responsible for the selection of thermal energy, and the lower one performs intensive heating of the buffer tank itself.

The presence of heat exchange units in the unit allows you to receive hot water for domestic needs around the clock, heat the tank from the solar collector, warm up the house paths and make the most efficient use of useful heat for any other convenient purposes.

Module with internal boiler

A heat accumulator with a built-in boiler is a progressive unit that not only accumulates excess heat generated by the boiler, but also supplies hot water to the tap for domestic purposes.

The internal boiler tank is made of stainless alloy steel and equipped with a magnesium anode. It reduces the level of water hardness and prevents the formation of scale on the walls.

The owners choose the appropriate volume of buffer capacity on their own, but experts say that there is no practical sense in buying a tank of less than 150 liters

This type of unit is connected to various energy sources and works correctly with both open and closed systems. Controls the temperature level of the operating coolant and protects the heating complex from boiler overheating.

Optimizes fuel consumption and reduces the number and frequency of downloads. It is compatible with solar collectors of any models and can function as a substitute for a hydraulic switch.

Scope of the heat accumulator

The heat accumulator collects and accumulates the energy generated by the heating system, and then helps to use it as rationally as possible for efficient heating and providing residential premises with hot water.

You need to purchase a device for accumulating excess heating resource only in specialized stores. The seller must provide the buyer with a certificate of product quality and complete instructions on use

Work with different types equipment, but is most often used in combination with solar collectors, solid fuel and electric boilers.

Heat accumulator in solar system

The solar collector is modern look equipment that allows you to use free solar energy for everyday household needs. But without a heat accumulator, the equipment is not able to fully function, as it comes in unevenly. This is due to the change of time of day, weather conditions and seasonality.

A solar collector equipped with a heat accumulator is placed on the south side of the site. There, the device absorbs maximum energy and gives an effective return.

If the heating and water supply system is powered only from a single source of energy (the sun), at some point the residents may have serious problems with the supply of the resource and getting the usual elements of comfort.

To avoid these unpleasant moments and make the most efficient use of clear, sunny days for energy storage, a heat accumulator will help. To work in the solar system, it uses the high heat capacity of water, 1 liter of which, cooling down by only a degree, releases thermal potential to heat 1 cubic meter of air by 4 degrees.

The solar collector and the heat accumulator make up a single system that makes it possible to use solar energy as the only source for heating a residential building

During the period of peak solar activity, when it collects the maximum amount of light and energy production significantly exceeds consumption, the heat accumulator accumulates excess and supplies them to the heating system when the supply of the resource from the outside decreases or even stops, for example, at night.

The following article, which we recommend reading, will acquaint you with options and schemes for suburban property.

Buffer tank for solid fuel boiler

Cyclicity is a characteristic feature of work. At the first stage, firewood is loaded into the firebox and heating takes place for some time. Maximum power and most high temperatures are observed at the peak of bookmark burning.

Then the heat transfer gradually decreases, and when the firewood finally burns out, the process of generating useful heating energy stops. All boilers, including appliances, operate according to this principle. long burning.

It is not possible to precisely configure the unit for the generation of thermal energy with reference to the level of consumption required at any given moment. This function is only available in more advanced equipment, such as modern gas or electric heating boilers.

Therefore, immediately at the moment of ignition and during reaching the actual power, and then in the process of cooling and the forced passive state of the equipment, thermal energy for full-fledged heating and hot water heating may simply not be enough.

But during peak operation and the active phase of fuel combustion, the amount of energy released will be excessive and most of it will literally “fly out into the pipe”. As a result, the resource will be spent irrationally, and the owners will have to constantly load new portions of fuel into the boiler.

In order for the house to be heated for a long time after turning off the solid fuel boiler, you need to purchase a large buffer tank. It will not be possible to accumulate a solid amount of a resource in a small reservoir, and its purchase will turn out to be a waste of money.

The installation of a heat accumulator solves this problem, which at the time of increased activity will accumulate heat in the reservoir. Then, when the firewood burns out and the boiler goes into passive standby mode, the buffer will transfer the collected energy, which will warm up and begin to circulate through the system, heating the room, bypassing the cooled device.

Reservoir for electrical system

Electric heating equipment is a rather expensive option, but it is also sometimes installed, and, as a rule, in combination with a solid fuel boiler.

Usually arranged where other sources of heat are not available due to objective reasons. Of course, with this method of heating, electricity bills seriously increase and home comfort costs the owners a lot of money.

The buffer tank must be installed directly next to the heating boiler. The equipment has solid dimensions and in a private house you will have to allocate for it special room. The system will fully pay off within 2-5 years

In order to reduce the cost of paying for electricity, it is advisable to use the equipment to the maximum during the period of preferential tariffication, that is, at night and on weekends.

But such an operating mode is possible only if there is a capacious buffer tank, where the energy generated during the grace period will accumulate, which can then be spent on heating and supplying hot water to residential premises.

DIY energy storage

The simplest model of a heat accumulator can be made with your own hands from a finished steel barrel. If this is not available, you will have to purchase several sheets of stainless steel with a thickness of at least 2 mm and weld from them a container of suitable size in the form of a vertical cylindrical tank.

It is not recommended to use the eurocube for the manufacture of a heat accumulator. It is designed for contact with a coolant having an operating temperature of up to + 70 ºС and simply cannot withstand hotter liquids.

DIY guide

To heat the water in the buffer, you will need to take a copper tube with a diameter of 2-3 centimeters and a length of 8 to 15 m (depending on the size of the tank). It will have to be bent into a spiral and placed inside the tank.

The battery in this model will be the upper part of the barrel. From there, you need to bring out the outlet pipe for the outlet of hot water, and make the same from below for the inlet of cold water. Equip each outlet with a tap to control the flow of liquid into the accumulation zone.

In an open heating system, a rectangular steel tank can be used as a buffer tank. In a closed system, this is excluded due to possible jumps in internal pressure.

At the next stage, it is necessary to check the container for leaks by filling it with water or lubricating the welds with kerosene. If there is no leakage, you can proceed to create an insulating layer that will allow the liquid inside the tank to remain hot for as long as possible.

How to insulate a homemade unit?

To begin with, the outer surface of the container must be thoroughly cleaned and degreased, and then primed and painted with heat-resistant powder paint, thus protecting it from corrosion.

Then wrap the tank with glass wool insulation or rolled basalt wool 6-8 mm thick and secure it with cords or ordinary tape. If desired, cover the surface with sheet metal or “wrap” the tank in foil.

Do not use extruded polystyrene foam or polystyrene for insulation. With the onset of cold weather, mice can start in these materials, looking for a warm place for their winter residence.

Holes for outlet pipes should be cut in the outer layer and the container should be connected to the boiler and heating system.

The buffer tank must be equipped with a thermometer, internal pressure sensors and an explosion valve. These elements allow you to control the potential overheating of the barrel and relieve excess pressure from time to time.

Accumulated resource consumption rate

It is impossible to accurately answer the question of how quickly the heat accumulated in the battery is consumed.

How long it will work on a resource collected in a buffer tank directly depends on such positions as:

the actual volume of the storage capacity;
the level of heat loss in the heated room;
outdoor air temperature and the current season;
set values of temperature sensors;
useful area of the house that needs to be heated and supplied with hot water.

Heating of a private house in the passive state of the heating system can be carried out from several hours to several days. At this time, the boiler will “rest” from the load and its working resource will last for a longer amount of time.

Rules for safe operation

Do-it-yourself heat accumulators are subject to special safety requirements:

The hot parts of the tank must not come into contact with or otherwise come into contact with flammable and explosive materials and substances. Ignoring this item can provoke the ignition of individual objects and a fire in the boiler room.
A closed heating system assumes a constant high pressure of the coolant circulating inside. To ensure this point, the design of the tank must be completely tight. In addition, it is possible to strengthen its body with stiffeners, and equip the lid on the tank with durable rubber gaskets that are resistant to intense operating loads and elevated temperatures.
If an additional heating element is present in the design, it is necessary to insulate its contacts very carefully, and the tank must be grounded. In this way, it will be possible to avoid electric shock and short circuit, which can disable the system.

Subject to these rules, the operation of a self-made heat accumulator will be completely safe and will not cause any problems or troubles to the owners.

Conclusions and useful video on the topic

Installing a heat accumulator for a home heating system is very beneficial and economically justified. The presence of this unit reduces the labor costs for kindling the boiler and allows you to bookmark the heating resource not twice a day, but only once.

The fuel consumption required for the correct operation of heating equipment is significantly reduced. The use of the generated heat is carried out in optimal mode and not wasted. Heating and hot water costs are reduced, and living conditions become more convenient, comfortable and enjoyable.

Tell us about how the heat accumulator was installed on your boiler. Share the technological subtleties of the process and impressions about the efficiency of the device. Please leave comments in the block below, post photos, ask questions on controversial issues.

Often, homeowners are not able to buy modern heating equipment, so they are looking for alternative solutions. Take at least a buffer tank (otherwise - a heat accumulator), an indispensable thing for heating systems with a solid fuel boiler. A storage tank with a volume of 500 liters costs about 600-700 USD. That is, the price of a thousand-liter barrel reaches 1000 USD. e. If you make a heat accumulator with your own hands, and then install the tank in the boiler room yourself, you will be able to save half the indicated amount. Our task is to tell about the manufacturing methods.

Where is the heat accumulator used and how is it arranged

The thermal energy storage is nothing more than an insulated iron tank with branch pipes for connecting water heating mains. The buffer tank performs 2 functions: it accumulates excess heat and heats the house during periods when the boiler is inactive. The heat accumulator replaces the heating unit in 2 cases:

When heating a dwelling or a boiler that burns solid fuel. The storage tank works for heating at night, after burning firewood or coal. Thanks to this, the homeowner rests calmly, and does not run to the boiler room. It is comfortable.
When the source of heat is an electric boiler, and electricity consumption is accounted for by a multi-tariff meter. Energy at the night rate is half the price, so during the day the operation of the heating system is fully provided by the heat accumulator. It's economical.

On the left in the photo - a buffer tank of 400 liters from Drazice, on the right - a Kospel electric boiler complete with a hot water storage tank

An important point. Tank - hot water accumulator increases the efficiency of a solid fuel boiler. After all, the maximum efficiency of the heat generator is achieved with intense combustion, which cannot be constantly maintained without a buffer tank that absorbs excess heat. The more efficiently firewood is burned, the less their consumption. This also applies gas boiler, whose efficiency decreases in low-burning modes.

An accumulator tank filled with coolant operates according to a simple principle. While the heat generator is engaged in space heating, the water in the tank is heated to a maximum temperature of 80-90 ° C (the heat accumulator is charging). After the boiler is turned off, hot coolant is supplied to the radiators from the storage tank, which provides heating for the house for a certain time (the heat battery is discharged). The duration of operation depends on the volume of the tank and the air temperature outside.

How does a factory-made heat accumulator work?

The simplest prefabricated water storage tank shown in the diagram consists of the following elements:

the main tank is cylindrical, made of carbon or stainless steel;
heat-insulating layer with a thickness of 50-100 mm, depending on the insulation used;
outer skin - thin painted metal or polymer case;
connecting fittings embedded in the main tank;
immersion sleeves for mounting a thermometer and pressure gauge.

Note. More expensive models of heat accumulators for heating systems are additionally supplied with coils for hot water supply and heating from solar collectors. Another useful option is a block of electric heating elements built into the upper zone of the tank.

Production of heat accumulators in the factory

If you are seriously concerned about installing a heat accumulator and decide to make it on your own, then first you should familiarize yourself with the factory assembly technology.

Cutting blanks for the lid and bottom on a plasma machine

Repeat technological process in a home workshop is unrealistic, but some tricks will come in handy. At the enterprise, the hot water storage tank is made in the form of a cylinder with a hemispherical bottom and a lid in the following order:

Sheet metal 3 mm thick is fed to the plasma cutting machine, where it is used to produce blanks for end caps, body, hatch and stand.
On lathe main fittings with a diameter of 40 or 50 mm (thread 1.5 and 2”) and immersion sleeves for control devices are manufactured. A large flange for an inspection hatch about 20 cm in size is also machined there. A branch pipe is welded to the latter for inserting into the body.
The blank body (the so-called shell) in the form of a sheet with holes for fittings is sent to the rollers, bending it under a certain radius. To get a cylindrical water tank, it remains only to weld the ends of the workpiece end-to-end.
From metal flat circles, a hydraulic press stamps hemispherical caps.
The next operation is welding. The order is as follows: first, the body is boiled on the tacks, then the covers are tacked to it, then all the seams are completely welded. At the end, fittings and an inspection hatch are attached.
The finished storage tank is welded to the stand, after which it passes 2 permeability tests - air and hydraulic. The latter is produced with a pressure of 8 bar, the test lasts 24 hours.
The tested tank is painted and insulated with basalt fiber at least 50 mm thick. From above, the container is sheathed with thin-sheet steel with a polymeric color coating or closed with a tight cover.

The body of the drive is bent from a sheet of iron on rollers

Reference. To insulate the tank, manufacturers use different materials. For example, heat accumulators "Prometheus" Russian production insulated with polyurethane foam.

Instead of cladding, manufacturers often use a special cover (you can choose a color)

Most factory-made heat accumulators are designed for a maximum pressure of 6 bar at a coolant temperature in the heating system of 90 °C. This value is twice the threshold of the safety valve installed on the safety group of solid fuel and gas boilers (limit - 3 bar). The production process is shown in detail in the video:

We make a thermal battery ourselves

You have decided that you cannot do without a buffer tank and want to make it yourself. Then get ready to go through 5 stages:

Calculation of the volume of the heat accumulator.
Choosing the right design.
Selection and preparation of materials.
Assembly and leak test.
Installation of the tank and connection to the water heating system.

Advice. Before calculating the volume of the barrel, think about how much space in the boiler room you can allocate for it (in terms of area and height). Clearly determine how long the water heat accumulator should replace the inactive boiler, and only then proceed with the first stage.

How to calculate tank volume

There are 2 ways to calculate the storage tank capacity:

simplified, offered by manufacturers;
accurate, performed according to the formula for the heat capacity of water.

The duration of heating a house with a heat accumulator depends on its size.

The essence of the enlarged calculation is simple: for each kW of power of the boiler plant, a volume equal to 25 liters of water is allocated in the tank. Example: if the capacity of the heat generator is 25 kW, then the minimum capacity of the heat storage will be 25 x 25 = 625 l or 0.625 m³. Now remember how much space is allocated in the boiler room and adjust the resulting volume to the actual size of the room.

Reference. Those who want to weld a homemade heat accumulator often wonder how to calculate the volume of a round barrel. Here it is worth recalling the formula for calculating the area of a circle: S = ¼πD². Substitute the diameter of the cylindrical tank (D) into it, and multiply the result by the height of the tank.

You will get more exact dimensions heat accumulator if you use the second method. After all, a simplified calculation will not show how long the calculated amount of coolant will last under the most adverse weather conditions. The proposed methodology just dances from the indicators that you need and is based on the formula:

m = Q / 1.163 x Δt

Q is the amount of heat that needs to be stored in the battery, kWh;
m is the calculated mass of the coolant in the tank, tons;
Δt is the difference in water temperatures at the beginning and at the end of heating;
1.163 Wh/kg °C is the reference heat capacity of water.

Let's explain further with an example. Let's take a standard house of 100 m² with an average heat consumption of 10 kW, where the boiler must stand idle for 10 hours a day. Then it is necessary to accumulate 10 x 10 = 100 kWh of energy in the barrel. Initial water temperature in heating network– 20 °С, heating occurs up to 90 °С. We consider the mass of the coolant:

m = 100 / 1.163 x (90 - 20) = 1.22 tons, which is approximately equal to 1.25m³.

Please note that the heat load of 10 kW is taken approximately; in an insulated building with an area of 100 m², heat loss will be less. The second moment: so much heat is needed on the coldest days, which are 5 for the whole winter. That is, a heat accumulator for 1000 liters is enough with a large margin, and taking into account the seasonal temperature difference, you can safely keep within 750 liters.

Hence the conclusion: in the formula you need to substitute the average heat consumption for the cold period, equal to half of the maximum:

m = 50 / 1.163 x (90 - 20) = 0.61 tons or 0.65 m³.

Note. If you calculate the volume of the barrel according to the average heat consumption, in severe frosts it will not be enough for the estimated period of time (in our example, 10 hours). But save money and space in the furnace room. More information on conducting calculations is presented in.

About tank design

In order to make a heat accumulator yourself, you will have to defeat one insidious enemy - the pressure exerted by the liquid on the walls of the vessel. Do you wonder why factory tanks are made cylindrical, and the bottom with a lid is hemispherical? Yes, because such a container is able to withstand the pressure of hot water without additional reinforcement.

On the other hand, few people have the technical ability to mold metal on rollers, not to mention the drawing of semicircular parts. We offer the following solutions to the issue:

Order a round inner tank at a metalworking company, and carry out the insulation and final installation work yourself. It will still cost less than buying a factory-assembled heat accumulator.
Take a ready-made cylindrical tank and make a buffer tank on its base. Where to get such tanks, we will tell you in the next section.
Weld a rectangular heat accumulator from sheet iron and reinforce its walls.

Sectional drawing of a rectangular heat accumulator with a volume of 500 l

Advice. In a closed heating system with a solid fuel boiler, where the excess pressure can rise to 3 bar or more, it is strongly recommended to use a cylindrical heat storage.

In an open heating system with zero water pressure, a rectangular tank can be used. But do not forget about the hydrostatic pressure of the coolant on the walls, add to it the height of the water column from the tank to the expansion tank installed at the highest point. That is why it is necessary to strengthen the flat walls of a home-made heat accumulator, as shown in the drawing of a 500-liter tank.

A rectangular storage tank, properly reinforced, can also be used in a closed heating system. But in case of an emergency pressure surge due to overheating of the TT boiler, the tank will leak with a probability of 90%, although you may not notice a small crack under the insulation layer. How the non-reinforced metal of the vessel sticks out when filled with water, look at the video:

Reference. It makes no sense to weld directly onto the stiffening walls from corners, channels and other rolled metal. Practice shows that the pressure force bends corners of a small section together with the wall, and tears off large ones along the edges.

Making a powerful frame outside is impractical, too much material consumption. A compromise option is the internal spacers shown on the drawing of a home-made heat accumulator.

Drawing of a heat accumulator for 500 l - top view (cross section)

Selection of materials for the tank

You will greatly facilitate your task if you find a ready-made cylindrical tank, originally designed for a pressure of 3–6 bar. What containers can be used:

propane cylinders of various capacities;
decommissioned process tanks, for example, receivers from industrial compressors;
receivers from railway cars;
old iron boilers;
internal tanks for storage of liquid nitrogen, made of stainless steel.

It is much easier to make a reliable heat accumulator from ready-made steel vessels

Note. In extreme cases, a steel pipe of a suitable diameter will do. Flat covers can be welded to it, which will have to be reinforced with internal stretch marks.

To weld a square tank, take sheet metal 3 mm thick, no more. Make stiffeners from round pipes Ø15-20 mm or profiles 20 x 20 mm. Choose the size of the fittings according to the diameter of the boiler outlet pipes, and for lining, buy thin steel (0.3-0.5 mm) with powder coating.

A separate question is how to insulate a heat accumulator welded with your own hands. The best option- basalt wool in rolls with a density of up to 60 kg / m³ and a thickness of 60-80 mm. Polymers such as polystyrene foam or extruded polystyrene foam should not be used. The reason is that mice that love warmth and in the fall can easily settle under the lining of your storage tank. Unlike polymeric heaters, they do not gnaw basalt fiber.

Be under no illusions about extruded polystyrene foam, rodents eat it too

Now we will indicate other options for ready-made vessels that are not recommended for use in heat accumulators:

An impromptu tank from the eurocube. Similar plastic containers are designed for a maximum content temperature of 70 ° C, and we need 90 ° C.
Heat accumulator from an iron barrel. Contraindications - thin metal and flat tank covers. Than to strengthen such a barrel, it is easier to take a good steel pipe.

Assembly of a rectangular heat accumulator

We want to warn you right away: if you are mediocre in welding, then it is better to order the manufacture of the tank on the side according to your drawings. The quality and tightness of the seams is of great importance; at the slightest leak, the storage tank will leak.

First, the tank is assembled on tacks, and then boiled with a continuous seam

For a good welder, there will be no problems here, you just need to learn the order of operations:

Cut blanks from metal to size and weld the body without a bottom and a lid on tacks. To fix the sheets, use clamps and a square.
Cut holes in the side walls for stiffeners. Insert the prepared pipes inside and scald their ends from the outside.
Grab the bottom with a lid to the tank. Cut holes in them and repeat the operation with the installation of internal stretch marks.
When all opposite walls of the container are securely connected to each other, begin continuous welding of all seams.
Install supports from pipe sections at the bottom of the tank.
Insert the fittings, stepping back from the bottom and cover by less than 10 cm, as shown in the photo below.
Weld metal brackets to the walls, which will serve as brackets for fastening thermal insulation material and upholstery.

The photo shows a stretch from a wide strip, but it is better to use a pipe

Advice on mounting internal spacers. In order for the walls of the heat accumulator to effectively resist bending and not break off by welding, extend the ends of the braces outward by 50 mm. Then additionally weld stiffeners to them from a steel sheet or strip. ABOUT appearance do not worry, the ends of the pipes will then hide under the lining.

Steel brackets (clips) are welded to the body for fixing insulation and cladding

A few words about how to insulate the heat accumulator. First, check it for leaks by filling it with water or smearing all the seams with kerosene. Thermal insulation is quite simple:

clean and degrease all surfaces, apply a primer and paint to them in order to protect against corrosion;
wrap the tank with insulation without squeezing it, and then secure it with a cord;
cut the facing metal, make holes in it for the pipes;
fasten the casing to the brackets with self-tapping screws.

Screw the cladding sheets so that they are interconnected with fasteners. This completes the manufacture of a home-made heat accumulator for an open heating system.

Installation and connection of the tank to heating

If the volume of your heat accumulator exceeds 500 liters, then it is undesirable to put it on a concrete floor, it is better to arrange a separate foundation. To do this, dismantle the screed and dig a hole to a dense layer of soil. Then fill it with broken stone (but), compact and fill with liquid clay. From above, pour a reinforced concrete slab 150 mm thick in a wooden formwork.

Scheme of the foundation device for the battery tank

The correct operation of the heat accumulator is based on the horizontal movement of hot and cooled flow inside the tank when the battery is "charged", and the vertical flow of water during the "discharge". To organize such battery operation, you need to perform the following activities:

the solid fuel or other boiler circuit is connected to the water storage tank through circulation pump;
the heating system is supplied with a coolant using a separate pump and a mixing unit with a three-way valve that allows you to take the required amount of water from the battery;
the pump installed in the boiler circuit should not be inferior in performance to the unit supplying the coolant to the heating appliances.

Tank piping scheme - heat accumulator

The standard connection diagram for a heat storage tank with a TT boiler is shown in the figure above. The balancing valve on the return is used to regulate the flow of the coolant according to the temperature of the water at the inlet and outlet of the tank. Our expert Vladimir Sukhorukov will tell you how to properly strap and set up in his video:

Reference. If you live in the capital of the Russian Federation or the Moscow region, then on the issue of connecting any heat accumulators, you can consult personally with Vladimir using the contact details on his official website.

Budget accumulating tank from cylinders

For those homeowners who have a very limited boiler room area, we suggest making a cylindrical heat accumulator from propane cylinders.

Homemade heat storage paired with a TT boiler

The 100 l design, developed by our other master -, is designed to perform 3 functions:

unload the solid fuel boiler in case of overheating, absorbing excess heat;
heat water for household needs;
provide heating of the house for 1-2 hours in case of attenuation of the TT-boiler.

Note. The battery life of the heat accumulator is short due to its small volume. But it will fit in any furnace room and will be able to remove heat from the boiler after a power outage, since it is connected directly, without a pump.

It looks like an unlined tank made of cylinders

To assemble the storage tank you will need:

2 standard propane tanks;
at least 10 m of copper tube Ø12 mm or stainless corrugation of the same diameter;
fittings and sleeves for thermometers;
insulation - basalt wool;
painted metal for sheathing.

From the cylinders, you need to unscrew the valves and cut off the covers with a grinder, filling them with water to prevent the explosion of gas residues. We carefully bend the copper tube into a coil around another pipe of a suitable diameter. Then we proceed like this:

Using the presented drawing, drill holes in the future heat accumulator for pipes and thermometer sleeves.
Fasten by welding inside the cylinders several metal brackets for mounting the DHW heat exchanger.
Put the cylinders one on top of the other and weld together.
Install a coil inside the resulting tank, releasing the ends of the tube through the holes. Use gland packing to seal these places.
Attach the bottom and lid.
Insert an air outlet into the lid, and a drain valve into the bottom.
Weld the brackets for attaching the skin. Make them different lengths so that the finished product has rectangular shape. It will be inconvenient to bend the lining in a semicircle, and it will not be aesthetically pleasing.
Insulate the tank and screw the casing with self-tapping screws.

Docking a tank with a TT boiler without a circulation pump

The design feature of this heat accumulator is that it is connected to a solid fuel boiler directly, without a circulation pump. Therefore, for docking, steel pipesØ50 mm, laid with a slope, the coolant circulates by gravity. To supply water to heating radiators, a pump + three-way mixing valve is installed after the buffer tank.

Conclusion

On many Internet resources there is a statement that making a heat accumulator with your own hands is a trifling matter. If you study our material, you will understand that such statements are far from reality, in fact, the issue is quite complex and serious. You can’t just take a barrel and attach it to a solid fuel boiler. Hence the advice: think carefully about all the nuances before starting work. And without the qualification of a welder, it is not worth taking on a buffer tank, it is better to order it in a specialized workshop.

When designing a heating system, the main goals are comfort and reliability. The house should be warm and comfortable, and for this, hot coolant must always flow into the radiators without delays and temperature fluctuations.

With a solid fuel boiler, this is difficult to implement, because it is not always possible to fill a new portion of firewood or coal on time, and the combustion process itself is uneven. A heat accumulator for heating boilers will help to correct the situation.

With a simple design and principle of operation, it is able to get rid of a number of inconveniences and shortcomings of the classical heating scheme.

Why do you need

The heat accumulator is a well-insulated large-capacity tank filled with a coolant, water. Due to the high heat capacity of water, when the entire volume is heated, a significant supply of thermal power is accumulated in the tank, which can be used for its intended purpose at a time when the boiler cannot cope or is completely inactive.

The heat accumulator actually increases the volume of the coolant in the heating circuit, the heat capacity and, accordingly, the inertia of the entire system. It will take more energy and time to heat the entire volume with a limited heating power, but it will also take a very long time to cool the battery. If necessary, hot water from the accumulator can be supplied to the heating circuit and maintain comfortable temperature in the house.

To appreciate the benefits of a heat storage, it is easiest to consider a few situations to begin with:

A solid fuel boiler only periodically heats the water. At the moment of ignition, the power is minimal, during active combustion, the power increases to a maximum, after the bookmark burns out, it decreases again and so the cycle repeats. As a result, the water temperature in the circuit constantly fluctuates in a fairly large range;
To obtain hot water, an additional heat exchanger or an external boiler with indirect heating, which significantly affects the operation of the heating circuit;
It is extremely difficult to connect additional heat sources to a heating system built around a solid fuel boiler. A complex interchange will be required, preferably with automatic control;
Solid fuel boiler, even long-term burning, constantly requires the attention of the user. It is worth skipping the time for laying a new portion of fuel, as the coolant in the heating circuit is already starting to cool down, like the whole house;
Often the maximum power of the boiler is excessive, especially in spring and summer, when maximum output is not required.

The solution for all of the above situations is a heat accumulator, moreover, uncompromising and the most affordable in terms of implementation and cost. It acts as a decoupling point between the solid fuel boiler and the heating circuit(s) and an excellent base platform for enabling additional functions.

By design, the heat accumulator can be:

"empty" - a simple insulated container with a direct connection;
with a coil or register of pipes as a heat exchanger;
with built-in boiler tank.

With a full body kit, the heat accumulator is capable of:

Calculation

The power accumulated by a heat accumulator (TA) is calculated based on the volume of the container, more precisely, the mass of the liquid in it, the specific heat of the liquid used to fill it, and the temperature difference, the maximum to which the liquid can be heated, and the minimum target, at which it can still be carried out. heat intake from the heat accumulator to the heating circuit.

Q \u003d m * C * (T2-T1);
m is the mass, kg;
С – specific heat capacity W/kg*K;
(T2-T1) - temperature delta, final and initial.

If the water in the boiler and, accordingly, in the TA is heated to 90ºС, and the lower threshold is taken equal to 50ºС, then the delta is equal to 40ºС. If we take water as filling TA, then one ton of water, when cooled by 40ºС, releases approximately 46 kWh of heat.

The stored energy should be enough for the intended use of the heat accumulator.

To select the required volume of the heat accumulator, it is necessary to determine:

The time during which the accumulated energy in the TA should be enough to cover the heat loss of the house;
The time during which the coolant in the heat exchanger should be heated;
The power of the main heat source.

For periodic operation of the boiler during the day

If it is needed to transfer the operation of the boiler only to night or day mode, when heat is supplied for a limited time, then the power of the TA should be enough to cover the heat loss of the house for the remaining time. At the same time, the power of the boiler should be enough to heat the TA within the prescribed period and, again, to heat the house.

Assume that a solid fuel boiler is used with firewood only during the day for 10 hours, the estimated heat loss of the house for the coldest period of the year is 5 kW. It takes 120 kWh per day for full heating.

In this case, the battery is used for 14 hours, which means that it is necessary to accumulate 5 kW * 14 hours = 70 kW * hours of heat in it. If we take water as a heat carrier, then 1.75 tons or a TA volume of 1.75 m3 will be required. It is important that the boiler must also give out all the necessary heat within just 10 hours, that is, its power must be more than 120/10 \u003d 12 kW.

If the heat accumulator is used as a backup option in case the boiler fails, then the stored energy should be enough for at least a day or two to cover all the heat losses in the house. If we take the same house of 100 m2 as an example, then it will take 240 kWh for two days to heat it, and a heat accumulator filled with water should have a volume of at least 5.3 m3.

But in this case, it is not necessary for the TA to heat up in a short period of time. A one and a half margin of boiler power is enough to accumulate the required amount of heat in a week or two.

The calculation is approximate, without taking into account the decrease in the heat output of radiators depending on the temperature of the coolant and the air in the room.

In the simplest case, the heat accumulator is connected in series between the boiler and the heating circuit. A circulation pump is installed between the heater and the boiler so that hot water enters the upper part of the heater, pushing cold water from the bottom into the boiler. Between the TA and the heating circuit, a circulation pump is installed to draw hot water from the upper part and transport it to the radiators.

However, this significantly increases the total heat capacity of the system, and at the initial start of heating, you will have to wait until the entire volume of the HA is heated before the heat reaches the radiators.

Another option for switching on is parallel to the heating boiler. This option shows itself well in combination with a gravitational heating system. The upper outlet of the heat accumulator is connected to the highest point of the dispenser, and at the lower point - to the boiler.

The disadvantages are the same as in the first case, heating occurs in the entire volume of the coolant in the system and in the TA, which significantly increases the time to start heating.

Of the advantages, only ease of connection and a minimum of elements used.

Switching circuit with mixing

The best thing use a switching circuit with mixing or hydraulic decoupling. Three-way valves with a thermostat are used. In this case, the heat accumulator is installed as a separate element of the system, parallel to the heating circuit.

The main part of the automation is installed on the supply pipeline: a three-way valve, thermostats, a safety group, etc. By default, a three-way valve directs the coolant from the boiler to the radiators until the room temperature reaches the required level.

As soon as there is no need for active heating, the valve transfers part of the coolant from the boiler to the heat accumulator, discharging excess heat.

When the maximum water temperature in the TA and the target temperature in the radiators are reached, the overheating sensor installed in the boiler is activated and it turns off. While heating is required or the heat accumulator is not warmed up, the operation of the boiler continues.

If, for some reason, the boiler stopped producing rated power or turned off completely when the temperature on the supply line dropped, water from the heat accumulator is mixed into the heating circuit, replenishing the heat loss of the system.

You can use several three-way valves on the distribution and on the return and a group of thermostats. As an option, ready-made assemblies for connecting heat accumulators are available for sale - an automatic mixing unit, for example LADDOMAT.

DIY

With a strong desire, you can build a storage tank with your own hands. Ideally, she should:

with a margin to withstand the nominal pressure in the system;
have an estimated volume;
be protected from corrosion and high temperatures;
be completely sealed.

For manufacturing, take sheet steel, preferably stainless steel with a thickness of at least 3 mm, taking into account the total load and pressure.

The standard form of TA is a tall cylinder with a semicircular base and lid. The ratio of diameter and height is selected approximately 1 to 3-4 in order to promote better heat separation inside the container.

In this case, hot water is taken from the highest point to the radiators. Slightly above the center, the water is diverted to the underfloor heating circuit, and at the lowest point of the TA, a return line is connected to the heating boiler.

It is almost impossible to weld a cylindrical container on your own. It is easier to build a box with a similar configuration and aspect ratio. All corners should be further strengthened.

The container must be insulated. It is better to use basalt or mineral wool not less than 150 mm thick, to reduce heat loss through the walls.

To install a heat accumulator, prepare a special support platform, foundation, capable of withstanding the enormous weight of the equipment. Even the battery itself can weigh up to 400-500 kg. If its volume, for example, is 3 cubic meters, then when filled, its weight will exceed 3.5 tons.

Russian production

There are not so many domestically produced heat accumulators on the Russian market, since only recently they began to be actively introduced into autonomous heating systems.

Model	Additional options	volume, m3	Working pressure, bar	Maximum temperature, ºС	Approximate cost, rub
Sibenergo-term	—	0.5	6	90	28500
PROFBAK	DHW circuit	0.5	3	90	56000
HydroNova-HA750	Electric heater	0.75	3	95	58000
ELECTROTHERM ET 1000 A	DHW circuit, additional heat exchanger	1.0	6	95	225000