Gas heating in a private house: general principles of the device and many useful tips

Heating with liquefied gas

Propane-butane is a liquefied gas, which is filled with cars with a gas engine and the well-known "country" red gas cylinders. It gives the best combination of price and comfort after natural gas.

For autonomous heating of a private house with gas, it is necessary to install an underground gas tank on the site. One gas tank holds several thousand liters of liquefied gas. This volume is enough to heat the house for many months. When the gas tank is empty (this happens once or twice a year), it will be replenished by special filling trucks.

Low price. Propane-butane costs one and a half to two times cheaper than electricity or diesel fuel: per kWh versus electricity and diesel fuel.

In practice, this means the difference between - how much it costs to heat 100 square meters with liquefied gas for a year - and - a much more significant amount that would be required to pay out if using diesel fuel.

Convenience. Like natural gas or electricity, propane-butane is supplied to the heating system without human intervention. This is not firewood or coal, which you need to throw up several times a day. Liquefied gas does not require regular loading and constant supervision. The gas tank needs refueling once or twice a year, and this is done by a specialist, not a homeowner. It may be necessary to clear the snow in winter so that a filling truck can drive up to the site. This is the worst thing that can happen.

Doesn't take up space. The gas tank is located underground. You can walk on it, herbaceous plants and even bushes can grow above it. During operation, the gas heating system does not emit a noticeable odor. There is no comparison with firewood, coal, pellets or diesel fuel, the storage of which will take up space on the site or in the house.

Comparing all the pros and cons

Among the advantages of gas tank heating are:

1. Complete autonomy of the heating system (as long as there is gas).
2. Long service life of the gas tank - 30 years is not the limit.
3. Environmental friendliness and lack of burning with soot.
4. A minimum of time for installation and connection (a couple of days for turnkey work is enough for experienced installers in abundance).
5. Lack of approvals and the need to wait for connection to the gas main.
6. Safety when used correctly.
7. Quiet operation of gas equipment.

Compared to diesel fuel and electricity, heating a private house with gas from a gas tank is more economical. And LPG wins greatly over coal and firewood in terms of environmental friendliness.

Under no circumstances should you buy a used gas tank. The metal of the tank located in the ground gradually corrodes, no one will give a guarantee against gas leakage from an already used tank

Gas tanks are tested at the factory at pressures up to 25 atm. At the same time, safety valves are installed on them, designed to operate at 15–16 atm. And liquefied gas inside the gas tank creates a pressure of only 4–6 atm.

The equipment in question is completely safe to break. It is only necessary to ensure that propane and butane do not leak through the valves and do not accumulate nearby until a dangerous concentration is formed.

The disadvantages of heating with a gas tank are as follows:

1. High initial cost.
2. The presence of a potentially explosive zone on a personal plot near the house.
3. A sharp "gas" smell when filling the tank.
4. The need to pump out the tank and dispose of the unevaporated condensate at least once a year.
5. The risk of obtaining low-quality gas when contacting an unverified supplier.
6. Due to the low prevalence of gas tanks, there is a lack of competent installers and specialists in all regions of Russia for the proper maintenance of this equipment.
7. The susceptibility of the LPG tank to corrosion due to the impact on the metal of condensate inside and groundwater outside.

Another important point - for a house of 200 m2, you will need a horizontal cylindrical gas tank with a volume of about 3000 liters.Under it, you will need to take a plot of 2x3 meters in size. Plus, next to it, you still need free space for a car with LPG for the time of refueling the tank.

If there are only 3–4 acres of adjacent territory near the cottage, then it will be difficult to allocate even a small piece of land for them for gas equipment.

If you fill the gas tank with a propane-butane mixture of poor quality, then its service life will be greatly reduced. Buy LPG only from trusted suppliers

In order for the gas tank to serve as long as possible, it is recommended to equip it with active or passive electrochemical protection. Such systems slow down corrosion and fully justify the cost of them.

Documentation and design

The owner, who organizes an autonomous gas supply of a country house, often has a question - is it necessary to register a gas tank installed on an individual site in state organizations.

In accordance with the Federal Norms and Rules (clause 215), the following pressure vessels are not subject to registration:

1. Gas carrier tanks designed to move liquid gas.
2. Automobile cylinders with gas.
3. Other containers, the volume of which does not exceed 100 liters.

If the owner concludes an agreement with an organization that has the right to install, service equipment with an appropriate license, its authorized representatives deal with registration issues, and all that a homeowner needs to know about LPG is to conclude an agreement.

When drawing up a contract, one should take into account the list of obligations that the contractor accepts, there are usually items there:

• Submission of an application by the contractor to the supervisory authorities indicating the data on the company, the location of the gas tank and the features of its operation, if any.
• Submission of an act to the regulatory authority on the readiness of the gas supply system for operation and a copy of the order to put it into operation.
• Submission of information about the tank indicating its technical characteristics, the gas mixture used, the date of the last check.

Rice. 5 The cost of installing gas tanks - an example

Autonomous gasification system does not require complex design solutions and is quite easy to install, when placing an underground reservoir up to 10 cubic meters. the following standards must be observed (SNiP 42-01-2002):

1. Distance from public buildings - at least 15 m, from residential - 10 m.
2. From garages and playgrounds - 10 m.
3. From sewerage, thermal routes, communications and ground structures, underground wells, trees - 5 m.
4. From the water supply and channelless communications, fences - 2 m.
5. If there is a power line near the power line - at least half the height of the support.

When designing, the convenience of access roads, the volume of gas tanks, soil features (electrochemical activity, magnitude of stray currents) are taken into account, based on the information obtained, the type of protection of the tank is selected.

Automation of the heating process

Even if heat losses in a building are kept to a minimum, gas for heating will be wasted if its supply to the burners is not regulated depending on external factors. These factors include the temperature of the external air and the temperature inside the heated premises.

Modern gas heating systems in their composition must necessarily have devices for regulating the supply of fuel - automation of the boiler. Such a system includes air temperature sensors outside and inside the house. When the outside temperature changes, these devices send a signal to the control system, and the flow in the gas boiler will be increased or decreased.

Heat pump

A heat pump is one of the most economical heating methods. It is powered by the mains and converts natural energy into heat to heat the house. Depending on the type, the pump can be the only source of heat in the house and fully provide heating without gas, or it can work in addition to the boiler.

• Ground source heat pumps are a complete alternative to gas boilers. They work equally efficiently regardless of the outside temperature and fully provide the building with heat. Their disadvantages are: high initial cost, payback over 10 years and the necessary availability of a large plot of land in order to bury a soil collector.
• Air source heat pumps are cheaper and easier to install. They can also replace gas heating, but at zero degrees and sub-zero temperatures, their efficiency drops dramatically. Heating becomes economically unprofitable. Therefore, it is best to use “air vents” in tandem with a boiler: in spring and autumn, when it is warm outside, the pump mainly works, and in winter and during frosts, a gas boiler is connected to work.

In addition to the heat pump, you can connect a two-tariff electricity meter, which will allow you to reduce heating costs by another 30-50%.

What can be gas heating

Two types of gas can be used for heating - main and liquefied.Main gas under a certain pressure is supplied through pipes to consumers. It is a single centralized system. Liquefied gas can be supplied in cylinders of different capacities, but usually in 50 liters. It is also poured into gas holders - special sealed containers for storing this type of fuel.

An approximate picture of the cost of heating by different types of fuel

Cheaper heating - using mains gas (not counting the connection), the use of liquefied gas is only slightly cheaper than the use of liquid fuels. These are general statistics, but specifically it is necessary to count for each region - prices differ significantly.

Water heating

Traditionally, in private houses they make a water heating system. It consists of:

• a heat source - in this case - a gas boiler;
• heating radiators;
• pipes - connecting the boiler and radiators;

• coolant - water or non-freezing liquid that moves through the system, transferring heat from the boiler.

This is the most general description of the water gas heating system of a private house, because there are still many additional elements that ensure operability and safety. But schematically, these are the main components. In these systems, heating boilers can be on natural or liquefied gas. Some models of floor boilers can work with these two types of fuel, and there are those that do not even require a burner replacement.

Air (convector) heating

In addition, liquefied gas can also be used as fuel for special convectors. In this case, the premises are heated with heated air, respectively, heating - air. Not so long ago, convectors appeared on the market that can operate on liquefied gas.They require reconfiguration, but can work on this type of fuel.

Gas convectors are good if you need to quickly raise the temperature in the room. They start heating the room immediately after turning on, but they also quickly stop heating - as soon as they turn off. Another disadvantage is that they dry the air and burn out oxygen. Therefore, good ventilation is required in the room, but there is no need to install radiators and build a pipeline. So this option has its advantages.

Benefits of gas heating

Gas heating of a private house is ahead of other heating systems in terms of:

• Price. Complete combustion of fuel contributes to the high efficiency of the use of this energy carrier. In some boilers, the energy released by the condensation of exhaust gases is used, which increases the efficiency up to 109%.
• Compactness. Modern gas boilers resemble hanging furniture. They can be placed in the kitchen or in a small room. At the same time, the volume of the room is not lost, the interior is not overloaded with the type of equipment. There is no need to allocate space for storing firewood, coal or diesel fuel.

• Safety. Control over the operation of the system and the removal of burnt gases are carried out by automatic devices. At the slightest deviation from the norm, the blocking of the flow of fuel into the combustion chamber is triggered.
• Economic consumption. Due to rising energy prices, boiler manufacturers are developing and constantly improving models that consume little, but produce a large amount of heat energy.
• Possibility to regulate the temperature of the coolant. As a result, resources are saved, comfortable conditions are created in each room.

Double-circuit gas boilers simultaneously heat the house and supply residents with hot water. In the conditions of a country economy, this function is important.

Peculiarities

Gas heating is an object of increased explosion and fire hazard, therefore, special services deal with all issues of connection and maintenance.

Before connecting the house to the gas main, they draw up a project for laying the line inside the premises, and a power supply scheme for the devices. Documents are coordinated and approved by Gostekhnadzor.

The room where the gas boiler is installed is provided with good ventilation. For some models, a chimney is equipped, and a separate exit is arranged in the boiler room.

Boiler room in a private house

Boilers with forced emission of exhaust gases are connected to the power supply system. So that the equipment does not fail with a sharp jump in pressure in the line, automation is installed for adaptation.

What can be gas heating

The heating system in a private house includes:

• heat source;
• heat pipelines;
• heating appliances.

The coolant that distributes energy from the source can circulate naturally or be forced by pumps. Sensors, valves, pumps and other automation are built into the system to maintain the basic parameters of the specified operating mode and remove burnt gases.

According to the type of heat carrier, water and air heating are distinguished.

Basic rules for heating a house with gas cylinders.

In order to correctly calculate how much a gas boiler will consume gas from cylinders, it is necessary to know the area of ​​\u200b\u200bthe heated room and the heat loss of the room. Windows should be insulated to reduce heat loss. insulate the walls. roofs and foundations.Without these data, any calculations are not relevant. For example, for heating a standard brick house with an area of ​​​​about 50 square meters, about 2-4 cylinders of 5 liters per month are needed.

Basic rules for the use of gas cylinders when heating a house with gas cylinders:

1. For replacement and inspection of cylinders, free access must be provided to them.
2. Gas cylinders must not be installed lying down, and they must not be allowed to fall.
3. The distance from the electrical appliance (electric switch) or gas stove to the cylinders must be at least one meter.
4. It is forbidden to conduct gas (including placing gas cylinders) in the basement or basement.

Important! For safety reasons, gas cylinders are filled to a maximum of 85%. This is due to the fact that in the case of heating, the gas expands and the pressure in the interior of the cylinders increases, which can lead to an explosion. It is strictly forbidden that direct sunlight falls on gas cylinders, and cylinders must not be stored in hot rooms (for example, a bathhouse)

It is strictly forbidden that direct sunlight falls on gas cylinders, and cylinders should not be stored in hot rooms (for example, a bathhouse).

Gas cylinders can be filled with three types of gases:

• Technical butane is marked - B;
• A mixture of propane and technical summer butane is marked - SPBTL;
• A mixture of propane and winter technical butane - SPBTZ.

Heating the house with gas cylinders, it is desirable to use a mixture of propane and winter technical butane.

The advantages of a gas boiler on bottled gas include the following factors:

• Environmental friendliness - environmentally friendly fuel is used,
• Autonomy (compared to solid fuel boilers),
• Convenience and ease of use.

At the same time, this type of heating has a significant drawback - the cost of bottled gas.

It must be remembered that a gas boiler will not only be able to heat your house, but will provide you with hot water, in this case it is necessary to install a double-circuit gas boiler.

Important! Installation of all gas equipment must be carried out by highly qualified specialists with appropriate permits and licenses. The use of gas cylinders is an effective way of heating. Using gas cylinders is an effective way to heat

Using gas cylinders is an effective way to heat

Any method can be used to effectively heat a private house. Practice shows that natural gas is the most efficient fuel. If the highway does not pass to the villages, then it is always possible to heat the house with gas cylinders, reviews of which speak of their efficiency and availability.

Before direct installation of this type of heating, you should consult with professionals. They will help you choose the appropriate option based on the specific case. A consultation of this kind will provide not only theoretical knowledge, but will also allow you to organize efficient heating of a private house.

Use of other economical sources

Saving gas supply in heating is also possible by connecting alternative heating methods. These include:

• underfloor heating in rooms, bathrooms and shower rooms, which allow for more efficient energy recovery from the coolant;
• the use of a foundation based on an insulated Swedish plate.The method is effective for small, one-story buildings;
• heat pumps. Installing them is currently not cheap, but they quickly bring economic benefits. The principle of operation is based on the use of the heat of the earth's interior;
• solar heating, allows you to save up to 20% of costs even in winter. The effectiveness of this method depends on the number of sunny days per year.

Installation of an autonomous gas pipeline

If the owner of the site wants to reduce the cost of installing an autonomous gas pipeline, he can dig a pit for a gas tank on his own. But this must be done in strict accordance with the project. It is better to entrust all other work to specialists so that everything is done in full compliance with safety requirements.

When installing an autonomous gas system, external pipe laying should be used; only permanent connections are used to connect individual sections

All gas pipes should only be laid openly, they should not be hidden under a screed, false panels or other decorative elements. Carefully consider the layout of pipes for liquefied gas.

It is not allowed to carry out such communications in transit through living quarters, through a kitchen or other utility rooms in which appliances that operate on liquefied gas are already installed (or will be installed).

The process of installing a gas tank in a pit includes a number of traditional steps:

Another categorical prohibition associated with the installation of gas pipes is detachable connections. Of course, connectors are needed at the beginning of the network, i.e. where the network is connected to cylinders or a gas tank. And at the end, when connecting the pipe to the boiler or column, it is also necessary to put a connector.

But along the entire length of the autonomous gas pipeline, the connections must be made only one-piece. The part of the gas pipeline that is laid outside needs to be taken care of additionally.

The entire external network should be carefully insulated using special materials that are resistant to fire. In addition, it is necessary to ensure the removal of condensate, this will reduce the likelihood of pipe corrosion.

To reduce the cost of installing an autonomous gas pipeline, you can dig a pit for an underground gas tank yourself, but you must follow the project documentation

The gas boiler must be installed in a separate room - the arrangement of the boiler room will be required. Its volume must be at least 15 cubic meters. m. In the room it is necessary to make a window, the opening area of ​​\u200b\u200bwhich is at least half a cubic meter.

Such a hole in the outer wall will create an outlet for the blast wave in the event of an accident. If the gas explodes in a room with blank walls, the entire building can be seriously damaged.

At the entrance to the boiler room, you should put a door that opens outward. Another point that should not be neglected is the ventilation of the boiler room. The supply of fresh air must be constant to ensure combustion of the gas.

Sufficiently good air exchange must be ensured so that the gas does not concentrate in a room with an open fire in case of accidental leakage.

The gas boiler should be installed in a separate room with a window and a door that opens outwards. Finishing is carried out using fire-resistant materials

Ventilation will also prevent poisoning by combustion products if there are problems with the chimney.If it is not possible to allocate a separate room for the boiler, it is allowed to install some models in the basement or on the basement floor.

But in this case, it is imperative to install a system in the room with the boiler to control the level of hazardous gases in the air.

Mounting autonomous gasification works gas tank usually take two or three days. But after their completion, a number of documents should be drawn up and some coordination should be carried out. The tightness test of the finished system should be carried out under the supervision of specialists from the regional gas organization and Rostekhnadzor.

Before backfilling the underground gas tank with sand, it is necessary to wait after its installation for about two to three weeks

After checking, the gas tank is covered with sand, after which you need to wait about three weeks before filling the tank with liquefied gas for the first time. Completion of work must be formalized by an official act of acceptance and transfer. At the same time, they usually conclude a service agreement.

Sometimes it is more convenient to invite different contractors to install the external and internal gas pipeline. In this case, experts recommend delimiting responsibility between the performers and formalizing this moment as a separate act. It also does not hurt to take care of civil liability insurance.

LPG consumption

To understand how efficient and expedient it is to heat a house with the help of LPG, let's calculate the flow bottled gas for houses with an area of ​​100 sq.m. In such a house, according to thermal calculations, it is recommended to install a boiler with a capacity of 10 kW.To obtain 1 kW of heat, the boiler consumes an average of 0.12 kg / hour of gas. Gas consumption per heating of the entire area will be 1.2 kg/hour, and 28.8 kg per day. If we take into account that a standard 50 l cylinder contains about 22 kg of gas, then the weekly consumption will be about 9 cylinders, and this is absolutely impractical.

Gas cylinders with a volume of 50 liters

But in this mode, the boiler only works to heat the heating system. The rest of the time, a properly adjusted boiler consumes 3-4 times less gas, i.e. about 8-9 kg of gas per day or approximately half of the cylinder. A week for heating a well-insulated house of 100 square meters. m will need about 3 cylinders of gas. At the same time, the temperature inside the room will be maintained at +22 degrees (at -18-20 degrees outside).

You can increase the efficiency of heating through the use of automation.

Note! A decrease in temperature at night by 6-7 degrees leads to a decrease in gas consumption by 25-30%. This means that about 2 cylinders will be needed per week to provide such a system with liquefied gas.

This means that about 2 cylinders will be needed per week to provide such a system with liquefied gas.

In the case of heating a country house, during the absence of the owners, you can set the temperature regime to + 5 + 7 degrees (only to maintain the heating system in working order). Then the gas consumption per week will generally decrease to 1 cylinder.

With an increase in the heating area, the required number of cylinders is calculated in a proportional ratio.

Theoretical part

Heating is carried out using gas:

• butane;
• propane.

The gas is liquefied, bottled and supplied in this state to industries and the private sector.

Since in the gaseous state of aggregation, the gas occupies a large volume with a small amount, as a result of its treatment with high pressure, it passes into a liquid state. This allows you to pump gas into the cylinders of a larger volume.

The cylinder is connected to the heating boiler through a reducer (a device for reducing the pressure in the system).

Reducer to connect

The gas leaving the cylinder passes through the reducer and, as a result of a rapid decrease in pressure, returns to its original (gaseous) state of aggregation. In the boiler, it is burned, releasing a large amount of heat.

Advantages of gas-balloon heating at home

• Fuel: clean (environmentally) and meets all regulations and standards.
• Autonomy.
• Relative stability: the pressure in the pipes does not jump and does not change.
• Simple operation and ease of management.
• Fuel consumption is minimal.

During the construction of a new and reconstruction of an old building, it is necessary to carefully consider the heating of the dacha with gas cylinders, which has become even more popular in recent years.

In addition, from the heating system to gas cylinders can supply your suburban real estate with hot water.

Gas heating of a country house is used in cases where it is not possible to connect the cottage to the main gas pipeline.

Heating with gas cylinders has a high efficiency, since liquefied (natural) gas very quickly, almost instantly, passes from one state of aggregation to another (from liquid to gas).

LPG boiler

Such heating of a country house with gas cylinders is truly autonomous, since natural gas cylinders can even be brought to the forester's hut and heating from a gas cylinder can be organized there.

Individual heating of a country house with bottled gas makes it possible:

• warm up interior spaces and rooms;
• use the water heated by the system for your immediate needs (through a heat exchanger).

Today, many people prefer to use propane-butane in cylinders. It is the most sought after, as it has more advantages.

Such as:

• availability;
• high calorific value;
• safety;
• ease of operation;
• equipment durability;
• the possibility of replacing the burner with a variant for natural gas;
• work in automatic mode.

Thanks to these advantages, suburban property owners have:

• reliable;
• cost-effective;
• continuous heating of the house from a gas cylinder.

A big plus makes it possible to turn on autonomous heating of the house on gas cylinders with liquefied gas at any time. And then, when the house is still under construction and when the house has been built for a long time and you have already completely settled down in it.

Heating with gas cylinders is also possible when it has become unacceptable economically or aesthetically to use other types of heating. For example: diesel fuel (more expensive every day); firewood (soot, smoke).

Connecting multiple cylinders

When you use gas cylinder heating, you should listen to all the recommendations and advice of craftsmen and people who have been using bottled gas heating for more than a year (see Gas heating in a wooden house: implementation options and safety precautions)

In many stores you can buy a burner designed to work from liquefied gas cylinders.

There are many options to choose from, but it is best to choose a burner with a capacity of approximately 10-20 kW, depending on the total volume of heated rooms.

A liquefied gas cylinder is connected to the purchased burner through a special gearbox (purchased separately), which should consume from 1.8 cubic meters per hour to 2 cubic meters per hour (the usual one uses 0.8).

If you use a burner that is designed to work from main gas, it will be necessary to adjust the valve for proportional gas supply, since the pressure in the line is an order of magnitude lower and the hole in the valve is larger.

For each burner that is rated for heating the house with balloon gas attached instructions in which you will find a description of this adjustment.

You can, of course, apply old gas stove, Soviet-style (for economy), but it will also have to replace the jet (see photo)

Gas stove jets

on the other (with a smaller hole).

You can find all methods, methods and instructions on how to do this in articles and forums on the Internet or watch a video about reinstalling jets.