Independently install the air heating system-a feasible task. Of course, to solve it, you will have to spend both time and money. But all expenses are recouped by the funds saved on the work of employees of specialized organizations.
Components of the air heating system
We developed the project of air heating of the house on the basis of the ANTARES Comfort air heater. This made it possible to use ready-made components that are manufactured for ventilation systems.
Flexible insulated air ducts with noise suppression were purchased on the construction market. They also bought mounting tape, aluminum tape, foiled polyurethane foam, metal profiles, sealant, self-tapping screws and stapler staples.
The feeding units, which have a complex design, had to be ordered at the factory that manufactures the air ducts. In the same production, there were also standard products: throttle valves, tie-ins, etc.
The main air duct is most often made of galvanized steel and pasted with foil insulation with a thickness of 3-5 mm. But it is expensive. As a result, wanting to save money, we decided to make a supply main air duct from rolled foamed foiled polyethylene with a thickness of 10 mm.
Supply air ducts
Usually, the main transport for air is first installed, and then smaller air ducts are already bred from it. In our case, this sequence was broken due to the need to provide a front for the finishers. Therefore, first of all, they installed air ducts in the rooms.
In the air heating system based on the ANTARES Comfort air heater, the terminal supply air ducts are flexible, and it is very easy to work with them. The entire wiring of the rooms, taking into account the cutting of holes in the ceiling to supply air to the attic, took one day.
As a rule, flexible air ducts are connected to rigid ones with the help of aluminum tape. For this purpose, its reinforced modification is better suited. You can also use metal or plastic clamps.
In a flexible duct with noise reduction, the outer sleeve is sealed, and the inner sleeve is power, which has a special microperforation to absorb sound. Therefore, when installing, it is necessary to pay attention to both layers.
It must be remembered that the internal air duct must be in a taut state, otherwise the resistance to the air flow increases sharply. It is for this reason that flexible air ducts are not used in low-pressure air heating systems of such companies as Goodman, Lennox (USA) and others.
In the ANTARES Comfort air heater, a different type of fan is used — with pressure-dynamic characteristics that allow you to use a large number of flexible air ducts, which greatly simplifies the design and installation of air heating systems. These fans are one of the developments of the German company EBM Papst. Their only drawback is the high price.
Main air duct
After the flexible end air ducts were installed, the production of a rectangular main supply air duct was started. It was made, as already mentioned, from rolled foamed foiled polyethylene with a thickness of 10 mm.
In the main supply duct, in accordance with the standards for residential premises, the air velocity should not exceed 3 m/s. This is due to the fact that at higher speeds, noise from turbulence in the air flow may appear. This means that the air duct can have a cross-section of 250×400 mm or 200×450 mm (if round, then ∅315 mm). The air supply to the rooms on the ground floor is carried out from the ceiling, and in the attic — from the floor or from the walls.
Production of the main air duct. Photo 1. Hole for installing the tie-in. Photo 2. Fixing the tie-in with aluminum tape. Photo 3. Mounting of the H-profile for connecting parts of the air duct. Photo 4. Applying the sealant to the H-profile before final assembly
At the end of the main air duct, it is desirable to have a section of approximately 50 cm long without tapping thin air ducts. This will create a more uniform pressure in the main line along the entire length and, accordingly, supply approximately the same volumes of air to the side branches (with the same cross sections).
Photo 5. Finished parts of the main air duct. Photo 6. This is how the main air duct looks from the inside.
Since foamed polyethylene is easy to cut, the installation of metal adapters from the main air duct to the side ones is not a problem. With a knife, cut out a round hole, insert the adapter and fasten it with aluminum tape and silicone sealant. For reinforcement, you can, of course, use self-tapping screws, but the tape, supplemented with a sealant, holds very firmly. Therefore, self-tapping screws are needed only for complacency. To connect the parts of the air duct, corner elements and H-profiles for vinyl lining were used.
Installing the air heater
Installation of the air heater itself is also not difficult. For all additional equipment (electronic air filter, humidifier, air conditioner and UV air sterilizer), the air heater has seating holes and a mounting system. Therefore, the assembly of the entire complex” by air ” takes 20-30 minutes.
Since water and electric heat exchangers can be installed simultaneously in the ANTARES Comfort air heater, it is possible to supply heat to the house (with sufficient power supply) on the same day when the installation of the air heating system was started. In the future, you will have to use electric heating until another fuel is available.
Our house has a supply and exhaust ventilation system based on the Lossney LGH-15 RX5-E recuperator. A heat exchanger is a heat recovery device. It heats (or cools) the fresh street air at the expense of the air removed from the house.
In our case, the recuperator is located in the attic. The intake of “dirty” air is carried out from the bathrooms and the boiler room. And the supply of fresh air-in the return air duct of the air heating system, where it mixes with the air taken from the rooms of the building for circulation.
After electronic cleaning, the necessary humidification and heating in the air heater, the air enters all rooms. In summer, it is pre-cooled in the heat exchanger, mixed with the internal air masses and cooled in the internal air conditioner unit.