Autonomous gas heating of a private house: device options and review of the best solutions

Heating systems using gas as fuel are highly efficient and reliable.The thermal energy generators in them have impressive efficiency and are safe to use. There are several ways to organize gas heating for a private home.

There are solutions both budget-friendly and more expensive with maximum efficiency and operational stability. We are ready to share with you proven options for installing a gas heating system. Using our recommendations guarantees the construction of a trouble-free and secure network.

The information we provide is based on building regulations. The information offered for review is supplemented by visual photo illustrations, diagrams and video tutorials.

Centralized or autonomous gas supply?

Without burning fuel, there will be zero benefit from any autonomous version of the in-house heating system. Gas is the first thing you need to think about when planning gas heating in a country house.

Not all settlements in Russia are gasified. However, “blue fuel” can be obtained not only from a pipe or cylinder with liquefied fuel, but also from a gas holder.

Natural gas, consisting mainly of methane, is supplied to private homes through pipes.Its liquefied analogue is a propane-butane mixture, which is pumped into containers for transportation and storage. The pressure in such cylinders and gas holders is about 15–18 atmospheres.

When organizing heating in a private house using 50-liter cylinder containers, the latter will have to be changed every 2-3 days in winter. If an autonomous gas supply is chosen for a country cottage, then it is best prefer a gas tank, which can be up to 20 cubic meters in volume.

The choice of capacity by cubic capacity depends on the level of consumption of liquefied hydrocarbon gases (LPG). Here it is necessary to take into account not only the hot water boiler, but also the fireplace and gas stove, if they are used in the house.

For a cottage of 150 sq.m. It is recommended to install a gas holder with a volume of 2000–3000 liters. And for a country house of 300 sq.m. you will need an 8000–9000 liter option.

If there is no gas main in the village, you can use the option of autonomous fuel supply from a gas holder designed for storing gas in a liquefied state

In terms of connection costs, a gas pipeline is in most cases more advantageous than a tank in the ground. But only when the settlement has already been gasified.

Situations are also possible in which installing a gas tank will cost less than connecting to the main pipeline. It all depends on the specific connection conditions in the region and the remoteness of the village from the large gas main.

When using a gas holder, you do not have to worry about the presence of pressure in the pipe. It is extremely easy to use. You just need to regularly call specialists to check it for safety, and also remember to refuel. It will take no more than three days to install the entire system.

If an autonomous gasification option is selected, then a gas boiler you should purchase one that is designed to work on LPG. There are models on sale that are designed to operate exclusively on mains natural gas.

But most gas heat generators are designed to burn both types of this fuel. You just have to change the jets, and also reconfigure the valve and electronics to a different mode.

The main disadvantage of a gas tank is that it can only be installed on a large area; according to SNiP requirements, the tank must be at least 10 m away from the house

The rules and specifics of gasification of country houses are described in detail in one of popular articles our site.

Choosing a heating gas boiler

Modern gas-fired heat generating equipment has a variety of automation and is able to operate in several modes. It can be floor or wall mounted.

The second option is more compact, but has power limitations. If the model is chosen for a large private house, then you will have to purchase a powerful floor-mounted unit.

Gas boilers are divided according to the method of execution, type of ignition, energy efficiency, number of circuits and method of removing combustion products

The principle of operation of a gas boiler is extremely simple - the fuel is ignited in the burner using piezoelectric elements or electronic ignition, then as a result of burning the fuel, thermal energy is generated, which is transferred to water through a heat exchanger.

The latter is already used as a coolant in the heating system or consumed in the hot water supply.

In terms of operating efficiency, traditional convection gas boilers are inferior to condensing boilers. The productivity of the former does not exceed 90% of energy consumption. Manufacturers of the latter guarantee 100% efficiency, some models promise 105 and even 110%

The heat exchanger in a gas boiler can be made:

• made of steel (stainless steel);
• copper;
• cast iron

The most common options are made of steel. This metal is cheap and ductile, so cracks from constant heating/cooling appear less frequently.

But steel elements, with constant interaction with water from a gas heating system installed in a country house, quickly begin to corrode.

A cast iron heat exchanger is the most durable, a steel one is cheaper, and a copper one is the most efficient in transferring heat to water

Cast iron is less susceptible to corrosion, but it is quite heavy.Most boiler models with cast iron heat exchangers are floor-standing. It is problematic to mount such heavy and large equipment on the wall.

If you need something compact and as light as possible heating unit, then the best option is with a copper coil. However, it is the most expensive among analogues made of other metals.

To supply the cottage with heat and hot water, you can choose a scheme with two single-circuit boilers or an option with one double-circuit installation

The piping scheme and the principle of its use depend on the number of circuits in a gas-fired water heating boiler. One heat exchanger was originally intended for organizing a gas heating system in a private house. For hot water supply, it is necessary to install another boiler or immediately select a double-circuit model.

It is best to heat hot water for domestic needs in a storage boiler. Streaming models are less economical. They will spend more gas on heating.

Wall-mounted gas boilers are a fully equipped miniature boiler room. Their design has its own circulation pump, expansion tank and safety group. Most wall-mounted equipment serves two circuits

Which combustion chamber is better?

In order for the gas in the boiler furnace to burn, it needs a constant supply of oxygen. It is taken directly from the boiler room or drawn in from the street. The first option involves natural air flow, and the second – forced air flow using a fan.

Gas boilers are equipped with two types of combustion chambers:

1. Closed – oxygen is supplied through the gap between paired pipes of different diameters. Combustion products are discharged through an internal channel.
2. Open – air enters the firebox from the room with the heating unit through the supply valve. Combustion products are discharged through a round smoke channel.

The first option is independent of the area of ​​the room. Suitable for rooms of any size. The coaxial type of chimney can be removed from a unit with a closed firebox through a wall or an upper ceiling with a roof.

In the second case, you will have to install a high chimney pipe of 5–6 meters, otherwise the draft to suck the required volumes of oxygen into the combustion chamber will not be enough.

But gas boilers with an atmospheric burner do not require an electrical connection. There is no fan in them, everything happens naturally without forced circulation.

Boilers with closed chambers and forced air injection have a higher efficiency compared to open ones, but they require a constant power supply to operate

It is recommended to install gas water heaters with an open firebox in special rooms with good ventilation. If you install them in living rooms, they will greatly reduce the amount of oxygen in them.

It will no longer be possible to do without a forced ventilation system. And this means additional costs for the installation and subsequent operation of air ventilation equipment.

Characteristics of condensation models

In conventional gas boilers, water vapor generated during gas combustion flies out into the chimney. During the combustion process, little of it is formed, but it still carries a fairly significant amount of thermal energy. To avoid wasting this heat, condensing boilers were developed.

Flue gases in a condensing boiler, before exiting into the chimney, pass through a secondary heat exchanger, where they slightly heat the cold water entering the unit

The operating principle of these installations is based on the fact that when cooled, the exhaust gas vapor transfers heat to water from the return of the heating system. In this case, the temperature of the coolant increases slightly, but the recuperator is quite suitable as an additional source of thermal energy.

Condensed water from the condensing boiler is discharged through a special pipe into the sewer or into a separate container. Here it is worth clearly understanding one nuance - the condensate formed is actually a weakly concentrated acid. Moreover, up to 4–6 liters can leak per hour.

If this liquid is poured into a septic tank, then all the microbes living in it will be destroyed. If there is a treatment station in a country house, condensate from the boiler cannot be drained into the sewer system. With the design of the chimney everything is simpler; just take one that is designed for boilers with a closed chamber.

Fireplace for gas heating at home

In terms of equipment costs, gas fireplaces are comparable to their electric or wood-burning counterparts. But gas fuel is much cheaper.

And, unlike firewood, gas heating using a fireplace in a country house means there are no problems with ash. Plus, you don’t have to constantly monitor the operation of the firebox and worry about chopping logs.

Fireplaces that convert gas into thermal energy are used in heating systems because... are not equipped with the devices necessary to service two circuits

According to the type of installation, gas fireplaces are:

• wall;
• island;
• built-in

In terms of their general design and internal contents (burners, automation, design of combustion chambers), they completely replicate gas boilers. In both cases, the technology for connecting to networks is identical. Differences exist only in the principle of heating the premises.

According to the principle of connecting and organizing the heating system, gas fireplaces are similar to floor-standing heating boilers

A hot water boiler is initially designed to heat water, and a regular fireplace is designed to convect air from the body and front screen, behind which fuel combustion occurs.

Schemes for organizing water heating

To heat cottages, heating systems with water as a coolant are installed, consisting of:

• boiler water heating (single-circuit or double-circuit);
• pipelines and fittings (metal or polypropylene);
• bypasses, allowing you to disconnect individual heaters from the network;
• batteries (cast iron, aluminum, steel and bimetallic);
• expansion tank.

Gas heating units are equipped with a specific safety system, including a solenoid valve and a thermocouple. The devices are connected to each other by wires.

If the heating unit is functioning normally, the thermocouple junction is heated by the igniter. At this time, current flows freely through the winding of the solenoid valve, which ensures the open position of the valve.

When the thermocouple cools down, the gas access is blocked by an electromagnetic valve.

According to the scheme battery connections They come in single-pipe and double-pipe. In the first case, water is supplied and discharged from the radiator using one pipe. In the second, the heating device is connected to two separate pipelines (supply and return).

Heating pipes to the radiators can be connected in a bottom, top, side or diagonal pattern

Heating circuits, based on the principle of water movement in pipes, come with natural and forced circulation. When installing the second option, the coolant circulates in the system due to convection and gravity. And the forced scheme involves the installation of a circulation pump.

To ensure normal operation of a system with two or more circuits connected to the manifold, it provides for the installation of a hydraulic arrow. The hydraulic arrow eliminates pressure drops and the possibility of water hammer.

The expansion tank can be open or closed (divided inside into two parts by a sealed membrane). For gravity heating systems, an open option will be sufficient. A closed tank is designed for forced circulation circuits.

When using an open expansion tank, the water is saturated with air, so that this does not become a problem, the system should be supplemented with an air removal circuit

For small cottages, the natural principle of water movement will be sufficient. However, if a residential building has two or three floors, then you cannot do without a pump. The length of the circulation circuit in the first scheme is limited to 30 meters. The boiler will not be able to “push” water over a greater distance.

With natural circulation of the coolant in the gas heating circuit of a private house, there is no pump. If the boiler is chosen to be non-volatile, then the entire heating system is independent of the power supply. There are simply no elements that consume electricity.

On the one hand, it is more stable in operation, but on the other, the quality of heating in it is lower (the water reaches the radiators farthest from the water heater when it is very cold).

The latter especially applies to pipelines and batteries made of steel or cast iron. These materials have high hydraulic resistance, which reduces the coolant current.

In addition to using standard radiators in a country house, you can organize gas heating using “warm floors”

It is also possible to organize a combined heating system. In it circulation pump connected to the main line via a bypass. If it is necessary to quickly warm up the air in the rooms, it is turned on to accelerate the water circulation.

In other cases, it is cut off from the main pipe by shut-off valves, while the system continues to function in a natural (gravitational) mode.

Rules for arranging gas heating

Gasification and construction of a gas-based heating system in a private house is carried out in several stages:

1. Preparation and subsequent approval of a gas heating project by the supervisory authorities.
2. Purchase of consumables, boiler and other equipment.
3. Connecting the house to the village gas networks.
4. Installation of gas equipment and piping systems with batteries.
5. Filling pipes with coolant.
6. Checking functionality through a test run.

Prepare for your country house yourself gas heating project with all the diagrams and calculations, it is impossible without a diploma in heating engineering.

In addition, the generated documentation still needs to be approved by gas workers. It is best to entrust all these procedures to the employees of the relevant design and installation organization.

The arrangement of gas heating in a private house must be calculated down to the smallest detail. If the boiler is chosen too powerful, it will burn excess fuel. And if there is insufficient capacity, the unit will have to work at the limit of its capabilities, as a result of which it will fail prematurely.

To obtain permission to connect to the centralized highway and to use liquefied gas equipment you need to receive a different package of documents. Before deciding to organize a gas system, you need to study not only them, but also weigh all the pros and cons to determine the best option.

Conclusions and useful video on the topic

Video #1. The nuances of organizing gas heating for a cottage:

Video #2. Principles of coolant circulation in the heating system of a private house:

Video #3. Self-assembly of various heating systems for country cottages:

Only an experienced heating engineer can competently prepare calculations and diagrams for organizing gas heating for a private home.

It is best to entrust the preparation of project documentation and its approval to professionals. But further installation of the heating system can be done independently. Here you will only need installation skills, as well as strict adherence to the instructions and the project.

Do you have useful tips on organizing gas heating and choosing a gas boiler? Do you want to share your own experience or have you discovered controversial issues while reading the material we presented? Please write comments and ask questions in the block located below the text.