Installing an electric boiler in a private house: what do you need to know?

The heating system of a private house based on an electric boiler is quite reliable, efficient and safe. However, for such heating to work without failure, it is necessary to correctly select, install and connect the equipment to the network. Let's look at what types of electric boilers there are, what are the pros and cons of this type of unit, what installation and safety rules need to be followed for them, what mandatory elements are required for piping and how to position them correctly, as well as what stages the installation of an electric heating boiler consists of.

A modern electric boiler is quite compact and does not require a special room for placement Source project-home.ru

General information about electric boilers

Thermal power units of this category are attractive due to their high efficiency and ease of operation, which is why they are especially popular among consumers. Manufacturers of electric boilers offer the following types of equipment:

Heating element electric boilers. The operation of the heating device is ensured by a heating element in the heat exchanger. The device is distinguished by its ease of installation and connection, ease of use.
Electrode devices. The coolant warms up as electricity passes through water and salts. The application of current causes the movement of water particles, their energy is converted into heat. Electrodes dissolve in the working environment over time, so periodic replacement of elements is required.
Induction heating boilers. The heat exchanger is a dielectric tube with a ferromagnetic rod.

When the latter device operates, eddy currents arise and thermal energy is generated.

Induction

The operation of induction models is based on the physical phenomenon of “induction”, which occurs in interacting coils. They rightfully occupy leading positions in the markets.

If we talk about the advantages, it should be noted:

Very high efficiency, reaching 99% - thus all the electricity you have to pay for is converted into heat
Economical and effective when interacting with underfloor heating systems
Can be simultaneously used for domestic hot water supply (hot water supply)

The only drawback may be the cost of such equipment. It is easy to install, but if it breaks, it requires repair by a professional technician.

Advantages and disadvantages of using electric boilers

The competitive advantage of installing an electric boiler in a private home is considered to be a high level of operating comfort at a minimum cost. Also among the advantages of power equipment, the following points are noted:

high level of efficiency, relatively compact size, ease of operation;
wide power range. It is easy to choose a model of optimal performance for heating areas of various sizes;
no permit is required to install the structure;
safety of operation, ease of installation and maintenance;
environmental friendliness of the equipment.

Electric boilers have a high level of efficiency.
In addition, models of electric heating boilers are presented in an affordable price segment.

The big disadvantage of using electric thermal power units is the significant level of electricity consumption. To mitigate the problem, you can install boiler equipment connected to a buffer tank. In addition to the high cost of consumed energy resources, the need for grounding and the risk of electric shock are also among the disadvantages of the devices.

Let's summarize

Having understood in detail the structure and operating principle of electrode boilers, several important conclusions can be drawn.

The ability to economically achieve high power levels and quickly heat large volumes of water has a great impact on the overall dimensions of heat generators. Compact devices with minimal weight can be easily installed anywhere in the house.

If there is a need to heat a large room (500 square meters or more), it is quite possible to create a circuit for connecting several electrode boilers. Another positive point should be noted - when installing ion electric heating, permission and control from the boiler inspectorate are not required.

Of all the heating devices existing today, the electrode boiler seems to be the most acceptable solution. Simple and economical equipment can give warmth to our home and heat hot water for domestic needs.

I installed a two-tariff electricity meter on a 220V network. It is in the house together with a gas boiler “hearth - 3″ (Galan). I installed a 20A direct-flow ammeter in the boiler control panel. When the boiler is turned on, Tobratka 42 degrees shows 6A consumption, and the house meter shows 13A, despite the fact that there is only one LED light in the house and the TV is on and absolutely nothing else. I don’t understand what’s funny? Tell me who knows. Write

Yuri Yuri Gorovoy May 18, 2022, 12:07

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Installation rules and features

To install an electric heating boiler with your own hands, you must carefully study the instructions that come with the product. Installation involves several stages:

preparation of the installation site and installation of fasteners. The surface on which the thermal power unit is installed must be finished with a fire-resistant panel. To prevent distortions, the brackets are adjusted using a construction level;
grounding For electrical safety purposes, the electric boiler installation diagram provides for connecting the power device to the grounding bus. Copper wire with a cross section of 4 mm is used. The conductor is connected to the neutral terminal at the bottom of the housing;
install a circulation pump and an expansion tank if they are not provided for in the design of the heating boiler.

During commissioning, special attention is paid to such points as the tightness of the entire system and the removal of excess air. Next, the equipment is tested in various operating modes.

Electric heating boiler wiring

Electric boiler wiring includes the following elements:

circulation pump - the device is designed to ensure the movement of coolant along the circuit to transfer thermal energy to heating devices;
expansion tank - the design is designed to receive excess coolant when it overheats excessively;
safety valve - the functionality is activated exclusively in emergency situations, for example, when the working medium boils when the pump stops or the tank overflows. The action of this piping element involves the discharge of excess coolant into the sewer system;
automatic air vent - its task is to independently remove air from the circuit. The absence of a device may impede the circulation of the working fluid in the system;
pressure gauge - designed to monitor the pressure level in the circuit; a device with a value of 4 bar is used.

Installation of an electric boiler
According to the regulations, the installation of an electric heating boiler is necessarily accompanied by the installation of a safety group.

Pipes

What kind of pipes can be used for installation of filling and connections to the boiler and heating devices?

Low operating temperatures and moderate operating pressure allow the use of all types of metal, high-temperature plastic and metal-plastic pipes. The only thing that needs to be mentioned separately is the use of polypropylene:

Pipes must be reinforced with aluminum foil. It will reduce the elongation of the pipeline when heating water in the circuit;

A polypropylene pipe without reinforcement when heated from 20 to 70 degrees lengthens by 6.5 mm. Aluminum foil reduces the elongation to 1.5 mm.

The use of polypropylene pipes without reinforcement for heating needs. The heated spills lengthened and went in waves.

On long straight sections of pipes, expansion joints are needed - U-shaped, ring or bellows. They will not allow the bottling or riser to bend when heating water in the pipes;

Ring and bellows expansion joints for polypropylene pipelines.

Straight sections are fastened movably with sliding clamps;
When pipes are laid hidden, gaps remain at the ends of the grooves . They will allow the pipe to lengthen without destroying the groove seal.

Selecting a location and installation recommendations

The regulatory documents do not provide for restrictions on the installation location of an electric heating boiler. In this case, it is necessary to be guided by the rules for using electrical installations, which indicate restrictions on the placement of high-power power equipment.

Recommendations for installing an electric heating boiler in a private house:

To limit access to power equipment for the safety of residents, it is worth installing the unit in an isolated space, for example, in a garage or other technical room. This is especially true for combined models of high-power underfloor heating systems.
New models of boiler equipment with compact configurations can be placed in the kitchen or entrance area. The difficulty here is that you will have to connect a powerful power cable and a heating system main to the installation site of the electric boiler. This is accompanied by additional costs for communications; it is also necessary to organize decoration work to hide engineering structures.
When installing an electric heating boiler on a wooden wall or other combustible surface, place a basalt panel or sheet of roofing steel under the adjacent part of the power equipment housing.
The cable should be laid above the pipeline systems to prevent flooding in case of emergency situations.
It is necessary to place the structure in a designated place so as to provide comfortable access to the power unit for ease of maintenance.

It is best to install an electric boiler in an isolated space.
You should also pay attention to ensure that the pipes do not load the connecting fittings of the electric boiler with their weight.

Video description

Video review of the electric boiler piping device:

Preparing the site. For the floor model, a foundation is created, if necessary, a boiler room is equipped, and finishing is done with non-combustible materials.
Installation of the unit. The equipment is mounted on a wall or base and secured. The pipeline is connected with piping, and grounding is connected.
Power connection. The supply line is supplied directly via a separate branch - through the switchboard.
Installation of protective equipment. Modern electric boilers require protection against voltage surges. Therefore, power must be supplied to them through an automatic circuit breaker, an RCD and a voltage stabilizer.
Launch. Before starting, the system is checked for integrity at all connection points - both the pipeline and electrical wiring must be in good condition. Before turning on the unit, all necessary connected valves are opened.

Note! Connecting a 3-phase electric boiler is only possible if the home network is rated at 380 V. Otherwise, the wiring will be overloaded and the equipment will not produce the declared power.

Features of the location of boiler equipment piping

The regulations strictly oblige the installation of each piping unit in a certain area of the system:

the safety group is installed behind the heating unit, since on this section of the circuit, when circulation stops, the point of highest pressure of the working medium is observed;
the circulation pump is located in front of the boiler, at the point of the circuit with the minimum coolant temperature;
the expansion tank is installed at a distance of twice the pump pressure if it is located before it, but if located after it, the distance should be equal to eight times the pump pressure.

In the latest generation electric boilers, all piping elements are often built into the structure.

Using double tariff

When using an electric boiler as the main source of thermal energy, you can save on bills by installing a two-tariff meter.

There is a special electricity metering system in which at night the tariffs for electricity consumption are reduced (up to 4 times). This is a good way to reduce costs, but you will have to slightly change the operating mode of the boiler.

At night, water is heated, which maintains its temperature while in a thermally insulated container. During the day, hot water is used for household needs, and at night its supply is replenished again.

It is necessary to take into account that this option is only good for double-circuit boilers that simultaneously heat both the coolant and hot water. For single-circuit models, this method gives too little effect, and given the high cost of the meter, there may be no savings at all. In addition, tariffs differ in different regions, therefore, before deciding to use a two-tariff meter, it is necessary to calculate the possible savings and decide whether this idea makes any sense.

Connection diagram development

Depending on the design features and nuances of connecting electric boilers to the heating system, appropriate diagrams are used. Standard power device connection diagrams have been developed for various cases, for example:

installation of a boiler unit that is not equipped with a pumping system and expansion tank;
if a piping with a buffer tank is provided;
if there is a connection to be made with an indirect heating boiler;
An electric heat generator works in tandem with a TT boiler or gas fuel device.

The dual-circuit device must be connected to the heating and hot water mains.

How to calculate the required power

The power of electric boilers is indicated in kilowatts, so when purchasing, you should first pay attention to this parameter. Correctly calculating the amount of heat required for the premises is not difficult. If the ceiling height is less than 3 meters, then the sum of the areas of the rooms in which radiators will be installed is multiplied by 0.1. The mandatory power reserve, regardless of the type of device, should be about 20%.

If the room has ceilings more than 3 meters high, then the power of the device is calculated taking into account the volume of rooms that need to be heated. To calculate the heating intensity parameters, you will need to multiply the total cubic capacity by 40 W.

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Connection with heating system

Wall-mounted models of electric boilers with a built-in safety group, which provide for operation in closed-type heating systems with forced circulation, are connected by connecting the supply and return pipelines to the corresponding pipes of the thermal power unit.

An electric boiler with a heating element, which is not equipped with an expansion tank and a pump, is connected according to the following diagram:

the expansion tank is installed on the direct outlet section of the supply pipeline, after which a shut-off valve with a ball mechanism is inserted;
the pump and sump can be installed both on the supply and return;
the make-up pipeline is cut into the return line.

Using a similar scheme, the electrode/induction thermal power unit is connected to a closed-type heating system with a membrane expansion tank.

How to organize a connection to an open-type gravity heating network?

The connection of an electric boiler with a gravity heating system is carried out according to the following scheme:

an open expansion tank is installed at the top point of the network, followed by a shut-off valve;
pipelines in both directions are laid with a slope of 3 mm/linear meter;
The circulation pump is placed on the bypass.

Since, to ensure stable gravity flow, a vertical height of 2 meters between the electric boiler and the tank is recommended, the expansion tank is placed in the attic.

Electrical connection

When connecting an electric boiler with your own hands, follow a number of rules:

Devices with a power of up to 3.5 kW are connected to the outlet;
power devices with a power of up to 7 kW are connected to the distribution panel;
Boiler equipment with a power of up to 12 kW is connected to a single-phase 220 V network; for units with a power of more than 12 kW, a three-phase 380 V network is used.

Materials required for installation:

Power cable brand VVG with copper conductors. The number of cores depends on the number of phases - 3 or 5, the cross-section must correspond to the power of the boiler unit, this parameter is indicated in the product data sheet.
A bunch of RCDs complete with a circuit breaker or a differential circuit breaker. The rating of the latter depends on the power of the heating boiler. The triggering voltage of the difavtomat is 30 mA.
Ground loop. To lay a grounding loop near a private house, you can use a strip with a cross section of 40x5 mm + 3 steel rods d16 mm 2 m long with a sharp end.

In order to independently connect an electric boiler, you should remove the front panel of the case, connect the cores of the power cable of the corresponding colors to the terminal block contacts. When installing an electric heating boiler with your own hands, it is worth remembering that such voltage is a source of increased danger.