Troubleshooting a two-pipe heating system (continued)

Causes

One of the reasons for insufficient heating of the battery is pipe corrosion

In fact, the sewer riser is a finicky thing. Therefore, there may be several reasons why the water supply risers are hot, although the radiator itself is cold. Let's look at the most common ones.

1. The water supply valves are out of order or simply blocked in the basement. Through this valve, water flows through the main line to the apartments. Therefore, since it is blocked there, it means that heat is not flowing.
2. There is an option in which the pipe was damaged during the process of welding the riser to the main line.
3. It also happens that when installing the heating system riser, the technician left some foreign object in the pipe. Rags, mittens, and sometimes even stones and animals were often pulled out from there.
4. An option with incorrect installation of heating pipes in other rooms, in the kitchen, due to which water does not enter the radiator, but passes by.
5. A small amount of coolant, that is, water, can pass through the water supply risers. This situation may concern the entire house or a separate entrance.
6. It is possible that the water supply risers, like the entire heating system, were simply adjusted and configured incorrectly, which is why the required amount of water does not flow to the heating radiators in the apartment building.

Basic malfunctions of heating systems and their elimination

Air jams

Air pockets occur in radiators and pipes and interfere with the normal circulation of water in the heating system. They appear for various reasons:

• violation of the technology for filling the system with water after the summer period;
• non-compliance with water deaeration regime;
• performing repairs with disassembling pipelines;
• failure to observe slopes when installing the heating system;
• air leakage through leaky joints.

To remove air from the system, use a Mayevsky valve installed on the radiator. You should open it, wait until the air comes out, the hissing stops, and the water begins to pour out calmly without bubbles. After this, the valve is closed. Don't forget to provide a container or towel to drain the water.

Old cast iron batteries do not have Mayevsky taps. The air is released without completely unscrewing the plugs at the ends of the radiators. It is better to entrust this operation to plumbers - if you unscrew the plug completely, you can flood the apartment.

Quite often in residential apartment buildings during the heating season you can encounter the following problem: the riser is hot, but the radiators are cold. This applies to both new buildings and old houses. Residents in most cases do not know how to cope with such a situation. That is why their attempts to repair the heating system on their own do not lead to the desired result. In this matter, you definitely need help or advice from a specialist. After all, only a person who has the necessary knowledge and experience can solve the problem of why the pipes are hot and the radiators are cold.

How to eliminate air locks in radiators ↑

Air lock is the most common cause of cold radiators. The appearance of air is a natural process caused by heating the water, sudden filling of the system, and a violation of the tightness. Fixing this problem is not difficult if the system is equipped with bleed valves. On modern radiators they are located at the top of the product and operate without intervention, periodically bleeding air from the batteries. If automation is not provided, then the valve is opened manually and air is released until water appears.

Older type heating appliances do not have such taps. In this case, you will have to work a little and remove the plug. Before you start unscrewing, be sure to place the basin on the floor. Under no circumstances should the lid be completely unscrewed; it should only be unscrewed slightly until a barely audible hiss appears. At this point, you need to put the key aside and wait until all the excess air comes out of the system and water begins to ooze out. After this, the plug must be carefully tightened. Just in case, you can leave the basin for a while to make sure that water does not drip.

It is not allowed to completely unscrew the plug! This may cause the apartment to flood!

Fixing problems

Diagram of water supply to batteries

Repairing a sewer riser yourself is quite problematic. Especially if you don’t know anything about this kind of work. In addition, if any malfunctions are detected, you should immediately contact the relevant organizations. That is, to those who are responsible for your home, or directly to the organization that is responsible for heating.

If they tell you that they know nothing, the reasons are incomprehensible to them, then you have the right to express everything you think about them. Remember, they are obliged to resolve such issues at the request of the client. After all, it turns out that the heating season begins, you supposedly receive your heat (although for one reason or another it does not reach the water supply risers), and therefore a corresponding debt for utilities accumulates. In other words, although there is no heat, you have to pay for it.

In this regard, are you really obliged to wait several days until the plumbers come, figure out the reasons, and take certain actions? No, you must demand immediate repairs.

Causes and their elimination

Heat map of a radiator that is most likely bloated

Before the relevant specialists come to you to resolve the current situation, it would be a good idea to obtain additional information about the operation of the water supply riser and sewer riser in order to provide the specialists with the relevant data. Based on them, perhaps they will be able to find the reason for the lack of heat in your home much faster.

Therefore check:

• How well do the batteries warm up on other water supply risers located in your apartment?
• How well the batteries warm up on your own riser, but only those of the neighbors below;
• How well the radiators of the neighbors in the adjacent entrances heat.

Now you can consider each of the situations in more detail, which will allow you to determine the causes of the malfunctions, as well as find a way to solve the problem.

1. When the radiators in other rooms of your apartment heat normally, and the apartments below and above are heated well, it means that the valves at the inlet or outlet of the radiator may be faulty, which does not heat well. There is also a possibility of blockage in the outlet and inlet pipes. Finally, don't rule out that the battery itself is clogged.
2. If the battery does not heat well, and neighbors below and above have problems on the same riser, then the reason is the blockage or malfunction of the corresponding valves located in the basement. Another option is clogged return or direct riser pipes.
3. It also happens that water supply risers receive insufficient flow of water, that is, coolant, which is why heating is not carried out completely throughout the house or in a separate entrance. Consequently, an increase in pressure is already necessary here.

Air jams

Quite often, heating risers and sewer risers cannot provide heat to your home because an air lock has formed. It is formed there quite naturally when the water is heated and the system is suddenly filled with coolant. If there is a bleeder valve on the system, it will not be difficult to determine the presence of an air lock. On modern batteries, this valve is on top and works autonomously, releasing excess air from time to time.

In the absence of automation, a manual valve is provided, which is unscrewed and kept open until water flows.

Alas, older models are not equipped with taps. But there is a plug there, which will not be so difficult to remove. Just be sure to place some kind of container under it to prevent water from spilling onto the floor. Do not unscrew the plug completely, but only unscrew it until a hissing sound appears. As soon as a similar sound begins to come out of the system, put the instrument aside and wait until the air comes out and water starts flowing. When water has seeped out, carefully tighten the cap, but do not remove the basin for a couple of hours in case the water continues to drip for a while.

Replacing radiators

If the reason for your lack of heating is not that the water supply risers are faulty or the sewer riser has died, and flushing the system did not give the expected result, you will simply have to change the radiators.

It is important to consider what kind of room you are choosing batteries for. For example, for a plumbing unit, an excellent solution would be a stainless steel product or a chrome-plated model. Consider the quality of the paint and its ability to function in high humidity conditions. It is not recommended to choose aluminum radiators for those who live above the eighth floor. This is due to the low operating pressure of such batteries. Plus, there is one more drawback - the internal surfaces of aluminum radiators rust over time, and therefore they are not suitable for long-term service.

For bathrooms, radiators are produced equipped with special hangers. They will heat the room and also dry your laundry if necessary. Let’s not forget about design solutions that can easily become a real highlight of your interior, while performing their assigned functions.

As you can see, there are many reasons why the battery remains or becomes cold, although the riser itself is hot. In fact, you can determine exactly why such a problem arose on your own.

Just remember, such issues must be resolved by the relevant organizations and specialists. They are responsible for the functioning and vital activity of all systems in an apartment building, and therefore they should be addressed first. Why waste your energy, nerves, money and time when there are people whose task is to eliminate such malfunctions.

Clogged water filter of the heating system

Sometimes there is an arbitrary decrease in the temperature of the “last” battery in the row. Then it is possible to cascade shutdown of other batteries in front of it. Typically, the reason for such an “abnormal” decrease in temperature is the filters of the heating system. This filter must be removed and cleaned thoroughly. During the first start-up, there may be debris in the water that is pumped into the heating system. To prevent this debris from entering the heating boiler heat exchanger, a filter is installed on the return pipe in front of the boiler. Usually one such filter is installed, but sometimes you can see several installed almost in front of each battery. This setup doesn't make any sense. After cleaning, the radiators in the house will no longer be cold.

Connection errors

Another reason why batteries may remain cold is incorrect connection of heating system elements. The biggest mistake is connecting radiators to pipes, in which water is supplied from below. In this case, the sections are heated unevenly, and part of it remains cold. This is most often typical for side connections. What should I do to ensure that the surface of the radiators heats up evenly and the apartment becomes warm? To do this, you need to correctly connect them to the system.

USEFUL INFORMATION: How to install a tap on a radiator

Too many sections can also contribute to uneven heating, since coolant circulation is difficult. A special extension cord connected to the pipe that supplies hot water to the battery will help improve it.

Expert opinionAnton Tsugunov Expert builder. Entrepreneur. 17 years of experience. More than 100 completed objects.

No circulation, heating failure - why

Failure in the heating system, deficiencies, imperfections, all lead to cold radiators.
If there is no coolant circulation, then the reason needs to be determined. Most often, the answer to why the heating does not work is on the surface, obvious. Let's look in order at the main causes of heating malfunctions, why water does not circulate through the pipes, and what needs to be done first.

Let's start with the simplest and most obvious reasons.

It's clogged and clogged.

Every heating system must have a coarse filter. A very small device with a fine mesh and a sump (installed downwards! or at least to the side) saves equipment, pumps, and the boiler from coolant contamination that will be present in any system. Wood shavings, broken threads, rust, water sediment…. everything is retained by the mesh in the filter.

The sedimentation tank must be periodically untwisted and the mesh cleaned.

If the circulation in the heating system of a private house is disrupted, then the first thing you need to do is check the filter, which should be installed on the return line in front of the boiler.

Air in the system, airing

Airing can occur in any closed piping system where air removal measures have not been taken. Air is always present in the coolant, including in a dissolved state, is released during pressure changes, and accumulates at the highest points. Including in the boiler.

Automatic air vents are installed at characteristic, highest points of the system, as well as on collectors and special separators - the normal circuit is equipped with a special air catching device in which air bubbles are released from the coolant.

In addition, Mayevsky valves (manual air vents) should be on each radiator, and also possibly in other elevated places.

Checking the air supply, bleeding the air, installing air vents are common actions if circulation stops and the batteries are cold.

The circulation pump does not work

In private homes, the reason why the heating system stops working is a breakdown of the electrical equipment that controlled the movement of the coolant through the pipes.

If the heating suddenly stops working, then you need to check the functionality of the circulation pump near the solid fuel boiler or the pump in the automated boiler. In addition, the same unit can be installed in each circuit, which must work properly.

Bad polypropylene pipes

Often the consumer (customer) believes that polypropylene pipes are absolutely reliable and cannot cause heating problems or cold radiators.

But polypropylene is much more insidious than old steel or metal-plastic pipelines. Each place of soldering (welding) is a potential increased resistance in the system or a cause of cessation of circulation (weakened movement of water through the batteries), due to deposits of material inside.

It is impossible to control the quality of connections from the outside; all that remains is to cut out pieces, resolder, and remake polypropylene pipes.

Poor performance of a polypropylene system is a real problem for the home installer. Good professionals don’t take on this material at all.

Bad project

It is not uncommon for poor circulation to occur where there is poor design. Typically, the batteries are not connected correctly, according to some sequential circuit, where the last battery in the circuit receives much less coolant.

Another bad design is single-pipe circuits, where it is also difficult to establish the necessary coolant circulation through each battery.

If the radiators do not heat up evenly, or there is poor coolant circulation on individual heating devices, first of all you need to consider how the connection corresponds to the classic circuits - shoulder, associated, radial. It is necessary to bring home heating to normal design standards, and then expect good circulation and uniform heating of the radiators.

Small diameter, overgrown pipes

Old steel pipes become overgrown with rust and deposits from the inside, their throughput capacity decreases significantly over time, and there is only one solution - they need to be replaced with modern ones.

But even during installation, for the sake of economy, mistakes can be made with the choice of pipeline diameter - on mains, on groups of heating devices, diameters of 16 or 20 mm can be installed. The result is noise in the pipes, excessive consumption of electricity, and insufficient coolant flow. What pipe diameters should you choose?

A complex system

A type of bad design is an incorrectly designed complex heating system consisting of many heating circuits and several boilers. Here entire circuits will not work correctly if the work of one affects the neighboring one.

As a rule, one boiler (the backup one does not count) and three circuits - boiler, radiators, heated floors with their pumps are coordinated normally, and no questions arise. But if you connect another working boiler plus a circuit (for example, heating a garage and greenhouse), then the system will become complex. It is difficult to say how the coolant will circulate in it without equalizing the pressures at the connection points.

In complex systems, a competent design is important, installing a hydraulic arrow or an equal pressure ring; more information about the hydraulic separator can be found here

No balancing

Many home heating schemes involve balancing; balancing and control valves are installed in them. For example, between floors, between shoulders, and for each radiator. The taps cover the direction with less hydraulic resistance; accordingly, more coolant will flow to other points.

Incorrect connection

Incorrect pipe connection is one of the possible reasons for reduced radiator efficiency. This is a gross mistake; experienced craftsmen do not make such mistakes; most often they arise after the work is performed by amateurs.

Incorrect radiator installation

The return pipe is connected to the upper pipe, the supply pipe is connected to the lower pipe. As a result, a range of related problems arise:

1. The circulation of water and the full operation of the heating system are completely disrupted.
2. The efficiency of the radiator and its heat transfer decrease; water is unable to completely fill all sections.
3. The process of draining liquid from the battery is disrupted.

What to do if the batteries are cold and the housing office does nothing?

Cold batteries in an apartment in an apartment building? Why do radiators heat poorly?

Based on the law, after drawing up a report, the housing maintenance office is obliged to respond and fix the problem within 7–10 days. If this does not happen, residents have the right to file a complaint with higher authorities.

This can be done by means of a registered letter, a document sent with a notification, or, best of all, by delivering it yourself.

General conditions for writing an application

An important condition is that the complaint must be written in 2 copies. Employees accepting the document are required to put a stamp, signature, date and assign an incoming number. The country's legislation does not provide for a uniform template for statements of this kind, so it is written arbitrarily.

What should be included in a complaint against the housing office and its annexes:

• the essence of the claim is clearly defined;
• evidence of poor-quality heat supply - your copy of the application, a drawn up act, etc.;
• reason for lack of heating;
• response from housing and communal services in writing indicating the reason for inaction;
• photocopies of heating receipts - it is important that payments are made on time;
• information about the owner - address, personal data, phone number, etc.;
• name, contacts and address of the housing office;
• the timing of the problem.

Appeal to Rospotrebnadzor and FAS

The organization specializes in protecting consumer rights (for goods and services). The consideration of the claim by the government agency is carried out on the basis of the Law of the Russian Federation No. 2300-1 of 02/07/1992.

Rospotrebnadzor employees consider citizen complaints within no more than 5 days. Then they take measures to influence the housing office.

The application may require an unscheduled inspection of the body against which the complaint is being made. In this case, the review process takes 10 days (no more).

The Federal Antimonopoly Service exercises effective influence not only on management bodies (like Rospotrebnadzor), but also on heat supply suppliers. No special samples are required for the application. The period for considering a problem in practice is about 15 days.

Local or district authorities

Most often this is the city administration, mayor's office, regional or district authority. They are also obliged to consider the claim and influence the speed and quality of troubleshooting

Involvement in administrative liability is carried out on the basis of the Code of Administrative Offenses of the Russian Federation, Art. 7.23, which indicates a violation of compliance with standards for providing the population with public utilities. The method has a significant drawback - in rare cases, authorities deal with such minor problems.

Application to the prosecutor's office

Most often used if complaints to other authorities have not brought a positive result. A complaint filed with the prosecutor’s office is considered a significant basis for the proceedings, since the government agency is the supervisory authority for compliance with Russian legislation.

To submit an application, follow the same steps as described above, but you can additionally use the State Services website. Review time is 30–60 days.

The complaint must be filed on the basis of Federal Law No. 59 of May 2, 2006. The sample is here.

Statement of claim to court

This is an extreme measure of influence on inactive organizations. Just like the proceedings at the prosecutor's office, it is considered a highly effective method. The maximum period for consideration is 60 days. The statement of claim must correspond to the sample.

Peculiarities:

• the court may request a number of other documents;
• sometimes the state duty is collected from the plaintiff, but mainly from the defendant;
• It is better to hire a lawyer, since the building management authorities have a lawyer on staff who can turn the situation against the applicant.

Complaint to the housing inspection

What to do if there are cold radiators in the apartment?

This is a supervisory agency responsible for the provision of public services and their quality by management companies. It is the housing inspection that controls the work of the Management Company, Housing Office, and Housing and Communal Services.

You can also request an unscheduled inspection here. It is regulated by Federal Law No. 294 of December 26, 2008. The processing time for a claim is a maximum of 30 days.

mass media

If the housing office does not respond in any way to the application and does not eliminate the problem of lack of heating, after filing a complaint with a higher authority, the residents of the apartment building unite and involve the media in the process. It is recommended to contact various print publications and television.

This is a real and effective method to achieve justice, since the dissemination of information attracts enormous attention to the problem of even higher authorities.

Government officials, in turn, begin to realize the scale of the new problem due to their own inaction, which usually results in the dismissal of major officials. This is the main reason for speeding up work and improving the quality of service on their part.

Conducting a trial

A boy warms himself by an oil heater.

The interests of residents are represented in court by the chairman of the building council or an employee from the housing and communal services department. To draw up an application, if the neighbors do not know the full name of the culprit, you must contact the Unified State Register (knowing the address and paying a fee of 200 rubles). A lawyer is hired to conduct the case, whose services are paid for by the applicant.

To collect the evidence base, you will need to measure the temperature in the room, the owners of which are complaining that the heat supply has stopped.

If the temperature in the apartment meets the standards established by law, it will be more difficult to prove the shutdown.

In accordance with the standards, air temperature:

• In a living room in an area with the temperature of the coldest five-day period: +20°C, in a corner room +22°C;
• In other areas not lower than +18°C, in the corner room +20°C;
• Permissible excess – up to 4°C;
• The permissible decrease in the period from midnight to 5 am is up to 3°C;
• Decrease in the period from 5 am to midnight is not allowed by the standards.

Conclusion: at night the temperature should be above 15 degrees Celsius.

If the heating is turned off in only one room, it is usually sufficient to close the interior doors so that the heating from other rooms does not enter the room and the temperature can be measured.

Important! If the housing office or the chairman of the homeowners' association has not responded to the requests of the residents, they file an application with the court for the inaction of the housing and communal services structure in this matter and the failure to respect the rights of the residents to common property. If the process is successful, the applicant will be compensated for the costs of a lawyer.

Common mistakes

If a new radiator is installed and it does not heat, the reason for this may be an incorrect connection to the riser. If you connect the top and bottom pipes on the same side, the circulation of hot water will be difficult. This situation is typical for apartment buildings with insufficient pressure in the system.

When doing repairs yourself, it is important to remember that the coolant is supplied to the system under high pressure. Even one mistake can cause a major accident with flooding of your own and neighboring apartments. The best option, when the battery does not heat up when the riser is hot, and your own experience is not enough, is to seek qualified help.

Starting the riser

The court decision will indicate the period during which the heating must be restored. If the house was represented in court by the chairman of the HOA, workers are hired from the management company or housing office who will start the riser without causing an emergency.

In the case where the representation was carried out by the Housing Office itself, it independently selects workers to start and completes it within the time period specified by the court decision.

If for some reason the chairman of the HOA or the housing office employees do not comply with the requirements of the court decision, it is advisable to file a claim in court under the article of failure to comply with a court verdict, act or other decision.

Having gathered the apartment owners for a council and decided that, according to the court decision, the system should be launched, the system is allowed to be launched by the plumbers of the house or by a hired team of workers. It is not recommended to launch it yourself.

In top-fill systems, you can simply open the valves on the riser (closing the vents) and release the air from the vent on the expansion tanks (you will need to go up to the attic to do this).

Start-up in bottom-fill systems has a more complex algorithm, which must be performed by qualified specialists.