How to prepare the heating system of a private house for launch

The first start-up of the heating system of a private house after a long downtime is a responsible event. And you should prepare for it in advance, so as not to unexpectedly face problems after the onset of cold weather. We will tell you what to do before starting heating.

In the warm season, the heating systems of private houses are idle. In some regions of our country, the period when the heating system is turned off may exceed six months. But sooner or later, usually when the temperature outside for three or four days in a row drops to +8 ° C, it is time to start heating again. Before this important event for the whole house and its abodes, it is necessary to properly prepare, check and take into account everything.

We strongly advise you not to delay checking the heating system before the cold weather. It is better to carry out all the necessary actions and a test run of heating while it is relatively warm outside. If a problem is identified, you will have time to fix it. Let’s get started:

1. To get started, just check the water level in the expansion tank if you have an open system. If necessary, of course, add coolant. Most often it is water, it is very desirable – distilled, in extreme cases – boiled. Antifreeze is usually used in irregularly used heating systems;
2. In a closed heating system where a diaphragm expansion tank is installed, the pressure should also be checked. This requires a pressure gauge installed in the boiler room on the pipeline. The average is 1.5 atmospheres. You need to focus on the fact that the pressure in the expansion tank is 10% less than the working pressure in the system itself. If the numbers meet these standards, there is no need to add water. Low pressure can signal a coolant leak from the system;

3. You should go over all the radiators and deflate. It’s good if you have special Mayevsky taps. Otherwise, it will be necessary to unscrew the valves, and if there are none at all, as on old cast-iron batteries, hope that there is no air in this place. In modern heating systems, air taps are installed at the highest point of the system, in the boiler room, near the manifold dividers. Automatic air valves should also be checked by pushing in the float mechanism – water should appear;
4. We start the system to check all pipes, radiators for leaks. Particular attention is paid to joints, valve installation locations. Often, leaks can be subtle, you need to wait, supply water under a slightly increased pressure;

5. The operation of the circulation pump must be checked. Due to long downtime, the rotor may acidify. Experts advise, even in the summer, to run the heating system pump for a couple of minutes at least once a month to avoid problems in its operation. Modern models have an automatic intermittent start system that will work in the summer, of course, if the owners did not disconnect the pump from the power supply. In addition, when the circulating pump is turned on, open the central plug and wait until water begins to flow out from under the plug to make sure that there is no air in the device;

6. The mud filters for the heating medium should be cleaned at least once a year. Before starting the system – it’s time to carry out this procedure;
7. We check the condition of the chimneys, if there is a boiler with an open combustion chamber in the house – this is a very important procedure. Checking the draft and cleanliness of the chimney will be the key to its normal operation;
8. After all the stages of checking the system, a test boiler is turned on. Experts advise first to turn on the heating to a minimum, wait an hour and turn it off. Then turn it on to a higher temperature and leave for two hours to make sure that all radiators warm up evenly, the pump does not make noise, everything is in order with the boiler.