Electric boilers for heating a private house: features of different types, the choice of a suitable installation

Choosing the right home heating system allows you to create favorable living conditions and minimize costs. This choice affects both construction costs and the maintenance of the housing in the future. Many homeowners use electric boilers to heat their private home. These are powerful devices capable of maintaining a comfortable indoor temperature even in the coldest winters.

Advantages and disadvantages

Electric boilers can be used as the main or additional heat source. Heating with an electric boiler will cost the owner dearly due to the large amount of electricity he uses.

Electric heating is much more expensive than gas heating. To heat 100 m² of the area with an electric boiler, the owner will have to pay 25,000-30,000 rubles.

An electric boiler for the home is usually used where there are no gas mains. It is a good alternative to solid fuel or liquid units. Also, boilers are used as a backup option when the gas supply is cut off or when there is no fuel. Another case is the heating of country houses, where they come from time to time in winter, so there is no need to conduct gas.

Electric boilers have the following advantages:

• for installation, you do not need to obtain permission from utilities;
• it is not required to arrange a chimney;
• boilers are easy to install and connect to the circuit;
• electric boilers operate silently and do not produce waste;
• you can connect a warm floor, hot water supply and other parallel circuits to them.

These devices have some disadvantages that cannot be ignored either. The disadvantages of equipment include following:

• their capacity is not enough to heat large houses;
• a reliable source of electricity is required to work;
• before installation, it is necessary to install new wiring, which will allow the boilers to operate at full capacity.

Principle of operation

During the operation of boilers, electrical energy is converted into thermal energy to heat the heat carrier, which is used as water, antifreeze or oil. Although all electric boilers have similar bodies, many of them differ in the principle of operation. Their internal structure, performance and safety depend on it. There are the following types of boilers:

• induction;
• electrode;
• equipped with heating elements.

Induction model

This device is structurally a transformer connected to the electrical network through the primary winding. Inside it are metal tubes. The alternating magnetic field generated by the secondary winding creates eddy currents in the tubes.

They heat the coolant flowing along the circuit. Such a system, despite its complexity, has a high efficiency. Her advantages:

1. Long service life. The core does not have scale, it does not overheat during operation. The device works almost flawlessly.
2. Versatility. Any liquid heat carrier can be used in the boiler.
3. Reliability. Due to the absence of detachable connections, the risk of leakage is minimal.

The disadvantages include the rather high cost of induction products compared to other types of boilers.

Electrode systems

These devices use an electric current passing through the electrodes. Salt is dissolved in the water inside the unit, so that the liquid is converted into an electrolyte. Two electrodes are lowered into it, the polarity of which changes with a frequency of 50 hertz. As a result, an alternating current appears in the coolant, the water is ionized and heated. Installation advantages:

1. Compactness. For efficient operation, a large tank and circulation pumps are not needed.
2. Affordable price. The installation cost is low due to the simple design. Most homeowners can afford it.
3. Work safety. If a coolant leak occurs, the heating is turned off very quickly and without insurance. Heating stops when there is no current.

The installation has certain disadvantages. Water with certain parameters can be used as a heat carrier. If its resistivity does not correspond to the norm, then the boiler will not work.

In addition, periodic replacement of the electrodes is required, as they gradually dissolve in the electrolyte.

Devices with heating elements

These are convenient and safe devices with a simple design. To heat the coolant, they use several spirals placed in heat-conducting tubes. The power of the installation is regulated by connecting or disconnecting part of the heating elements. Hot water from these boilers can be used for domestic purposes. Installation benefits:

1. Affordable price due to uncomplicated design.
2. Antifreeze, water or oil can be used as a heat carrier. The main thing is that the liquid does not freeze if the boiler is stopped in cold weather.

Boilers with heating elements have some disadvantages. Large size is considered one of their disadvantages. To accommodate the heating coils, large containers are needed. The boilers themselves are rather bulky. Also, during the operation of such devices, problems with scale may arise. But due to the low price, installations with heating elements are most popular with consumers.

Choosing a boiler for home

To choose the right electric boiler for heating a private house, you need to calculate its required peak power. In the conditions of central Russia, for the calculation, the total heated area of ​​the house is divided by 10. The minimum power of the installed boiler in kilowatts will be equal to the figure received. So, if you need to heat rooms with a total area of ​​95 m², you will need a boiler with a capacity of at least 9.5 kW. In this case, from the available devices, the one whose power exceeds the calculated value is selected.

This calculation does not apply to northern regions where winter temperatures drop below -30 ° C. Here, for heating, devices of greater power are needed or additional heat sources will be required.

It must be borne in mind that the selected boiler will not constantly operate at maximum power. If installed correctly, the equipment will heat up or run at partial load about 70% of the time. Therefore, the planned electricity consumption should not be considered based on the maximum boiler output.

Installation connection

Heating boilers do not pose a fire hazard. They are carefully protected from overheating and cannot cause a fire in a wooden building. But when installing an electric boiler for a private house, you need to use wiring of a suitable diameter. If its cross-section is less than what is needed to power the device, then it will overheat, and this is already dangerous for the house and its inhabitants. To connect the boiler to a 220 or 380 V network, you need:

1. Install a separate circuit breaker in the panel, which is designed for the maximum power of the device. To calculate its rated current, the boiler power must be divided by the mains voltage. For example, a 9000 W boiler will require a 4.9 A switch (9000/220 = 4.9). From the available products, you need to choose the one whose rated current slightly exceeds the calculated value.
2. The cable cross-section is calculated as follows: for every 10 A, 1 mm² of area is required. In our case, a wire with a cross section of 6 mm² is suitable.

Heating with electricity is a rather expensive method. But in places where there are no gas mains, the use of electric boilers is quite justified. If you choose the right device and use it wisely, you can provide a comfortable home temperature at a relatively low cost.