How to create and install an indirect heating boiler with your own hands?

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In this article we will try to give as much information as possible about how to make an indirect boiler with your own hands, why it is used in houses and apartments and the basics of its operation. Make yourself comfortable, because the next 5 minutes will be very interesting!

The principle of operation of a homemade indirect boiler

Since purchasing a store-bought heater will cost a pretty penny, craftsmen have long come up with a way to make equipment from improvised materials. Anyone can cope with this, because on the Internet there are a lot of drawings of indirect heating boilers made by yourself.

A water heater of this type is characterized by a simple design and a minimum of parts, so you can assemble it yourself. What no boiler can do without:

1. Heating element - a cylinder or spiral part installed inside a tank through which heat from the general heating system passes. In universal models, in place of the usual heater there is a heating element (tubular).
2. Tank - when cold water comes from the mixer, it is heated inside the device by the action of the coil. The hot liquid is then transferred further through the water supply system.
3. Thermal insulation - it is necessary in order to increase the heat capacity of our tank, since a simple metal shell gives off too much heat to the outside without using it for its intended purpose. Steep thermal insulation in factory-made devices with a thickness of at least 50 mm.

The water in the system is heated because we either connect the system to our heating system or have a tubular electric heater installed. The coolant is one or more heating elements. When it comes into contact with water, its temperature rises to 60-70 degrees, after which it can be used for domestic purposes.

Do-it-yourself indirect heating boiler based on an electric heater: myth or reality?

In fact, such a possibility always exists. The elements are freely removed from the inside of the tank, and a simple coil is installed to replace it. The entire scheme is carried out through home heating.

The advantages of this solution are that we already receive a tank with complete thermal insulation. All you need for an indirect heating tank with your own hands is just to disconnect the heating element and insert the coil.

However, this assembly method also has disadvantages:

• Low power circuit - the heater will have a huge area for contact with water, due to which the warm-up time and heat loss will increase.
• The speed of obtaining at least warm water is several times lower than a conventional indirect boiler made by yourself.

This option is almost never made in “handicraft” conditions. It’s easier to make an indirect heating boiler yourself by selecting the necessary parameters of the tank, thermal insulation elements and temperature increasing elements.

What materials do you need to prepare for an indirect water heater with your own hands?

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The first place to start is to find a good tank. Regarding the material, you can’t think of anything better than stainless steel. To do this, find either a barrel of the appropriate diameter and height, or buy an empty gas cylinder - it is quite sufficient in size and wall density to make an indirect heating water heater with your own hands.

Another option is to make the tank from heat-resistant plastic. Two holes are made in the tank, necessary for the supply of cold liquid and the exit of heated liquid. Holes are made vertically on opposite sides (future bottom and top). Additionally, you need to make two more holes for the coil, which will be connected to the heating system.

The material for the coil is brass or copper. Such materials are easy to mold and conduct heat well. To make it, we need a metal tube or a piece of wood, sharpened into a cylinder. It will be necessary to wind a copper pipe around it to get something like a spring. Life hack: to avoid damaging the copper tube during bending, fill the entire container with sand - this will increase the density and prevent anything from cracking. The coil will be the correct size, diameter and shape.

How to calculate the parameters of the spiral for a homemade indirect heating boiler? To do this, you need to adhere to just a few points: tank volume, material and heat capacity. It is generally accepted that for every 10 liters you need 1.5 kW of heat.

And to calculate the dimensions, a special formula is used: for a 200-liter cylinder with a copper tube diameter of 1 cm, the length is about 15 meters. Using simple mathematical operations, based on the obtained indicators, you can find out the length of the pipe for your tank.

Before assembling the indirect heating boiler, you need to take care of future thermal insulation. If you want to save money and not install it at all, then such fraud will only increase your subsequent expenses on utilities - the efficiency of the boiler will be extremely low.

The ideal homemade method is to find a larger diameter tank, immerse the heater in it and fill the gaps with foam.

Well, for subsequent assembly we will need fittings, adapters, faucets and other plumbing elements - a little of everything.

How to calculate the dimensions of a tank for making an indirect heating boiler with your own hands

Rough calculations show that for a family of 4 people, the average water consumption per day is around 200-250 liters. If the water is used only for bathing or showering, 100-150 liters will be enough.

For greater clarity, let’s present a few examples of how much water is consumed during a particular procedure:

• Kitchen sink - about 20 liters of water per day are spent, of which 5-10 come from the heater;
• Washing - from 1 to 3 liters from the boiler;
• Shower – up to 30 liters of water per day.

Also, if you plan to install the system suspended (with brackets on the wall), then there are restrictions on the weight of the entire structure - a tank of more than 150 liters cannot be used. If you need a larger size, look for space on the floor.

How to make an indirect heating boiler with your own hands - assembly steps

You can begin assembling the heater when you have found all the main elements and made a coil.

1. We make 2 through holes in the tank: for a cold source and for the outlet of hot water.
2. If we install a tubular heater, then it also needs a separate hole.
3. We put a coil in the container, and to its edges we bring tubes that were previously welded to the tank. You can attach it in any other way, just do not forget about the tightness of the structure.
4. Stands are welded to the bottom (for floor-standing), or a panel is welded to the side for anchors or brackets.
5. The coil is then connected to the heating system in the house.
6. We install cold and hot water through the pipes.
7. For convenience, we can immediately make several water intake points for different rooms (for example, a bathroom and a kitchen).
8. We first cover the boiler body with a thermal insulation layer - made of foil wool or polyurethane foam (which is simpler and cheaper).

Thus, we made an indirect heating boiler with our own hands in just a couple of hours, spending no more than 5 thousand rubles. We assure you that no heater costs such little money.