What are combined heating boilers and how to choose them

Heating cottages and private houses outside of cities can be a significant problem. Combined boilers for home heating are a profitable solution to a difficult situation. Complex devices with several circuits will provide a set temperature regime throughout the room, regardless of the type of fuel.

Basic types of boilers

All models of boiler units, regardless of the consumed energy resources, are divided into two main groups:

• Universal category. The fuel options are not limited.
• Standard boilers. Heat is generated from one type of coolant.

The combined equipment is focused on operation from electrical networks and various solid fuel or gas systems.

To heat water in the summer, many complex boiler models are equipped with electric heaters without using the main heating elements.

A wide range of equipment is represented by options with a complete set of hobs, two circuits with separate burners of different types of control. The presence of additional functions improves the quality of the resources used, but complicates the installation work and commissioning.

Features of hybrid designs

Reviews of the owners of private houses or cottages with combined installations indicate the presence of quality advantages of such systems, especially if the housing is located far from the distribution of centralized gas supply and there are power outages. Modules with a mechanical type of control allow switching the boiler operation to manual mode without losing functionality.

Boiler plants are endowed with many advantages:

• connection of several separate circuits at the same time;
• have a solid substance combustion chamber, or several fireboxes for different types of energy carrier;
• the ability to connect a suspended gas burner;
• equipped with electric shades for backup heater and hot water supply;
• a new level of software control use;
• the gas burner is structurally replaced for another energy carrier;
• alternative programmable transition to spare fuel.

Different levels of automation devices in combined boilers for heating houses allow you to be on a par with electric and gas models.

Possibilities to combine fuel compositions

Heating systems should be designed for emergency situations when one energy carrier is urgently replaced with another. The market offers equipment for several types of fuels. Consider complex heating boilers with several fuel functions that do not require a radical change of the system. The offered heating devices are able to provide the consumer with hot water not only in private houses, but also in office buildings or public utilities.

Combination firewood - gas

Coal, firewood, briquettes, lumber - everything that can be burned is suitable for the furnace module. The installation consists of one or two separate chambers. In a device with a firebox, only solid materials are used at a time; to switch to gas, a burner is mounted in the chamber.

Appliances with separate fireboxes have impressive dimensions.Two types of energy resources can be used simultaneously. The heat exchanger is mounted one on two chambers or there is a combination of two separate elements.

Gas / solid fuel plants are relatively inexpensive and are in high demand among small cottage owners.

Gas - electricity combination

Quite common combination boilers are installed in places with a centralized gas supply. The advantages of this type of heating boilers:

1. Small size. In a relatively small combustion chamber, a heat exchanger with a built-in ten is installed to provide hot water supply.
2. Economical energy consumption. The thermoelement is turned on only when it is necessary to quickly heat the water, or in the summer without turning on the gas in the heating system.
3. Low price for the lineup.

In types of equipment, with no secondary circuit, a water heater is additionally installed. In case of interruptions in gas supply, the ten with low power will be able to maintain the minimum temperature of the coolant.

Combined heating devices are equipped with all safety devices required for each energy source. Leakage is regulated by gas analyzers, and grounding is provided to reduce the risk of electric shock. Sensors for the presence of thrust, combustion products in the air, and so on are installed.

Combination of firewood - electricity

Solid fuel boilers are installed if it is impossible to connect to the main gas pipeline, fuel in cylinders. They are non-volatile and powerful. Prefabricated universal devices are equipped with all safety protection elements with a manufacturer's warranty.

Features of heating units using a combination of wood / electricity:

• Repairable - electrical parts of the system are easy to replace;
• design reliability - heating elements are designed to work in the firebox;
• the thermostat provides remote temperature control.

To adjust the power of solid fuel boilers, manufacturers recommend installing and using electronic heat regulators.

Multi-fuel heating equipment

Household equipment performs its functions on several energy carriers. In addition to the most common combinations with heating gas, wood, electricity, the device burns pellet pellets. In variations of boilers with a pellet feed hopper, this structural element is removed, and the chambers are used for certain energy carriers. The units are adapted for different fuel fractions, therefore, it is necessary to take into account the creation of special conditions for increased injection pressure, forced draft.

The functionality is expanded by installing an electric heater in a heat exchanger.

To install multi-fuel systems, the following requirements must be met:

• during continuous operation, it is necessary to provide a stock and storage of energy carriers;
• organization of delivery of consumables to the boiler;
• uninterrupted supply of electricity to the units.

When choosing combined boilers for heating a house, an analysis of factors for a specific room should be carried out. The main indicator is economic viability. In addition to the increased cost of the device, it is necessary to take into account the additional costs of adjusting the diameter of the chimney for each fuel material, the availability of the serviced area.

It makes no sense to buy a powerful boiler unit for small-sized premises with the hope that the automation will work well. This approach draws in unused power, leading to rapid wear of the equipment in conditions of “idle” system operation.