Water heater by own hands: construction, materials, assembly, installation

The main advantage of the device is the economical use of hot water at minimal cost. To heat the water, masters use different sources: electric heater, solar energy, heat from the boiler. This article will describe how to make a water heater.

The design of the indirect heating boiler

The indirect heating boiler is a storage tank, which is not dependent on energy resources (gas, electricity, etc.). Inside the container made of stainless steel, there is TEN1 in the form of a spiral.

In the tank, cold water comes through an inlet tube located at the bottom of the device. Heating of water in the unit is carried out with the help of a moving heat carrier of the heating system. The outlet pipe for hot water is located at the top. To use the tank was convenient, it is equipped with cranes with a ball structure. The outer part of the device is covered with heat-insulating material.

Diagram of the water heater is presented below.

Pros of the device

The advantages of the unit include:

• Possibility of connection to a central heating system;
• Installation near the heating boiler;
• Small monetary costs when installing a circuit;
• Economical expenditure of energy resources;
• Water supply with a constant temperature index.

Minuses

• Installing a boiler requires a large area or a separate room.
• It takes a long time to heat a large volume of water, and the room heating level will noticeably decrease.
• On the serpentine scale is rapidly formed. It needs to be cleaned with chemicals. You can apply a mechanical method. The procedure is carried out twice a year.

Manufacture of the unit by one's own hands

Since the principle of the device is simple, it is possible to build a water heater by oneself. The whole process is based on assembling the components.

To make a water heater with your own hands, you need to perform the following actions:

• Carry out the preparation of a special container;
• Make a serpentine;
• Provide heat insulation;
• Self-assemble the water heater;
• To connect the heating element;
• Provide cold water supply;
• To build a distribution of pipes;
• To install water taps.

What components will be needed

• Copper coil or tube-based heat exchanger.
• The nut is 32 mm in size.
• Pipes made of plastic.
• Apparatus for welding.
• Nitrogravity.

Choosing the right container

The storage tank serves as a reservoir. The indicator of its volume depends on the needs of users in hot water. The calculation is carried out according to the following principle: 50-70 liters of water per person daily. A family consisting of four people will fit a 200-liter capacity.

When choosing a material, you should pay attention to how much it is susceptible to corrosion. As a rule, aluminum alloy or plastic is used. The boiler itself can be made of steel, treated with rust protection.

The core of the storage water heater can be a pipe from the heat main. So you get a cylinder without a seam. But experts advise making a water heater made of such material as stainless steel. The price is acceptable. Iron, as is known, secretes harmful substances for the body. The stainless steel water heater will be absolutely safe for health.

You should also think about the weight of the pipe. The meter of 720X10 weighs about 140 kg. The price of one kg is 12 p. How much does stainless steel cost? Price 1 kg of the AISI304 series is 130 r. The weight of a sheet in the size 2000х1000х1 is 16 kg.

Make a boiler of your own hands will cost you 2000 rubles. If the metal is bent along the length, you will get a cylinder whose height will be equal to 1 m, and a diameter of approximately 63 cm. A thicker steel sheet will not work, since it is difficult to work with it. The volume of the tank will be approximately 318 liters.

As a result, you will get a wonderful homemade capacity, in which you can install a water heater for factory production. Its power should be 6 kW. He will be able to heat 300 liters of water in three hours. If you use a 2 kW electric heater, it will take a whole night.

The tank is supplied with two holes. One is located at the top of the case. It serves for the receipt of hot water. The other is at the bottom. Its function is to supply cold water. Each hole is equipped with ball valves.

An alternative to the tank is a gas cylinder.

Boiler from a gas cylinder

If you decide to make a boiler from a gas cylinder, it is better to buy a new one without a vent. If an old container is used, hot water may have a smell of gas.

The cylinder needs a preliminary priming. To this end, it is cut into two halves. In order not to explode, we advise you to fill it with water beforehand. The inner part of the structure is cleaned and primed. In this way, rust is prevented. After that the cylinder is brewed.

Two holes are cut in the tank, designed to drain hot and cold water. At the inlet of cold water, the supply pipe is equipped with a non-return valve. This prevents water from escaping from the tank.

To obtain an indirect heater that will function from the heating system, in addition to the hot and cold water outlets, two more holes are provided for the installation of the heat exchanger. In it, one tube is adjacent to the other.

The coil is installed in the center of the tank or along its walls. To its incoming and outgoing pipe welded nipples.

If you want your device to stand, then it should be welded to the supports. For the attachment, loops in the form of "ears" will be required.

To the place where the heater will be installed, a 32 mm nut is welded. It must have an internal thread. Water heater for water it is desirable to install with the presence of thermoregulation or signaling sensor. Its power should be 1.2-2 kW.

The result is an indirect heating boiler. The main element of the design is a gas cylinder.

How to make a serpentine?

The coil is an important part of the device. For its basis, you can take a metal or metal- plastic pipe with a small diameter. As a rule, copper or brass is used, as they have a high level of heat transfer. The manufacturer can choose the diameter of the coil at his own discretion. The main condition is that its contact with water is maximum.

The serpentine tube is wound in a spiral on a mandrel in the form of a cylinder. For this purpose, a log or a pipe with a large diameter is used. When winding the coil, it is necessary to monitor the coils. They should not touch each other.

Do not make the winding tight, since removing the coil from the mandrel will be very difficult.

The number of turns on the coil is directly proportional to the volume and height of the tank. As a rule, 1.5 kW of thermal power of the coil is used for every 10 liters.

Thermal insulation

To minimize heat loss, the tank should be wrapped with a layer of thermal insulation.

For this purpose, apply:

• Building foam;
• Isolone;
• Polyurethane foam;
• Foam;
• Mineral wool.

Some craftsmen use a substrate for a foil-based laminate. The water heater wraps up in this case, like a thermos. The heater is fixed by means of a wire, glue or strip ties. We advise you to make the whole building insulated.

Sheathing will ensure not only long-term preservation of hot water, but also shorten the heating time of the tank, which will reduce the flow of the coolant. Without well-equipped thermal insulation, the water in the device will quickly cool down.

Often resorted to the construction of a double capacity: a small tank is placed inside the large one. The space created between them also performs a heat-insulating function.

To fix the container, hinges are welded to the top of its body, and a metal corner is attached to the wall to which they are attached.

Other ways of making a water heater

You can build a water heater that operates from the sun. This is a fairly common construction, which is distinguished by efficiency. The device is often found in country houses. Making a device is not particularly difficult, so many can build it themselves.

You will need:

• A tank of high capacity (100 liters and more);
• PVC pipes for filling the tank and supplying water to it;
• Angles made of steel with a size of 20 mm or square blocks of wood with a size of 50 mm for the frame under the container.

As a container, it is more expedient to use polyethylene barrels. They are distinguished by their strength. They should stand in a sunny place, in which there is no wind. As a rule, the roof of a summer shower is chosen for installation.

For the barrel to warm up better, it needs to be painted black. On the leeward side, shields for protection are mounted. They are constructed of boards covered with a reflective material of the type of foil. In this case, the sun's rays are directed to the tank and increase the temperature of the water. In hot weather in a capacity of 200 liters you can get water, the temperature of which will be 45 ºС.

Water heater from polyethylene bottles

The water heater can be made from ordinary plastic bottles in one day. They form the basis of a storage tank. The number of bottles depends on the desired capacity.

For installation you will need:

• Sealant;
• PVC pipes;
• drill;
• Two valves or a ball valve with a ball structure.

First of all bottles are prepared. In the bottom of each hole is drilled, the diameter of which is equal to the diameter of the neck. The neck of the bottle is inserted into the hole in the bottom of the bottle. So there is their connection. Each battery consists of 10 bottles. The number of batteries is not limited. All joints are treated with a sealant.

Ready modules are located on the south side of the roof on the internal waves of the slate coating. The output of each section is connected to a pipe made of PVC, which is perpendicular to them. The cutting of each section is carried out by analogy of the connection of the bottles to the battery, followed by the gluing of all joints.

In the main pipe, to which the outputs of each battery are connected, the valves for supplying cold water and for removing hot are mounted on both sides.

This self-made water heater has a sufficiently high level of functionality. For taking a shower, one person needs 100 liters of water. Based on this indicator, it is possible to calculate the volume of the structure.

In summer in sunny weather for an hour you can heat 60 liters of water to 45 ° C. This temperature is quite suitable for domestic and household needs in the country.

Conclusion

The rapid rise in price of energy resources makes many create cheap alternative devices. Many build a water heater with their own hands and create comfort at minimal cost.