How to make an electric boiler with your own hands - options and methods. A homemade electric boiler for heating a house will save your budget Do-it-yourself electric boiler drawings and operating principle

Heating using electricity is not very profitable, but it provides a lot of advantages: comfortable operation, relatively low price of equipment, safety. This article is devoted to the installation and connection of an electric boiler in a private house. After studying our detailed guide, any skilled homeowner can easily install an electric boiler with their own hands.

If you have not yet chosen an electric boiler

The choice of a heater operating in conjunction with a water heating system is made based on power and operating principle (the cost of the equipment depends on the latter). Electric boilers have no problems with functionality - any model is equipped with an automation unit. If desired, various peripheral devices can be connected to it - weather sensors, room or overhead thermostats and GSM modules for control from a mobile phone or via the Internet.

Important note. Some manufacturers, for example, Galan, Protherm or Evan, require in the operating instructions that the installation and connection of the electric boiler to the network be carried out by specially trained personnel. Self-connection will result in a waiver of warranty obligations.

After completing the work, the craftsmen make a note in the technical data sheet of the product.

Before choosing and purchasing a heating device, check how much electrical power is allocated to your home by the management company. It may happen that it is not enough for individual electric heating. Point two: a single-phase 220-volt network is capable of powering boilers that consume up to 12 kW/h inclusive. More powerful water heaters are connected to a three-phase 380 V power supply.

Determination of thermal power

This indicator is calculated using the standard formula: calculate the heated area of a country house or cottage, then multiply the quadrature by 0.1 kW. Obtain the thermal energy demand that the electric boiler must cover.

Consider a number of nuances:

Example. A small house of 100 m² on average requires 100 x 0.1 = 10 kW of heat. The power of the electric heating installation is 10 x 1.2 (20%) = 12 kW. We need to heat water for household needs - multiply by a factor of 1.5 and get 15 kW.

To obtain more accurate results, we suggest studying the methodology

Which type of heater is better

Traditional, equipped with tubular electric heaters (TEHs).
Electrode, where the salted coolant is heated by passing current through the water.
Induction devices heat the liquid using Foucault eddy currents that arise in the metal core of a multi-turn coil.

Electric mini-boiler room with tubular heaters (TEN), fully equipped

Valuable advice. Do not listen to the tales of salesmen praising the efficiency of certain electric boilers. They like to use the expressions “energy-saving”, “eternal”, “economical” and so on. Remember: all types of heaters equally effectively convert electrical energy into heat with an efficiency of 98-99%.

The first place in the user rating is occupied by heating element heaters. The only weak point - the heating element itself - has long been protected with ceramics, and in addition it is easy to replace. Modern models of heat generators are wall-mounted mini-boiler rooms with a built-in expansion tank and circulation pump. There are simpler versions that include only heaters and an automation unit.

The cheapest and most reliable option is an electrode boiler with a control cabinet, shown in the photo. Its disadvantages:

loud switching sounds from the operation of a contactor or magnetic starter;
gradual degeneration of salts in the coolant, which reduces heating efficiency, which is why the water in the heating system will have to be added with salt 1-2 times a month;
The electric device works stably with radiators, but is poorly compatible with heated floors, where it is necessary to maintain a low coolant temperature of 35-50 °C.

Induction electric boilers for heating a private home are quite expensive, and there are questions about the reliability of the devices. There are known cases of phase burnout inside the coil, the power of the heat generator dropped by a third. Fixing the breakdown is very problematic.

An induction heater heats water with a metal core located in the vortex field of the coil

Heater installation instructions

Electric water heating boilers of all types are designed for wall mounting and are equipped with mounting brackets or clamps. There is no point in explaining the marking and driving of dowels - every homeowner knows how this is done.

For reference. In a floor-standing version, universal electric wood-burning and coal-fired boilers are sold, described in.

Another question is how to choose the right room and specific location for installing the electric boiler. On the one hand, regulatory documents do not prohibit installing a heat generator in any room. On the other hand, there are rules for the use of electrical installations (PUE), which impose restrictions on the placement of high-power thermal power devices.

The wall version can be hung even in the corridor, but all communications will have to be pulled there

Considering the high current in the circuit of operating electric heaters, it is better to install the devices in a separate technical room, for example, a furnace room or garage. The goal is to limit access to power electrical equipment and protect devices from moisture.
New heating elements can be placed in the kitchen or hallway. But keep in mind an important nuance: you will have to pull the main line of the heating system and a powerful power cable there. It is unlikely that these communications will fit harmoniously into the interior, unless the pipes are sealed into the wall.
When installing the heat generator on a wooden wall or other combustible partition, comply with the requirements for wall-hung gas boilers. Place a sheet of roofing steel or basalt cardboard under the back of the body adjacent to the wood, as shown in the photo.
Provide approach and access to the heater for ease of connection and maintenance. Install induction and electrode boilers in such a way that an expansion tank and pump are placed nearby. Place the control cabinet at a height of 1.5-1.8 m from the floor.
Recommended clearances to the Proterm Skat boiler unit specified in the instructions
Lay the cables above heating and sewer pipelines so that they are not flooded with water in the event of a breakthrough.
Heating pipes should not load the connecting fittings of the unit with their weight.

Important! Be sure to connect the body of the electric boiler to the grounding bus. If there is none, make a grounding loop outside and lay it in the boiler room. Find detailed instructions below.

As a rule, an electric heat generator acts as a backup device for the main solid fuel or gas boiler. This means that heat generators and auxiliary equipment need to be configured correctly to ensure a minimum of pipeline crossings. Think and draw a diagram in advance.

Connecting an electric boiler to a heating system

Wall-mounted mini-boiler rooms with a built-in expansion tank, pump and safety group are operated in closed heating systems with forced circulation, operating under pressure. The connection is extremely simple and does not require display in the form of a diagram: the supply and return pipelines are connected to the corresponding pipes of the electric boiler.

Note. The automation of such heat generators monitors the pressure in the heating network using a sensor. If the coolant pressure is below the set threshold (usually 1 Bar), the device will not turn on.

when you need to install a unit that is not equipped with its own pump and expansion tank;
parallel operation in tandem with a solid fuel or gas boiler;
strapping with;
connecting the dual-circuit version of the unit to the heating and hot water mains;
connection to an indirect heating boiler.

The safety group protects the system from overpressure and releases excess air

The first diagram illustrates the connection of an electrode or induction boiler to a closed-type heating network with. A shut-off ball valve is installed on the direct outlet section of the supply pipe, followed by a shut-off ball valve. The pump and filter - mud collector are installed with equal success on the supply or return.

Note. This and subsequent diagrams do not conventionally show the make-up pipeline. It should be inserted into the heating return line.

The heating element version of the electric boiler, which is not equipped with an expansion tank, safety group and pump, is connected in a similar way. If it is necessary to organize a connection to an open-type gravity (gravity) heating system, then the pipelines are laid with a slope of 3 mm per linear meter, and the circulation pump is mounted on.

The ability to work by gravity does not give the circuit a big advantage - without electricity, the boiler will still turn off

An open expansion tank is located at the top point of the network. To ensure stable gravity flow, the manufacturer of electrode boilers “Galan” recommends maintaining the height of the vertical section between the heater and the tank at 2 meters. Accordingly, the tank is placed in the attic of a private house.

Comment. Installing a wall-mounted electric boiler, whose pipes face downwards, will not allow the coolant to circulate naturally due to convection. An example is units of the Evan or Proterm brand. Heaters with side and top fittings - “Galan”, “VIN” and the like - are suitable for gravity systems.

Connection with other boilers and heat storage tank

To connect an electric heat generator together with a solid fuel boiler, use a circuit with two check valves, a surface-mounted thermostat and a room temperature controller. This connection option provides automatic “pickup” of the cooling system by the electric boiler after the firewood load burns out.

Check valves prevent the coolant from flowing into the adjacent circuit and moving in the opposite direction

The algorithm of the circuit looks like this:

The TT boiler acts as the main one, the electrical apparatus is in standby mode.
When a portion of firewood or coal burns, the air temperature in the building begins to decrease. When cooling reaches a user-set threshold, the room thermostat turns on the electric heater.
An overhead thermostat detects a drop in temperature in the return of a solid fuel boiler and turns off its pump.
After loading firewood into the firebox, heating is resumed and the thermostat starts forced circulation. Using its own sensor, the electric boiler “sees” the heated coolant and does not start working until the next command from the thermostat. The expert explains the operating principle in more detail in the following video:

Note. The piping method is also suitable for other types of boilers - gas, diesel, and so on. Please note one nuance: the electric heater is used here as a backup heat source.

Connecting to a buffer tank, shown in the next diagram, also allows you to combine several heat sources and accumulate a sufficient amount of energy in the tank. The heat accumulator is very useful in a situation where the electric heater operates at night, taking advantage of a cheap tariff. During the day, the device is inactive, and the building is heated with heat from a buffer tank.

In this scheme, you can organize the operation of the electric heater according to a schedule using a timer

The task of the mixing unit c is to supply the radiators with water at the required temperature, because the heat accumulator is “charged” to 80-90 °C. If the rooms have underfloor heating water circuits, a second mixing unit is made for them, preparing the coolant at a temperature of 35-45 °C (maximum - 50 °C).

Schemes with hot water supply

There are two ways to get hot water from an electric boiler for household needs:

purchase and install a double-circuit heating unit;
connect an indirect heating boiler to a single-circuit boiler.

In the first case, the device is connected according to the standard diagram shown in the picture. There are a minimum of difficulties here; the main thing is to correctly install the shut-off valves.

For ease of cleaning, the mud pans should be in a horizontal position.

The connection with the indirect heating boiler is carried out through a three-way switching type solenoid valve. At the command of the thermostat built into the storage tank, the element switches the coolant flow to heat water for hot water supply or heating radiators. Loading the boiler is a priority: until the tank warms up to the set temperature, the radiator network will not receive heat.

In the case of an induction or electrode unit, the immersion thermostat is connected to the contacts of the thermal relay

Important point. For this reason, the selection of heat generator power plays an important role. If it is not enough, the heating of the tank will take a long time, and the room air will have time to cool down. For more information about how the system works, watch the training video.

Although the plot talks about connecting a storage water heater to a wall-mounted gas boiler, the essence does not change - the electric heater is connected in the same way.

Electrical connection

The power supply circuits are the same for all electric boilers, the only difference is the number of phases. Devices with a power of up to 12 kW are connected to a single-phase 220 V network, more than 12 kW - to a three-phase (380 V). What you will need for installation:

power cable with copper conductors;
differential circuit breaker or combination of RCD + conventional circuit breaker;
ground loop.

A VVG cable of any type is used as a power line; the number of cores depends on the number of phases - 3 or 5. Select the cross-section of the current-carrying part according to the power of the heat generator, usually this parameter is indicated in the product’s operating instructions. To simplify the task, we present the data for different boilers in the form of a table.

The rating of the differential circuit breaker also depends on the power consumption of the heater; the operating current is 30 mA. For example, to protect the power line of a 3 kW (220 volt) unit, you will need a device rated at 16 A; for a power of 16 kW (380 V), you need a 32 A difavtomat. The exact ratings are indicated in the product data sheet.

To independently connect a wall-mounted electric mini-boiler room, you need to remove the front panel, run the power cable inside and connect the wires of the corresponding colors to the terminal block contacts. As a rule, the neutral wire is indicated in blue, grounding in yellow-green. The control box of the induction and electrode boiler is connected in the same way.

Electrical connections between the control cabinet and the heating block of an electrode or induction boiler are made according to the individual diagram presented in the instructions. As an example, we give a connection diagram for the popular Galan electric boiler.

Automation diagram for single-phase 220 V network

The temperature of the coolant here is monitored by overhead sensors installed on the metal sections of the supply and return pipelines. The devices are connected in series with the contacts of the thermal relay that controls the magnetic starter. When the upper temperature threshold is reached, the circuit breaks and the starter turns off the heating. How to make grounding

Laying a grounding loop near a private house is a simple matter and very useful from the point of view of electrical safety. For installation, find 3 steel rods Ø16 mm 2 m long and a strip with a cross-section of 40 x 5 mm.

Stepping 3 m away from the wall of the building, arrange grounding according to the step-by-step instructions:

Upon completion, treat the welding seams and the above-ground section of the strip with bitumen and bury the hole. For more information about the grounding device for an electric boiler and home appliances, watch the video:

Conclusion

In order to avoid making stupid mistakes during the installation and wiring process, before installing an electric boiler, you should talk to a specialist in this field. The operation is not as simple as it might seem. Pay special attention to the electrical part, since high voltage is a source of increased danger.

We recently told you about how to do it yourself. However, in the example we considered a water heater from the manufacturer - compact, efficient, but expensive. To make a similar device yourself does not require much time, much less money. The only condition is that you must be “friends” with the welding machine. We will tell you further about how to make an electrode boiler with your own hands from available materials!

Briefly about the principle of operation

First of all, we will tell you how this type of water heater for the heating system works. The principle of operation is quite simple - the coolant (in our case, clean water) enters a container in which an electrode is installed - a thick metal rod attached to one of the ends of the container. A phase is connected to the electrode, and a neutral conductor is connected to the outer part of the housing. When the device is connected to a 220 Volt network with a frequency of 50 Hz, the coolant begins to move chaotically from the anode to the cathode, as a result of which the water ions are heated. That is why electrode boilers can also be called ionic. As you can see, the principle of operation is really not complicated, although at the same time the efficiency of the system is 96-98%, which is a very high figure.

A simple homemade product using improvised materials

So, first of all, we will provide you with step-by-step instructions for creating an electrode heating boiler at home, having the simplest spare parts on hand - a metal pipe and an electrode, as shown in the photo:

All you need to make is:

welding machine;
pipe with a diameter of no more than 10 cm and a length of up to 25 cm;
electrode (a 10-12 mm metal rod is suitable);
tee of suitable diameter;
a coupling that will connect to the heating system;
insulator for the electrode and terminals (zero, grounding);

The assembly process is quite simple and consists of the following steps:

That's the whole manufacturing technology. A drawing of a simple electrode boiler should look something like this:

How profitable is such a system?

Master class in 5 parts

Well, if you are proficient with a welding machine, we recommend making an electrode boiler with your own hands, following all the tips provided in the video course below. Such a homemade product will be safer, more reliable and effective!

Part 1 - Overview of the finished system

Part 2 - Housing Assembly

It is quite possible to build a heating boiler in country houses that are not connected to a central gas pipeline, even on your own. In this material we will talk about how to make an electric heating boiler with your own hands. We will consider 3 available options for electric boilers - heating elements, electrode and induction.

What tools will you need?

To assemble homemade electric heating and encounter a minimum of difficulties, you must have high-quality tools at your disposal.

To work you will need:

welding machine - it is most convenient to work with an inverter model;
cutter – if you don’t know how to use a gas cutter, it’s better to use a plasma cutter;
grinder - you will even need 2 models - a large one for a disk with a cross-section of 230 mm and a small one for a disk with a cross-section of 125 mm;
electric drill;
hammer;
core;
tape measure and compass.

Electric boiler on heating elements

The do-it-yourself electric boiler circuit with a heater is the easiest to implement and has been known for quite a long time.

Operating principle of a heating element boiler

The design of all household appliances in which heating elements (heating elements) are installed is the same. When the power is turned on, voltage is applied to the heating element, which gradually heats up and transfers thermal energy to the liquid located around it.

The advantages of such devices:

a wide range of heating elements of various shapes and power;
Possibility of use in any heating system with liquid coolants;
insulation is installed on the boiler body, so that voltage is supplied exclusively to the heating element;
do not require complex maintenance;
The heating level is very easy to control, even with a minimal set of automatic controls.

Among the disadvantages of a homemade electric boiler of this type are:

“gluttony” in electricity consumption, since heating 10 m2 of area requires 1 kW of power;
impurities in the coolant accumulate on the heating element in the form of scale, so it needs to be cleaned approximately once a year;
The heating element can only function in the presence of liquid; it is recommended to install an idle speed sensor with it.

The procedure for assembling a boiler with heating elements with its own rivers

Before you make an electric boiler with your own hands, you should make sure that you have a reliable power supply line. Only equipment with a power of no more than 6 kW can be connected to ordinary networks with a voltage of 220 V and a frequency of 50 Hz. If a more powerful boiler is required, it needs a three-phase wiring and a separate input.

So, we begin assembling a homemade electric heating boiler from a pipe with a cross-section of 159 mm and a wall thickness of 10 mm. This pipe will serve as the boiler body. It will require either a factory-made hemisphere with a cross-section of 159 mm and a thickness of 10 mm, or sheet metal with a thickness of 8 mm or more of a similar section.

The boiler roof, into which the heating elements will subsequently be embedded, can be made from an 8 mm thick channel.

We cut a ¾-inch coupling into the boiler dome. We will screw the drain valve into this coupling. In addition, you will need 2 pipes with a cross-section of 1 inch for inflow and return. The threads on the pipes can be made both internal and external. It all depends on which one you are more comfortable working with.

To relieve excess pressure, you need to prepare a pipe for inserting the bypass channel. You will also need 3 adapters, each of which will have a heating element for the electric boiler screwed into it. Another adapter will be needed for the temperature sensor. In addition, you will need holders for automation.

Please note that it is advisable to cut the threads on the pipes and adapters immediately.

Prepared pipes with threads, the same as on heating elements, must be immediately screwed into the adapters. This is necessary so that the threads are not damaged during welding to the arch. To mark the insertion points of the heating elements, the outer diameter of the pipe must be divided into 6 equal sectors according to the radius size. Then we draw three identical sectors strictly at an angle of 120°.

The next step is to start cutting. Having finished with the markings, using a plasma cutter we cut out holes for the pipes for the heating elements. They should be cut only along the outer contour. With all other pipes this is not of fundamental importance.

Let's start welding work. First we intercept the pipes at several points so that they do not lead. Then we check the accuracy of the location, if necessary, lightly tap with a hammer, and then make a continuous seam. It is important that the adapters for heating elements in an electric boiler for heating with your own hands protrude 1 cm above the surface of the boiler roof.

Let's start cutting out the vault from the channel. In its center we make a hole for the air valve pipe, after which we weld the pipe itself. We make a hole on the side for the temperature sensor and also weld a pipe under it.

All protrusions, burrs and welding residues must be thoroughly cleaned using a grinder. The inner surface of the arch platform must be perfectly flat. The pipes for installing heating elements will protrude only 1 cm from the outside.

We got a fairly powerful electric boiler with our own hands with 3 heating elements. If you need a simpler unit, using the same principle it can be assembled with 1 or 2 heating elements.

Assembling a heating boiler on electrodes

Devices of this type have become actively used only in the last 10-15 years. These are more technologically advanced devices compared to heating elements.

Design

In electronic electric boilers, the liquid plays the role of a heating element. A self-assembled electric boiler of this type is a metal casing, inside of which there is an insulated steel electrode.

0 is supplied to the housing, and phase is supplied to the electrode. When voltage is applied, water ions begin to vibrate with a frequency of 50 hertz. In this case, the liquid gradually heats up. Due to this property, such boilers are also called ion boilers.

The dimensions of electrode boilers are small. They can be made from a pipe with a cross-section of up to 320 mm and a length of up to 60 cm. However, an electric boiler for heating a house with your own hands can be made much smaller.

Advantages:

small dimensions, thanks to which the ion boiler can be placed even in a small apartment;
the absence of the so-called “dry running”, which guarantees the serviceability of the boiler, since without liquid inside it will not work;
resistance to voltage surges;
high heating and cooling speed, which means ease of adjustment;
efficiency in energy consumption compared to devices using heating elements.

Among the disadvantages of such boilers are the following:

An important condition for the effective functioning of an electrode boiler is the level of thermal conductivity and the quality of the coolant;
the device must be reliably grounded, since there is a high risk of electric shock;
It is important to exclude the possibility of air getting inside the system, otherwise the electrodes will become unusable due to corrosion.

Instructions for assembling a homemade electrode boiler

As a body for an electric heating boiler with our own hands, we use a pipe with an internal cross-section of about 50 mm and a length of 40 cm. In addition, you will need a solid rod with a diameter of 20 mm and a length of 30 cm, as well as two adapters with cut internal threads. At the end of the rod we drill a blind hole with a thread for a Ø10 mm bolt.

We prepare the pipes. We will weld 1 at the end of the pipe, and the other at the side. To ensure that the side pipe fits perfectly to the pipe, it is trimmed with a grinder and then sanded with a round file.

We cut holes for the pipes. If you don’t have a cutter, you can drill many small holes around the circumference. The work is brought to perfection with a needle file and a round file. The hole for the side pipe must be located 10-15 mm from the edge of the pipe.

The next step is to weld the pipes to the pipe. To prevent them from being led away, they first make spot welding in several places, and then apply a continuous seam.

We prepare the platform for the electric boiler. To do this, you can take a sheet of fiberglass 2 cm thick and cut a piece of 120x120 mm using a hacksaw. Then in this platform you need to drill one hole in the center, and four around the perimeter. The cross-section of the holes should be 10-12 mm.

Fastenings of the boiler body will be passed through the holes along the perimeter, and the central hole is intended for fixing the steel electrode.

We proceed to fixing the casing for the boiler to the platform. To ensure a secure fit, four Ø12 mm nuts can be welded on the body on 4 sides. Bolts Ø10 mm will easily pass through them.

Such nuts need to be welded with a slight indentation from the platform. To ensure this, you need to screw nuts of appropriate size onto the bolts, thread them into the wide nuts, and secure them from below again with smaller ones. This will make welding work easier.

At the last stage we perform the final assembly of the boiler. To do this, cut out a rubber gasket with a cross-section slightly larger than the outer diameter of the boiler. We make a hole in its central part and thread the electrode through it. Then we install the body on the platform and screw it on.

Induction boilers

Among all the options for assembling heating with an electric boiler with your own hands, making an induction-type model is the most innovative.

Working principle of electric induction boiler

If we omit the details, then the operation of an induction boiler is based on heating the coolant through a magnetic field.

Among the advantages of such units:

high efficiency;
safety;
possibility of using any coolant;
no scale.

high cost of factory boilers;
complexity of the structure of the automatic control unit. Without preparation it will be difficult to assemble it.

Instructions for assembling a homemade induction boiler

It is worth noting that often the instructions on how to make an induction-type electric boiler are so complex and contain such labor-intensive drawings that self-assembly of the equipment looks rather doubtful. However, we found a non-standard solution.

Before you make an electric boiler for heating yourself, you will need to purchase an induction furnace with a power of 2.4 kW and 3 meters of profiled pipes Ø25x50 mm with walls 2.5 mm thick.

If we consider how this design will work, then first we assemble a flat container from the profile - liquid will move along it. And then we fix the induction stove to the pipe and connect it to the network. Everything together will look something like a saucepan on the stove.

Pipe cutting must be done as accurately as possible. You will need several 400 mm pieces, carefully cleaned of burrs at the ends.

Since the liquid inside such a boiler will move like a snake, it is advisable to take an even number of pieces of pipe so that the inlet and outlet holes are located on the same side - this makes it more convenient to connect them to the heating circuit.

Since the profile pipes are not perfectly straight, they must first be joined with blunt edges to sharp ones and numbered so as not to be confused later.

At the next stage, the joints between the pipes need to be welded. We lay the structure on a flat surface, tighten it with a clamp and weld it. First we do spot welding so that the structure does not move, and then we make permanent seams.

Now we need to close the end part of our container. For this we use a steel strip cut from profiled pipes. We perform welding using a similar method - first spot welding and then complete welding.

We also weld the strip on the opposite side, not forgetting to install the inlet and return pipes on the outer pipes. To ensure maximum contact area between the container and the stove, all seams must be thoroughly cleaned.

So that our boiler can be hung on the wall, 2 corners need to be welded on its back, in which the induction stove will be placed, as well as loops for hanging.

The last stage of work is painting. You can use heat-resistant paint. This completes the assembly work. You can hang the boiler and connect it to the heating and electrical network.

When purchasing an induction furnace, make sure that it is designed for continuous operation. Otherwise, the system will need to be restarted every 2 hours.

Results

Each of the listed models is fully functional and reliable. Everyone will make their own choice in favor of any of them. The main thing is to pay attention to the work and, in case of difficulties, consult with knowledgeable people.

To heat rooms in winter, various types of electric heating devices are often used. The electric boiler has high efficiency. An additional advantage of its use is that there is no need to allocate space in the room for storing solid fuel. Making a homemade electric boiler is not difficult, because the device does not have a mechanical component. This same fact ensures ease of operation and reduces the likelihood of failure.

To make an electric heating boiler with your own hands, you will need the following tools and materials:

grinder or angle grinder;
welding machine (it is better to use an inverter device);
multimeter;
ordinary grinding machine;
sheet steel with a thickness of at least 2 mm;
adapters for connecting the boiler to the heating system;
two heating elements;
steel pipe with a diameter of 15.9 cm and a length of 0.5-0.6 m.

You can make the following types of boilers with your own hands: electrode, induction, heating element, double-circuit, wall-mounted, single-circuit, floor-standing.

The manufacturing process of a heating element boiler

Now let's talk about how to make a 220V electric heating boiler with your own hands.

Follow the following instructions:

First you need to make pipes to connect the device to the heating system of the house. We will need three pipes - two with a diameter of 1.25 inches and one with a cross-section of 3 inches.
Now we make a container for the tank. Essentially, this is the largest diameter pipe where the coolant will be heated. To do this, holes are cut in the prepared pipe section, the edges of which are carefully cleaned and processed. The pipes that were made at the previous stage are welded to the prepared holes. After this, two circles are cut out of sheet steel, whose diameter is slightly larger than the cross-section of the heating container. The circles are welded to the ends of a large cross-section pipe. Welding areas are thoroughly cleaned and polished.
A pipe with a cross-section of 1.25 inches is welded to the top of the pipe. Then two holes are made in the bottom of the entire structure, the edges of which are ground. The first heating element is installed in these holes. The second heating element will be attached to the previously welded pipe.
After this, the boiler is connected to the heating system of the house. To do this, we use pipes that were welded at the preliminary stage.
After this, another heating element (with less power) is attached to the upper pipe. This heating element must have a thermostat. Now the homemade heating element boiler is ready.

Important! To connect the structure to the electrical network, it is better to seek help from a professional electrician if you have no experience in performing such work.

After connecting, check the functionality of the system. To do this, use a multimeter to measure the temperature of the coolant. It should be within 70°C.

Installation and connection of an electric boiler

The most difficult thing is to connect a homemade electric boiler to the network. Since heating elements are installed in the device, a three-phase input will be required.

To do this, the following devices are installed in the electrical panel:

machine;
toggle switch;
relay;
temperature sensor;
fuse;
control Panel;
magnetic starters and other devices.

Be sure to install a grounding loop. To do this, a bolt is welded to a piece of reinforcement with a diameter of 1.5-2 cm. The reinforcement is driven into the ground under the floor of a residential building. A wire that comes from the shield is attached to this structure.

Operating principle and varieties

If you decide to make an electric boiler with your own hands to heat your home, then you can make induction and electrode varieties of such devices. All other types of boilers are modifications of two main types. Since electricity is converted into thermal energy in an electrode device, it is also called ionic.

Electrode boiler

A homemade boiler is quite compact, so it can simply be attached to a pipe. There is no need to allocate a separate place on the floor or wall for it. For safety, it is fixed with two screws, but you can do without them.

Externally, the heater resembles a piece of pipe about 40 cm long. At one end there is a metal rod, and at the other end the device is tightly welded or has a separate pipe for distilling the coolant through the heating system.

If you made a heating element boiler with your own hands, then it should have two pipes for connecting the coolant supply to the system and connecting the return circuit.

In this case, the location of these pipes can be as follows:

One pipe is installed at the end of the heating pipe, and the other is welded to the side perpendicular to the first.
Both pipes are attached to the side of the pipe. In this case, both pipe outlets are located parallel to each other and perpendicular to the main heating pipe.

The principle of operation of a homemade boiler:

the coolant contains cathodes and anodes, that is, positively and negatively charged electrodes;
since they are under voltage, the movement of ions is triggered, the polarity of which periodically changes (the frequency of charge changes is 50 times/sec);
This movement of ions leads to friction, which causes the temperature of the liquid to rise.

Disadvantages of homemade heating equipment:

The coolant is constantly under voltage.
Before pouring into the system, the coolant must be cleaned of impurities and salts.
In such systems it is strictly prohibited to use antifreeze as a coolant. Only purified water is suitable for this.

Induction boiler

Induction-type boilers, which operate on electricity, heat the coolant due to the magnetic field created by electric current.

Such devices consist of the following parts:

unit body;
coil;
insulation;
the core in which the thermal fluid is heated.

Important! Induction boilers differ from the electrode variety in that the liquid medium in them is completely isolated from the constituent elements that conduct electric current. It is thanks to this that the coolant is not under tension.

To connect the copper winding of the coil to the network, special automation is used. Due to this, a magnetic field is created in the coil, heating the pipe, which acts as a core. Such a core immediately begins to give off heat to the circulating fluid. At the same time, the boiler body will remain cold, since its design includes a layer of insulating material.

Separately, it is worth mentioning the core. It is not straight, but has a curved spiral configuration. This ensures that the coolant moves slowly through it for better heating of the liquid. An induction boiler can last more than 25 years. Failure will occur due to rusting of the pipe that performs the functions of the core.

Start-up of boiler equipment

Before the first start, you need to check the tightness of all connections and the correct assembly of the electrical network. Also, before starting, the system is filled with coolant. Since the current strength of the three-phase network is significant, there should be no broken or pinched wires. All areas must be well insulated.

In addition, before starting up, the device is cleaned of dirt and dust. It is very important that during the first start-up and further operation there were no voltage surges. To do this, be sure to install an RCD (residual current device).

The first launch is carried out in this order:

We fill the system with water. It is important that there are no air pockets in the circuit. To bleed air, Mayevsky taps installed on heating radiators are used.
Turn on the boiler and wait for it to heat up.

For efficient operation of the system, a circulation pump is built into the circuit. It will ensure forced circulation of the coolant, which will contribute to its uniform heating. It is better to install the pump on a bypass so that the device can be turned off if necessary.

When constructing a system with natural circulation, it is necessary to slope the pipelines for the gravitational flow of the coolant. A slight slope of the pipes running from the radiators to the return line will allow the cooled liquid to flow faster into the heating device.

Electrical appliances are often used to heat the coolant in water heating systems. There are ready-made electric boilers on sale, but if necessary, you can make a homemade electric boiler. Such units are distinguished by their reliability and operating efficiency. The efficiency of an electric heating boiler is quite high. An additional advantage of a homemade unit is that it takes up little space and you do not need to allocate a separate room for its installation.

What will be needed to assemble the boiler?

Since such a device does not have mechanical components, it is easy to make it yourself. Also thanks to this, it rarely fails and is easy to use.

If you decide to make an electric heating boiler with your own hands, you will need the following parts and tools:

angle grinder (you can use a grinder instead);
multimeter;
to weld pipes you will need a welding machine (the best option is an inverter type unit);
regular grinder;
steel sheet with a minimum thickness of 0.2 cm;
to connect the boiler to the heating system, you will need adapters;
heating elements – 2 pieces (regular heating elements are needed);
a piece of steel pipe with a diameter of 159 mm and a length of 60 cm.

It is worth mentioning separately that you can make floor-mounted and wall-mounted heating equipment with your own hands. Such boilers can be single-circuit or double-circuit. According to the principle of operation, they are induction, heating element and electrode.

How to make a heating element boiler

If you are interested in how to make a 220V electric heating boiler with your own hands, then the following assembly instructions will help you figure it out:

In order to properly connect a homemade device to the heating system of a private home, you need to make special pipes. For this, three steel pipes are prepared. You should end up with two 1.25" pieces and one 3" piece.
After this, we make a container for the tank. To do this you will need a large diameter pipe. The coolant will be heated in this tank. For this purpose, two holes are cut on the side in a pre-prepared section of pipe. Their edges are well cleaned from burrs and nicks. Two previously prepared pipes are welded to these holes. Then two circles are cut from a piece of sheet steel. Their diameter should be 2-3 mm larger than the diameter of the pipe for the tank. These round blanks are welded to the ends of the heating container. Welding areas are well cleaned and polished.
A hole with a diameter of 1.25 inches is cut in one of the circles welded to the end. A pipe with the same cross-section is welded to this hole. Two more holes are cut in the bottom of this cylindrical structure. Their edges are also carefully cleaned and polished. The first heating element is inserted into these two holes. An additional heating element will be installed in the previously welded pipe from the other end.
Then the manufactured boiler must be connected to the heating system of the building. To connect, we use two pipes in the side, which were welded in the first step.
Now we install the second heating element in the pipe on the top of the tank. Its power should be slightly less than that of the main heating element. However, an additional heating element must have a thermostat to regulate the temperature of the coolant.
After checking that all parts are connected correctly, the homemade heating element boiler is ready.

Advice! To connect a homemade structure to the power supply, it is better to use the help of a specialist, since without experience it will not be possible to carry out the work correctly and, most importantly, safely.

After connecting the electric boiler to the power supply networks, check its performance and the correct operation of the entire heating system. To estimate the temperature of the coolant, you should use a multimeter. The temperature of the water in the pipes after leaving the boiler should be within 70 degrees.

Assembly and connection of equipment

If you nevertheless decide to independently connect a homemade electric boiler to the power supply, then this should be done in compliance with the following recommendations. Since powerful heaters are installed in the tank, you will need to install a three-phase input.

For this purpose, the following devices are installed in the electrical panel:

toggle switch;
machine;
fuse;
temperature sensor;
relay;
control Panel;
protective devices;
magnetic starters.

A grounding circuit must be installed. To make it, you need to weld a bolt to a piece of reinforcing bar. After this, the rod is driven into the ground in the underground of a residential building. A wire coming from the electrical panel is attached to the bolt.

Types and principle of operation

Having decided to make an electric boiler for heating your home with your own hands, you need to understand the types of such devices. It is possible to produce electrode and induction types of boilers. There are other varieties, but they are only modifications of these basic types. The second name for an electrode boiler is an ion unit. It is called that because the device converts electrical energy into thermal energy.

Electrode boiler

A homemade electrode heater has compact dimensions, so it can be easily mounted on a pipe and does not require a separate place for installation on the floor or hanging on the wall. For greater strength and safety, it is secured with two self-tapping screws, but you can omit them if you wish.

Externally, the entire structure looks like a 400 mm long pipe section. On one side the pipe is tightly welded, and on the other there is a steel rod sticking out of it. A pipe is installed on the side or at one of the ends for circulating coolant through the pipes.

A self-made heating element boiler, the manufacturing process of which we described above, must have two pipes on the side for connecting the return and supply pipelines with circulating coolant.

There are several options for the location of these pipes:

One piece of pipe can be installed at the end of the device, and the other can be welded to the hole in the side. Thus, it is installed perpendicular to the axis of the first pipe.
The second mounting option involves installing two pipes on the side of the unit. It turns out that both pipe outlets are installed parallel to each other, but perpendicular to the main tank of the heater.

A homemade heater has the following operating principle:

Positively and negatively charged particles (called anodes and cathodes) constantly circulate within the coolant;
when voltage is applied, the ions rush to the electrodes with the opposite charge;
since the polarity of the electrodes constantly changes with a frequency of 50 times per second, the ions move in one direction or the other;
Such chaotic movement of ions causes friction of the particles and their heating (because of this, the temperature of the coolant increases).

Having made an electric heating boiler with your own hands, you should not forget that it has its drawbacks. The disadvantages are associated with the fact that the coolant is constantly under voltage, so before supplying it to the heating circuit, it is thoroughly cleaned of salts and other impurities that can settle on the walls of the pipelines and the heating element.

Attention! In systems with electric boilers, it is prohibited to use antifreeze as a coolant. For these purposes, purified water is used.

Induction unit

The operating principle of induction-type electrical units is based on heating the coolant through a magnetic field, which is formed by an electric current.

These devices contain the following components:

coil;
heater body;
core (here the coolant is heated);
insulation.

In induction-type boilers, the coolant is not energized, as in units of the electrode variety. This is ensured by complete isolation of the liquid medium from elements that conduct electricity.

The copper coil winding is connected to the network through an automation system. After this, a magnetic field is formed in the coil, which heats the pipe, which acts as a core. Since the coolant circulates inside it, heat is immediately transferred to the liquid. During operation, the device body does not heat up. For this purpose, a layer of special insulation is provided in the housing design.

The core itself has a curved configuration to ensure longer passage of the coolant through this area in order to heat it sufficiently. The service life of an induction boiler reaches 25 years. There is simply nothing to break in this unit, so it will last until the core pipe is damaged by corrosion.

Starting the boiler

Before a test run of the heating unit, check how tight all components and connections are, as well as the correct assembly of the electrical network. After this, coolant is poured into the system. Be sure to make sure that there are no crushed or broken wires in the network, because a three-phase network has a high current strength. All wire connections must be well insulated.

Before starting the unit, it is thoroughly cleaned of contaminants. For proper and uninterrupted operation of such a heater, you need to be protected from power surges. For this purpose, an RCD is installed in the network.

A test run of the boiler is performed in the following sequence:

Purified coolant is poured into the system.
It is important that air does not accumulate in the circuit, so it is released using Mayevsky taps. Such fittings should be installed on the upper radiators in the system.
We turn on the electric boiler and wait for the coolant to heat up.

In order for systems with electric boilers to operate efficiently and have high efficiency, pumping equipment is installed in them to circulate the coolant. Thanks to good circulation, the coolant will warm up evenly. It is recommended to install the circulation pump on the bypass so that you can switch to natural circulation of water in the system.

When installing circuits with a gravitational carrier current, the return pipeline is laid with a slope towards the heating boiler. Thanks to this, the cooled liquid will quickly flow into the boiler.