A heat exchanger is one of the main devices in a gas heating apparatus, which is responsible for heating the coolant. In the gas column, the heat exchanger has a hard surface through which heat is transferred to the coolant. Due to the influence of various external factors, fistulas and ruptures may appear in the walls of the coolant, and the gas column may begin to flow. You can fix the problem with your own hands. How - read below.
A gas water heater is an affordable and reliable water heating equipment. But, due to low-quality water and gas, the service life of the gas column can be significantly reduced. In order not to change equipment every few years, you should figure out how to repair it. So, most often, column leaks and insufficient heating of the coolant are associated with malfunctions of the heat exchanger. There are usually two ways to troubleshoot problems: cleaning or soldering the heat exchanger.
At the same time, in order to avoid situations dangerous to health and life, repair work should be carried out:
If for execution renovation works you decide to call a specialist, choose only certified masters with good reviews... At the same time, it will not be superfluous to independently figure out the device of the gas water heater and how to repair the equipment. After all, you may come across an unscrupulous worker who, seeing your incompetence, will “find” non-existent faults for maximum financial gain.
Soldering heat exchange device gas equipment performed when the element is depressurized. Most often, the appearance of fistulas in copper heat exchangers is associated with poor-quality, hard water. So, in most cities, today, water is disinfected with chlorine. When heated, chlorine in water reacts with copper (heat exchanger material), forming copper chloride. As a result, the walls and tubes of the heat exchanger begin to collapse from the inside. Frozen water in the system and the presence of stray currents can also rupture the walls of the heat exchanger.
There are three ways to solder the heat exchanger:
Before applying solder, you should clean the surface of the radiator. It is necessary to process not only gaping fistulas, but also greenish spots on the surface of the heat exchanger, which signal the thinning of the metal.
In order for the solder to flow well over the metal, it is better to use a copper flux soldering paste.
You can replace it with more affordable rosin. On average, good soldering lasts six months. Grounding the column can reduce the likelihood of new leaks. The service life of the heat exchanger can be extended by installing a filter at the system inlet that cleans and softens the water.
In some cases, for example, when a fistula or rupture is located on the wall of the heat exchanger, which is adjacent to the base of the gas equipment, the radiator must be removed for repair. In addition, it may be necessary to dismantle the heat exchanger if you decide to clean it.
To remove the heat exchanger from gas water heater necessary:
If, after dismantling the device, you find that it cannot be repaired (for example, the heat exchanger has burnt out), then it will have to be replaced with a new one. At the same time, the issue of choice should be approached carefully. Often, heat exchangers in stores are reused: after replacing elements under warranty, the manufacturer repairs a failed heat exchange device and sends it for sale. Pay attention to the weight of the heat exchanger: sometimes, in order to reduce the cost of manufacturing a part, the manufacturer deliberately makes the walls of the element thinner. This significantly affects the service life of the heat exchanger. How much does a quality device weigh? On average, not less than 3 kg.
Among the regular activities for the maintenance of gas water heating equipment important place takes cleaning the heat exchange device. Cleaning should be done at least once a year. If in your area hard water with various impurities, then the event can be held more often. In addition, cleaning is the first thing that can be done if the column becomes worse to heat water for no apparent reason.
The best substance for cleaning a heat exchanger at home is considered lemon acid.
Citric acid is available to everyone, effective and absolutely safe for metal. At the same time, the product does not emit carcinogenic substances and an unpleasant odor.
In order to clean the radiator with "lemon" you need:
You can use vinegar essence to clean the radiator. In this case, the cleaning algorithm should be left unchanged. You can remove scale from the radiator using special means(for example, antiscale SK-110A).
The most efficient, affordable and economical domestic water heater today is a gas water heater. The equipment consists of a heat exchanger, an igniter and a main burner. The copper heat exchanger is most susceptible to wear: under the influence of hard water, the element tubes become clogged, and its walls corrode. But, do not be upset: you can do the equipment repair yourself. And the instructions and recommendations presented above will help you with this!
Warranty period (three years) NEVA LUX-5013 worked flawlessly, and in the fourth year of operation, water began to drip from it. The hope that one of the gaskets had worn out did not come true. When the casing was removed from the gas column, a fistula was found in the heat exchanger, from which water gushed.
After discovering the fistula, the first desire was to replace the gas column heat exchanger with a new one, but when I found out that its cost is 1/3 of the cost of a new column, I decided to try to repair the gas column heat exchanger myself, solder it with a soldering iron. I reasoned as follows: water flows through the tube of the heat exchanger, the temperature of which, when heated, cannot exceed 100˚С. The melting point of the solder, depending on the brand, is about 200˚С. Consequently, the solder will not melt and the solder will seal the leak securely. The repair of the gas column heat exchanger was a success.
Communication with sellers of spare parts for gas water heaters and friends identified the existing problem of water leakage in heat exchangers, both in gas water heaters of domestic and foreign manufacturers. As it turned out, the service life of gas column heat exchangers is mainly due to the method of water disinfection when cleaning in the city water supply system.
Currently for disinfection tap water mainly chlorine or its dioxide is used. Water containing chlorine, passing through the copper tube of the heat exchanger during the operation of the gas column, heats up, and, as is known from chemistry, when heated, chlorine begins to react with copper, forming copper chloride. Thus, the tube is destroyed from the inside, which leads to the appearance of fistulas. In cities where water disinfection at treatment plants is carried out by ozonization, fistulas in heat exchangers of flowing gas and electric columns practically do not appear.
It is also worth noting that manufacturers are now installing copper tubes with thinner walls and made of lower quality copper in heat exchangers. This is also one of the factors that reduce the service life of heat exchangers.
Before starting the soldering, it is necessary to drain the water from the heat exchanger, otherwise the water will remove heat, and it will be impossible to warm up the soldering point to the required temperature. To do this, open the tap hot water in a sink or sink and unscrew the feed nut cold water gas column pipes. Since the column is at a level above the tap, then most of water will drain, but not all. I use a blower to remove any residue. This can be done with a compressor, vacuum cleaner, or mouth. When blowing through the mouth, you can use flexible hose from the shower head. One of the cap nuts of the flexible hose is screwed through the gasket onto the thread of the water supply pipe of the heat exchanger, and through the other end of the flexible hose the heat exchanger tube is blown through the mouth. The remaining water is drained through the tap, and you can start repairing the heat exchanger.
The soldering itself is not difficult. If you have no experience with a soldering iron, you can familiarize yourself with the soldering technology on the website page "How to solder with a soldering iron". Use fine emery paper to remove oxides from the fistula. As a rule, in this place, copper oxidizes and a greenish spot is formed (you can clearly see it in the photo above). After stripping, wipe the area with a cloth dampened in solvent to remove grease and dust. Tinker with any solder, for example POS-61, (with a melting temperature of at least 180 ° C) with a soldering iron with a power of at least 100 W.
As a flux, you can use rosin, and the one with which bows for violins are rubbed. If rosin is not available, aspirin tablets (sold in pharmacies in the form of tablets called "acetylsalicylic acid") can be successfully used. A wonderful flux, I constantly use it in cases where it is impossible to clean it up. For example, when tinning stranded wires. Paint the tablet and sprinkle the tinning with small crumbs, or rub the tablet over the heated surface. If during tinning the solder does not spread, but lays down in a loose layer, then the soldering point is not warmed up enough. In this case, you can additionally warm up with another 40 W soldering iron, construction hairdryer or with an iron, attaching it next to the soldering point.
When the solder has evenly covered the required surface with a thin layer, it is necessary to build it up to a thickness of 1-2 mm. The fistula on the heat exchanger has been eliminated and will never manifest itself again.
Now carefully inspect the entire length of the gas column heat exchanger tube. If you find a green spot, then there is a high probability that there is a microhole in this place that allows water to pass through. You need to sand the tube to a shine with fine sandpaper and see if there is a small black dot. If there is, then be sure to tin and solder. Otherwise, after a couple of months, you will have to do the repairs again.
If the place of water leakage has occurred on the wall of the heat exchanger adjacent to the base of the gas column, then repair of the heat exchanger by brazing on site is impossible, and it must be removed from the gas column. The designers of NEVA LUX-5013 "tried". To remove the heat exchanger for repair, it is required to disassemble almost all gas water heater and, the most unpleasant thing, disconnect the gas pipe. I didn't want to get involved with gas pipes, as it was dangerous.
Removing the heat exchanger for repair was hindered by an umbrella for removing gas combustion products, fixed with four aluminum rivets to the base of the gas column. I had to drill these rivets with an electric drill, remove the umbrella and only then it became possible to remove the heat exchanger. When assembling, instead of rivets, the umbrella was fixed to the base with two M4 screws. If the wall does not interfere, then you can fix the umbrella with self-tapping screws.
Further, the repair of the gas column was carried out according to the above technology. Over the past two years, I have had to repair the heat exchanger, sealing the fistulas, five times. For the last time, water began to flow from the side adjacent to the wall of the heat exchanger, and I decided to buy a new one, which I did. I am going to repair the old heat exchanger of the gas column, I will tin and solder the tube along its entire length. Photo of a view of the heat exchanger from the side of attachment to the base.
When buying a heat exchanger for a gas water heater, I was surprised to find that I was not given a new one, but already repaired. The heat exchanger tube had one of the same soldering as I myself did when repairing my old heat exchanger. As a result, of the four available in the store, only one heat exchanger was not soldered. It turns out that the factory ships for spare parts repaired heat exchangers that failed during the warranty period. Fistulas are sealed in them and sold again. The heat exchanger is given a warranty period of only 1 month. It turns out that in a few months the gas water heater will have to be repaired again!
If you have to buy a heat exchanger for a gas column, carefully inspect it. If you find soldering, it is better to refuse to purchase. In case of replacement of the heat exchanger in the gas column under warranty, make sure that you have installed not a previously repaired heat exchanger, but a new one.
For almost three years, the NEVA LUX-5013 geyser worked properly after replacing the heat exchanger, but the happiness did not last forever, and suddenly water began to drip from it. I had to do the repairs again.
Removing the casing confirmed my fears: a green spot appeared on the outside of the heat exchanger tube, but it was dry, and the fistula, from which water was oozing, was on the side inaccessible for inspection and soldering. I had to remove the heat exchanger for repairs.
When looking for a fistula site on back side the removed heat exchanger has a problem. The fistula was at the top of the heat exchanger tube and water oozed out of it and flowed down along all the tubes below. As a result, all the turns of the tube below the fistula from above turned green and were wet. Whether there was this single fistula, or there were several of them, it was impossible to determine.
After drying the green plaque, it was removed from the surface of the heat exchanger using fine sandpaper. External examination of the heat exchanger tube did not reveal blackened spots. To find leaks, the heat exchanger had to be pressurized under water pressure.
To supply water to the heat exchanger, the aforementioned flexible hose from the shower head was used. One end of it was connected through a gasket to the water supply pipe for supplying water to the gas water heater (in the photo on the left), the other was screwed onto one of the ends of the heat exchanger tube (in the photo in the center). The other end of the heat exchanger tube was plugged with a water tap.
As soon as the water supply tap to the gas water heater was opened, drops of water appeared in the supposed places of fistulas. The rest of the tube remained dry.
Before soldering the fistulas, it is necessary to disconnect the flexible hose from the water supply network, open the plug-tap and drain all the water from the heat exchanger by blowing it through. If this is not done, then the water will not allow the soldering point to warm up to the desired temperature, and the fistula will not be able to be sealed.
To solder the fistula, which was at the bend of the heat exchanger tube, I used two soldering irons. One, whose power is 40 W, brought the tube under the bend for its additional heating, and the second, one hundred watt, performed soldering.
Recently I bought a construction hair dryer on the farm, and I soldered the fistula in the straight section, warming up the soldering place with it. It turned out that soldering with a hairdryer is much more convenient, since copper warmed up faster and better. The soldering is more accurate. It's a pity I didn't try to solder the fistula without a soldering iron, using only a construction hair dryer. The air temperature from the hair dryer is about 600˚C, which should be enough to heat the heat exchanger tube to the melting point of the solder. At the next repair, I will definitely check.
After the repair, the place of the heat exchanger tube, where the fistula is located, is covered with a millimeter layer of solder, and the water path is reliably blocked. Repeated pressure testing of the heat exchanger showed the tightness of the tube. Now you can assemble the gas column. No more water dripping.
I bring to your attention a short video on how to solder a gas column radiator.
It is worth noting that with the help of the presented technology, it is possible to successfully repair not only heat exchangers for gas columns, but also copper heat exchangers and radiators of any other types of water heating and cooling devices, including copper radiators installed in cars.
Somehow two pieces of copper pipes with flanges caught my eye, on which American union nuts were put on. These parts are intended for the installation of copper pipes.
When soldering the heat exchanger of the gas column, I remembered about them, and the idea arose to restore the previously cracked copper pipe connecting the outlet pipe of the heat exchanger with the hot water supply, by soldering new flanges to them, which were idly dusting on the shelf. The task was somewhat more complicated, since the copper tube on the available parts was bent at right angles. I had to take up a hacksaw for metal.
First, a part of the pipe with a flange was sawed off at the point where the bend begins. Further, the expanded part of the tube was sawn off from the opposite end for further use as a connecting ring. If the pipe were straight, then there would be no need to cut. As a result, we got two pieces of tube about a centimeter long.
The next step is to saw off the cracked flange from the nipple. The cut-off piece of pipe should be equal in length to the piece of pipe with a flange prepared for repair in the previous step.
As you can see in the photo, the sawn-off piece of the gas column pipe had many cracks at the place where the flange was formed.
The photo shows the parts prepared for soldering. On the left - the end of the gas column pipe, on the right - a new flange with a union nut, in the middle - a connecting ring.
Before soldering, you need to check how the prepared parts fit together. The pipes of the branch pipe should fit into the ring easily, with a small gap.
The mating surfaces of the tubes and rings must first be cleaned with fine emery paper before soldering to remove the oxide layer. It is convenient to clean the inside of the ring by wrapping sandpaper around a round rod, for example, the handle of a small screwdriver. Further, the cleaned surfaces must be tinned with a thin layer of POS-61 tin-lead solder using a 60-100 watt soldering iron. As a flux, it is best to use an acidic zinc chloride flux, in other words, hydrochloric acid, quenched with zinc. Since copper parts are soldered, rosin or aspirin is also suitable.
When brazing, it must be ensured that the pipe joint is approximately in the middle inside the ring. If, after tinning, the tubes do not want to enter the ring, then you need to warm them up with a soldering iron, the solder will melt and the tubes will enter. Do not forget to put the union nut on the tube before soldering the pipe.
Once the tubes are mated, all that remains is to fill the gap with molten solder. As you can see in the photo, a completely sealed and mechanically strong connection turned out. The branch pipe has been repaired, and you can install it in place in the gas water heater, it will serve no worse than a new one.
The check showed the tightness of the branch pipe at the soldering point, but a leak appeared at its other end, for the same reason a microcrack appeared. I had to repair the second end of the pipe in the same way. The gas water heater has been working with the repaired branch pipe for more than a year. No water leaks were observed.
Using this technology, it is possible to restore the tightness not only of copper and brass pipes, but also of stainless steel and iron pipes. The technology is applicable not only for the repair of gas water heaters, but also for the repair of other devices and machines, including cars.
To repair the heat exchanger, it is necessary to dismantle the gas outlet pipe. When installing this pipe in place, it is necessary to ensure the tightness of its connection with the gas column umbrella.
Even a large gap of up to a centimeter can be easily sealed with asbestos soaked in water. It is a heat-resistant material that comes in the form of sheets. In water, asbestos becomes limp, like cardboard, and is a soft mass that sticks well. After drying, the asbestos becomes quite hard and dense again. Asbestos can be reused. It is enough to soak the extracted pieces in water.
Gas water heaters are in demand today no less than several decades ago. Modern manufacturers have improved its main element - a heat exchanger for a gas column, and significantly modernized the control and protection automation. Thanks to such constructive innovations, gas water heaters:
Acquired compact forms;
... Safer and more reliable;
... Work with high energy efficiency;
... Provide stable heating of running water.
Therefore, before proceeding with the description of the basic principles of choosing a gas column, we will consider the purpose and structure of the heat exchanger - its main functional element.
Design and operational features
The heat exchanger for gas columns is a radiator-lattice type heater and is designed to heat running water by transferring thermal energy generated as a result of the combustion of gas fuel.
Its operation algorithm is very simple: water enters the inlet and moves through pipes, which are framed by external radiator plates. An open flame by direct contact causes heating of the radiator group. Water flows around the radiator inside, as a result of which there is an exchange of thermal energy. And if the water flows through flowing, there is a stable exchange of thermal energies without damaging the structural elements.
This principle of operation predetermines the manufacture of heat exchangers for a column made of metals with a high heat transfer coefficient.
It is quite often to buy a heat exchanger for a column in Moscow and St. Petersburg, possibly from low-quality copper, in this case, to minimize oxidation, they are subjected to external tin coating - a kind of tinning.
The main parameters for choosing a gas water heater are performance, weight and dimensions, type of ignition, automation of control and protection, price range and design. For an average family with two children, manufacturers recommend buying a heat exchanger for a gas water heater with a capacity of at least 13 l / h. Choosing a certain model, you should also ask about the method of soldering the gas column heat exchanger, since it is the welding / soldering technology that determines the likelihood of leaks and burnouts.
Gas water heaters Russian production competitively compete with foreign counterparts, have an affordable cost and are adapted to the conditions of Russian communication engineering.
Average cost of heat exchangers per column
Lineup of speakers "Neva"
Neva Lux is the most requested model. It compiles in its design a copper radiator, German automatics and excellent design. The heat exchanger for the Neva gas column provides high speed and the stability of water heating with low noise. Unification of its size allows you to operate various variations replacement, and since it is made of chemically pure copper, this ensures high energy savings.
Gas water heaters "Astra"
A budget option domestic production... Astra is equipped with an efficient thermostat that strictly limits the water heating limit above 60 ˚С. With a decrease in thrust, the automation extinguishes the igniter, which is very safe when the unit is operated by elderly people. But work only with good pressure, manual ignition and a significant level of noise during operation still significantly reduce its rating positions.
Electrolux - functionality and reliability
The products of this manufacturer are consistently included in the vanguard three of the safest and most reliable water heating devices. The heat exchanger for the Electrolux column is made of oxygen-free copper of the highest standard, due to which it acquires high resistance to oxidation and impact high temperatures... Ergonomic adjusters, automatic system ignition, ionisation flame control, sensitive hydraulic valve ensure high efficiency and ease of operation.
Bosch - traditional quality and impeccable work
By producing a heat exchanger for column Bosch made of high-quality copper with perfect thought-out lines, the developers have achieved high heat transfer efficiency and water heating stability even at very high pressure water in the system. A durable heat exchanger on a Bosch column is able to withstand a water hammer up to 12 bar, and the addition of reliable automation, power modulation provides efficient use gas while maintaining the maximum level of water heating.
Ariston - effectiveness and safety
The Ariston brand is consistently included in the top ratings in terms of efficiency and reliability. The energy-efficient Ariston heat exchanger is traditionally made from heat-resistant red copper, and the outer coating enhances its anti-corrosion resistance. Traction breaker, block electronic control guarantee a comfortable and safe operation... Some models are equipped with water flow sensors, which is very important in the age of forced resource conservation.
As noted above, the heat exchanger for the gas column is the main element, which, due to the harsh operating conditions, belongs to the consumables. Do not forget that:
As a result of careless operation, neglect of preventive measures, you will have to buy a heat exchanger for a gas column much ahead of time, laid down by the manufacturers. But if you approach this issue constructively, then you can significantly extend the life of this device:
1. Before repairing the gas column heat exchanger with your own hands, soberly assess your technical potential, shut off gas and water, make sure that you have a complete set of tools. Don't make any design changes even on the smallest scale.
2. The need for periodic removal of salt and lime deposits. Flushing the gas column heat exchanger is a laborious procedure that requires removing the radiator, using chemicals and using specialized equipment. Simple flushing with citric acid solution can only provoke pores and coking deposits. If you do not have the opportunity to turn to professionals, you still have to get a booster - a pump for flushing heat exchangers. With its help, a cyclic flow-through flushing of the gas column heat exchanger, complete descaling and restoration of full passability is provided.
3. Regular external cleansing from dirt and dust deposits. The frequency depends on the immediate operating conditions and, as in the first case, the removal of the radiator will be required. Here, deposits are removed by simple washing with gentle detergents and brushes with natural soft bristles.
4. External examination. If you are doing maintenance yourself, then carefully inspect the radiator for leaks and dark spots. If any are found, soldering of the gas column heat exchanger will definitely be required. This procedure is recommended to be carried out by means of hard solder with the obligatory use of rosin. A layer of solder is applied in an even thin layer, otherwise you will provoke overheating of the metal at this point and, accordingly, the subsequent burnout of the heater body.
Follow the manufacturer's operating rules, try to immediately adjust the comfortable outlet temperature, make an annual preventive inspection, and then even the budget model of the heat exchanger to the gas water heater will serve you for many years.
In many houses, you have to heat water for hot water supply yourself, without being connected to boiler rooms. Often this task is performed using gas water heaters. But a heat exchanger for a gas-fired column can fail at any time - and you need to be able to cope with such a situation.
Water heaters that burn natural or liquefied gas, stand in tens and hundreds of thousands of houses throughout Russia. But no matter how reliable and thoughtful their designs are, they are constantly undergoing a significant load. And sometimes it even takes on a transcendental character. The problems are precisely connected with this; deformation of the structure often arises. Most often, the most loaded unit is disturbed - the heat exchanger.
If a water heater suddenly leaks, sometimes the reason is the wear of the gaskets. When removing the casing, it becomes clear whether this assumption was justified. Having found a fistula in a heat exchanger, many consumers are interested in how to replace a problematic part. But the difficulty is that the price of a spare part reaches 30% of the payment for a completely new heater.
It is much more practical to solder a mechanical defect using a soldering iron. The solder melts at about 200 degrees. The exact value is determined by the brand of a particular part. Even if the water boils for a long time, it will not violate the integrity of the patch. This solution is equally relevant for Russian and foreign speakers. After all, the risk of breakage is present everywhere, only the service life differs, but defects will still appear in any model.
The period of operation is determined primarily by how the water in the city water supply is disinfected. On the territory of Russia, either pure chlorine or chlorine dioxide is used. When the water flowing through copper tube, heats up, this leads to a violent chemical reaction. Copper chloride is inferior to pure metal in strength, and therefore fistulas appear rather quickly. Most fortunate are residents of cities where tap water ozonized.
But there are still very few such settlements. High cost modern solutions does not allow counting on the rapid spread of ozonation. Moreover, now manufacturers have begun to save in every possible way. And if earlier with the thick tubes of heat exchangers, troubles happened quite rarely, now thin copper of poor quality is widely used. The service life of the products has significantly decreased.
Soldering will not work immediately. First, you will have to pour out the entire volume of the coolant from the heat exchanger. Violation of this rigid rule threatens that the liquid will continuously remove the incoming heat.
As a result, heating of the treated area to the desired value is impossible. You only need to open the valve that drains the hot liquid through the plumbing water supply.
Then unscrew the nut that is applied to the cold pipeline. The default column is taller than the tap. Therefore, it will not be possible to remove all the liquid in this way. You can eliminate the last remnants of it by blowing the pipeline. If you don't want to train your lungs by blowing air through a garden hose, you can use a compressor or even a regular vacuum cleaner.
It is quite easy to solder a heat exchanger that has burned out with your own hands. Technological process well debugged and tested. Initially, you need to take an emery with fine grain and clean the area where the fistula is located. There should be no oxides left. It is easy to recognize them - oxidized copper is green.
When cleaning is completed, rub the desired area with a cloth, which is impregnated with a cleaning compound. Various solders are used for tinning, their choice is determined individually. Many professionals recommend using POS-61. For work, only soldering irons with a power of 0.1 kW or more are suitable. The usual flux in such cases is rosin, even the one used by violinists is useful.
If there is no rosin at all, it is quite good to replace it with aspirin. This type of flux is available in any pharmacy and is suitable for situations where it is not possible to completely clean the problem area. Important: there is a situation when the solder does not flow, but becomes loose, not budging. Then there is a weak heating of the point that is being soldered.
It is necessary to additionally warm it up using:
As soon as a homogeneous layer of solder is evenly distributed over the desired area, it is required to increase its thickness to 0.1 - 0.2 cm. Nothing else needs to be done, the fistula is completely closed and will not resume. But not everything is so simple ... In addition to the main part of the heat exchanger, it is necessary to inspect the tubes, and always for the entire length. On the tubes, a green part can also be found, on which there are almost inevitably microcracks.
If even small black dots are seen, the problem area is tinned and soldered. Those who do not do this are forced to repeat the repair every few months. It so happens that the problem area is not available at all. And then you need to remove the device to work with it outdoors. It all depends on the design of the gas column.
Some models are designed in such a way that you will have to disassemble the product almost completely. Even without disconnecting gas pipe in some cases it is not enough. But when the dismantling is completed, the defects are corrected using standard technology. For your information: when buying heat exchangers for replacement, you must carefully inspect them. If signs of previous rations are found, it is better to look at another specimen.
Not always visual inspection, even after cleaning the metal with emery paper, allows you to detect the location of the flaws. In such cases, special pressure diagnostics are performed. It is necessary to supply a water jet inside the radiator assembly using a bendable rubber hose for shower cabins. One edge, through a gasket, is connected to the channel delivering the coolant, and the other is connected to the radiator tube. One of the ends of the tube is deliberately closed using a stopcock.
Then the tap that feeds the water heater is put into operation. At this point, you must carefully monitor the surface of the heat exchanger and its tubes. Immediately, all the points where there are fistulas, water drops will be found. The rest will remain dry as a desert. An ordinary marker will help to mark problem areas so as not to forget about them.
By blowing the soldering point with a construction hairdryer, you can significantly simplify and speed up the work. Some craftsmen even try to get by with one hairdryer and not use soldering irons. When the soldering is finished, the heat exchanger needs to be tested. The crimping procedure will again help. To reduce the need for repairs, it is necessary to choose those water heaters in which the heat exchanger is made of thick-walled steel.
Additional protection there are filters for it. With their help, the water becomes softer and cleaner. Therefore, scale build-up is reduced. But if harmful salts have accumulated in the heat exchanger, it will have to be washed specially. Even if the incoming water is thoroughly cleaned, flushing is required approximately once every 12 months. A brush or a regular vacuum cleaner helps to rid the plates of dust. In the course of flushing, improvised means can also be used - hydrochloric or citric acid. Attention: a highly caustic substance must be used with extreme caution. Strong blockages are not a reason to use large doses of it. The movement of fluid in the coil is created using a pump or a watering can.
During the operation of gas columns, a leak often appears, which can be completely eliminated on its own. If you do not want to pay the master and know how to handle a soldering iron, then you can solder the column yourself by closing the formed micro-holes.
Most often, the cause of the leaking of the gas column is damage copper heat exchanger... This is usually due to the low quality of the copper from which this part is made. In places where impurities are present, the walls of the heat exchanger oxidize over time, which leads to a leak.
To solder the column with your own hands, prepare:
Most in a simple way Soldering the copper heat exchanger will be using a soldering iron.
However, there are limitations to its use:
The column should be drained of water before soldering. Also, for this work, a certain surface preparation must be carried out, which at the place of oxidation has acquired a greenish tint. Using an emery paper or metal brush, sand the surface to remove any bumps or burrs. After wiping everything dry with a rag, carefully cover the heat exchanger in the right place with special solder, and then use a soldering iron, making sure that the solder evenly fills the damaged area.
If your column has a massive heat exchanger with high thermal conductivity, it is recommended to solder it with a torch. Preparatory work in this case, they will not differ from soldering with a soldering iron - the surface must be thoroughly cleaned, even and dry. Next, brazing is performed with a propane torch, which creates a contact flame with a temperature of up to 2500.
The video below shows the complete brazing process using a gas torch.
