Heating area
A very conditional parameter that slightly characterizes the purpose based on the size of the room. And depending on the height of the ceilings, layout, building design and equipment, actual values may differ significantly. However, this item represents the maximum recommended area of the room that the boiler can effectively heat. However, it is worth considering that different buildings have different thermal insulation properties and modern buildings are much “warmer” than 30-year-old and especially 50-year-old houses. Accordingly, this item is more of a reference nature and does not allow us to fully assess the actual heated area. There is a formula by which you can derive the maximum heating area, knowing the useful power of the boiler and the climatic conditions in which it will be used; For more information on this, see "Useful Power". In our case, the heating area is calculated using the formula “boiler power multiplied by 8”, which is approximately equivalent to use in houses that are several decades old.
Heat output
It is the maximum useful power of the boiler.
The ability of the device to heat a room of a particular area directly depends on this parameter; by power, you can approximately determine the heating area, if this parameter is not indicated in the specs. The most general rule says that for a dwelling with a ceiling height of 2.5 – 3 m, at least 100 W of heat power is needed to heat 1 m2 of area. There are also more detailed calculation methods that take into account specific factors: the climatic zone, heat gain from the outside, design features of the heating system, etc.; they are described in detail in special sources. Also note that in dual-circuit boilers (see "Type"), part of the heat generated is used to heat water for the hot water supply; this must be taken into account when evaluating the output power.
It is believed that boilers with a power of more than 30 kW must be installed in separate rooms (boiler rooms).
Performance (ΔT ~30 °C)
The performance of a dual-circuit boiler in hot water mode when water is heated by approximately 30 °C above the initial temperature.
Performance is the maximum amount of hot water the unit can produce in a minute. It depends not only on the power of the heater as such, but also on how much water needs to be heated: the higher the temperature difference ΔT between cold and heated water, the more energy is required for heating and the smaller the volume of water with which the boiler can handle in this mode. Therefore, the performance of dual-circuit boilers is indicated for certain ΔT — namely 25 °C, 30 °C and/or 50 °C. And it is worth choosing according to this indicator, taking into account the initial water temperature and taking into account what kind of hot water demand there is at the installation site of the boiler (how many points of water intake, what are the temperature requirements, etc.). Recommendations on this subject can be found in special sources.
We also recall that water begins to be felt by a person as warm somewhere from 40 °C, as hot — somewhere from 50 °C and the temperature of hot water in central water supply systems (according to official standards) is at least 60 °C. Thus, for the boiler to operate in the mode ΔT ~ 30 °C and give out at least warm water at 40 °C, the initial temperature of cold water should be about 10 °C (10 + 30=40 °C). A similar temperature can be found in wells in the warm season, and cold water in the ce...ntralized water supply system often warms up to 10 °C in the warm season. However, boilers, including dual-circuit boilers, are switched on mainly in cold weather, when the initial water temperature is noticeably lower. Accordingly, if the boiler is used as the main water heater, heating to the claimed temperatures (see "DHW min. T", "DHW max. T") often requires a greater ΔT than 30 °C, and the performance is less than indicated in this paragraph. But when operating in the preheating mode (when the water is heated to the desired temperature by an additional device like a boiler), this parameter describes the capabilities of the unit very reliably.
Control bus
The control bus with which the boiler is compatible.
The control bus is a communication channel through which control and controlled devices can exchange data. Support for such a channel greatly simplifies the connection of thermostats and other control automation. It is enough that such devices are compatible with the same bus as the boiler. In addition, many types of tyres allow you to create very extensive monitoring and control systems and easily integrate various devices into them, including heating boilers.
In modern heating technology, the most popular tyres are
OpenTherm,
eBus,
Bus BridgeNet and
EMS. Here are their key features:
— OpenTherm. A fairly simple standard with modest functionality: it allows only a direct connection between the control and the controlled device and is not designed to create extensive systems. On the other hand, this bus has quite advanced capabilities for controlling heaters: in particular, it allows you to control the temperature not just by turning the boiler on/off, but by changing the power of the gas burner. This mode of operation contributes to saving fuel/energy, as well as reduces wear and increases the life of the heater; and in many cases, a system of two devices (boiler and thermostat) is quite enough for effective heating control. At the same time, the OpenThe
...rm standard is simple and inexpensive to implement, which makes it extremely popular in modern boilers. For several reasons, it is mainly used in gas models.
— eBUS. A control bus that has some pretty impressive features. Allows you to combine up to 25 control and 228 controlled devices in one system, with a data transmission distance between individual components up to 1 km. At the same time, eBUS is an open standard, its implementation (at least within the framework of the main functions) is freely available to everyone. And although nowadays eBUS support can be found mainly in Protherm and Vaillant equipment. However, in boilers, this is the second most popular type of control bus, after OpenTherm. It is mainly due to slightly higher cost, while advanced eBUS capabilities are not needed as often.
— Bus BridgeNet. Hotpoint-Ariston proprietary development, used exclusively in boilers of this brand. One of the advantages is a high degree of automation: the user only needs to set the temperature parameters (and for different zones, you can choose custom
options) and, if desired, a weekly programme, the rest of the necessary calculations and adjustments will be carried out by the system. However, such features are available only in special control devices such as temperature controllers; in boilers, Bus BridgeNet support usually means only compatibility with such automation.
— EMS. A control bus used primarily in Bosch and Buderus equipment. In general, it is characterized by wide functionality, a high degree of automation and the ability to create extensive control systems. However, note that nowadays you can find both the original EMS and the modified EMS Plus, and these standards are not initially compatible with each other (although support for both of them may well be provided in some devices). So the specific version of the EMS bus should be specified separately. We note that in Bosch devices there is mainly an original version, and in Buderus devices — EMS Plus (although exceptions are possible there and there).Flue diameter
The diameter of the pipe through which combustion products are discharged from the combustion chamber.
In boilers with a closed combustion chamber often used the coaxial flue, consisting of two pipes nested one inside the other. At the same time, products of combustion are discharged from the combustion chamber through the inner pipe, and the air is supplied through the gap between the inner and outer ones. For such flues, the diameter is usually shown in the form of two numbers — the diameter of the inner and outer pipes, respectively. The most popular values are
60/100,
80/80 and
80/125. Non-coaxial flues can be
100,
110,
125,
130,
140,
150,
160,
180 and
200 mm.
Max. gas consumption
Maximum gas consumption in the boiler with the corresponding energy source (see above). Achieved when the gas heater is operating at full capacity; with reduced power and consumption, respectively, will be lower.
Note that boilers of the same power may differ in gas consumption due to the difference in efficiency. While the more fuel-efficient models tend to cost more, the price difference pays off in gas savings.
Expansion vessel capacity
The capacity of the expansion tank supplied with the boiler.
The expansion tank is designed to drain excess water from the heating system when the total volume of liquid increases as a result of heating. It consists of two parts connected by a flexible membrane: in one, hermetically closed, there is air under pressure; in the other, excess water enters, compressing the membrane. In this way, a catastrophic increase in pressure in the heating circuit is avoided. The optimal volume of the expansion tank depends on several system parameters, primarily the volume and composition of the coolant; detailed recommendations for calculations can be found in special sources.
Expansion vessel pressure
It is a pressure in the hermetically sealed part of the expansion vessel (for details on the design, see Expansion vessel capacity). The required pressure in the expansion vessel must be approximately 0.3 bar higher than the initial pressure in the system. The initial pressure, in turn, directly depends on the total height of the heating system or, rather on the difference between the height of the highest and lowest points of the heating system. It can be derived using the approximate formula P=H/10, where P is the initial pressure in the bar, and H is the height difference between the highest and lowest point of the system in metres. Thus, if the height difference is 2 m, the initial pressure in the system is 0.2 bar, and the pressure in the expansion tank must be at least 0.5 bar.
Mains water intake
The diameter of the pipe for connecting the pipe through which cold water is supplied to the boiler for heating and use in the hot water supply system.
Diameters are indicated in inches. It is allowed to connect a pipe of a different diameter through an adapter, but the best option is still a match in size. There are connection options
1/2",
3/4",
1" and
1 1/2".