Batteries are usually installed in the house for the purpose of heating the premises. Currently, there are many different types of these products. Understanding the choice is quite difficult. Which is still better to choose? Consider in our article today.
Differences
Types of radiators can vary in price, quality and even external characteristics. Therefore, each of the types must be considered separately.
Aluminum
What are the features of such products? Aluminum heating battery is durable, attractive appearance and high thermal conductivity. Like any other type of radiator, this design has its pros and cons.
The advantages include the following characteristics:
- Low weight construction.
- Affordable cost.
- High heat dissipation.
- High working pressure.
Aluminum radiators also have disadvantages:
- The design is corroded.
- Needs air bleeding from the manifold.
- Threaded connections are quite vulnerable.
Bimetallic
The bimetallic heating battery has a dual design. Inside, it is made of aluminum, and outside it is coated with steel. This gives it an advantage over other types of radiators, because it is resistant to corrosion and is able to withstand even high pressure.
The advantages of this type of radiator include:
- High service life. The life of this radiator can reach up to 50 years.
- Resistant to water shocks.
- Resistance to corrosion.
- Easy installation. It lies in the fact that additional sections can be installed at any time, even in winter.
The disadvantages include the following factors:
- High price, which exceeds the cost of aluminum radiators by a quarter.
- Intercollector tubes have a relatively small cross-sectional area.
- Due to the large hydraulic resistance, this design is more energy-consuming.
These heating batteries for the apartment will fit perfectly into the interior due to their elegant design. They can also be easily installed with your own hands.
Steel
Such a heating battery is considered the most economical option, because it instantly responds to any temperature change, quickly heats up and cools down.
The advantages include the following parameters:
- High heat dissipation.
- Profitability.
The disadvantages include the following points:
- Oxygen entering the system does not accept.
- The design does not withstand hydraulic tests.
- The product is prone to corrosion.
- Low working pressure.
Steel radiators can also be divided into panel and tubular. The first designs are characterized by high heat transfer with minimal use of raw materials. Tubular, in turn, have a fairly low amount of useful properties. You cannot add or remove sections in such designs.
In general, it is customary to use steel heating batteries for a private house. This design can withstand a large load, sufficient for such premises. But it is strongly not recommended to use them in a humid environment. Otherwise, corrosion will be inevitable.
Cast iron
These radiators can be found in most houses of the former Soviet Union, and some still consciously prefer to use this material. Its inherent advantage is its high corrosion resistance, as well as its ability to withstand even high pressure.
Cast iron batteries are not afraid of hard alkaline water and air jams. They easily withstand them, unlike any analogues from other materials.
The service life of cast-iron radiators is up to 50 years.
The advantages of this design include:
- Wear resistance.
- The ability to retain accumulated heat over a long period of time.
- Low cost.
- Immunity to various kinds of changes in the system.
There are a number of disadvantages:
- The need for continuous updating of the radiator cover.
- Large weight (higher than even metal counterparts).
- Low heating rate. The design responds slowly enough to a change in temperature.
- Uneven room heating.
A cast-iron central heating battery is still actively used. However, experts strongly recommend abandoning the idea of installing such structures in homes with autonomous heating.
Copper
This design is a curved pipe, which is often also sheathed with a wooden casing. The positive properties include:
- The need to use only a small amount of coolant.
- Resistance to corrosion.
- Resistance to deformation when exposed to adverse factors.
- Quick heating of the room.
The disadvantages include:
- High cost.
- The tendency of the structure to react with various kinds of building mixtures.
How to calculate heating batteries
After you have already settled on one of the above radiators, you need to make calculations. They are necessary in order to find out the required power, and thus determine the number of necessary sections in the radiator.
When calculating the following factors should be considered:
- The area of the room to be heated.
- The number and location of various openings and windows.
- Material and type of window.
The material from which the building was made also has a great influence. Detailed information regarding the correct calculation of the number of sections can also be found in the physical characteristics of a particular radiator.
There are several general recommendations regarding radiator design. So, for one square meter of the room, the battery power should be 110 watts. If the room has two simple windows, the ratio increases to 1.7. If the room has double-glazed windows, this figure needs to be reduced to 0.8 (that is, 88 W per square meter is enough). It is necessary to take into account the height of the ceilings. If this parameter is up to three meters, the coefficient will be equal to one. If more (for example, 3.3 meters), then this figure will be 1.1.
Painting
It is important to pay due attention not only to the radiator itself, but also to its painting. What paint to paint heating batteries? Care should be taken in choosing the right enamel.
The paint should have the following properties:
- Be heat resistant.
- Do not succumb to abrasive media.
- Resistant to abrasion.
- Do not be toxic.
The last point is especially important, because it will depend on this whether the paint will not have to be washed off after a short period of time and whether it can adversely affect the health of those living in the house.
It is important to note that before applying paint to the pipes, it is necessary to shut off the hot water yourself or apply to the Housing Office with this request. Of course, this is only necessary if the batteries need to be urgently painted during the heating season.
It is important to remember that painting should start from the very top of the battery and gradually move down. In this case, the use of exclusively soft brushes is strongly recommended. It is better that there are two of them - one thin and the second thick. The first should be used for less accessible radiator sections.
Decorative screens on the heating battery
Screens for radiators perform not only a decorative function, but also a protective one, especially when it comes to rooms in which children are often located. Radiators often have angular designs that can be quite dangerous for the health and life of children, especially if they accidentally fall on or stumble.
These designs help give a more finished look to the interior. In addition, they lower the level of infrared rays and significantly increase the heat transfer of the structure.
In all public buildings, such screens are a prerequisite, while in residential buildings their function can be called, rather, aesthetic.
Battery Installation Process
Installation of different types of radiators as a whole is no different. The general process requirements are as follows:
- In order for the air to circulate normally, it is necessary to leave a gap of ten centimeters between the windowsill and the upper grille.
- Between the lower grille and the floor, in turn, there should be a gap of 12 centimeters.
- The standard distance between the heater and the wall is up to five centimeters. However, if an additional installation of reflective thermal insulation is planned, this parameter is increased with the help of special hooks.
Compliance with these requirements will help to obtain maximum heat dissipation and fully enjoy all the positive properties of any type of radiator.
An important process is also the overlapping of the heating circuit. Then you need to drain the water from the system and make sure that all of it has definitely come out. It is recommended to use a pump for this. Further, from the design, it is necessary to unscrew all the plugs and use the threaded plugs to connect the battery to the heating system.
Until the very end of the installation, it is categorically not recommended to remove the packaging shell from the structure. After the installation is completed, a crimping will also be required, which cannot be performed without the help of a plumber. In this case, not only the master himself is useful, but also the device, which, in order to install the battery just once, makes no sense.
Recommendations
Heating radiators can be of various types, however, the overall heating of the room, and many other characteristics will also depend on the selected battery. Do not neglect the full range of radiators and immediately dwell on the old-fashioned cast-iron solution. It is better to consider all the options, study their advantages and disadvantages, and only then draw the final conclusions about the necessary design.
It will also be useful to study new models that appear on the market, because often they have a fairly low cost at high efficiency.
It is important to note that special attention should be paid not only to the properties or even the appearance of this or that type of heating radiator, but also to the means of painting that are used in the process of coating radiators. They can not only effectively decorate any interior, but also help to make it more vivid, focusing on the elegant design.
During the installation of the product, it is worth paying attention not only to the characteristics, but also to the appearance of the structure. In particular, it is recommended to add a protective shield to the radiator. This will help not only to hide a rather unattractive design, but also to protect young family members from possible injuries. In addition, such screens help to quickly heat the room, and therefore it is worth seriously considering their use during the decoration of their own interior.
The choice of a radiator or even the type of coating depends on you, as well as what properties the future design will have.