Cast iron batteries have been around for over a century. And today, this type of heating radiator continues to heat human homes, not at all inferior to more modern compact convectors and aluminum analogs.
Cast Iron Benefits
Cast iron has a lot of undeniable advantages. It is durable, resistant to corrosion, has high heat efficiency. Retro-styled cast-iron batteries are striking in their beauty. Yes, and modern ordinary cast-iron batteries look very attractive, favorably differing in a spectacular design.
Cast iron batteries have one drawback - their weight. How much a pig-iron battery weighs can be understood by taking into account that the weight of one section alone varies from 7 to 7.5 kg. Among modern developments, there are lighter modifications. They have a section weight of only 5.7 kg.
Features of mounting cast iron batteries
Since installation is done on walls and partitions, and they are often made of fragile material, it is important to know exactly how much one section of a cast-iron battery weighs. This is necessary in order to calculate the weight of the total load. If it turns out that the calculated load is higher than the norm, then you will have to abandon such a installation completely, or you will need to make special fasteners so that the battery does not break the wall, or install a heating battery on the floor.
Typically, standard cast iron batteries consist of several sections - sectional elements. As a rule, their number ranges from 4 to 10. But sometimes batteries with 20 or more sections are also found. But using such bulky radiators is inconvenient, therefore, in practice, usually several batteries are installed, 5-7 sections each. Typically, the dimensions of the modern section of the cast-iron battery are 140 x 500 mm. Calculating the mass of the entire battery is easy, knowing the exact weight of one section.
For example, you need to determine how much the battery weighs. The cast-iron section weighs 7.5 kg. Consequently, a set of seven sections will weigh 49-52.5 kg. The same battery, but from ten sections, will turn out to weigh about 75 kg. It must be borne in mind that this is the weight of the battery without taking into account the weight of the coolant.
The average volume of one section of a cast-iron battery is about 1.5 liters of liquid. There are more economical models, with a volume of 1 liter or more. When deciding how much an old cast-iron battery weighs, you need to know that in old cast-iron batteries, the fluid volume reached 1.7 liters per section. Therefore, after starting the system, the weight of the devices increases.
Cast Iron Battery Specifications
In order to correctly determine the required number of sections in a heat source, it is important to consider other characteristics of cast-iron batteries. The main indicator of the effectiveness of a heating radiator is power. If you know exactly the power of one radiator, then it is easy to determine the total amount that is required to provide housing with heat.
If you incorrectly calculate the required number of heating radiators in the room, excessive air dryness will appear, and this is no less unpleasant than a lack of heat. The settled dust will be heated on the radiators, due to the need for frequent ventilation, drafts will increase.
The rated thermal power of one section of a cast-iron radiator of ordinary modification is 160 watts. When calculating the size of each installed radiator, you must first find out how much the cast-iron battery weighs. 1 section is taken as a standard. Then you need to determine what is the heat flux of the heated housing. This characteristic largely depends on what material the walls are made of, what is the insulation of the house, how professionally the windows in the building are installed.
So, in prefabricated houses, the heat flux is about 0.041 kW / m 3 . In brick buildings, this figure is already 0.034 kW / m 3 . And with quality insulation, 0.02 kW / m 3 . In the last example, it doesn't matter what the walls are made of.
Calculation of the required number of sections in batteries
After determining how much the pig-iron battery weighs, it is necessary to calculate the required number of links in the radiator or the number of devices that need to be installed in a single room. We multiply that figure, which indicates the volume of the room, by the value of the heat flux of the room, divide the resulting figure by the heat flux of one section. Its value is 0.160 kW.
The resulting figure must be rounded to the nearest whole - this will be the number of sections required. There is no need to connect all sections into one radiator. It is better to distribute them in several devices, installing one under each window opening. We calculate in this way how much the battery weighs. Pig-iron weighs much more, we already found out. It remains to determine the place to install the radiator.
The size of the window opening also affects the selectable number of sections in the installed radiator. To use the full power of the heater, its length must be at least 70-75% wider than the window. In this case, the radiator itself should be located at a distance of 8 to 12 cm from the windowsill.
Dimensions of cast iron radiator
Paying tribute to traditions, radiators are produced in generally accepted sizes, which also ensures efficient operation and heating safety. The width of one section is usually from 30 to 60 centimeters. This is because competing manufacturers strive to produce as unique products as possible. In addition, different models can also have different overall dimensions. Typical products usually have depths of 92, 99 and 110 mm.
In today's market you can find many design modifications. The height of the cast-iron batteries is always greater than the center distance and can always be increased if the device is planned to be installed on the floor. The area of one section of a cast-iron battery is about 0.25 square meters. m
Cast Iron Heating Life
Cast iron radiators have been around for decades, often without repair. Therefore, by installing such heaters, you can not think about replacing batteries in the next 20-25 years. The pressure, which is considered to be working for cast-iron batteries, is 9 atmospheres, this makes it possible to install them in both autonomous and central heating systems.
In pre-revolutionary houses, such batteries still function well to this day. But they were cast more than 100 years ago.
Among other things, cast-iron batteries quietly tolerate the summer drain of the coolant and do not lose their properties until the next heating season.
Knowing the technical characteristics and how much the pig-iron battery weighs, for reasons of practicality it is better to entrust the calculation and installation to specialists than to try to do the work yourself. Then you will not have to be upset due to perfect mistakes.