Cast iron radiator section: advantages and disadvantages,

Cast iron radiators have been used for residential heating for a very long time. They have a large number of positive qualities that allow them to compete with more advanced models to this day. But it is very important to take into account all the technical parameters of one section of the battery in order to prevent mistakes in the process of their installation and operation. This will be discussed in this article.

General provisions

First of all, let's deal with the pros and cons of cast iron batteries:

Merits

• Corrosion Resistance. You can be calm even over the summer periods, when the liquid is drained from the system, the cast iron will stand.
• Unpretentiousness to the quality of the coolant, which is very important for residential heating systems, where you can not control the composition of the fluid run through the pipes from the central boiler room.
• Durability. The operational period is at least 35 years.

• Low price. Especially in comparison with newer aluminum and bimetallic models.
• High heat emission. In combination with a large area you get a powerful heater for your home.
• Simple instruction manual. After the installation and application of paint, you can forget for a long time about the need for any maintenance of the cast-iron construction.
• Slight inertia. Even after turning off the heating, the batteries from the iron will remain warm for a long time.

disadvantages

• Great weight. This is one of the biggest problems arising in the process of installing cast-iron radiators with their own hands. Depending on the number of sections, the mass of one battery can vary from 50 kg to 150 kg, which will make incredible difficulties even with the banal hanging of a cast iron product on the brackets, not to mention carrying from at least one room to another. In addition, you will also need to take care of strengthening the mounting system.

• Fragility. Despite its visual power and solidity, cast iron is a very fragile material.

Tip: in the process of transferring the cast iron battery, be extremely careful and try to avoid accidental strikes on the floor or door jamb. The fact is that at the time of the collision there may appear microcracks on it, which will increase over time and cause many problems.

• The need for periodic painting.

Tip: for painting, it is recommended to use acrylic formulations that are not toxic. Otherwise, a constantly heating battery will be a constant source of unpleasant odors and toxic fumes.

Technical specifications

How many kilowatts in one section of the cast iron radiator, and what size should the entire battery have? These questions are quite important.

Performance

Before installation, it should be understood how many kW in 1 section of the cast iron radiator. This will allow you to select their optimal amount for placing specific volumes. In addition, you should familiarize yourself with other important parameters, for which we take as examples the most common models:

Now, knowing how many kW in one section of the cast iron radiator, it is easy to determine their required quantity.

Tip: if the self-calculation of the number of sections of the cast-iron radiator is difficult, then you can always use one of the online calculators available on the Internet. There you will only need to enter the dimensions of your room and indicate the selected battery model.

It is also important to consider the pipe connection method, which also affects the battery performance:

As can be seen in the figure, two-sided joining of pipes is most effective. At the same time, it is necessary to feed on one side and outflow on the other, which fully corresponds to the school course in physics, from which everyone remembers that warm liquid rises and the cold one descends. That is, the hot coolant will enter from above, cool and exit through the lower hole, giving up its heat as much as possible.

If we ignore this rule, then we can observe the following result:

Here we see a cold angle, significantly reducing the heat transfer system.

But the important technical characteristics of the cast-iron radiator section do not end there. We calculated the number of sections, but we still need to have an idea about the weight and volume of the structure.

Weight and size

The mass and volume of the cast iron radiator section can be found in the following table:

Knowing the size of the cast iron radiator section, you can at any time calculate its total area, which will give an idea of ​​the place it occupies on the wall.

To do this, do the following:

• To do this, first find the area of ​​the cast iron radiator section, by multiplying its height and width between each other.
• Then the resulting number is again multiplied, but this time by the number of sections, which is usually 7-12 pieces.

Substitute the values ​​of the brand FM1: 370? 80 = 29600 mm2, which is approximately 0.03 m2. Suppose a battery consists of seven sections, then: 0.03? 7 = 0.21 m2. Such a wall section will be required to accommodate the cast iron radiator in question.

The weight of the working cast iron radiator is also needed in order to properly select the brackets for its attachment. Take the same brand and average mass of one section: 4? 7 = 28 kg. But taking into account how much water is in one section of the cast-iron radiator (again we take the average value), we recalculate and get: 28 + 7? 0.8 = 34. Plus, one should also take into account possible thermal expansion of the material. As a result, the fasteners are best chosen with the expectation that they can safely hold the structure, weighing 40 kg.

Conclusion

Cast iron batteries, despite the emergence of many more advanced radiators, are still in demand. Corrosion resistance, durability and low cost are the main reasons for their popularity. The biggest problem is a lot of weight, it requires a careful approach to the installation of equipment and preliminary calculations.

The video in this article will provide you with the opportunity to get acquainted with additional materials that are directly related to the information presented. Cast iron batteries with the right approach and today perfectly cope with their task of heating the living room.