What are the heating radiators: selection criteria, features

The comfort of living in any home depends largely on the quality of the heating of the rooms, and the main elements in any system are radiators, since they are responsible for the transfer of heat to the room. There are a lot of options on the market, which differ in a number of parameters, therefore, without appropriate experience, it can be difficult to figure out, we will tell you about the main types of products and their features.

What criteria should be considered when choosing

There are several parameters that largely determine the choice of a particular type of battery, so they should be considered first:

Note! Most importantly, the seller should have all the documents confirming the safety of products and their quality for the products you have chosen. There are many unreliable variants of Asian origin on the market that are breaking down in just a few years.

Types of products and their features

All products on the market can be divided into several groups, each of which has its own specific advantages and disadvantages, so each type should be considered in more detail.

Cast Iron Radiators

This is a classic version, which has been used in houses and apartments for over a hundred years, with regard to it we can note the following:

• It is the most widespread household radiator. and today, it is a sectional version, the appearance of which is not particularly attractive, since the surface during casting cannot be made perfectly smooth;

• The biggest advantage of this product group is the low cost., In addition, it should be noted, and the durability of such batteries - they can serve more than 50 years, which is an excellent indicator;
• It is also necessary to note the fact that such structures are resistant to high pressure., therefore, they are often used in centralized systems, and also they work well even with low quality coolant, because the material is resistant to corrosion;
• Among the disadvantages are very large weight., making it difficult to install with your own hands, as well as the very slow heating of the material and high thermal inertia, which makes the temperature control in the rooms difficult.

Steel options

Iron radiators are also widely distributed and have the following differences:

• Their cost is low, therefore, they are available to a wide range of customers, while the quality of products manufactured in accordance with the technology meets the highest standards;
• There are two main variants of products: panel structures, which can have a very different configuration, and tubular variants, which have an unusual appearance, but also cost much more;

• Light weight helps to simplify the installation process, the instructions for the work is simple, since you just need to connect the pipes in a specific order using threaded fittings;
• The heat transfer performance of steel is one of the highest., while the thermal inertia of the material is small, which allows you to accurately adjust the temperature in the room using automation;
• If you need hygienic heating radiators, then choose the steel panel option without convection grille, it is very easy to clean and wash, therefore it is often used in medical institutions.

Aluminum products

This is a relatively new version, which is gaining more and more popularity every year due to the following features:

• Low weight products greatly simplifies their carrying and installation, and also reduces the load on the walls during installation and allows you to mount structures even on unreliable bases;
• Radiators consist of sections, the number of which is calculated depending on the area of ​​the premises and the features of the buildings., in one of our reviews on the website the calculation process is described in great detail;

• Products are distinguished by increased heat emission., they heat up faster than all the types described in the review;
• With regard to operating conditions, the design does not like pressure drops, therefore, it is not recommended to use them in centralized systems, with the exception of one option - an anodized radiator of heating, it has high resistance to pressure and poor quality coolant.

Bimetallic radiators

The newest development in this area, which has absorbed the best properties of all the options and is the most reliable solution to date.

The main features are:

• The structure consists of a steel core inside and aluminum fins outside, thanks to this, the design has excellent resistance to pressure, poor quality of the coolant and other adverse factors, and the heat output of such radiators will be very, very high, even small heating radiators are very effective;

• The service life of such products is more than 20 years., the actual period of operation may be several times longer, especially if the quality of the coolant is good and there are no water hammer in the system;
• Some people call this product group biometric radiators due to the fact that they are equipped with regulators, but still the correct name is bimetallic, all manufacturers and specialists use this option;
• The biggest disadvantage is the high cost of batteries., but if we take into account their quality, we can conclude that the price is fully justified.

Note! Choosing a specific option, you should remember the main thing: aluminum is not suitable for high pressure, and if the quality of the heat carrier is low, it is better to choose cast iron.

Conclusion

Radiators differ in their performance and appearance, so the final choice in any case depends on you. The video in this article will tell you about some important features in more detail, and if you have questions, ask them in the comments.