Types of radiators: structural and functional differences of radiators depending on the material

There are many types of radiators. They should be installed before the onset of cold weather. So that the apartment is not cold during the heating season, and the country house can be visited comfortably in winter, you need to choose the right radiators and other parts of the system. To do this, you need to take into account the advantages, disadvantages and all other characteristics of devices of each type.

Steel radiators

Convector is a type of heating radiator, inside which there are steel panels with convector fins. A feature of the variety is an extremely high efficiency, which in some cases reaches 75%.

This is the most budget-friendly option that is usually used in private homes. The number of heating plates and air circulation grooves differs depending on the model, but there are standards:

• 10.
• 11.
• 20.
• 21.
• 22.
• 30.
• 33.

Manufacturers from Germany, Finland, Czech Republic and Italy are popular on the market. European countries dominate due to low prices, so Russian manufacturers are not widely spread.

Panel construction has many advantages:

• Excellent heat dissipation with low inertia.
• Small volume for the coolant, due to which little energy is consumed.
• Harmlessness. The devices can be used for medical and childcare facilities.
• Very low cost.

But there are also disadvantages. More attention is required such negative features:

• The need for air circulation leads to the raising of fine dust, sometimes to drafts.
• Inability to use the device in multi-storey structures due to instability to water hammer.
• Rapid metal corrosion in the absence of a conductor in the system.

The tubular design is somewhat more expensive. It is produced not only by Western countries, but also by Russia. Models dominate panel models due to higher pressures, but lose a lot in cost.

Aluminum batteries

This type usually does not work for long with the central city heating system, since the models are subject to severe corrosion due to poor water quality. According to the production method, these radiators are divided into injection and extrusion. Both types are perfect for autonomous heating systems.

The injection molding variation is made by injection molding. Typically, these batteries have wide channels and thick flow walls for water. Some models are modular in design. The ability to add or remove sections will create the perfect interior.

The extrusion production method is somewhat cheaper. It is named so thanks to an extruder - a machine on which vertical structures are extruded from an aluminum sheet. Such models are solid and do not imply the possibility of change. Italian manufacturers are famous for their best reputation in the market.

Aluminum models have many advantages:

• Light weight. Light weight eliminates the need for sturdy mounts, making installation easy.
• Very high heat dissipation, due to which the room heats up quickly.
• Possibility of installing a temperature controller, which will make the device even more economical.
• Modern design.

but such batteries last on average no longer than 15 years. Aluminum has a high chemical activity, therefore, a low quality of the coolant will increase corrosion and further shorten the service life. In addition to chemical instability, radiators are unstable to sudden changes in pressure. Some models are characterized by weak convection and leakage.

Cast iron heaters

By style, they are conditionally divided into modern and retro. This is the oldest type of battery, which has simple, uncomplicated shapes. Since cast iron takes a long time to warm up, it is poorly suited for autonomous heating. But this metal perfectly withstands the low quality of the heat conductor. Cast iron devices combine low cost with durability and long service life, which can reach 50 years - this is their main advantage.

On the territory of Russia, Belarus and Ukraine there are many factories that produce cast iron products. However, the products of European competitors are highly trusted. Retro models differ only in appearance, but they are much more expensive.

Advantages of cast iron radiators:

• Life time.
• Chemical passivity.
• Efficiency in rooms with high ceilings.
• Long-term operation when the heat supply is turned off.
• Low cost (does not apply to retro style).

Radiators are voluminous and consume a lot of water, at the same time they warm up for a long time, weigh a lot, do not differ in ease of installation, they are difficult to transport - such disadvantages stand out in this type of batteries.

Two metals

In such models, the conductive core is made of steel and the shell is made of aluminum. Sometimes the structure is removable, in other cases the outer shell is tightly welded. In high-quality radiators, the entire tubular core is made of steel, which is why the device is expensive. Some manufacturers reduce the cost of production by making longitudinal channels from a different material. Such models are cheaper and outperform conventional batteries in terms of performance, but they are much inferior to real bimetallic radiators.

This variety has many advantages.:

• Complete lack of inertia.
• High heat dissipation.
• Small volume of heat conductor.
• Resistance to high pressure and pressure drops.
• Ease of installation.
• Modern design.
• Corrosion resistance.

The only drawback of such heating devices is their high cost.