Lattices (screens) on heating radiators: how to choose and install

Batteries are not always pleased with their appearance. Some models cause an ardent desire to hide them. One of the solutions to the problem is grilles for heating radiators. There are a lot of options, for different wallets, in different types and styles. 

A little about heat engineering and grids for batteries

Even if you need grills for radiators for decoration, do not forget that batteries should heat the room. Any screen reduces heat transfer, even the most openwork and thin. Another question is that one will reduce the amount of heat transferred by 10-15%, and the other by all 60% or even more. It is unlikely that you will want to sit in a beautiful, but cold room, so when choosing a decorative lattice, you must also consider how heat will spread.

The principle of heat transfer from a heating radiator without a grill is shown in the figure. The main idea is that air should come from below, pass along the battery, heat up, go up. This is how our heating works. When choosing a grille or screen, you need to keep this in mind. For normal air circulation, it is necessary that there is a gap at the bottom, and there is no cover at the top. As a last resort, the lid should have a large perforated area.

But if you look at many of the decorative grilles, you can immediately tell that the room will be cold. This is especially affected by grilles for heating radiators in the form of a box, which have walls on all sides. If they are very openwork, as in the photo above, there is not much trouble, but if they are made of solid wood (as in the photo below), with almost no perforation or with minimal holes, be prepared for heating inefficiency.

Wood, of course, is an aesthetic material, but it has a high heat capacity. Until the wood heats up, the room will be cold. And since the array is located above the radiator and there are no holes for circulation, the radiator under such a grill will be hot, but the room will be cold.

Tasks and materials

Most often, grilles on heating radiators are installed for decoration – not all heaters look attractive, and grilles are sometimes made very beautiful. The second task that battery screens often perform is to cover sharp and hard edges. This is true in families with children, especially if old-style cast-iron radiators, such as “accordion”, are installed. Their shape is dangerous, and they look unattractive, they will only be in loft-style rooms.

They make grilles for heating radiators from different materials:

• Metal screens for batteries are mass-produced. They are made from thin sheet steel, which is then coated with paint. For the most part, they cost a little, but they look average. The duration of operation depends on the quality of the color. Preferably powder enamels. They last longer, retaining their attractiveness for decades. From the point of view of the effect on heating, metal screens for radiators are the best choice. The metal heats up quickly, and then it begins to radiate heat. So the option is inexpensive (usually) and does not greatly affect the temperature in the room (in the presence of perforation).
  

• Forged lattices are very beautiful. But forging is too openwork, so some kind of background is required, and it is often made contrasting in order to highlight the forged elements brighter. To ensure normal air circulation, it makes sense to make a “background” from a perforated metal sheet.
  

• Wooden lattices and screens. Wood has always been and remains a premium material. The high plasticity of the material allows you to make them in different styles and shapes. And although there are inexpensive products made of wood, they look very good. But, as mentioned above, working with a radiator closed on all sides by wood transfers little heat into the room.
  

• MDF and HDF. For the manufacture of laminated sheet materials are used. Staz should say that no binders are used in the production of MDF and HDF. The softened wood fibers are pressed, and lignin, a natural binder found in wood, is released in the process. Lignin and glues the fibers. So both of these materials are absolutely safe. If we more or less know products from MDF, then HDF is an unfamiliar material for many. It differs from MDF only in terms of pressing. It is molded under higher pressure, as a result it turns out to be very thin (3-4 mm), but more dense and uniform. HDF holds its shape well, therefore openwork grilles for heating radiators are often made from HDF. From the point of view of their influence on heating, they are slightly better than wood – the layer is thinner, there are usually more perforations.
  

• Plastic. Plastic products are most often used in bathrooms and toilets. This material is the most hygienic, it can be washed an unlimited number of times. For manufacturing, heat-resistant plastic is used, which is not afraid of heating up to 60-80 ° C. If the grate bars are installed at an angle, as in the photo, the heating will work efficiently. Air flows freely through the cracks. It all depends on how the lid is made.
  

• Glass screens on radiators appeared several years ago. They are not ideal in terms of heating, but they have an attractive appearance. They are made of special tempered glass, matted or applied with a pattern.
  

Used in the manufacture of decorative grilles for radiators and more exotic materials. For example, bamboo and rattan. Such products are more demanding on interiors and are rare.

There are also combination grids. Most often there is a wooden frame, on which some kind of decorative mesh is stretched. Bamboo and rattan braids are most often attached to such a frame. Panels made of MDF and HDF are usually mounted on a wooden frame.

Types and forms

In addition to different materials, grilles for heating radiators come in different designs. All this together creates a huge number of options.

• flat screens. Most often used if the radiator is installed in a niche. In this case, the flat panel is attached to the bars fixed around the perimeter of the niche. In addition, glass screens for batteries also have this shape, but are mounted on special pins embedded in the wall. This type of decorative grille for heating radiators is also called “facades”.
  

• Hanging screens. There are two types:
  • With top cover. They are usually used on accordion-type batteries if the radiator protrudes beyond the window sill. The shape of the cover is made in such a way that the grille clings to the radiator without any problems.
  • Without cover. It clings to the upper battery collector with hooks that are attached to the front panel.
    

• Lattice-box. From the point of view of heating, this is far from the best option, since air circulation is difficult. Put if you want to close the side parts of the radiator. These lattices can be made in the form of some piece of furniture, most often a chest of drawers or a cabinet. If at the same time they can stand on their own, without support (as in the photo below), they are also called attached. There are also boxes that require fixing to the wall – they do not have legs. For better heat dissipation under the lid and above the floor, a slit 3-5 cm wide is made in the grate-box. It’s not bad to make a hole in the top lid.
  

These are only the main types of screens and gratings that cover radiators. Fantasy is limitless, there are very interesting models, but they are most often made by craftsmen with their own hands.

Often an important role in choosing a screen for a radiator is played by price. The range of prices in this segment is more than significant – from 230 rubles for a metal hinged screen, up to 8000 rubles for a glass one. Some prices are shown in the table.

Mounting features

Grilles on heating radiators should be mounted so that you can easily and quickly get access to heating appliances and pipes. Periodically, at least twice a year, the elements of the heating system must be cleaned of dirt and dust, so access is necessary. In addition, emergencies occur from time to time. In this case, a quick reaction is required and there is no time to unscrew the fasteners. Therefore, try to come up with a mounting system that allows you to remove the screen with one movement.

Attached and mounted

The easiest way is with hinged or attached screens. They are removed/retracted in seconds. But flat, covering radiators in niches and box screens that are attached to the wall are the most problematic. But even here everything is solved simply. You can fix the box to the wall using two strips: one on the box, the second on the wall. The whole secret is that the slats have a beveled upper edge (see the figure). The one that is nailed to the wall has a slope to the wall, which on the box has a bevel towards the lattice. When the box is put into place, something like a lock is obtained.

Another option is to fix metal plates on one of the strips, and magnets on the other. Or attach not a wooden plank to the wall, but a metal corner, for example.

In the case of flat screens, the solution may be the same – metal plates and magnets. Another option is hook and loop. It is simply implemented, but not very convenient to use: until you get into the loops, you have to suffer. There is also a difficult to install, but convenient way: to make a screen like sliding doors.

You can take the guides that are sold for furniture doors, install them, insert the screens into the corresponding grooves. If you do not plan to actively use the niche near the battery, you can not install roller mechanisms, but it will be difficult to move it away. By the way, this method can also be applied to the lattice-box. Then it can be nailed to the wall “tightly”, and the front wall can be made movable.

Interesting design options for battery screens: photo ideas

In addition to the technical side of the issue, the aesthetic is no less important. There are options for grilles and screens that are more of a design element than a technical detail. Some of them are in the photo.