Which heating radiators are better for an apartment, and which ones are better for a house

When installing or restoring a heating system, radiators most often need to be replaced. Some have already worn out so much that they simply cannot continue to work, others are simply tired. In any case, the question arises: “Which heating radiators are better?”. After all, I want them to be beautiful and effective. The appearance of heating devices is certainly important, but the choice of heating radiators must begin with the selection of your heating system according to the technical characteristics. After all, first of all, it is a part of engineering systems, and the working pressure, the maximum temperature of the coolant or its composition is much more important than shape and color. And then, having decided on the type of suitable batteries, you can also select a model from the point of view of aesthetics, but again you will have to keep in mind one more technical parameter – the thermal power of the radiator section or the whole battery. So, this is not an easy task – the choice of heating radiators. 

The choice of heating radiators today is huge. There are six large groups that differ in structure and/or material:

1. cast iron;
2. steel (tubular and panel)
3. aluminum (cast and extrusion);
4. bimetallic (full and partial bimetal);
5. convectors (floor, wall, floor);
6. baseboard heating.

Radiators are different both in appearance and in characteristics, but they have not yet come up with an ideal and universal heating device. Each has advantages and disadvantages, and it is possible to say exactly which heating radiators are better only in relation to each specific case. In order for you to make an informed choice, you need to be aware of the pros and cons of each group.

Cast iron batteries

The oldest of heating appliances. They are distinguished by high reliability, long service life, calmly tolerate overheating of the coolant (up to + 135 ° C), normally respond to water hammer. All because of the fact that they have thick walls. But the large thickness of the metal is not only pluses, there are also minuses. The first is a large mass. Not all modern building materials can support the weight of cast iron. Let today they are far from being as heavy as in the days of the USSR, but still much more massive than all the others. A large mass is also a difficulty in transportation and installation. Firstly, powerful hooks are required, and secondly, it is desirable to mount them together – the mass of a radiator for 6-7 sections is 60-80 kg. But that’s not all. A large mass of metal means high heat capacity and significant inertia. On the one hand, this is a minus – until the batteries warm up, it will be cold in the room, but on the other – a plus, because they will cool down for a long time. There is one more minus in high inertia – cast-iron batteries are inefficient in systems with thermostats. All this together leads to the fact that cast-iron heating radiators are not installed very often today.

But they have their own scope – high-rise high-rise buildings. If the number of storeys is higher than 16, high pressure is created in such systems, which only cast iron and some types of bimetallic radiators (full bimetal) are able to withstand. Their properties are also optimal in heating systems of private houses and cottages with conventional solid fuel boilers without automation. These boilers have a cyclic principle of operation, then heating the coolant to a boiling point or even higher, then cooling down. Cast iron normally reacts to high temperatures, and also smooths out temperature differences due to inertia.

Until recently, cast-iron heating radiators had an unattractive appearance – the well-known and long-bored “accordion”. Today there are models that look like aluminum or bimetallic – with smooth front edges, painted with powder enamel (most often white). There are many designer models, mostly on legs, decorated with cast ornaments. This option is generally available only in cast iron, all the rest have basically a more strict, ascetic design.

aluminum

Aluminum heating radiators are not made of pure aluminum, but of an alloy based on it. This metal was not chosen by chance, as it has one of the highest heat transfer coefficients – 4-4,5 times better than cast iron and 5 times better than steel.

Therefore, aluminum radiators are distinguished by high power (180-190 W per section), at least a high heating rate and low inertia. They work very effectively in tandem with thermostats, allow you to maintain a stable temperature with an accuracy of one degree. The advantages of aluminum radiators include their low weight (one section weighs 1,5-2 kilograms), which facilitates delivery and installation. Another positive point is that the shape is designed in such a way that it has a large cross-section of channels for the coolant (slightly smaller than that of cast-iron “accordions”). This is good, since there is a low probability that these channels will become clogged and the radiator will stop heating.

Now about the disadvantages of aluminum radiators. They are related to the properties of aluminum. As you know, it is a reactive metal. It actively interacts with most of the chemical table, and reacts especially violently with copper. And in modern heating systems, copper parts are common. Such a neighborhood threatens the rapid exit of the copper parts of the system and system, as well as increased gas formation. They learned how to deal with gases – they put automatic gas vents (valves) in the systems, and they save copper by not putting it close to aluminum appliances. The process, of course, still goes on, but not with such intensity.

The chemical activity of aluminum is also manifested in the demands on the quality of the coolant. Not in the sense of its contamination, but in the sense of its acidity. Aluminum radiators work normally in systems with a coolant acidity not higher than 7 (Ph 7).

The softness of aluminum is not very good for the operation of the heating system. In the alloy, from which heating radiators are made, there are additives that increase its rigidity, but, anyway, they do not work in high pressure networks. Typical working pressure is 8-16 atm depending on the type and manufacturer.

Based on the foregoing, an area looms where aluminum radiators will be the best. These are individual heating systems with boilers controlled by automation. They also feel good in apartments, but only in low-rise buildings (up to 10 floors), in which a coolant with Ph 7-8 circulates.

Bimetal radiators

To correct the shortcomings of aluminum radiators, bimetallic radiators were invented. Stainless steel tubes are soldered inside the aluminum jacket. Stainless steel is known to be chemically neutral and very durable. This solves two problems. But the cost of bimetallic radiators becomes much higher – the manufacturing technology is more complicated, and the thermal power becomes a little lower. On average, the heat output of one section of bimetallic radiators of a standard size is 170-180 watts. Another plus is the higher working pressure with which these heaters can work. On average, it is 20-30 atm, which is more than enough even for high-rise buildings.

At the same time, another problem is added – the cross section of the channels for the coolant in bimetallic radiators is much smaller than in aluminum ones. Therefore, it is advisable to install filters in front of the radiator. There are not so many cons, as you can see, but there are nuances. There are simply two types of bimetallic radiators: full and partial bimetal. For a full bimetal, all collectors (channels through which the coolant moves) are made of stainless steel. If you decide which bimetal heating radiators are better, then this is exactly the full bimetal. Partially bimetallic stainless steel radiators have only vertical collectors, and horizontal collectors are made of aluminum. That is, for such products, the chemical activity is slightly lower, but still at a fairly high level and the working pressure is much lower.

Now heating systems for which bimetallic radiators are the best. These are high-rise buildings with any type of coolant (including very acidic or alkaline). In individual heating systems, their properties will be unclaimed, so you should not overpay.

Steel radiators – panel and tubular

There are two different types of steel radiators, with different characteristics and very different looks. These are tubular and panel. Some are made from steel pipes, others from steel sheets. Both of them have a relatively low price, which is what attracts them. But steel in heating systems does not “live” for a very long time, so these are also the most short-lived heating devices. Of course, there are exceptions – some manufacturers cover pipes or sheets with a protective layer, due to which the warranty period is estimated at a decade or even more. But the price of such steel radiators is also far from small.

Of the other characteristics – a small thermal inertia, exactingness to the coolant. Moreover, both in acidity and in the presence of foreign particles. Panel models are especially demanding – thin channels are formed in them through which the coolant moves. They are even thinner than bimetallic ones, so inlet filters are strictly required. If we talk about the acidity of the coolant, then the highest rate at which steel radiators work is Ph8. Working pressure – about 10-16 atm.

With power, the spread is very large. The design of both panel and tubular radiators is such that they can be of different sizes. Serially produced panel radiators are from 30 cm to 90 cm high, from 40 cm to 3 m long. There are special models that are elongated in height. Their maximum height is 2,7 meters (on special order they can do even higher, only there will be problems with transportation).

The variation in the size of tubular radiators is even greater. They can be from 19 cm to 3 m high, from 10 cm (two sections) to 3 meters wide, from 6 cm to 21 cm deep. The power of these radiators depends not only on the number of sections, but also on the number of columns (pipes in one row). Columns can be from two to six. Two or three columns can be hung on the wall, wider ones are often placed on the floor. Unlike all others, the sections of tubular radiators are one-piece, that is, they cannot be grown or reduced. They are welded together. On the one hand, there are fewer leaks, but on the other, less mobility. But this is compensated by their high plasticity – tubular steel radiators can be curvilinear – at least install them around the columns or wrap large containers with plants (there is a minimum bending radius). There are, by the way, models in the form of benches or tables.

Convectors

Recently, floor-to-ceiling glazing has become increasingly popular. Really beautiful, but what about the heating …. question. You can put low radiators on legs, but then all the chic is smeared. That’s when floor convectors are used. Under them, a niche is made in the floor and the device itself is installed on the floor, closing it with a grate. In order to increase heat transfer at the same time (necessary for a period of cold weather), fans are built inside. The solution is aesthetic, but such systems cost decently. There is another nuance – fans, even the quietest ones, are noisy. This noise does not annoy someone, it bothers someone very much. In any case, there are more and less noisy models.

So, if you need to heat a French window from floor to ceiling, the best option is a convector built into the floor.

Baseboard heating

In shape, skirting heating resembles old-style plate radiators – these are two pipes with a large number of thin plates. The difference is that these pipes are thin, usually copper, and have such a small height and width that they are hidden behind a high plinth of a special shape (open at the top). Due to the high heat transfer coefficient of copper, the power of these small radiators is high, it is gained due to the length – even around the entire perimeter of the room.

In addition to invisibility, baseboard heating has another plus – most of the heat is transferred not by convection, but in the infrared range – from heated walls. A stream of warm air rises along the walls, warming them up. When the walls heat up, they begin to radiate heat, which our body perceives as more comfortable. Cons of this system

The disadvantages of baseboard heating are the exactingness of the coolant and the thermal regime (it is impossible to overheat), low operating pressure (up to 10 atm). All this suggests that such systems can only work in individual heating, and with boilers controlled by automation.

Which heating radiators are best for an apartment and a house

Now let’s systematize all the information a little from a different point of view – which batteries are better to choose for an apartment, and which ones for a private house or cottage. First, let’s talk about what can be put in apartments. To choose everything correctly, you first need to visit the housing maintenance office or talk to plumbers. You need to find out what pressure is in your heating system and what is the acidity of the coolant and its operating temperature (at least according to the documents). It would be nice to know what jumps in temperature and pressure are. Armed with these figures, you will need to choose a specific model from those types of radiators that are suitable for your situation.

Now about what kind of heating radiators are best for an apartment. Here are your options:

• If you live in a high-rise (more than 12 floors), bimetallic radiators are most likely suitable, if the pressure is not very high, cast-iron radiators can work. When choosing, look mainly at the operating pressure, acidity, and they will withstand the temperature (although only full bimetal will do).
• If the operating pressure in your system is not higher than 14 atm, and Ph (acidity) is not higher than 7-8 and not lower than 5, then steel and aluminum radiators can also be added to cast iron and bimetal. Only for them, when choosing a manufacturer and model, it is necessary to monitor all three parameters – temperature, acidity, pressure.
• If the system has a high Ph – from 8,5 and above, only bimetallic radiators (full bimetal) will do. They will also be an output at high working pressure (from 20 atm and above).
  

Once again, we draw your attention to the fact that when choosing a specific model, you must definitely look at the technical parameters. Only in this case, the radiators will work for a long time without repair and replacement.

Now about which radiators are best for a private house and cottage. These systems have a small volume, differ in that in them you control the state of the coolant yourself, you can adjust the acidity, clean the filters. So the selection by acidity in this situation is irrelevant. What needs to be considered is the type of boiler. If there is a solid fuel boiler in the system and there is no heat accumulator in it, which smoothed out temperature fluctuations, cast-iron batteries would be the best choice. They will withstand overheating, and their thermal inertia will smooth out temperature fluctuations.

In all other cases, aluminum radiators are the best choice. They have low inertia, quickly respond to temperature changes. They heat up in just minutes, and a tangible flow of heat comes from them. True, they cool down just as quickly, so that during an emergency stop, the house will be cold quickly.

Steel radiators will also be good. This is an economical option, but even during normal operation they do not last long – a short service life. For aesthetes, the option with plinth or convector (built into the floor) heating is suitable. Both systems work great with any automated boiler.