Which batteries are best for an apartment - rules for choosing radiators

Which batteries are better for an apartment - the rules for choosing radiators

When carrying out repairs in an apartment, we we often think about replacing old batteries that have served their time. It's time to replace them with more efficient and modern devices that have appeared on the radiator market.

But here the question arises - which batteries are better for an apartment? after all, someone praises aluminum radiators, while others prefer steel ones. Some people cannot get enough of fashionable bimetallic devices, while others have purchased cast iron radiators and are also happy.

Now we propose to compare these most popular heating appliances, taking into account certain nuances of centralized heating.

The selection is made on the basis of opinions, reviews and user ratings that are available on various resources on the Internet. All characteristics and general information were taken from publicly available sources.

Risks of centralized heating

On the one hand, heat supply from the outside is more convenient than autonomous heating - no need to fiddle with boiler installation and adjustment. But autumn will come, and the heated water will start running through the radiators, heating the apartment. But not everything is so smooth in the central heating system:

1. Water, which has come a long way, contains many chemically active additives that can corrode radiators and pipes.

2. And also small particles of slag, which inevitably fall into the heat carrier (water, for example), begin to scratch inside, after a couple of years wiping them to holes.
3. The water temperature may not always be stable - then the batteries will be at room temperature, and sometimes it is impossible to touch them.
4. The most important danger is a sudden large pressure surge in the heating system, the so-called water hammer. It may be due to the fact that the locksmith very abruptly closed the crane at the pumping station.

Previously, valves were used there that have a smooth running, and with the advent of ball-type valves, it became possible to turn off the water instantly.

Water hammer can also occur when excess air enters the pipes. A momentary surge in pressure can do a lot of trouble. Weak batteries do not withstand high pressure and begin to burst, splashing hot water, and also ruining pieces of furniture and causing damage to neighbors who live below you.

Details

What parameters should be used to choose radiators

Further, when you know the weak points of centralized heating, you can understand what conditions should high quality radiators meet. consider them.

1. For batteries, the pressure declared by the manufacturer must be greater than the pressure (as a working , and exceeding it by 1.5 times - test) in the heating system. we will give figures for an example, and in five-storey buildings with an old layout, this parameter is no more than 5-8 atm.Modern multi-storey buildings are heated under pressure from 12 to 15 atm.
2. Separately, it is worth highlighting the ability to withstand a hydraulic shock, and therefore, living in an apartment, it is difficult to protect yourself from pressure surges in the heating system, it is better to warn everything in advance.

   By the way, if you often hear clicks and hums in radiators, contact your local utility. The pressure is most likely naughty in the system.

3. The quality of water in domestic heating systems is poor, and therefore the batteries should be able to perfectly withstand a chemical attack. It is required to use radiators with a special coating inside or a chemical neutral material for the walls. And the thickness should be such that sand particles and small pebbles do not rub it off, acting like sandpaper.

4. When choosing which radiators for an apartment will be better, do not forget about their main function - to heat. That is, it is preferable to choose devices that have a higher heat output.
5. Let's not ignore the design - very few people will like the terrible cast-iron monsters with a terrible shape, which in Soviet times stood everywhere. I would like the radiators to harmoniously complement the design of the rooms - at the moment it is quite possible.
6. The last parameter is the operating time.

   There are unnecessary comments, and the less often you need to mess around with the installation of such bulky and rather expensive devices, the more profitable it will be for the owners of an apartment or house.

So, what is better to install heating batteries in the apartment?

Checking the suitability of batteries for the apartment

Steel batteries - fell with a high pressure attack

Steel radiators are lightweight and thick. Excellent heat output and low water volume make them efficient and economical, and they cost relatively little. But under pressure, they "pumped up" a little, only withstand 7-8 atm. They are not suitable for apartments, period.

Consider a tubular steel radiator, which can be of a wide variety and differ in both color and design.

Aluminum batteries - eaten away by corrosion, bursting from water hammer

Such radiators have an excellent appearance and have excellent heat transfer. However, those who live in an apartment should not rejoice early. Hot water with chemical impurities and a high degree of acidity will quickly "eat up" the aluminum pipes from the inside. The fact is that aluminum is a very active metal.

And it cannot cope with huge pressure, and the average working pressure is up to 16 atm. And water hammer can destroy even the best and newest aluminum radiator. Such devices have a very beautiful appearance and are able to give off heat both simply by heating the air around them, and by convection, but they are not at all suitable for an apartment.

Bimetal radiators - the price that "bites"

This is one of the best and latest developments in heating devices.Such radiators can be called bimetallic - the fact is that they combine two metals at once.

It can be steel and aluminum, or copper and aluminum. A figured body of a ribbed type is made of an aluminum alloy, and inside there is a core of copper and steel. The manufacturers give a guarantee that these batteries will work for at least 40 years, and they are suitable for an apartment in all respects, as you yourself can see.

• Their appearance pleasantly caresses the eye - beautiful colored or snow-white panels are much more beautiful than the usual form of a cast-iron "accordion".
• The low weight makes installing, carrying and transporting these batteries a breeze.

• External and internal anti-corrosion primer makes radiators resistant and durable to destruction.
• Working pressure can be from 30 to 50 atm, depending on the manufacturer and model. With them, you can stop being afraid of water hammer.
• They can withstand temperatures up to +135 degrees.

Alas, the price of such batteries is quite high.

And if you are offered something like that at a democratic cost, do not believe it, because they are trying to slip you a fake. If you buy, then the products of proven brands. There are good manufacturers from China, and they, like Russian ones, have a slightly lower cost than radiators from Europe.

Habitual cast iron - how to give it a second life

About 50 years ago, no less, such a radiator was given for the operation. It is in vain that some manufacturers say that it is high time to forget about such "old stuff".

Taking a long time thinking about which heating radiators to choose for an apartment, most stop at a cast-iron battery. They definitely do not throw out "tricks" when in contact with dirty water in the domestic heating system. Such a metal is chemically passive, and it is not afraid of a high degree of acidity, nor the presence of chemical additives in the thermal carrier. Thick walls will not be damaged by abrasives, and therefore cast-iron batteries for apartments are not bad. What batteries are better for the apartment? For example, consider the MC-140 cast iron heating radiator.

1. Cast iron radiators are distinguished by the fact that they can keep heat for a very long time - its residual conservation number is 30% ... And for all other types of batteries, this indicator is half as much.
2. The heat output due to the radiation method of heating is much more efficient than when using convection (as in aluminum and bimetallic products).

   Cast iron radiators heat not only air, but also objects that are close.

3. When draining water from the system during the summer time period, cast iron radiators do not undergo severe corrosion - this is a tangible plus.
4. Large heat transfer area is an additional plus.
5. Cast iron tolerates strong pressure drops quite well, and this is often central heating. The working pressure can reach 9-12 atm.

   But it does not always withstand high-power hydraulic shocks - the fragility of the metal fails.

6. The price of such devices is usually lower than for bimetallic devices. Sometimes this is the determining factor.

Such radiators are heavy, and this causes inconvenience during installation. Yes, cast iron is never easy a priori.

But this weight turns into a large wall thickness, which gives the radiators the required strength. Having installed such radiators once (and specially trained people will be engaged in such work), you can forget about replacing them for many years.

The appearance of cast iron radiators at the moment is not as poor as in the USSR times. Appeared very beautiful externally shaped cast batteries, which are made in the "retro" style, which are in perfect harmony with the refined rooms. True, the price for such miraculous radiators is very high.

More budgetary devices from Russia, Belarus and Ukraine, and many of them need to be painted before use. But they look decent, their design fits into the interior of modern apartments.

How to choose a type of radiator

After reading, it will be easier for you to decide which batteries are better to choose for an apartment, because of the four options considered, there are only two. As it turned out, neither aluminum nor steel radiators can withstand tests of either aggressive domestic heat carriers or pressure drops. only cast iron and bimetallic devices remain.

What exactly to buy, see the budget, and also the parameters of certain models.

However, even here there is an opportunity to give sensible recommendations.

• In old houses, like Khrushchevs, it is quite possible to put cast iron products. If you live in a high-rise building, where the pressure in the heating system is higher, then it is better to take bimetallic radiators.
• If the predecessors of the new future batteries are made of cast iron, then you can stop at either of the two options.

  Both cast iron and metal are suitable. If you plan to produce batteries made of a different metal, then change only to bimetallic ones.

Royal Thermo BiLiner. Bimetallic devices of this series are produced in three color options:

• Black-graphite.
• Silver.

• White.

Coloring is carried out in seven stages according to the TENOFIRM technology. The radiators have a perfect aerodynamic shape that vaguely resembles part of an airplane wing. The model is produced with an even number of sections with a maximum number of 12 pieces. The characteristics of the section are as follows - weight 1.

85 kg, height 57.4 cm, width 8 cm, depth 8. 7 cm, and working pressure 30 atm. The design features are as follows - the steel collector has been improved, the heat exchange surface is developed, the efficiency is increased by 5% compared to models of a similar class, as well as the presence of a unique coating with increased resistance to various types of chemical and mechanical stress. Also, during assembly, high-strength steel nipples and graphite gaskets are used.

Special adapters-nuts make it possible to connect the radiator to a pipe with a diameter of 1/2 or 3/4 inches. The products are certified for compliance with international and domestic quality standards. the manufacturer gives a 25-year warranty.

( 5 marks, average 2.8 from 5 )