Which Heating Radiators Are Better: Bimetallic, Aluminum, Cast Iron?

2023 Author: Philip Bishop | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-08-25 07:54

In ensuring a comfortable life in a private house or apartment, one of the main roles is played by heating radiators, which are the best ones to help you understand the familiarization with each type and type that is on sale today. The radiator itself, as part of the housing, must meet the following requirements:

1. Should not clearly stand out against the background of the interior.
2. Must effectively fulfill its intended purpose.
3. Must be durable and reliable.
4. Must have good heat-conducting and storage properties.

Unfortunately, all of the above properties are not inherent in one type of heating battery, which ones we will understand better during the course of the review.

Varieties

Today there are at least 4 types of radiators on sale for building a liquid heating system, each type of which has its own advantages and disadvantages. Yes, man has not yet developed an ideal option that would meet all the requirements.

Types of heating radiators:

1. extrusion;
2. casting.

The first method is a method of extruding an aluminum alloy into a mold. In this case, the product has no channels, and individual vertical parts are pressed onto a manifold made entirely of silumin. Such radiators are cheaper to manufacture, but their performance is lower than that of the second method. But they have an advantage in reliability.

The second method is high pressure die casting. Each section has a transverse channel connecting the upper and lower ducts, and the walls are thickened. The material is a mixture of aluminum and 12% silicon, which gives the individual section the necessary strength and is able to withstand pressures up to 10 atmospheres.

The advantage of this method is that the casting is continuous. As a result, heat transfer is higher, but compared to the next type, they are less durable due to susceptibility to corrosion and chemical reactions. It is important to remember that when designing a heating system using aluminum radiators, you should not use steel and brass connectors. Only plastic pipes and brazed fittings should be used as connectors. This is due not only to corrosion due to the use of different metals, but also to the occurrence of surface currents. Because of this, a system with aluminum radiators must be grounded reliably.

Casting can also be of two types. This was the first one. The second one is the same aluminum, only after anodic oxidation treatment. It allows you to slightly change the crystal lattice of the metal, which makes it immune to corrosion and more durable. They are capable of withstanding operating pressures of 50 - 70 atmospheres. In this case, the fracture pressure can reach more than 200.

Anodized aluminum radiators have smoother inner walls, which contributes to better circulation of the coolant, while giving off more heat. And the huge limit of operating pressures makes it possible to use it for heating systems in apartment buildings.

Bimetallic

• aluminum;
• bimetallic;
• steel;
• cast iron.

All of the listed types of heating radiators, the photo of which is in front of you, today have good performance, because modern and precise equipment is used in their production.

Aluminum

Various aluminum heating radiators are available for sale, which one is better to use, now we'll figure it out. So, this type is a sectional product made of aluminum by injection molding. Such a radiator has high heat transfer rates, which affects its immediate heating. This is due to the physical properties of aluminum itself. It heats up and cools down faster than all other metals, of course, except copper used for the production of heating systems. Heating systems built on their basis are most often used for private construction. It is not recommended to use them in multi-storey buildings due to the high pressure in the central heating system. The working pressure of aluminum radiators reaches about 10 atmospheres. And in multi-storey buildings, it varies from 10 atmospheres and above.

In a private house, different types of heating batteries can be used, because the system is controlled autonomously, and it is recommended to install a thermostat on each radiator. Before answering the question of how to choose aluminum heating radiators, you should familiarize yourself with the types of their production:

Bimetallic heating radiators are one of the types of aluminum, but they are arranged a little differently. Inside there is a smooth-walled steel tube, and around an aluminum shell, which is poured into a mold. Today, there are various bimetallic radiators on sale, which are the best of them, now we will figure it out.

On the market, you can find both a combination of two metals, aluminum with steel, and aluminum plates with copper. The second type is called cellular. And, of course, both in terms of heat transfer properties and conversion, it is better than all of the above. But the cost of such a radiator will also be very high.

The advantages of bimetallic radiators primarily include a high operating pressure of about 25 atmospheres and a maximum pressure test of 35 atmospheres. This makes it possible to widely use them in multi-storey construction (up to 25) for heating apartment buildings. But due to the combination of the two metals, they have a lower thermal conductivity, which affects performance.

There are bimetallic batteries of different sizes on the market, which one is better to choose depends on the performance required from it and the location. On average, 1 m ² requires from 50 to 120 watts. With better insulation and fewer windows, you can choose fewer sections, with less quality - more. The height of the ribs depends on the installation site, but when the height is reduced by 2 times, the number of sections must be doubled.

We examined different aluminum heating batteries, which are better, reviews can be read on many resources and in the online stores themselves from buyers. But you can also compose all of these batteries in order of decreasing efficiency:

1. bimetallic with a copper central tube (honeycomb);
2. anodized aluminum;
3. aluminum;
4. bimetallic with steel pipe.

All commercially available aluminum batteries have been described, which is better obvious. Last type, anodized. They are stronger, more durable, and the most expensive because they are more difficult to manufacture.

Brand selection

When choosing aluminum heating radiators for your home, you should definitely know which manufacturers are the best, because their service life depends on this. Today there are many companies supplying these products, but the most common are the Italian brands FERROLY, SIRA and Global. Radiators from these brands can withstand operating pressures up to 20 atmospheres. Among the Russian manufacturers, one can single out the RIFAR company. Its products can also withstand pressure up to 20 atmospheres and are a complete copy of the Italian brand Global.

Steel

Steel radiators are a structure of two profile steel sheets coated with polymer paint and a system of steel pipes connected in parallel. Steel heating radiators of a variety of sizes and performance are on sale, which better depends on the quality of its performance and size. There are at least 4 form factors on sale, both in height and in width. Therefore, they are most widespread. In addition, they cost much less than those previously described. Because of their shape, they also have the name panel radiators, which one is better to use for a private house, depends on the area of the heated room and the interior. After all, they can be of different color schemes.

The advantage of steel radiators is the ability to heat the coolant up to 110 ⁰ С at an operating pressure of up to 10 atmospheres. Both panel radiators and tubular radiators are produced. At the same time, the latter can withstand pressure up to 15 atmospheres, but it is not enough for use in a central heating system in apartment buildings.

The most common manufacturers of steel radiators are:

• German companies Buderus and Kermi;
• Czech - Korado;
• Finnish - PURMO.

The products of all manufacturers have the same working pressure parameters, which is about 10 atmospheres and is a honeycomb structure.

Cast iron

Cast iron batteries are well-known types of heating radiators. They have good heat storage performance, but less heat transfer due to their powdery structure. Cast iron heats up the slowest and also cools slowly. Today they are still sold in our market and, as a standard, are actively installed in apartment buildings up to 15 floors. Above they are no longer suitable, because the pressure should be higher than this indicator. The range includes a variety of shapes and shapes. Hinged and standing on legs, rounded and rectangular. Whatever cast-iron heating radiators are, which one is better to choose? The question is not relevant, because the performance is the same for all types and does not depend on the form.

For multi-apartment, more than 15 floors, construction, the use of aluminum radiators as well as cast iron is not recommended. Because with water hammers that are created when the system is turned on, they can burst. The best options would be bimetallic famous brands or anodized. The latter have excellent parameters in terms of both thermal conductivity and reliability.