To correctly determine the number of cast iron batteries installed in the house, you will need to familiarize yourself with the technical characteristics of these products. One of the most important indicators of their efficiency is the thermal power in kW in 1 section of a cast-iron radiator. With a known value of this parameter, finding the number of links required to heat a particular room is not particularly difficult.
Advantages of cast iron batteries
The advantages of cast iron batteries include the following properties:
- resistance to corrosion, absolutely not dangerous for cast iron;
- high rate of thermal inertness;
- reasonable price and the possibility of increasing the number of sections;
- durability of products.
When interacting with the coolant, the inner surfaces of the cast iron are covered with a special coating of the "dry rust" type, which prevents corrosion. Features of the material and sufficient wall thickness allow the use of coolants of any quality in cast-iron radiators. Cast iron practically does not wear out over time from the destructive effects of chemical impurities and aggressive environments.
Cast-iron batteries are attractive in that they tend to accumulate heat, and then give it off when the heating is turned off or the temperature of the coolant drops. The advantages of cast iron products also include the ability to build or remove several working sections, ease of maintenance and installation.
Cast iron products, subject to regular maintenance, are able to serve their owners for quite a long time - at least 30-40 years.
The difference between imported batteries from domestic
Cast iron radiators, produced in the days of the USSR, had a wide range of parameters and sizes. Regardless of this, the thermal power was approximately the same, which made it possible to install them in rooms of different sizes. Foreign cast iron batteries have smaller dimensions with the same heat output.
When considering the material of cast iron used in both cases, there is a slight difference in the chemical composition and structure of the working surfaces. In domestic batteries, it is very rough, which creates a significant resistance to the movement of the coolant and reduces heat transfer rates. Foreign counterparts have an absolutely smooth surface of the walls, which guarantees the unhindered movement of the liquid through the internal cavities. Therefore, imported devices pass a larger volume of heated water per unit of time and give off more heat energy. As a result, the power indicator increases, which allows their use in rooms with a large area (up to 30 m2 and more).
Parameters of some battery samples
In the distant Soviet times, MS-140 batteries could be found in almost every apartment, but today they are perceived by many as a relic of the past. However, some users still prefer them to all other known models. Their admirers usually choose the following two modifications:
- in the first model, the power of 1 section of a cast-iron radiator in kW is 0.120 units;
- for the second sample, this figure is 0.190 kilowatts.
The latter are much larger in size and much heavier - the height and width of the sections are 0.588 and 0.121 meters, respectively. The volume of the internal cavities in one such segment is 1.5 liters.
Heat output of modern models
In terms of thermal characteristics, modern samples of cast iron-based products are very diverse. The corresponding models from the Czech Republic have high performance in terms of heating efficiency of living spaces. Samples under the name Viadrus STYL 500 consist of sections, each of which allows developing a thermal power of about 0.14 kW. Moreover, its segments are almost two times lighter and smaller in size than most of the well-known domestic models.
The Viadrus STYL 500 battery section contains 0.8 liters of thermal carrier. Russian counterparts with about the same volume have a slightly lower output, corresponding to an indicator of 0.102 kW. They are slightly inferior to Czech products, but superior to MS-140.
Simple calculation
According to a simple calculation formula, the total of calculations is further divided by the power of one section: 2.562 / 0.14 kW = 18.3. This value is rounded up to 19, the desired number of links in the battery is obtained. You will need to buy two batteries with 10 and 9 segments.
During the calculation, it should be remembered that the correction factor selected in it takes on different values. For buildings rebuilt from bricks, it is equal to 0.034 kW / meter. For modern block buildings, its value is 0.02 kW / meter. Based on the presented methods, it is possible to calculate the number of sections and solid batteries required to heat all rooms in a house or apartment.
The hard way
This method involves the use of two parameters at once: the total heat demand of the heated object and the heat output of one section of the radiator (this value is taken from technical reference books). When calculating the first of these indicators, the following factors are taken into account:
- area of the heated room;
- number of storeys of the building;
- ceiling height in the apartment;
- the presence of an air conditioner and a heating fireplace in the house;
- number and total area of windows.
The presence of insulation on the walls, floor and ceiling is also taken into account.
The demand for the amount of heat for the selected room is in the following sequence:
- Its volume is determined (area is multiplied with height).
- The result is multiplied by 41 watts (according to the SNIP, this amount of heat is needed for comfortable heating of one 1 cubic meter of living space).
- The result obtained is adjusted depending on the exact value of the ceiling height.
Depending on the location of the rooms and the height of the ceilings, the correction factors take the values 0.8, 1.1 and 1.8. Taking them into account, the result obtained is divided by the specific heat transfer of the section and the required number of links is calculated.
Calculation specifics
Today's cast iron piping manufacturers offer their customers batteries with different operating parameters that define a wide range of power densities. There are several methods for carrying out technical calculations related to determining the operational characteristics of radiators. Simple and more complex algorithms allow you to find the required indicators with a given degree of accuracy (error) and, if necessary, correct them.
Many factors are taken into account when introducing correction factors, including the number of doors and windows in the room.When the indicated structural elements are increased by at least one, in the general case, one section is added to the result obtained. The same amendment has to be introduced when taking into account the material from which the window or doorway is made.
