Choosing the best heating radiators for a private house

An autonomous heating system is used to heat the premises in individual cottages. At the design stage, they decide which heating radiators are best for a private house. It is important to create a favorable microclimate in living rooms and observe reasonable savings in material resources. When choosing, it is necessary to take into account the performance characteristics of the equipment, its quality and cost.

Types of radiators for a private house

Water heating is most often used in houses. Radiators are installed along the outer walls where heat loss is greatest. This system has a number of advantages over the underfloor heating system: easier installation, the ability to easily repair and replace individual parts.

Home heating batteries are divided into:

• by the material from which they are made: steel, cast iron, aluminum, copper, bimetallic;
• by design - solid or from separate sections;
• according to the principle of heat transfer: convection, radiating, combined.

Aluminum

Aluminum radiators have light weight, beautiful appearance, good heat dissipation, and are easy to install. They are used to heat country houses when it is necessary to quickly heat the room and regulate the temperature of the coolant. This is a budget option. However, there are disadvantages: threaded connections wear out quickly, the coolant should not contain acidic compounds that destroy aluminum.

Steel

Steel radiators are optimal for home heating. They are easy to assemble and install, they are lightweight, heat up quickly, you can adjust the temperature when installing the thermostat, and are reliable in operation. The disadvantages include the formation of corrosion and plaque on the inner rough surface.

Cast iron

Cast iron radiators are a classic option used in building heating systems. Their main advantage is a long service life; in the houses of old buildings, specimens that are more than 100 years old have been preserved. Cast iron is resistant to corrosion, has high heat transfer, retains heat for a long time, heats up slowly.

Disadvantages are heavy weight, which causes the complexity of transportation and installation, the formation of scale inside the chambers, which reduces the passage and decreases the surface heating temperature.

Copper

Copper radiators are the most expensive heating devices. They have a beautiful appearance, good heat dissipation, and a long service life. The high price and strict requirements for installation and component parts make their choice not always justified. It is recommended to install it if aggressive liquids are used as a heat carrier.

Bimetallic

The bimetallic battery consists of an inner layer made of an iron alloy for durability and an outer aluminum casing. Aluminum is characterized by high heat dissipation, which allows you to quickly heat up the room. It also gives the battery a stylish, neat appearance.

Bimetallic radiators are designed for high working pressure, which is necessary for connection to the central heating system of multi-storey buildings.The installation of such batteries with autonomous heating of individual houses is impractical.

Varieties of radiators by design and principle of operation

Tubular batteries are a one-piece structure welded from pipes. The coolant passing through them heats the surface, which radiates heat and heats the room. Comfortable, durable, fit beautifully into the environment.

Sectional radiators consist of several sections, which are connected in one piece. You can change the number of sections in them. It can be added if an insufficient number of them was chosen during the calculation, or removed after the building is insulated. The disadvantage is the number of connections, which increases the risk of leaks.

Panel radiators in addition to thermal heating panels, they have additional fins through which warm air is converted. They create a thermal curtain, which is convenient to use in rooms with large panoramic windows. Panel radiators are stylishly designed for floor or wall mounting.

Convection systems heating systems consist of metal pipes on which a plurality of horizontal fins are installed. They are installed in a casing with no front wall. Heated air flows through the gaps between the plates. The natural movement of warm air allows the room to heat up faster than heat radiation.

Such systems are used in rooms with high ceilings and wide windows. Less heating fluid is required for heating than other radiators. The only drawback of convector radiators is their high cost.

Vacuum radiators have chambers in which there is no air. The inner walls are coated with a mixture of lithium and boron. The boiling point of such a solution is +35 degrees, which reduces the energy consumption for heating the vacuum battery. They do not corrode, are easy to install, and fit into the interior.

Which batteries are better to choose

Heating in private houses is significantly different from heating in multi-storey apartments. In an autonomous heating system, the temperature of the coolant and the pressure in the network are different. When choosing batteries for heating a house, the following factors are taken into account:

• The distance from the heating source to the radiator is small, the heat loss will be small, so the initial temperature is not required too high. According to this parameter, the power of the heating boiler is selected.
• To transfer heat over a short distance, less pressure in the system is required, and water hammer is excluded. This allows thin-walled batteries to be installed.
• A small amount of liquid is required for heating.
• In a private house, heating is additionally protected from negative temperatures. To prevent freezing, antifreeze or ethyl alcohol is added to the liquid. In the case of a long absence of residents, the system is turned off, the liquid is drained from the pipes.

An important factor is the area to be heated. This determines the performance of the heating unit. The rule applies here - high-quality heating at a minimum cost.

Calculating the number of sections

To select the number and type of heating radiators, a heat engineering calculation is performed. Initially, it is assumed that to heat a room with an area of ​​1 m2 and a height of 3 m, 1000 W of thermal energy is required. To determine the amount of heat for specific conditions, correction factors are introduced.

With a room height of more than 3 m, the design power of the radiators is increased by a multiple of the conditional excess. In a corner room with two windows, the average battery power is increased by one and a half times.The change in the temperature of the coolant is important. With a decrease in it by 10 degrees, the power of heating devices is increased by 15-20%.

Their heat transfer depends on the connection diagram of the radiators. Traditionally, the hot coolant is supplied to the upper side inlet, the reverse movement occurs along the lower outlet located diagonally from the upper one. The use of other schemes leads to a heat loss of 5-10%.

Factors taken into account in the thermal calculation of the room:

• • Number of exterior walls. The more of them, the higher the heat loss and the higher the required temperature. In the interior, heat loss will be insignificant.
  • The location of the walls to the cardinal points. Rooms on the north or north-east side will require more heating. The southern and south-western walls additionally receive heat from the sun, the rooms on these sides are well lit and heated.
  • Take into account the location of the wind rose. Walls on the windward side will cool faster.
  • The values ​​of the minimum temperatures in the region. They choose average indicators, which are in the coldest month of the year.
  • The level of thermal conductivity of the outer walls. A wall made of hollow ceramic bricks with a thickness of two bricks is taken as a basis. To obtain a comfortable temperature and reduce the cost of heating the room, the walls are insulated.
  • Heat is lost through floors and ceilings. In a one-story house, additional insulation of the underground is performed, and a warm attic is arranged.
  • The number and size of windows are taken into account.
  • An important parameter of the thermal calculation is the number of entrance doors to the street or to the balcony. When they are opened, cold air enters the room and reduces the temperature.

This complex calculation is easy to do with an online calculator. Such a program can be found on the Internet and, by entering the required parameters, determine the amount of heat required to heat the house.

Next, the number of heating sections of the radiators is determined. The amount of heat for heating is divided by the specific heat output of one section. Non-demountable structures are considered as one section. One radiator cannot have more than 10 sections, otherwise the coolant will not heat them to the required temperature.

Specific power for different types are given in the table.

Most often, owners of individual houses opt for steel and aluminum radiators. The principle of "price and quality" is observed here. Cast iron batteries are a thing of the past, and modern bimetallic structures are quite expensive. Their use in autonomous heating systems is impractical.

What parameters to pay attention to

In autonomous heating, there are no pressure drops and water shocks, therefore, batteries with thinner walls are chosen. You should pay attention to the following points:

• the ability to quickly heat up and give off heat as much as possible;
• compliance with hygienic requirements and safety standards;
• the presence of a thermostat is welcomed, with its help they set a comfortable temperature;
• in terms of overall dimensions, they should be optimally suited to the configuration of the room.

Radiators made of metal (steel or aluminum) are most suitable for individual houses. They heat up faster and give off heat, and have a low price. Please note that metal batteries do not exceed 25 years.

Tips before buying

Before you go to buy heating radiators, you need to perform a heat engineering calculation and determine the number of radiators to heat the house.

One of the cheapest options is aluminum radiators. With this choice, you should monitor the quality of the coolant. Liquids with an acidic and corrosive environment will quickly disable them.

Steel panel systems are also inexpensive with a high degree of heat transfer, they quickly heat up the premises, are organic in the interior of the house, and are resistant to damage.

If you don't have to save money, you can opt for bimetallic radiators. They have good heat dissipation, beautiful appearance, they do not lose their attractiveness and high performance for 50 years.