How to choose bimetallic radiators - selection criteria and calculation of the required quantity

Many of those who live in high-rise buildings look with interest at modern bimetal radiators. It is painfully reluctant to mess with heavy cast-iron batteries, and light and beautiful aluminum ones are not suitable for an apartment - they do not withstand pressure. But strong and stylish bimetal heating radiators are perfect for an apartment - we’ll tell you how to choose them.

Design of bimetal heaters

The body of these radiators is figured-ribbed, made of aluminum alloy, which is distinguished by excellent heat transfer. Under the body is a heating circuit made of pipes (copper or steel).

This "filling" helps the battery to adequately resist the attack of chemical and mechanical impurities present in hot water for heating.

The steel that the core tubes are made of is very durable. Therefore, the radiator can withstand even at high pressure. It can be 20 or even 40 atmospheres (some models up to 100 atmospheres). And the temperature of the coolant can rise to 110 or 130 degrees. If you need more specific numbers, you need to look into the passport of a particular radiator. Aluminum, on the other hand, not only increases heat transfer, but also significantly facilitates the device. In addition, the complex shape of the case has a very nice design, giving the radiators an excellent look.

According to the characteristics, these radiators are quite suitable for apartments in houses of various floors, as well as for individual cottages with autonomous heating systems. But do not rush to the store right away - first we will tell you how to intelligently approach the issue of their choice.

Which is better: a model from several sections or one-piece?

The bulk of bimetallic radiators consists of sections. They are usually an even number. These elements, made in the factory, are combined into one common radiator. The joints between all sections have sealed gaskets secured with nipples.

This option is convenient in that you can always subtract or add the desired number of sections - an experienced master can easily cope with this.

The monolithic design is good in that it can cope with tremendous pressure - up to 100 atmospheres. After all, it has a monolithic core of steel inside, whose strength is higher than that of a sectional one. On top of the steel pipes are coated with an aluminum sheath. Although less common than the previous type, such models are also found in stores.

When choosing here, you need to look in the direction of what working pressure you need, if powerful hydroblows are present in your centralized network, then choose monolithic devices. But they will be more expensive, so in all other cases it is better to focus on sectional.

Which radiators are more reliable and durable

Bimetal batteries may differ slightly in the materials used. So, there are two types of radiators.

• The first ones made entirely on the basis of a steel frame.
• The second ones have only channels reinforced with steel through which hot coolant flows.

Radiators with a steel frame are better and more reliable. After all, their hot water does not come in contact with the aluminum alloy, so there is no strong corrosion. Such a product will not leak for sure. At the same time, choosing a specific model, look at its cost and weight. The heavier the battery, the more expensive it is. Radiators made on a steel frame produce such brands as:

• Italian company Global Style;
• Italian company Royal Thermo BiLiner;
• Russian company Santechprom BM.
• Russian company Rifar - Monolit model

In radiators, where the frame is not completely steel (by the way, they are called semi-metallic), heat transfer is higher. And the cost is about one fifth less than that of radiators with a steel frame. The three popular manufacturers can also be listed:

• Russian company Rifar (except for the Monolit model);
• Italian company Sira;
• Chinese company Gordi.

If you need a radiator for an apartment of a multi-storey building with a centralized heating system and old pipes, then your choice is a truly bimetal radiator made on the basis of a steel frame.

Which manufacturer to choose

If you are thinking about which bimetallic radiator of which company to choose, then we will try to orient you in this variety. To claim that some well-known radiator company drives one marriage is impossible. After all, usually certified goods are sold, and therefore, defective products should not be in principle. However, there are some differences between cheap radiators and more expensive ones. For example:

• For their manufacture, slightly less steel and aluminum are taken.
• They are less complex in design.
• Painting work was carried out according to the budget option.

As you can see, these are not so critical parameters. Therefore, the batteries worth about 400 rubles for each section cannot be called completely bad. They are simply not so beautiful, and in terms of pressure they can not be compared with more expensive models. However, they will carry out their work.

But some of them may be semi-metallic, they will differ sharply in price, this can be immediately understood by looking at price lists and catalogs. We spoke about the companies that produce them above.

We most often find on sale radiators from Rifar, Sira and Global. One section of domestic (Rifarovskiy) radiators costs from 350 to 400 rubles. For Italian batteries, sections will be more expensive - from 420 to 500 rubles apiece. Specifically - you have to go to the store and watch certain models. After all, manufacturers produce sections with different heat output, design and construction. Therefore, you can always choose a radiator, focusing on the amount available in the wallet.

Table: Comparative characteristics of various manufacturers and models of bimetal radiators

Brand, country	Model	Distance between axles, mm	Dimensions H / W / D (sections)	Maksim. working pressure, bar.	Thermal Power, W	The volume of water in the section, l	Weight, kg	Max. tamper. heat carrier
Italy	STYLE 350 STYLE 500 STYLE PLUS 350 STYLE PLUS 500	350 500 350 500	425/80/80 575/80/80 425/80/95 575/80/95	35	125 168 140 185	0,16 0,2 0,17 0,19	1,56 1,97 1,5 1,94	110
Italy	BiLiner Inox 500 BiLiner 500	500	574/80/87	20	171	0,2	2,01	90
Germany	TENRAD 350 TENRAD 500	350 500	400/80/77 550/80/77	24	120 161	0,15 0,22	1,22 1,44	120
Russia	RIFAR Forza 350 RIFAR Forza 500 RIFAR MONOLIT 350 RIFAR MONOLIT 500	350 500 350 500	415/90/80 570/100/80 415/100/80 577/100/80	20 20 100 100	136 202 136 194	0,18 0,20 0,18 0,20	1,36 1,84 1,5 2,0	135
China	Gordi 350 Gordi 500	350 500	412/80/80 572/80/80	30	160 181	0,21 0,3	1,4 1,7	110
Italy	Gladiator 200 Gladiator 350 Gladiator 500	200 350 500	275/80/80 423/80/80	30	90 140 185	0,1 0,13 0,42	0,65 0,85 1,6	110

We select the distance between the axes

The functionality of different models of bimetal radiators is usually equivalent. But according to the distance between the axes of the collectors, they differ.

There are models both with its standard values ​​(50 and 35 centimeters), and with non-standard ones. For example, if radiators of minimum or maximum height are suitable for your purposes, then keep in mind the following points:

• A small distance between the axles (20 centimeters) is only available for models from BiLUX, RIFAR and Sira.
• A large distance between the axles (about 80 centimeters) is only for models made by the Italian company Sira.

It is possible to note some advantages of the products of our manufacturer - RIFAR. He makes a line of RIFAR MONOLIT radiators, in which the core is solid. Another line - RIFAR FLEX - can be rounded in accordance with the wishes of the customer.

It is convenient in an apartment where the corners are not straight, but rounded. Such a radiator will fit into the design most optimally, and is ideal for wiring.

About the appearance of bimetallic radiators

Well, here you can only ask yourself how to choose bimetal radiators. Everyone is free to choose according to taste, as well as the design of their apartment.In terms of colors, you can say this: snow-white batteries can be found at manufacturers such as RIFAR and Sira. If the bright white color seems too hurt your eyes, and a nicer shade of baked milk, then buy a Global radiator.

How much heat does the radiator give

The section of the bimetallic model gives off heat approximately at the level of the cast-iron section. This is somewhere 150-180 watts. More details - in the passport of a specific model. Naturally, it is better to take a device that has this indicator more.

Working pressure is an important characteristic

In central heating, the pressure often “plays pranks”. It happens, and water hammer happen. Here they have to withstand the battery. For bimetal products, the declared pressure is from 20 to 35 atmospheres. This is enough even for apartments, not to mention private houses. But naturally, if you need the radiator to withstand more pressure, then choose monolithic models that withstand pressure up to 100 atmospheres.

How to choose how many radiator sections you need

Power can vary from 160 watts to 2.4 kilowatts. Depending on what is the area of ​​the heated room, a radiator of a certain power is also chosen. Not sure how to choose how many sections a bimetal heating radiator will need? You can go in two ways. The first is to entrust this to competent people. They will calculate everything for you. For any room - even in a high-rise apartment, even in your own cottage with independent heating.

Do not want to trust anyone to calculate - please. You can do it yourself. It will, of course, not be so perfectly accurate, but it is not critical. But the calculation method is quite simple. For him, you need to know some standard values. This is the thermal power (in watts) that is needed to heat one meter of the square room where the radiator will be installed. Let's consider three options.

• The room has one window and one wall facing the street. Ceilings from 250 to 270 centimeters high. Power for heating one square meter requires 100 watts.
• The room has one window and two walls facing the street. The ceilings are the same. The power needed to heat one square meter is 120 watts.
• The room has two windows and two walls facing the street. The ceilings are again standard. The normative power indicator is 130 watts.

Payment:

1. We multiply the power indicator with the area of ​​the room - this will be the thermal power of the entire battery, which is necessary for a particular room. In the case of a house with high ceilings or a large area of ​​the window, we multiply an additional 1.1. This is the correction factor.

2. We take the radiator passport and write out the thermal power of one section from it. If the passport does not have this value, we find it off. manufacturer's website. Dividing the number obtained in the first paragraph by this parameter, we get the number of sections. The problem is solved. Yes, and one more nuance: if the radiator is available only with an even number of sections, and you get an odd number, you will have to round it, increasing it.

But if we are talking about sectional radiators, then some sellers remove or add the necessary number of sections and sell exactly as much as you need.

Calculation example:

We want to put a Sira RS500 bimetal battery in a room with only one window. The wall facing the street is also one. But the ceilings are high, three-meter. The area is 19 square meters. Let's start the calculations.

We consider the total thermal power that we need to heat this room. To do this, we multiply the area (19 square meters) by the standard (100 watts) and by a correction factor of 1.1 (we use it, since the ceiling height is greater than standard values).

100 x 19 x 1.1 = 2090 (watts).

Having looked in the radiator's passport, we find out that one of its sections has a thermal power equal to 199 watts.

2090/199 = 10.5 (pieces).

This is the right number of sections. Naturally, you need to round to an integer. Since the closest to the parameters of the ten sectional model, it makes sense to put it. So, we need 10 sections.As you can see, the calculations are not particularly difficult.

Video: Tips for replacing bimetal radiators