Aluminum radiators: characteristics and features

Aluminum radiators are manufactured by casting and appropriate alloys. Thanks to this production process it is possible to provide them with such necessary properties as high heat transfer and ease. At the moment, aluminum radiators are the most acceptable and warmest of all that are on sale. They consist of sections that are vertical elements that can be collected in an arbitrary quantity, depending on the needs.

The front of the sections is ideally flat due to the use of a special multilayer coating. Aluminum radiators are painted quite qualitatively, so they look much better than steel and cast iron. However, everything depends on the taste of the consumer. The lateral and back surfaces are usually painted with a slightly thinner layer, and the molding in these places is not as neat as the front. This is due to the desire of the manufacturer to reduce the cost of production.

Aluminum radiators : characteristics

One section in the structure has two collectors of horizontal direction, which are connected by means of vertical tubes. The front panel radiates heat, and here to increase heat dissipation section is equipped with vertical plates, which form channels that heat the air. At the bottom of the section there is a depression, it is intended for settling dirt. On the back side, recently, it has become possible to make cutouts that simplify the installation process, and also allow you to save a lot of metal.

Distinctive characteristics of this type of radiators is high heat transfer and low weight, as already mentioned. This type of equipment is convenient enough to use for heating private houses.

But aluminum radiators have negative properties, which you should also know about before using them. The reason is the material from which they are made. In the heating system, water reacts with aluminum, resulting in an increase in pressure due to significant gas production. Such a radiator can not be cut off from the system if it is filled with water, since there is nowhere to go out to the gases, which can lead to rather terrible consequences. If the radiator is not cut off from the system, excess gases pass to the boiler equipment, where they are neutralized. Some experts recommend the installation of aluminum radiators using special air vent valves on each of them, working in automatic mode.

Another very important point related to the use of this type of equipment is its combination with copper pipes. It is commonly believed that this causes accelerated corrosion. However, in practice this does not happen. This restriction is not indicated either in the instructions to the boilers, or in the instructions to the radiators. It turns out that their use in any system is entirely acceptable.