Water Convectors Heating

2023 Author: Douglas Hoggarth | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-05-24 11:23

• Heating convectors - construction
• The principle of operation of the water convector
• Advantages and disadvantages of convectors
• Skirting (floor) convectors in home heating
• Water convectors - how to choose

In any water heating system, water plays only the role of a heat carrier, transporting heat to its radiators, the task of which, as a rule, is performed by radiators. Cast-iron batteries, namely, they are most often understood by the phrase "heating radiator", have an important advantage - they accept and give off heat well, but, at the same time, require a significant volume of coolant, air jams form in them. And yet - cast-iron radiators are very noticeable, and their "visibility" does not decorate the rooms in any way, rather the opposite. Today, water convectors are a serious competitor to radiators, be they cast-iron, steel, aluminum or bimetallic - let's consider their characteristics in more detail.

Heating convectors - construction

The main element of the convector is a heat exchanger formed by a copper tube on which steel, aluminum or copper plates are fixed, increasing the heat exchange area. Of great importance is the absence of gaps between the edge plates and the pipe through which the coolant circulates - if there is even a minimum gap between them, then the heat transfer is significantly reduced. Depending on the size and power of the convectors, they are equipped with one or two heat exchangers.

The rectangular body of the water convector is made of stainless steel, its upper end is closed by a grill, removable or non-removable. Some manufacturers equip their convectors with an air damper to control the intensity of the convection air flow. To connect to the heating pipeline, the convectors have side or end entries with 1/2 internal thread. Modern water convectors are equipped with an air release valve and a manual or automatic valve that regulates the flow of the heat carrier and, accordingly, the intensity of air heating. In addition to the mandatory structural elements described above, these heaters can be equipped with an electronic thermostat.

Convector built into the floor: 1 - grate; 2 - protective cover of the connection chamber; 3 - tangential fans; 4 - electrical connection block; 5 - fasteners; 6 - heat exchanger; 7 - convector body; 8 - connecting pipes; 9 - holes for connection

There are three main types of heating convectors design - wall, floor and floor (skirting). Heating devices of the latter type can be equipped with a 12-volt tangential fan and a drainage system that collects and removes moisture from the convector body. Wall and floor water convectors are made in the form of a monoblock and are similar in external design, differing only in the installation method.

Left - wall-mounted, right - floor convectors

The principle of operation of the water convector

As in any convector, the principle of operation is based on convective draft - denser cold air from the lower level of the room enters the heating convector grill, heats up and, acquiring lower density due to heating, rises up through the end grill. A specially designed fan - with minimal noise during operation - increases the convection air flow, increasing the efficiency of the heater up to 95%.

The small volume of the pipe with the coolant and the high thermal conductivity of the rib plates ensure rapid heating of the heating convectors to the design power - a quarter of an hour is enough for this. Water convectors are indispensable in rooms with stained-glass and "French" windows - the thermal curtain they create when installing devices in the floor directly under the windows effectively prevents fogging and freezing of the latter.

Advantages and disadvantages of convectors

The positive characteristics of heating convectors include:

• faster heating compared to heating radiators. The reason is simple - the internal volume of the convectors, where the coolant enters, is only 20% of the volume of heating radiators. Accordingly, a heating system with convectors as heating devices requires less water;
• high efficiency in creating a thermal curtain when installed under window openings, cutting off cold air flows entering the room from windows;
• heating of premises at low temperatures of the coolant - it is enough if the water in the system warms up to 50–60 ° С. That is, lower energy consumption for heating water in the heating system;
• low weight, even in the presence of a coolant in the convector, allows its installation on light wall partitions formed, for example, by plasterboard;
• in the case of skirting water convectors - invisibility, that is, neither the heating pipes nor the convectors themselves will be visible in the room.

Negative characteristics of convectors:

• promote the circulation of dust transported by convection air currents;
• the formation of drafts is possible due to the uneven distribution of air flows coming from the heater;
• they will not be enough in rooms with high ceilings, since warm air will accumulate near the ceiling;
• are applicable only in rooms with natural ventilation. Forced ventilation with air intake from the premises near the ceiling will draw out all the warm air created by the convector, i.e. there will actually be no heating.

Skirting (floor) convectors in home heating

If wall and floor water convectors are outwardly similar to the usual heating radiators, then skirting convectors are quite unusual at least for their place of installation - a niche below the floor level. Hidden installation of the heating system is possible in two options - duct-air heating and baseboard convectors, and in both, only the grate through which the warm air flow comes out will be visible. By the way, the advantages of skirting convectors, due to their significant size, will be the formation of less intense convection flows and better heating of the air layer at floor level. And their main drawback lies precisely in their great length - not every room will be able to place them.

Not wall or floor, but only floor convectors for hot water heating can have one or two fans in their design for forced air supply to the heat exchanger. The height of the body of convectors built into the floor is from 50 to 130 mm; they are installed either in pre-prepared niches in the floor, or when floor screed is performed. The material for the body, the length of which can reach 3,000 mm, is stainless steel, along its entire length there is a copper tube with aluminum or copper ribs fixed to it. The plinth convector is connected to the heating system of the building with two flexible stainless steel hoses.

Skirting water convectors must be brought out along the upper end below the level of the floor covering, the most convenient floor coverings will be parquet, laminate, floor tiles or parquet boards. From above, the body and the niche of the floor convectors are covered with a ventilation grill, through which the heated air rises. The material of the gratings can be either standard (steel, plastic), or more decorative - cast iron, marble and wood are used, while the colors are kept in the general decorative style of the room.

Most often, floor convectors are used for heating office and commercial premises with panoramic glazing of window openings of a large area. In apartments and cottages, such heating devices are used in rooms with low (from 150 to 300 mm from the floor level) and "French" windows, they can also be installed in a window sill.

In rooms with high humidity, water convectors with a high IP value are used, which allows even complete flooding of the heater. As a rule, such skirting convectors are not equipped with forced ventilation or are equipped with a fan, the case of which is hermetically sealed, and it is powered by direct current with low voltage.

Water convectors - how to choose

The simplest water convector of an uncomplicated design can be made at any more or less equipped enterprise - remember this when listening to the recommendations of the sellers. The absence of non-ferrous metals and alloys in the design of the convector heat exchanger, the valve for regulating the supply of the coolant and clear explanations of the manager about the origin of the heater will indicate its low quality. The presence of non-ferrous metals in the heat exchanger is associated with their high thermal conductivity - "colored" heat exchangers are much more efficient than those made of ferrous metal. Water convectors of any brand and manufacturer must comply with GOST 20849-94.

To calculate the power of a heating convector, you need to find out the heat loss in the room for which it is intended. Choose a place for the convector, measure it. It is best to place the heating device under the window opening. To install the skirting convector, you will need a niche in the floor with a depth of 50 to 300 mm, and for models with a fan - a place for installing a transformer and an electrical outlet for power.

The body must be of sufficient rigidity, made of stainless steel, hoses for connecting to the heating network are made of corrugated stainless steel - we reduce the threat of corrosion to a minimum.

The working pressure for which the convector is designed is sufficient pressure from 12-15 atmospheres, test (pressure) - 20 atmospheres. This is slightly higher than the normal pressure in the heating network, but here it is better to take it with a small margin.

Domestic water convectors are offered on the Russian market: KZTO "Radiator" (brand "Breeze"), MZ "Konrad" (brand "Universal-thermo"), JSC "Isotherm" (brand "Isotherm"), LLC "Warmann" (brand Ntherm) and others. Imported convectors of various brands are presented: Belgian Jaga, German Kampmann, Mohlenhoff, Zehnder and Arbonia, as well as other manufacturers.