It is not necessary to use radiators as water heating appliances. In addition to traditional batteries, wall and floor convectors can be installed in a private house or apartment. Many homeowners simply do not know about the existence of such heaters, although in some situations they are indispensable. Let's get acquainted with the principle of the convector, the scope and method of selection for heating power.
What is the difference between a convector and a radiator
To answer this question, we explain the principle of operation of a convection heating device, consisting of such elements:
- a copper tube curved in the form of a coil, with a connecting thread at the ends;
- heat transfer plates made of aluminum are rigidly attached to the tube;
- the resulting copper-aluminum heat exchanger is closed externally with a decorative metal casing with a grill on the top panel;
- water heating pipes are connected to the threads.
Note. The connection diagrams for convectors and traditional batteries are identical. The simplest option is cut-off valves on eyeliners. With automatic temperature control, a valve with a thermal head at the inlet, a balancing valve at the outlet are placed.
The principle of operation of any convector is as follows:
- The coolant circulates through the coil from the heating system with an initial temperature of 40 ... 80 ° C. Aluminum plates heat up.
- The heater cover is open from below. From there, cold air enters the heat exchanger, spreading over the floor of the room.
- Passing between the hot plates, the air heats up, becomes lighter and goes back into the room through the upper grill. The convection movement of air masses begins in the room - the heated ones rise to the ceiling, cool, fall to the floor and again pass through the heater.
The structural difference between the convector and the radiator is clear: the first is a copper-aluminum (or steel) heat exchanger, the second consists of sections or heating panels. The principle of operation also varies - the battery gives off about 50% of the heat by infrared radiation, the remaining 50% goes to direct heating of the air. In convectors of any type, this ratio is 10% and 90%, respectively.
How to distinguish a convection heater externally:
- on the casing with the upper grille for the passage of air;
- from above you can see the fins of the heat exchanger, from below it is fully open;
- the surface of the body never heats up to high temperature, a maximum of 40 ... 45 degrees.
A convection heater and a battery are different heaters. Users sometimes confuse these terms because convectors look like low floor radiators.
Types of convector heaters
Above, we talked about water heating appliances. But there is another type of convector - electric. The design and operation algorithm are identical, only the plate heater is not a pipe with water, but a spiral made of a nickel-chromium alloy. The thermal power of the heater depends on the resistance of this coil.
According to the installation method, heaters are divided into 3 types:
- floor;
- built into the floor (otherwise - floor);
- wall mounted.
An important point. Please note: all varieties of convective heaters are located in the lower zone of the room to capture and warm cold air above the floor.
The floor convector is made in the form of a low long radiator with 2 legs. You cannot confuse such a device with a conventional battery - the case has a rectangular cross-section, the grid is clearly visible from above.The manufacturer of heating equipment Verano produces an interesting modification of the floor water convector of the Comodo series, made in the form of a bench (shown above in the photo).
We briefly list the dimensions and technical characteristics of floor convectors, based on Verano brand data. The parameters of heaters of other manufacturers differ little from this list:
- height - from 100 to 300 mm;
- width (depth) - 150 ... 290 mm;
- length of heaters - 0.8 ... 2.6 m;
- height of hidden mounting consoles (legs) - 10 cm;
- working pressure - 10 Bar; test pressure - 17 Bar;
- connection method - bottom, side.
The power of a floor-mounted convector depends on the size of the heat exchanger, and usually increases due to the length. The dimensions of wall-mounted devices vary greatly depending on the manufacturer. Models built into the floor deserve a separate description, in the framework of this article we consider surface versions of heaters.
Comment. Installation of floor convectors is quite complicated and not always justified. Devices with fans are noisy, without fans, they lose in efficiency.
Benefits and scope
Before praising floor heating convectors - water and electric, we highlight the main drawback of these devices - the lack of infrared heating. What happens: the air of the room warms up quickly, and the objects remain cold. Only a few hours later, the surface will acquire air temperature and the room will be comfortable for people.
The remaining disadvantages of convectors are insignificant or far-fetched. For example, stories about the drafts created (so intense convection 😊) or increased dustiness. Our opinion about the shortcomings: not all users will like the appearance of convection floor heaters. But this is a matter of taste.
Now about the real advantages of convectors:
- convection - slow air circulation - contributes to uniform heating of the room;
- the appliance quickly enters the heating mode; at a flow temperature of 45… 50 ° C, a warm air stream is felt above the grate;
- convection radiator casing does not heat up, does not threaten burns to children;
- the heater is easily amenable to manual or automatic adjustment using the valve + thermal head assembly (in the electric versions - thermostat);
- relatively small size and weight;
- the homeowner can order the desired housing color from the standard RAL line (applies to water heaters).
Addition. If you do not like the design of the wall convector, but are satisfied with the price, you can hide the device behind the plasterboard casing or the screen. Heat transfer will decrease by 10% - the very amount of infrared radiation that will block drywall. But it is necessary to install a convection grill for the passage of air, as is done in the photo.
Where can convectors be used:
- for general heating of country houses and apartments;
- on closed terraces of cottages, in office premises with stained-glass windows instead of the outer wall;
- in kindergartens and other preschool institutions;
- in production rooms with ceilings up to 3 m.
Maintenance of the convection device is reduced to cleaning the heat transfer plates, between which dust accumulates. The operation is performed as the heater becomes dirty.
How to choose a heater by power
Step one - determining the need for thermal energy for each room. It is calculated according to SNiP or a simplified method - 0.1 kW per 1 m² of area. With the choice of electric convectors, everything is simple, the thermal power of each modification is indicated in the passport.
Choosing and buying a water floor heater is more difficult. The technical characteristics of the device indicate heat transfer under certain conditions, for example:
- t (temperature) of water in the supply pipe is 75 degrees;
- t return - 65 ° C;
- t of air in the room - 20 ° C.
If you send a coolant with a temperature of 60 ° C to the convector, then its power will decrease, you need to take the device with a certain margin. To accurately determine the heat transfer value of a particular model, you should use the manufacturer's data, there are no other options.
Reference. Verano publishes in the data sheets of the equipment a table of the power of each heater in various operating conditions. We give an example of such a table for a convector 300 mm high and 284 mm wide.
Since the range of convection type heaters is quite wide, it is unrealistic to lay out the technical parameters of all devices here. Therefore, to select the size of the convector, it is better to contact the consultant of the online store or visit the official website of the manufacturer.
Instead of a conclusion - installation tips
Installation of water heaters is carried out in the usual manner - first we fix the floor heating convector, then we bring the pipes. When installing electrical appliances, the sequence does not matter.
A few recommendations for installing convectors:
- Place heaters according to the classical scheme - under the windows, near blind corner walls or in the corridor.
- Before installing, the casing of the heating device must be removed. The device is screwed to the wall or floor with standard mounts (included).
- When connected to a water system, the thermal head is screwed into a special side socket at the end or mounted on a supply pipe, depending on the design of the convector.
- To bleed air from the coil while filling the system, use the Majewski air cock.
Note. Not always the floor convector is equipped with a manual Maevsky air vent. Find out this nuance when buying a heater.
Otherwise, the installation of convector radiators is no different from the installation of traditional batteries. Interestingly, wall and floor convectors are not very popular compared to aluminum or steel heating radiators. There are two reasons: the lack of awareness of homeowners and the not-so-attractive appearance of these heaters.