12 best heating radiators
Radiators are the main elements of the heating system, organizing the flow of heat transfer from the coolant to the environment. It is they who are entrusted with the task of heating the premises by releasing up to 90% of the total volume of heat released during the operation of electrical elements (electric furnace) or combustion of fuel (boiler room, stove heating of private houses). Initially, the bulk of sectional heaters were cast from cast iron, which has good strength characteristics and resistance to temperature changes. However, such systems had a lot of flaws, since thick walls and discontinuities (in the form of pores, cavities, and other casting defects) led to low efficiency or rapid destruction of such structures.
Today, in addition to improving the process of obtaining cast iron batteries, radiators from the following groups of metals are widely used:
- aluminum - the most energy efficient type, having an extremely low susceptibility to a coolant, the appearance of corrosion and light weight.
- bimetallic - like aluminum models, have high heat transfer, increased strength and light weight, as well as neutral to the chemical composition of the coolant.
- steel - they are made mainly in the form of panels, have an average energy efficiency, but they corrode due to constant interaction with water.
People familiar with the properties of this or that material, as well as following the assortment of manufacturing companies, usually do not have problems with the choice of radiators for houses and apartments. However, the bulk of consumers are "pioneers" of this segment, and they know about the principles of choice only by hearsay. Moreover, over the past 5 years, this category of the market has grown almost twofold, having got hold of hundreds of fresh models of type-setting batteries, as well as the opening of a number of new firms. Therefore, having carefully researched the current range, we have compiled for you a rating of the best heating radiators, the purchase of which will not only add to the efficiency of the heating system, but also a profitable investment of your own funds.
The best bimetallic heating radiators
Bimetallic radiators have good heat dissipation and withstand high pressure. The combination of two metals makes this heater resistant to water hammer with a pressure of about 150 atm. The main disadvantage is that the system must be constantly filled with coolant. In addition, these heaters are somewhat more expensive than others.
The most popular and best manufacturers of bimetallic heating radiators are Global (Italy), Rifar (Russia), Sira (Italy) and Royal (Italy).
3 Sira RS Bimetal 500
SIRA RS BIMETAL 500 is a high-quality bimetallic sectional heater with a heat output of 201 W. Such a good indicator is mainly due to the successful design of the product, and therefore, in a large assembly, it is capable of heating up to 40 square meters of a room.
The advantages of SIRA RS BIMETAL in the reviews include a pleasant design, high-quality powder coating and reliability in all aspects of operation. True, the operating pressure does not really shine in magnitude - the battery can withstand up to 40 bar, but this is enough for installation in apartments for centralized heat supply, and in private houses with an independent heating source. Of the small shortcomings, only the sensitivity of the bimetal to the composition of the coolant can be distinguished, although, let's be honest, the consequences of such influences are negligible. Otherwise, this heater seems to be a very good purchase option, combining many positive aspects.
2 Global STYLE PLUS 500
One of the brightest representatives of the Global company, who got into the rating due to the balanced performance parameters and their good combination with the asking price. The first thing that catches your eye when studying the documentation for STYLE PLUS is a solid warranty period of 25 years. All this clearly indicates the high reliability of the radiator and the manufacturer's confidence in their product.
In a standard assembly (consisting of 10-12 sections), this heater is capable of delivering up to 2280 W of heat into the environment, which, according to the company's experimental calculations, is suitable for fairly spacious rooms with an area of 30 to 37 square meters. The maximum permissible operating temperature of the coolant in the system can reach 110 degrees Celsius, and the pressure - no more than 35 bar, and therefore prefabricated radiators are recommended to be used only in central heating systems.
1 Rifar Monolit 500
The main advantage of the Rifar Monolit 500 bimetallic heating radiator is its low cost on the market with characteristics identical to the main competitors in terms of rating. The maximum heat transfer can reach 2744 W, which is enough to heat rooms up to 27-29 square meters. An important feature of the heater is the ability to operate at a pressure of 100 bar, which allows the sections to survive water shocks and maintains operating conditions for a long time.
Reviews of the Rifar Monolit 500 often feature statements of a 25-year factory warranty. It is worth saying that this information is true, and Rifar is very scrupulous about the quality of its entire range of products. Other advantages of the model include 135 degrees of permissible operating temperature, pleasant design, as well as at least 210 milliliters of water per section for normal operation.
The best aluminum heating radiators
Aluminum radiators are the most popular type of heaters today. The service life of such heaters can be up to 15 years due to their corrosion resistance. They are lightweight, easy to install and have an attractive appearance, however, they can withstand less pressure and are sensitive to the composition of the coolant.
3 Thermal RAP-500
The domestically produced radiator from the "Thermal" company differs in the lowest price in the segment, however, in terms of operating parameters, it is practically not inferior to the recognized leaders of the category. The most important plus of the RAP-500 is the high specific heat transfer of the section, equal to 252 W. This is the largest indicator in the rating, indirectly indicating the high efficiency of the entire installation. Coupled with a decent thermal endurance (the temperature of the coolant in this case can be up to 130 degrees Celsius) for the assembled radiator, it will not be difficult to heat rooms with a total area of up to 50 square meters.
Despite such excellent performance, users note the ill-conceived design of the "Thermal RAP-500", although such sharp attacks (from a purely operational point of view) have no good reason. Of the other parameters of the radiator, it is worth highlighting the ability to work at an increased pressure in the system (about 60 bar), which makes it possible to install it not only in apartments, but also in private houses with individual heating.
2 Rifar Alum 500
Another representative of the Rifar company got into the rating due to a set of good performance characteristics, albeit with a slight overestimation of the purchase price. This heater is designed to work with heat carriers with temperatures up to 135 degrees Celsius and pressures up to 20 bar - an ideal set of parameters for installation in apartments with centralized heating.
In terms of heat transfer, the Rifar Alum 500 is slightly inferior to its competitors: one section is capable of generating up to 183 watts of heat. In aggregate (in the presence of 14-16 elements in the assembly), such a battery will be effective on living space up to 26 square meters.It is noteworthy that for the section to work properly, the required amount of water is 270 milliliters, which suggests that the efficiency of the radiator is not the greatest. However, with the exception of this nuance, there is nothing more to complain about: consumer reviews speak of the excellent reliability of the model, compactness and a convenient method of wall mounting.
1 Global Vox 500
Despite its southern origin (Global production is located in Italy), Vox series radiators are perfect for heating systems in the harsh climatic conditions of Russia. They have one of the highest heat transfer rates (up to 195 W), which in practice translates into significant savings in the number of sections during assembly. In addition, the aluminum products "Global" are famous for their low inertia, which allows you to quickly heat a room or optimize temperature parameters.
The Italian manufacturer is aware of the peculiarities of Russian heating systems and took care of the reliability of its radiators. They are made by injection molding from high-quality aluminum alloys EN AB 46100. The structure is reinforced with solid ribs on the sides, a 2-stage painting technology is applied. The devices are so solid that their installation can be carried out in heating systems with a working pressure within 16 atmospheres (the norm for SNIPs is no more than 12 atmospheres at the level of the 10th floor and above) with a permissible short-term jump twice as much. Destruction occurs only at 48 atm., So that residents of a house with such radiators are protected from breakouts for at least 10 years - this is the official guarantee of the company. There are no complaints about the appearance of the equipment - thanks to a good choice of colors, it fits perfectly into the interior and even serves as its decoration.
Best steel heating radiators
Steel radiators are more often used in apartment buildings and small cottages. The main advantage of this type of heater is its low cost due to the cheap manufacturing material and well-established production. In addition, such heaters require less coolant and practically do not take up space, but their heat transfer is slightly lower than that of other types.
3 Purmo Compact 22 500
In the segment of steel radiators, there is a surprisingly even selection of options in terms of characteristics. Often, as in this case, the only difference between them lies only in the price parameters. Purmo Compact 22 500, in a sense, became a “victim” and “hostage” of the company's pricing policy, which did not promptly respond to price cuts by competitors.
The configuration of the dimensions of this panel is almost identical to the opponents (500x102 millimeters), and in terms of the nominal parameters of the pressure in the system (10 bar + 13 bar of pressure pressure) and the temperature of the coolant (110 degrees Celsius), it does not differ much from the nominal value. True, the heat transfer efficiency is quite high here: 5572 W, which allows heating up to 50 square meters of area. A small nuance that strongly influenced the ranking in the ranking was the question of the quality of the Purmo Compact exterior finish. User reviews contain information about the gradual yellowing of the coating, as well as not always clear fit of the elements to each other, which is why significant gaps are formed in the panel.
2 Buderus Logatrend K-Profil 22 500
The Buderus Logatrend K-Profil 22 500 panel kit loses out to the segment leader solely on the cost component, comparing on the performance cutoff. With the same length-to-thickness ratios and maximum system pressure (10 bar), this sectional heater allows the circulation of a heating medium with a temperature of up to 120 degrees Celsius, thereby compensating for some deviations in the heating system.
As for the opinions of users, they often notice the equally good appearance of the panel, ease of installation and further operation.A small nuance is that the metal of the radiator is sensitive to the composition of the coolant, which can lead to forced wear of the battery long before the expiration of the warranty period. The opposite cases also take place (an increase in the working resource), but this is either the merit of the consumers themselves, or single features of the water in the system.
1 Kermi FKO 11 500
The panel heater Kermi FKO 11 500 is the cheapest solution to purchasing a metal heater. And it is worth noting, not the most vain. Despite the low cost, this model has very solid energy efficiency indicators. With a length of 400 to 3000 millimeters, its heat transfer can range from 459 to 3441 W, respectively. And, as a result - the ability to heat premises up to 34.9 square meters.
With a maximum panel length, Kermi FKO 11 500 requires 8.1 liters of coolant in order to reach its nominal parameters. The working pressure at the peak can reach only 10 bar, however, this quantitative indicator is enough to withstand rare water hammer in the system. Kermi FKO is distinguished by its good design - consumers like to notice this positive property in their reviews.
The best cast iron heating radiators
3 Viadrus Styl 500/130
The Viadrus Styl 500/130 heating radiator is the most expensive model in the rating, but at the same time it is very popular with consumers due to its excellent external design and high standards of operational quality. The peak temperature of the coolant here can reach 115 degrees Celsius, leaving a small reserve in case of changes in the pressure parameters in the circuit, which is not uncommon for central heating. In general, the pressure can reach up to 12 bar, and the pressure test - up to 18, which is a completely normal result for cast-iron batteries.
Judging by consumer reviews, the only truly serious nuance of Viadrus Styl is the flow rate of the coolant. Due to the thin-walled design (designed to increase heat transfer), one section requires up to 800 milliliters of water to work effectively. This is not critical for residents of apartments with central heating, but for "private traders" it translates into the need for periodic maintenance of the system (for example, adding water to the expansion tank).
2 Konner Modern 500
The Konner Modern 500 sectional cast-iron radiator is an even bigger "waste" of the coolant than the previous representative of the rating, but it has much better energy efficiency parameters. For the normal operation of one section, 900 milliliters of water are needed here, however, such indicators are explained by the increased dimensions of the installation and the notorious thin-walled structure. Due to this, for example, a 12-section radiator is capable of heating up to 27-30 square meters of a room, which is the most optimal result in the selection.
In terms of operating pressure, the Konner Modern 500 system has a standard value of 12 bar, mainly used for installation in apartments with central heating. In this case, the main prerequisites for popularity among users were not only operating parameters, but also the price averaged against the background of the total number of representatives of this segment.
1 STI Nova 500
Undoubtedly, one of the best cast-iron radiators for installation in an apartment (and one of the most inexpensive) is the model of domestic production STI Nova 500. With its small overall dimensions, this heater provides heat output at the level of 1200 W, which is enough for high-quality heating of 20 square meters of a room ... The radiator also performs very well when applying pressure, which (in some cases) can be brought to 18 bar without any damage to the integrity of the structure. The temperature of the coolant in the pipes can go up to 150 degrees Celsius, leveling all kinds of jumps in the main parameters, especially when working in an individual heating system.
According to consumers, another important advantage of STI Nova is the appearance parameter. The manufacturers managed to create a pretty nice design that can fit into any interior. In addition, these radiators are very unpretentious in maintenance and easy to install, even in spite of their rather large weight.
