The heating element for a cast iron or aluminum heating radiator is a heating tungsten coil contained in a ceramic insulator placed in a sealed metal case.
General information
TEN is an abbreviation that stands for tubular electric heater. Electric heating elements for heating radiators have several properties:
- The first common property for all devices of this type is that their heating element is made of stainless steel. This approach provides such advantages as the longest service life of all possible, and also prevents contact of the energized coil with the coolant.
- One small element, which is also common for all heating elements, is a nut, with which the heater is installed in the heater. The material for its manufacture is always brass. The thread for this item is pipe, left hand or right hand, and the size is 1 or 1 1/4 inches.
The heating element in the aluminum heating radiator has a 25 mm thread. For installation in a cast iron section, the thread increases to 32 mm.
How to evaluate the effectiveness of the device?
Naturally, when choosing this device, you need to buy one that can effectively cope with the task of heating the entire apartment. To do this, you can evaluate the effectiveness of its work. This is pretty easy to do.
In fact, it is very simple to do this: 1 kW of electricity for el. The heating element for the heating radiator will be converted into 1 kW of thermal power, which will all be spent on heating the room. In order to fully calculate, you can use this formula. For example, the calculated thermal power of the device will be 100 W/m2. This output power can be provided by heating elements with a thermostat. For cast-iron heating radiators with an indicator of 2500 W, these two devices together are able to heat an area of 25 m2. Let's say the average power that will be consumed by the system is 1.5 kW. And this means that 1.5 kWh x 24 h=36 kWh will be spent per day. If we translate this data into money, then at the average current tariffs in the Russian Federation, it will cost approximately 36 x 3.8=166.8 rubles.
The principle of operation of the heating element
Heating elements for aluminum heating radiators with a thermostat or for cast iron are considered the most efficient devices. This invention will help the owners to control the temperature in the room, and will also protect the heatingelement from its possible overheating.
In systems where this device is installed, water or oil can be used as a heat transfer medium. However, if we take into account that the installation of the heating element will be carried out directly in the heating battery, then water is usually selected. The principle of operation of these devices is relatively simple.
After the spiral is connected to the network and mounted inside the battery, it starts to heat up, giving up its thermal energy to the coolant. If the element has a regulator, then it will be possible to select the set temperature. When the temperature in the system reaches the set level, the electrical circuit will be open, which will turn off the heating element. Naturally, when the water in the system begins to fall below a predetermined level, the device will automatically turn on and heat it up. Such work will lead to significant energy savings and will be able to keep the whole house warm.
Mounting the device
Installing a heating element in a heating radiator is a fairly simple procedure that proceeds according to the following plan.
Any of the plugs at the heating radiator is turned away, and a heating element is screwed instead. It is important to ensure the tightness of the joint so that water does not flow out of the system. To do this, you can use a rubber gasket. Here it is worth adding that it is best to screw the heating devices instead of the bottom plug. There is a logical rationale for this recommendation. The fact is that with this method of installation, the heated water willrise up, but the cold fall down. This scheme ensures maximum efficiency of the device. The installation procedure must be carried out in each room on one of the heating radiators. It is also important to note that the installation must take place before the heating season begins.
Using the device
There are several rules that will increase the life of the heating element for a heating radiator:
- The first rule is about installation. When mounting the structure, do not overtighten the nuts or fasteners of the device itself. The metal is very brittle and quite capable of bursting from excessive force.
- Turn on the device only when there is already water in the battery. Otherwise, when a heated heating element and cold water come into contact, a thermal explosion will occur, which will damage not only the device itself, but also, most likely, the radiator.
- During the operation of this appliance, scale will accumulate on its surface, which must be cleaned periodically. The cleaning schedule is about once every three months. It is very important to monitor the thickness of the scale layer, because if it exceeds 2 mm, heat transfer will decrease and the unit will fail.
Choosing a heating element
If there is a need to purchase a heating element for heating radiators, you must be guided by the diameter of home radiators. Another important selection parameter is power.products. When selecting a product, they are usually guided by the following rules:
- Power of 20 W/m3. This is enough to install a heating element for heating radiators only in new buildings in which the thermal insulation is quite high.
- Power of 30 W/m3. This indicator is enough for installation in those apartments that are equipped with plastic windows, and the floor and walls have additional thermal insulation.
- Power of 40-50 W/m3. Such a power of the heating element allows it to be used in old houses that either do not have or have very poor thermal insulation.
Installation of a heating element for heating radiators is the best option for creating the desired temperature in the room. If we compare such devices with something else, then an oil heater can be cited as an example, but the heating element still has more advantages. This device is able to heat every room in the apartment faster and more evenly than a heater.
Using aggregates
There are several situations in which the installation of a heating element for a heating radiator is considered the most appropriate measure.
- Very often such devices are used in heating systems without connection to the mains. However, for this type of unit to work effectively, it must have the ability to control power.
- Sometimes this device can be part of an electric boiler. It is also worth noting that if buying a factory heating element is tooexpensive, you can make it yourself. In this case, it is best to use a heating element as a heating element, which is mounted in the heating boiler itself. The difference between such devices will be that their power is much higher, and by themselves they are designed to operate under a voltage of 380 V.
Types of heating elements
Currently, two types of these units can be found on the market. They can be single or double. It is important to note here that the choice of the type of heating element depends on the size of the radiator on which it will be mounted. Models of units can be from 0.3 kW to 6 kW. In addition, some manufacturers of these devices add properties such as:
- Antifreeze. The presence of this mode allows you to set the heating element in such an operating mode that will allow you to maintain a certain temperature so that the pipes do not freeze. In this operating mode, electricity consumption is minimal.
- Turbo heating. This property allows you to force an increase in temperature in a certain room. In addition, the thermostat in this type of device is equipped with a function that will allow you to change the intensity of heating of the coolant.
TEN and operating heating
You can also use this device as an additional device for heating water. If the unit is to be used in this way, then it is necessary to take into account such a factor as the hydraulic pressure of the water, which will change when passing through the radiator. Due to the fact that the diameterthere is less water flow in such places, it is recommended to install a pump with a larger capacity.
It is worth noting that if a heating radiator is connected to the system, then the subsequent installation of the heating element will no longer be possible. To install this device, you will have to completely change the connection scheme to the top or install the heating device in the upper part, which is not recommended by specialists.
Most often, installation is carried out in old cast-iron radiators. However, before proceeding to this stage, it is necessary to determine the thread direction of the nozzle, as well as compare the diameter. If all the parameters are suitable, then everything is, in principle, simple:
- the coolant is drained, since the installation of the device in the radiator if there is water in it is prohibited;
- the angle of the battery is checked, since even the slightest deviation is likely to form air pockets;
- mounting the heating element in the pipe;
- installing the thermostatic unit, if available.
Speaking in general about this device, it justifies itself perfectly in systems that have problems with heat supply.
