Changing the radiators: costs and characteristics

The history of the radiator is quite recent: its invention dates back to 1839 when Pietro de Zanna created the first radiator which then worked with compressed air.

The first water heater, on the other hand, was patented in 1855 by Franz Karlovich San Galli who with this invention completely changed the way of understanding the heating systems of homes.

Operation and installation of radiators

Usually in a residential system, compatibly with the size, only one radiator per room is installed; the radiator through the pipes of the system is connected to the boiler (or other heat generator) which introduces hot water into the radiator.

The heat generator is usually connected to a thermostat or a control unit that regulates the switching on and off of the system according to the desired temperature.

If you want to have a timely programming of each radiator, you can use a regulation system with digital heads, such as the Honeywell Resideo Evo Home system which allows you to adjust the temperature and ignition of each individual radiator through a control unit. with daily and weekly programming.

The most classic installation of radiators is on the wall and for this type of installation you need brackets in a variable number depending on the width of the radiator or fixings and spacers for radiators or towel warmers that do not have visible supports.

In the case of plasterboard walls, it is necessary to use suitable expansion anchors.

The radiators can also be installed on the floor and in this case it is necessary to use special feet

Installation of the floor heater

Unlike the previous installation method, this involves the use of feet to lift the radiator from the ground or you can use fixings that are immersed directly into the flooring inside the screed.

For fixing to the wall it is of fundamental importance to use the supports provided directly by radiator manufacturers or companies specialized in radiator components because it is necessary to respect certain distances from the rear wall to allow the correct circulation of hot air.

For example, Irsap, for fixing its Tesi radiators, the best sellers of the range, uses a simple shelf that can be fixed with plugs or embedded directly in the wall.

Materials of the radiators

Radiators are normally made of aluminum, steel or cast iron but, in recent years, most of the production of designer radiators has shifted to the use of steel as a building material.

The classic radiators are composed of various elements placed side by side, which can be tubular with circular or square section or they can be with flat elements and, depending on the number of elements of which the radiator battery is composed, allows to reach the radiant surface necessary for heat the environment.

One of the best-selling element heaters is the Irsap Tesi radiator, made of steel and available in various heights and with a number of columns (in depth) varying from 2 to 6.

The classic cast iron radiators that typically characterize the oldest houses, are much less used today: these radiators have the advantage of being able to retain heat for a long time even when they are turned off, even if the heating time at the time of ignition is quite long.

In case you want to replace old cast iron radiators with more performing steel radiators, the Tesi radiators by Irsap are also available in the version with center distances for replacing cast iron radiators that allow you to replace the old models without going to any modification on the system.

Aluminum radiators, on the other hand, have the great advantage of heating up in a very short time (even if in the long term they heat less because they retain less heat) as well as being cheaper and less bulky. Compared to cast iron or steel radiators, however, they can be subject to corrosion if the pH of the water is higher than 7 (alkaline) and transmit more circulating water noises into the environment.

Steel radiators have intermediate performances between those in cast iron and those in aluminum and are definitely a good compromise to have excellent performance at the right price and allow you to save up to 10% compared to cast iron radiators.

On Acquaclick there is the range of Irsap radiators in steel available in different finishes and for all types of furnishings, from the simplest to the most sophisticated design models.

For your bathroom, on the other hand, choose an Irsap towel warmer, available in water or electric version.