Homemade radiator: features of registers, convectors, oil coolers, heaters from car radiators. Pipe heating radiators: types and characteristics, calculation of home-made appliances

From the author: hello dear readers! Heating radiators are an integral part of almost any heating system. Of course when we are talking about residential premises, owners usually purchase equipment in stores, since factory models have a high level of aesthetics.

But in the case when you need to make heating in any utility or industrial premises, everything can be much simpler and less expensive. Homemade devices- these are far from always flimsy short-lived structures. If you know how to make a heating radiator with your own hands, you can get very high-quality and efficient equipment, while practically not investing money in it.

Advantages and disadvantages of homemade devices

very high efficiency. You can build a radiator from pipes of any size. But, as a rule, elements with a rather large diameter are taken for this purpose. Thanks to this, the area of \u200b\u200bthe device turns out to be very decent, and heat transfer, respectively, too. The length can also be varied, because nothing limits you. You can build a battery along the entire room, thereby obtaining a very uniform heating of the area;
absolutely simple design. If you are able to hold a pipe in your hands, then you will definitely cope with other manipulations necessary for the production of a heating radiator. Of course, it would be nice to have experience with a welding machine - but even if you don’t have it, then here’s a reason for you to practice;
low cost. Materials for manufacturing have a fairly low price. In addition, you can purchase pipes that have already been in use. For our case, the novelty is not fundamental, and the savings can be very significant;
the ability to connect to different types of systems. As is known, the coolant current along the circuit can be carried out both naturally and by forced means. In the second case, a circulation pump is used, which sets the fluid to the required speed. Naturally, the level of pressure also increases. So, a homemade radiator will do just fine with this. If, of course, all the work is done with high quality;
the ability to do without a separate heating boiler. A heating element with a thermostat can be built into a homemade radiator. Thus, your heating system will turn out to be completely autonomous, and at the same time it will help to avoid significant costs for the purchase of a heating boiler.

Understood the benefits. As you can see, there are quite a few of them. But for the sake of objectivity, let's mention the disadvantages:

the need for high quality work. To do everything tyap-blunder in this case will not work. One poor-quality seam - and you will be guaranteed a leak. Therefore, if you, as mentioned above, do not have the skills to work with a welding machine, first study the materiel, then practice on some metal scraps, and only then take on the main work;
the inability to use the radiator in the apartment. Firstly, homemade products will not meet safety requirements, so the placement of such devices in residential premises is prohibited. Secondly, the size of the device is such that it will take up quite a lot of space. And then, it was already said above that such radiators are intended for garages, workshops and similar premises. Believe me, they look accordingly, there is no question of a noble and sophisticated appearance. Therefore, you yourself are unlikely to want to place your creation in an apartment. Unless you decide to bring a very powerful zest to interior design.

In addition, when compared with factory devices, the effectiveness of home-made ones will still be lower. But not critical.

In general, the advantages definitely outweigh in their favor. Therefore, let's figure out what we will make a radiator from and, in fact, how all work is carried out. It should be said right away that this business will be most profitable if you are lucky to find very cheap pipes: used, discarded, etc. Then you will get a high-quality radiator almost for free, which will further increase the level of satisfaction with your own craftsmanship.

Design features

Let's start with what the radiator is made of. Steel pipes are great for this. But it is important to pay attention to their quality. Black steel is the cheapest, which in our case is only good. But it is absolutely unstable to corrosive processes. And this means that its inner walls at constant contact with coolant will quickly begin to rust.

This can lead to two consequences. First, rust particles will stick to the pipe walls. Gradually, this layer will become thicker and thicker, and this will lead to a deterioration in the coolant current and, as a result, to a significant decrease in the performance of the entire radiator. Secondly, rust will gradually simply “eat” the pipe. As a result, a hole is formed, and the battery will become completely unusable.

Of course, if you are ready to make a radiator every year, then this is not a problem. The cost of equipment is really very low. But if you do not want to regularly spend time on this, then it is better to take better material.

Ideal in terms of resisting rust is, of course, stainless steel. Also copper and bronze. But it is clear that these materials cannot be attributed to the budget, no matter how tempting they may be. Therefore, we immediately dismiss these options in the name of saving the family budget and look at galvanized steel.

In fact, this is the most common steel, but coated with a layer of zinc. It prevents the development of corrosive processes. Not that you can call his system eternal, but for several years you will be spared the need to change the radiator to a new one. At the same time, the base material retains all the characteristics inherent in steel: strength, durability, high level heat transfer, etc. In general, the galvanized version in this case is perhaps the best.

Finally, let's move on to the design itself. Most often, it is made of several tubes - sections - which are interconnected by segments of tubes of a smaller diameter. Such a radiator is called sectional. Sometimes it is required to give it additional rigidity, this is done by welding several pieces of reinforcement.

There are no restrictions on the number of connected sections. It all depends on the size of the room and the amount of heat energy it needs. If the space is too large, then it makes sense not to increase in height, but simply to stretch a pair of long pipes connected to each other along the wall.

And vice versa - in a small room it is more reasonable to make a high “ladder” radiator than to occupy the lion's share of the space with long pipes. In the manufacture of such a design, it is important to ensure a good coolant current. This is achieved due to the fact that the jumpers are welded close to the side edges of the radiator.

In principle, the sectional radiator is quite good, but it has a significant drawback. Since the main pipes and jumpers have different diameters, this leads to an unnecessarily high hydraulic resistance during battery operation. Because of this, problems with the circulation of the coolant can be observed.

For this reason, snake-shaped batteries are much more popular. That is what they are called - coils. You have probably seen such a design more than once - these are the same cast-iron batteries that were previously installed in every bathroom and served as a heated towel rail.

The main advantage of the coil is the absence of diameter differences, as a result of which the hydraulic resistance is low. The assembly of such a design is much easier than in the case of a sectional one. The most difficult task is to find curved elements from suitable material. The rest is a matter of technique.

Moreover, finished construction differs in high durability and reliability. Therefore, its durability is at its best. There are much fewer welding seams here than in sectional batteries, and each of them, in fact, is a risk zone. It is the joints that are most often the source of the resulting leakage.

Since a homemade coil can be quite large, it needs to be given additional strength. This can be done using the same armature.

Manufacturing process

It's time to go directly to how a homemade radiator is made. Consider, for example, the creation of sectional equipment, since this procedure is more complicated. As the main material, you need a twelve-meter pipe, the diameter of which is from 100 to 120 millimeters. The choice of this element has already been discussed above. In addition, you will need:

a metal sheet. From it we will make plugs that cover additional holes on the radiator;
water pipe. Also metal, standard diameter. From it we will make jumpers connecting the main pipes;
several pieces of reinforcement. Necessary to give increased strength to the structure;
fitting. In this case, it is necessary to purchase threaded ones. With their help, the radiator will be connected to the cold water supply system;
Bulgarian saw;
welding machine, electrodes to it;
protective clothing and goggles.

We will make a design of quite impressive size. The work is carried out in the following order.

We divide the large pipe into four equal segments. Each should be 3 meters long.
Using a Bulgarian saw, we process the edges of the segments so that the cut points are smooth.
Eight plugs need to be cut out of a metal sheet. Six of them will be used for installation in the radiator, two are for inserting fittings.
Now we make jumpers. For this you need to cut water pipe so that there are several cuts. The length of each of them should exceed the diameter of the main pipe by about 5-10 millimeters.
It's time to work with the welding machine. Remember to protect your eyes and hands first with appropriate products. All four sections of the pipe must be connected to each other. To do this, closer to the ends, one jumper is welded on each side of the pipe. In the middle part of the radiator, we also weld jumpers, but not hollow, but made of reinforcement. Thus, the structure receives the necessary rigidity. In the process of work, pay close attention to the quality of the welds. It is better to immediately redo the area in which there are doubts than to get an absolutely inoperable design later.
We close the end holes on each segment of the main pipe with the help of plugs. This is also done by using welding machine. Those parts of the plugs that will protrude beyond the edges of the holes can be cut off with a grinder or with the same welding.
The radiator itself is ready. The next step is to insert fittings to connect the structure to the cold water supply system. First you need to decide how the supply and outflow of the coolant will be carried out. Depending on this, the connection scheme can be bottom, side or diagonal. In the first case, the pipes are connected to the bottom of the radiator on both sides. In the second - to the side. With a diagonal connection, one pipe is connected to the lower corner, and the second to the opposite upper one. In accordance with the selected scheme, cut the fittings into specific places.
The final stage is the design. It is necessary to give our building a cultural look. To do this, first we clean all the joints so that they become even and smooth. This is done with the help of a grinder. After that, degrease the surface of the entire structure and prime it. This will further protect the device from corrosion. Then the radiator can be painted. If you decide to do this, then choose White color, since in this case it will be maximum.
Before connecting the radiator to the system, it is necessary to check its integrity. This is done quite simply: pour water into the structure and carefully inspect each joint for leaks. Of course, it is desirable to do all this under pressure, if possible. If your creation has successfully passed the test, then you can proceed to the installation.
When installing, you should take into account the fact that the structure we created has a considerable weight. And modern heating pipes made of plastic do not really like it when something like that suddenly falls on them. Simply put, if the radiator falls, then the pipeline will come to an end. Therefore, special attention must be paid to the quality of fixing the battery on the wall. To do this, you can use pins or hooks made of durable metal. And do not save on their quantity - in this case, it is better to overdo it than to be left without heating at all.
If the wall is not strong enough, and you have concerns that it will not support the weight of the structure, then the most reasonable way out of this situation is to place the radiator on a floor support. It is also made from metal. When installing, follow the indicators building level to check the alignment of the structure.

As you can see, friends, there is nothing complicated in the process of creating a heating radiator with your own hands. The coil is made even easier. If you manage to find a bent metal tube right size, then simply weld plugs with fittings in it and connect to the system. If, for example, you could not find a solid pipe, then you can weld several curved segments together. The scheme for connecting the coil to the cold water supply can vary in the same way as for the sectional design.

Despite the fact that such production belongs to handicraft, it is necessary to pay attention to the quality of the materials used. For example, pipes must have intact walls, without signs of damage and rust. Defective items, of course, can get you free of charge, but there is no sense in them either. The slightest trace of rust can soon grow into a full-fledged corrosion process, and as a result, all your work will go down the drain.

The wall thickness should vary from 2.5 millimeters or more. If you take too thin-walled pipes, then they will last for a very short time. We are sure that you will do great. Good luck!

The heating system is changed when it is significantly worn out. With our instructions, it is quite possible to do it yourself.

Radiator - a heating device consisting of separate annular sections. The batteries have internal channels through which the coolant (water) circulates. Such a heating system transfers its heat into the air.

Before upgrading heating radiators, to start you need to buy everything necessary materials, familiarize yourself with the configuration and parameters of the product. Metal pipes with a minimum diameter are often used. To save money, you can look for them at scrap metal collection points.

The main characteristics of heating radiators are power and heat transfer. To calculate the power of heating radiators, several factors must be taken into account: the total mass of the coolant and the radiator, the surface area occupied by the radiator element.

The website site masters have prepared a special calculator for you. You can easily calculate right amount sections.

Types of radiators:

cast iron,
aluminum,
steel,
oil,
bimetallic,
sectional.

Cast iron and steel are almost identical in characteristics, but the conductivity of thermal energy is higher than that of cast iron. more often used in multi-storey buildings, they are relatively compact, not subject to corrosion. These batteries do not require special care, their service life can reach 40 and more years. Such radiators are characterized by high resistance to temperature changes. The disadvantages include the complexity of installing such a radiator. Also, these batteries require periodic staining.

Aluminum radiators have many advantages: light weight and small size, Beautiful design, high heat transfer, operating pressure 12 atmospheres, large cross-sectional area of intercollector tubes. Warranty period is not less than 5-7 years. The downside is that in such a heating system it is necessary to maintain a certain pH (optimally 7–8). Such batteries are characterized by increased airing of the system, which requires regular air bleeding. If this is not done, then in the heating system, during the reaction of water and oxide (covering the inside of the radiator), hydrogen is formed, due to which pressure rises, which can lead to a rupture of the entire system.

Sectional radiators, as a rule, consist of a certain number of sections (from 5 to 11). Their dimensions and weight depend on the number of sections. These batteries have very good heat dissipation. The advantage is also that if one of the sections is broken, it can be easily replaced.

Bimetal radiators have steel internal elements. Differ in the small sizes. The heat dissipation of these batteries is similar in quality to aluminum system heating. The downside is the high cost.

In order to make a radiator with your own hands, it is necessary to use a steel pipe, the dimensions of which do not exceed 100 mm in diameter, the wall thickness is 3.5 mm. Diameter steel pipe will be 95 mm. The cross section of the total area of the pipe will be equal to 71 cm. To calculate the length of the pipe that we need, we divide the total volume by the cross-sectional area of \u200b\u200bthe pipe and get 205 cm.

From the foregoing, we can conclude that heating radiators can be made using a steel pipe. The ends in this pipe must be welded. Two surges must be welded on its plane, which are responsible for supplying and discharging coolant into the heating system.

Materials and tools:

welding machine and Consumables to it (electrodes),
grinder or grinder,
steel pipe 2 m long and 10 cm in diameter,
steel pipe type VGP 30 cm long,
steel sheet 600x100 mm, not less than 3 mm thick,
a plug and 2 special sleeves (used only on one side of the radiator pipe).

After assembling all the required materials and tools, you can proceed directly to the manufacture of the radiator with your own hands. To begin with, cut with a grinder big piece pipes into three equal parts. Further, using a welding machine, we make 2 holes in each piece of pipe. Their diameter should be 2.5 cm. Position the holes so that the distance between them is 5 cm from the ends of the pipe at an angle of 180 ° between them. After the work done, we clean the pieces of pipes from metals and excess particles that remain from the welding machine.

At this stage of work, we take a steel sheet and cut out 6 blanks, the diameter of which is equal to the thickness of the pipe. We weld all pipe ends with our blanks. We take a pipe made of VGP steel and cut it into two equal parts. Then we weld them to a pipe of a larger diameter, where we previously made holes.

Now we take reinforced elements, the length of which is 10 cm and weld them to thin pipes. This will make our design much more reliable. Then you can proceed to the welding of pre-prepared sleds. Finishing preparatory work the entire structure must be checked for tightness and strength. To check the tightness, we close one of the pipe elements, pour water into the second. In this way, you can see water leakage at the joints, we eliminate this by brewing such areas (not forgetting to drain the water first).

For such work, you need general knowledge of installation technologies and a set of tools: tape measure, level, simple pencil, wrench, a set of keys, a drill and drill bits for it. First you need to dismantle the old radiators, if any. We mark the fastening of new ones and install them in the place we need. Now we mount the heating radiators themselves on the already prepared mounts. We complete the heating system with taps and plugs. We put a thermal head and a tap, they power the entire system. At the end, we directly connect the new radiators to common system heating.

The radiator must be placed above the floor level by at least 7 cm, the heat transfer will be higher and there will be no problems with cleaning. If installed higher than 15 cm, the thermal regime may be disturbed. If you install the battery close to the wall, then the heat output will decrease. It is also not recommended to cover the batteries decorative grilles, the power of the radiator will be significantly reduced.

Do-it-yourself radiator replacement is best done during the warm season. At this time of the year, the system is not used, which will allow us to carry out installation and installation work without problems. It is necessary to replace the equipment in extreme cases, when it has worn out and its efficiency has greatly decreased. There are situations when the landlord wants to reduce or add sections to the battery.

It is necessary to prepare not only radiators for installation, but also sections of the wall.

The wall needs to be puttied, leveled and painted even before the radiator is installed, after which nothing can be done.

Also, before installation, you need to think over an action plan, choose the location of the heating system, calculate the dimensions, the occupied area. This formality will give you the opportunity to control the entire process of work.

Do not forget about the couplings that must be placed at the inlet and outlet of the new heating facility. We prepare thermal heads by installing a special tap and valve on them. The valve is located at the inlet to the heating pipe, the tap - on the reverse action pipe. To prevent leakage, all joints and threaded connections needs to be sealed. Only then can you proceed to the next stage - the installation of the main pipe.

If more than one radiator is located in the room, then the batteries are installed using a water level so as not to disturb the pressure that is created in the pipes. After that, you can pour the coolant into the expansion tank.

Installing a heating radiator with your own hands is a very serious decision. You need to prepare for this so as not to get emergency consequences. V high-rise building it is better to call specialists, otherwise you can flood yourself and your neighbors from below. In the premises of a private house, you can put homemade batteries with my own hands. Making radiators is not a very difficult task.

How to install?

To install radiator heating batteries, you need to know the wiring system. It can be two-pipe or one-pipe. With a one-pipe system, a bypass is required. This is a jumper between the pipes for the direct and return supply of the coolant. This small appliance can be turned off in the event of a malfunction in the system without turning off the entire heating system. To install radiators, you need corners, shut-off valves, nipples and other parts. We need spurs with the same thread as on the heating pipes. Mayevsky cranes are installed on the battery to release air.

The installation of batteries must be carried out in compliance with the following rules:

horizontal elements of the system must have a slope towards the circulation of the coolant by 0.5 cm for each meter of pipe;
the distance from the bottom of the battery to the floor should be at least 6-10 cm;
the same distance should be maintained between the lower part of the window sill and the upper part of the radiator;
from the battery to the wall must be left 3-5 cm.

You need to prepare the following tools:

torque wrench (image No. 1), heating batteries;
sealant, tow, sealing tape, wrenches, gas, adjustable wrenches, pliers (image No. 2), drill or puncher.

Before hanging the battery on the wall, you must drain the water from the system. Unscrew the plugs from the new product (if any). Attach the battery to the system with the use of squeegees. Holes are pre-drilled and brackets screwed in. All joints are sealed with tow or other means.

Batteries are available in stores. different type. You can buy an oil cooler. It works from electrical network. But you can build a homemade heating radiator with your own hands.

Homemade products

It is best to make a battery out of steel. It heats up quickly, perfectly gives off its heat, overheating does not threaten it. How to make a battery? To make it, you need to take the following materials and tools:

a pipe with a diameter of 100 mm, a pipe of 25 mm, sheet steel 3 mm thick, 2 spurs of 25 mm;
welding machine, grinder, measuring tape, metalwork hammer, marker for marking.

The manufacture of radiators is a fairly common business. This kind of home-made devices have long been used to heat the garage. The length of a homemade pipe battery can be different. You can make it equal or less window sill, can be the entire length of the wall. The design can be multi-tiered. Most often they make two- and three-tier ones (image No. 3). They are ideal for heating the garage, residential premises. Consider an example of manufacturing a heating device 80 cm long. Work is performed in the following order:

The necessary materials are purchased.
Pieces 80 cm long are cut from a pipe with a diameter of 100 mm. For trimming, you can use a welding machine or a grinder.
Pieces 100 mm long are cut from a pipe 25 mm thick. For a two-tiered structure, they need 2 pieces, for a three-tiered one - 4, for a four-tiered one - 6 pieces.
Circles with the diameter of the main pipe are cut out of sheet steel.
At a distance of 50 mm from the edges big pipe holes 25 mm in diameter are cut.
The ends of the pipe are welded with circles cut from sheet steel.
Thick pipes are welded in short thin sections.
Spurs are welded on the upper and lower tiers.

A radiator for heating a garage or a room is ready. It remains to check its tightness. To check, you need to drown out the lower drive and pour water into the battery through the upper one. If there are no smudges on the welds, the work carried out can be considered of high quality. If smudges are found, it is necessary to mark their places with chalk or a marker, drain the water and boil the seam again. Install the battery without smudges in its place. There is no need to install a Mayevsky crane on it. But the pipe should be with a wall thickness of at least 3.5 mm. The welder must have some experience. The surface of the seams is polished with a grinder.

If necessary, increase the heat transfer. Additional screens are cut out of steel 1-2 mm thick and welded into the battery. The more screens, the warmer it will be in the garage or room.

A heating battery made from a large diameter pipe will cost much less if you buy a pipe at a scrap metal collection point. The screen for the heating radiator increases the heat transfer of the device. But you should not use various decorative plastic, wooden or metal gratings. It will be difficult to clean up the dust behind it. The amount of heat coming from the heater will be significantly reduced. It is necessary to take into account the following tips from professional masters:

the coolant should not be hotter than 130°C;
water in the pipes must be in accordance with the regulations;
it is undesirable to keep the batteries empty;
it is impossible to use parts of the heat main as elements of the electrical network.

This article is about homemade heating appliances. Sometimes they do not shine with beauty; however, the ability to provide heat to a garage or workshop with your own hands at minimal cost will surely attract many of our readers. We will get acquainted with several designs of varying complexity, made from recycled materials, old pipes and other extremely affordable materials.

Radiators for water heating

First, we examine radiators designed for operation in central and autonomous heating circuits.

Register

The simplest and most affordable home-made heating radiators are made from pipes of large (100 - 250 mm) diameter, muffled at the ends and connected by jumpers. These devices - the so-called registers - have a large internal volume and, accordingly, a significant thermal inertia, which makes them ideal solution for systems with solid fuel boilers.

Hint: a solid fuel boiler needs kindling every few hours.
The greater the inertia of the heating system and, in particular, heaters, the less the heated room will cool down between kindling.

How to make a simple horizontal register?

Pipes are cut into segments of 1.5 - 4 meters(depending on the expected length of the register).
Holes for jumpers are drilled or burned with a gas cutter in them.. Important point: jumper configuration must create inside the device closed loop, excluding stagnation of the coolant in dead-end sections.
Pipes are connected by jumpers- pipes of size DN20 - DN32.
Parallel to the jumpers, pipe sections of the same length are welded, but already welded to blank walls. They will give the structure rigidity.
The ends are muffled with bottoms cut from steel sheet 4 - 5 mm thick.
Branch pipes are welded into the lower and upper sections, which will later connect the register with the eyeliner.

In most cases, a regular round is used as register sections. water pipe. It has an attractive low price. running meter and maximum strength to break at minimum thickness walls, which is provided by a circular section.

However, sometimes you can also find home-made heating radiators from profile pipe- square or rectangular. Its advantages are the relative compactness of the register and several big square surfaces with the same cross-sectional area.

Important: at a constant temperature of the heater, its heat transfer depends linearly on the surface area on which heat exchange with air occurs.

Convector

The simplest convector is a coil of pipe with plates pressed onto it, increasing the notorious heat exchange surface. The most accessible material is steel. Homes - new buildings often act as sources of ready-made convectors for garage owners: the owners of apartments in them massively change the heaters installed by the builders for sectional radiators that are more attractive in appearance and have a greater heat transfer.

However, steel has a serious drawback - low thermal conductivity. In order not to be unfounded, we will give the values of thermal conductivity for three metals, most often used in the manufacture of heating appliances.

Obviously, when creating a convector, it is beneficial to use non-ferrous metals: their thermal conductivity will dramatically increase heat transfer, making the heating of the fins more uniform.

Home-made copper heating radiators are all kinds of designs based on and plates - copper and aluminum. Aluminum fins are much more affordable than copper fins; some difference in heat transfer is compensated by its increased area.

To assemble the convector, it is most often used intended for copper plumbing solder; somewhat rarer plates.

Autonomous heaters

What to do if the garage is missing central heating and gas, and the frequency of your visits to the premises does not allow organizing a scheme with a solid fuel boiler?

In this case, it would be quite logical to use electricity for heating.

Oil radiator

The simplest homemade oil cooler is a welded register already familiar to us with several modifications.

There are no welds for connecting to the piping.
The register, as a rule, is made portable, which implies the presence of legs.
Jumpers between sections are present on both sides. Their diameter is made somewhat larger than when assembling a register for water heating. The instruction is related to the fact that natural convection implies a minimum hydraulic pressure, and if so, the hydraulic resistance should also be minimal.
A heating element or several parallel connected heating elements are installed at the end of the lower section.
Oil acts as a heat carrier. Ideally - transformer, but even working out will do.
The register is supplied with a small open expansion tank. As an option, the oil is not added a little to the top of the register, and the weld on its upper section is equipped with an automatic air vent.

Attention: install instead of air vent safety valve- bad idea.
When triggered, it can douse the owner of the room with oil at a temperature of 60 - 90 degrees, which obviously will not benefit his well-being and mood.

car radiator heater

One more interesting solution- homemade heater for the garage from the radiator.

Numbered on the diagram:

Radiator.
Expansion tank.
Forced blower fan.
A casing that protects the fan blades.
Water pump.
Pipe for oil supply.
Actuator.
Fan drive belt.
Electric motor.
Frame stand.
Drain tap.
Block of heating elements.
Blinds to adjust the direction of the air flow.

Partially clogged radiator tubes are not a hindrance. They will miss the oil.
Optimum motor performance - 300 - 500 watts at 1500 rpm.
To heat the oil, heating elements with a total capacity of up to 3 kW are used. It is better to provide for stepwise power adjustment by switching them on separately.

Due to the small diameter of the radiator tubes, it is not worth using mining in this design. Suitable transformer oil or antifreeze A-40.
The most efficient operation of the heater will be at an oil temperature of about 80C. The temperature is regulated by the selection of the power of the heating elements and the fan speed.

Conclusion

We hope that a few ideas proposed to the reader's attention will help him organize the heating of utility rooms at minimal cost. Additional information, as usual, can be found in the video in this article. Success in creative work!

Range various devices for space heating on the modern market is striking in its diversity, now you can easily find products for almost every taste and budget. Nevertheless, do-it-yourself heating radiators are made from a pipe to this day. These structures can be welded or prefabricated, different metals are used for such production, as for the forms, everything depends on the imagination of the master. We will talk about all these subtleties further.

Which metal is better

To begin with, we note that structures of this kind can be intended both for heat transfer, acting as radiators, and for heat intake, when the tubular register is mounted directly in the combustion chamber of a boiler or furnace.

Plus, in some models, heated gas is used instead, for example, a radiator chimney.

Steel pipes for heating radiators are deservedly considered leaders in this market sector. Of course, the heat transfer of steel is not as high as that of aluminum or copper, it is subject to corrosion and requires regular maintenance. But these shortcomings are more than compensated by the affordable price, as well as a wide range of types and sizes. In addition, it is much easier to cook ordinary ferrous metal than non-ferrous.
Stainless steel for such structures is used extremely rarely.. Apart from the fact that its cost, to put it mildly, is far from the budget, argon welding is used for soldering stainless steel, and not every professional welder can work with it.

Important: in this case, it simply does not make sense to use galvanized iron.
Thin zinc coating simply burns out during welding.
As a result, an already weak weld is additionally affected by corrosion.

The use of copper tubular registers is justified only in the case of copper wiring around the house. The heat transfer of copper is four times higher than that of ferrous metals, so here we can talk about heating with pipes without radiators, more precisely with a minimum number of radiators.
But, firstly, the price of copper is fabulously high, and secondly, this metal is very demanding on operating conditions.

Copper systems require a finely purified coolant that does not have hard abrasive inclusions.
In such systems, fittings should be copper or compatible metals such as bronze, nickel, chrome or brass. Moreover, aluminum and copper are strictly forbidden to combine.
Copper pipelines without fail require high-quality grounding, as there is a danger of electrochemical corrosion.
Copper is a soft material, so the system needs extra protection, of course shrouds and shields also cost money.

The cast iron radiator heating pipes shown in the photo are still used in industrial buildings and technical rooms. But the weight of such a design is much higher than that of a household cast iron battery. Considering not aesthetic appearance and rather low efficiency, they are not popular.

Tip: cast iron tubular registers are the best suited for installation in the combustion chamber.
Optimum heat capacity low price and unpretentiousness in relation to the coolant make them leaders in this direction.

Types and characteristics of tubular radiators

From all of the above, it becomes clear that, in this case, there is practically no. Though appearance do-it-yourself structures are very mediocre, but they are quite suitable for a garage, greenhouse or cottage, plus instructions for self assembly here is not complicated.

Types of homemade tubular radiators

Home-made designs of this kind are often made serpentine or register. The configuration of the first is in the name. Metal pipe it bends in the form of a snake, after which docking pipes and, in some cases, mounting strips are welded to it.

A one-piece bent radiator naturally has significant advantages over welded structures. But to bend a steel pipe, you need a special pipe bender, or at least gas-burner. Plus, the diameter of the pipe, as a rule, does not exceed 50 mm. Therefore, for more powerful systems, it is customary to use register constructions.

There are no restrictions on the diameter of the radiator tube in the register system. The most commonly used here are smooth round pipes from 32 to 150 mm in diameter.

Sections can be connected in two ways - in a thread or in the form of a column. The thread connection, in fact, differs from the coil only in the presence of connecting pipes. Otherwise, it's still the same consistent snake.

The pipes in the column are connected in parallel. That is, horizontally mounted sections of larger diameter are interconnected by vertical couples on both sides. It kind of looks like a standard factory radiator, just flipped on its side.

Such home-made registers can be connected to both one-pipe and two-pipe systems. On the technical specifications system type is not displayed. Such registers, due to the large diameter and minimum hydraulic resistance, work best in heating systems with natural coolant current.

But do not forget that natural systems are mounted with a slope in the direction of the water flow, about 5 mm per 1 linear meter.

Important: in the presence of a welding machine, a grinder and other auxiliary tools, it is as easy to assemble heating radiators from a profile pipe with your own hands as from a round one.
Of course, the hydraulic resistance here will be somewhat higher, but for pipes with a cross section of more than 50 mm, this error is not significant.

Both in homemade and in factory designs, products with fins or "feathers" are widely used. In this case, we are talking about the fact that metal strips or plates are welded onto a smooth pipe. By increasing the area of the metal, heat transfer increases significantly. In particular, the radiator pipe for fireplaces, shown in the photo, works exactly according to this principle.

Calculation of a homemade tubular radiator

Compared to the internal volume of the coolant, the area of contact of the radiator with air is small, therefore high efficiency do not expect from such structures.

The problem can be partially solved by inserting into the system circulation pump. But here you should be careful, increasing the power of the pump will inevitably lead to the appearance of extraneous noise.

As already mentioned, the pipe diameters are in the range of 32 - 150 mm, which leads to a large volume of coolant. On the one hand, the boiler will operate in a softer, more gentle mode. But at the same time, overclocking energy will be required many times more and temperature control with a large volume is very difficult.

Despite the ease of assembly of homemade tubular radiators, but it still has its limitations. In particular, for effective work systems should not be placed too close to the pipes. According to the rules, the distance between the sections should not be less than one and a half radii of the main pipe.

In fact, such designs are a very long pipe, bent in a certain way in order to make the system more compact. To calculate the number of homemade steel radiators the same parameters are used as for a conventional steel pipe. The table shows averaged data, oriented to middle lane our homeland.

But if the necessary tables were not at hand, you can go the other way. For approximate calculations, specialists, as a rule, use a simple formula. The only thing you will need to take from the tables is the heat transfer coefficient of the material. All other data can be obtained locally.

Pros and cons of steel homemade structures

Perhaps the most important advantage is the low cost of such a battery. But this is true only if welding is not a problem for you and everything will really be done on your own. If you pay for the work of a welder, then the price of such a radiator can be equal to the cost of an inexpensive aluminum product from China.
Such batteries, for the most part, emit radiant thermal energy so no oxygen is burned out.

Volumetric smooth surfaces are much easier to care for than modern corrugated batteries.
Steel easily withstands any operating pressure and is not afraid of water hammer.
Steel self-made batteries work equally well both in the system with forced and with natural circulation coolant.

We have partly outlined the disadvantages of such structures above. In particular, steel is susceptible to corrosion, such batteries need to be painted with heat-resistant paints, the design is very mediocre and, finally, heat transfer leaves much to be desired.

The video in this article provides materials on this topic.

Conclusion

Deciding which is better for heating pipes or radiators should be done depending on the specific conditions and type of room. After all, expensive cast iron will also look ridiculous in a country greenhouse, like a home-made steel coil in a luxurious bathroom.