Radiator (heating)

[1] The heating radiator was invented by Franz San Galli in 1855, a Kingdom of Prussia-born Russian businessman living in St.

The terms convection heater and convector refer to a class of devices in which the source of heat is not directly exposed.

As domestic safety and the supply from water heaters keep temperatures relatively low, radiation is inefficient in comparison to convection.

However, the higher temperatures at which steam systems operate make them inherently less efficient, as unwanted heat loss is inevitably greater.

[citation needed] A hot-water radiator consists of a sealed hollow metal container filled with hot water from a boiler or other heating device by gravity feed, a pump, or natural convection.

Hot-water baseboard convectors (often referred to as "fin-tube radiators") consist of copper pipes which have aluminum fins attached to increase their surface area.

The panels often have fins attached, which increases the surface area and therefore the amount of heat that can be transferred into the air.

The heat output of panel radiators is regulated by controlling the flow of hot water, with either a manual or a thermostatic valve.

Radiators can also be made from aluminium which is a very good conductor of heat and has better thermal conductivity compared to that of steel.

A thermostatic switch energises an electric fan which blows air over the heat exchanger to circulate it in a room.

The large surface area of such room-sized radiators allows them to be kept just a few degrees above desired room temperature, minimizing convection.

A cast iron household radiator
Heat exchange by built-in bathroom radiator uses hot water flow through the stainless steel pipes seen here to raise the temperature of the ambient air. The radiator depicted here also serves as a towel rack and warmer.
A cast iron radiator with single-pipe steam supply and radiator air vent
Hot-water baseboard-style radiator (top) which is covered (left) and opened (right), with inside view (bottom) showing the aluminium fins which are attached in series to the copper pipe
In underfloor heating, tubing is placed on the floor throughout the room and later covered with a concrete layer during construction.