The battery needs not only external, but also internal flushing.
Any heating battery will heat your living space worse and worse over time. The reason for this is its gradual contamination from the inside. It is also greatly facilitated by the coolant, which, when circulating through the general system, brings “foreign” contaminants into your radiator. How to flush a heating battery to return it to its previous useful volume of heat? We will tell you about the features of both external and internal cleaning.
For what?
Let's decide why we need to spend time and effort cleaning the radiator. Flushing is necessary in the following cases:
- During a tactile examination, you determined that the battery is heating unevenly - one part is colder than the other.
- Compared to other seasons, your apartment has warmed up an order of magnitude slower (especially if your neighbors don’t notice this in their homes).
- The heating main is hotter than the radiators.
- For private houses, energy resources for heating have increased, but heat transfer has remained the same or even decreased.
The bimetallic radiator takes the lead today.
Thus, without cleaning, your house will become colder and colder every season, taking into account the fact that you will pay the same money for heating.
Classification
Radiator cleaning procedures are divided into different types, depending on the auxiliary means used and the area of influence.
There are significantly more options, but only those that can be done independently and at home without the use of specific equipment will be covered.
Types of batteries?
We first need to decide on the types of radiators in order to take into account their features before washing the batteries. At the same time, you need to come to terms with the fact that all batteries will have to be cleaned sooner or later - regardless of what they are made of.
Today, cast iron batteries are installed more for decoration
| View | Peculiarities | Cleaning |
| Cast iron | Rarely found in modern homes. If they are currently installed, it is as a decorative item. Quite durable material. | They have rough internal surfaces, which requires washing more often. “Sinful” because scale and rust accumulate inside them. When reassembling, a welding machine may be needed. |
| Bimetallic | Inexpensive and high quality material. They are distinguished by high efficiency and heat dissipation. | Practical smooth from the inside, there is no need for frequent cleaning, but in fact it is necessary. This is also the reason for the longer service life of the radiator. |
| Aluminum | Not subject to internal and external corrosion. The metal is softer, which is why you need to be careful when dismantling, cleaning, and reassembling (in particular, you should avoid tapping with a hammer during cleaning). | Do not use caustic alkaline or acidic compounds for cleaning! When reinstalling, you can use a sealant (FUM tape, for example). |
Aluminum radiators are also available
Advice! Blowing and flushing of radiators is carried out only at the end of the heating season.
Features of cleaning aluminum products
Aluminum is a metal that reacts well with any elements. This leads to rapid oxidation of aluminum radiators. The consequences of such processes are rapid contamination of heating systems, which can lead to failure of the radiator. Therefore, aluminum structures must be thoroughly cleaned and their condition regularly monitored. Cleaning methods are similar to those listed above - you can use high pressure water, special chemicals, professional equipment, and improvised materials. It is important to remember that aluminum reacts poorly to alkalis, but positively to acids. This fact should be taken into account when choosing a cleaning product.
What to wash first?
Many people are wondering whether it is necessary to wash the battery from the outside first, or is it better to clean it from the inside first? We recommend starting with external cleaning: remove all dust from the radiator, and if it is in the kitchen, then perhaps also the grease film.
Special brush
After you remove the battery, you need to clean the wall, floor, fasteners - everything that was hidden from you by the radiator - from dirt and dust. And after that, with a calm soul, proceed to internal cleansing.
Frequency of cleaning the heating system
Poor heating of the batteries and extraneous sounds during their operation are the most common signals about the need to clean the pipelines. The frequency of this procedure depends on the following factors:
- temperatures during system operation;
- composition of the liquid flowing through the system;
- battery materials;
- pipeline materials.
The first cleaning is carried out immediately after the installation work on the pipeline and radiators. Further, the frequency of flushing the heating system, according to the standards, is as follows:
- for PVC products once a year before starting the boiler;
- for iron products - before and after the operation of pipes and radiators.
The choice of cleaning option depends on the materials used, as well as the overall operating period of the heating devices. Proper flushing of the heating system, regulatory documents and procedure are specified in SNiP 3.05.01-85.
Timely cleaning of pipes will preserve the integrity of individual elements of the system Source ytimg.com
Outside
How to rinse cast iron radiators, as well as all others? You can clean up the outside of the radiator using several methods - it all depends on the degree of contamination.
Dry cleansing
Everything we cover here is more suitable for everyday cleaning. For general purposes, more serious methods are needed. So, there are two simple and effective ways:
A narrow vacuum cleaner nozzle is what you need!
- Using a vacuum cleaner. It’s very good if you have special attachments - because the battery sections are sometimes very close to each other, so you can’t get to them with a regular floor brush.
- Using a hair dryer. In this case, a damp cloth of suitable size is attached between the wall and the radiator. Air from the device simply blows dust between the battery sections onto this cloth. Then it remains to carefully remove the material and rinse it from dust.
Special device
Wet cleansing
How to clean a heating battery when it is very dirty? If you want to do high-quality spring cleaning, then this is the place for you. First of all, we focus on the degree of contamination of the radiator:
- Light to medium soiling. Before wet cleaning, it is best to carry out dry cleaning, which we described above. It is advisable to use hot water, even boiling water. Be sure to find a container of suitable size that can be placed under the entire duration of the battery - water will drain there. Then, from another container, carefully pour boiling water over the battery, section by section. After the water has drained from it, it is additionally dried with prepared rags and napkins.
How to wash the outside of cast iron batteries? Use boiling water!
- Washing areas between sections. To ensure that wet cleaning reaches areas between sections that we physically cannot reach with our hands, it is best to use a steam mop (pictured). Some housewives additionally spread cotton napkins for better steam absorption. As an option, you can wrap a rag around a pointer, a stick, a narrow handle, or a nozzle for something and, moistening it in water, clean hard-to-reach areas.
Steam Mop
- Heavy contamination. Anti-fat agents are used. An aqueous solution is first prepared from them, which is poured into a spray bottle or spray bottle and thoroughly sprayed over a moistened battery. Then some time is given to “acidify”. After which the cleaning solution is completely removed with water and rags from the surface of the battery.
Prepare everything you need
Ideally, it would be good to wipe the batteries with a damp cloth every week, but there is not always time for this. If you haven't done this for a long time, you'll have to do a more thorough cleaning.
Take note
