Cast Iron Radiators have experienced a noticeable surge in popularity over the last few years. It is speculated that this is part of the general trend

which is emerging of people favouring and purchasing antique or ‘vintage’ items (or at least

appear to be so) as well as the fact that such radiators have a reputation of being more

economical to run than other forms of radiator (as they continue producing heat despite being turned

off, potentially resulting in a saving of energy costs).

It could also be simply down to the fact that their appearance is also aesthetically

pleasing and appeals to a large number of homeowners. Whatever the reasons for

purchasing such a heater, it is unlikely that the majority of buyers actually know How

Cast Iron Radiators Work.

Cast Iron Radiators operate differently in steam and hydronic radiator systems. In a one pipe system, the steam enters the Cast

Iron Radiator and the air is then pushed out through an air vent valve on the other side.

Once the air has escaped, however, the steam hits the air valve and closes it, thereby

allowing the radiator to pressurize.

On the other hand, once the radiator starts to cool down, the steam then condenses back

into water, enabling the air valve to reopen and allows the water to travel back down to the boiler. In a hot water system, however,

the radiator is permanently filled with water. As the system then heats up, the heated water is then circulated throughout the

radiator and heats it up.

The properties of Cast Iron also assist in the operation of the radiators as not only does the alloy (like virtually all metals) conduct heat exceptionally

well but it also is notoriously difficult to corrode and can withstand a large amount of heat. It is for

this reason that before being used in the production of radiators, Cast Iron was famously

used in the production of cylinders for steam engines, particularly by James Wilkinson to be used in the renowned steam locomotives of James Watt.

The heat capacity of Cast Iron is also particularly useful in the production of radiators because it is this factor which

allows the radiator to keep emitting heat after being switched off because the metal takes a longer time to cool down than in other forms of heater, such as convector radiators, which

despite being less economical are still popularly used.

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