How to install grilles on a heating radiator in Moscow

A little about heat engineering and radiator grilles

Even if you need radiator grilles for decoration, do not forget that the radiators must heat the room. Any screen reduces heat transfer, even the most delicate and delicate one. Another question is that one will reduce the amount of heat transferred by 10-15%, and the other by 60% or even more. It is unlikely that you will want to sit in a beautiful but cold room, so when choosing a decorative grille you need to take into account how the heat will spread.

Heat Spread

The principle of heat transfer from a heating radiator without a grille is shown in the figure. The main idea is that air should come from below, pass along the battery, heat up, and go up. This is how our heating works. When choosing a grille or screen, you need to remember this. For normal air circulation, it is necessary that there is a gap at the bottom and no cover at the top. As a last resort, the lid should have a large perforation area.

Not a bad option - large holes allow air to move freely

But if you look at many of the decorative grilles, you can immediately tell that the room will be cold. This especially affects grilles on heating radiators in the form of a box, which have walls on all sides. If they are very lacy, as in the photo above, there is no particular problem, but if they are made of solid wood (as in the photo below), with almost no or minimal perforations, be prepared for heating inefficiency.

The top of the battery is covered with a solid layer of wood without holes

Wood is, of course, an aesthetic material, but it has a high heat capacity. Until the wood heats up, the room will be cold. And since the array is located above the radiator and there are no holes for circulation, the radiator under such a grille will be hot, but the room will be cold.

How to install the grille correctly

Correct installation of the convection grille is the key to effective operation of the ventilation tool. When working with plastic and wooden structures, it is not necessary to dismantle the window sill to install them. For slot-shaped openings and slats located at an angle, they should be directed towards the window.

Installation work requires the following tools:

for marking - pencil, tape measure;
Bulgarian;
drill;
jigsaw;
stationery knife;
if the grille is planned to be mounted on an adhesive base - glue and a press (any heavy object will do)

Stages of work:

Initially, marking is carried out at the planned location (if there are several gratings, they are aligned along the length).

Note! The correct location of the grille is along the entire length of the window sill above the radiator.

The lattice is applied to the window sill canvas and outlined with a pencil.
Using a grinder, a hole is cut along the marked lines.
Using a drill, holes are drilled in the corners.
The edges of the opening are processed with a stationery knife (small irregularities from the use of rough tools are smoothed out: grinders, jigsaws).
Ventilation grilles can be glued or screwed, or left removable. In order to glue the product, glue is applied along the entire length of the inner surface, the grid is placed in the prepared niche and a press is placed on top. A heavy object will press down the product, ensuring its stability until it is completely glued. Screw the grille with self-tapping screws using a drill.
The last stage is final installation, carried out on a surface free of dust and debris.

Note! A removable grille option is often preferable because the grille can be easily removed for wet cleaning.

In this way, the grille is installed in plastic or wooden window sills; installation in concrete structures is a more complex process that requires other tools and skills.

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Screen Features

Screens for heating radiators, as is commonly thought, perform mainly a decorative function and mask the unattractive appearance of radiators.

However, they also have another benefit - a protective function. Firstly, we are talking about protecting the radiator itself from mechanical damage and dust accumulation. And, secondly, protecting household members from burns that can occur from touching hot radiators.

A protective screen for a heating radiator is especially relevant for families with children.

As for the choice of screen, it depends on many factors and this is not only the design of the external design and the material of manufacture. It is important to consider the convenience of each model and energy performance.

If the choice falls on wooden screens, then remember that there will be less heat in the room. In addition, cleaning the area where the radiator screen is installed will be difficult.

The appearance of the screen can be completely varied, but one rule must always be followed. Any screen must contain perforation in the form provided by the pattern, but the main thing is that it exists.

If the choice fell on housing boxes to mask the radiator, then they must be removed completely or opened.

This condition is necessary to maintain the cleanliness of the radiator, better heating in cold weather and for access in emergency situations.

Box installation

After you have chosen the materials and design, you need to install it on the wall.

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The drywall should be located 3 cm from the most protruding point of the battery (usually a tap). Find this point and measure the distance from it to the wall. This distance plus 3 cm is the width of the side parts of the box.
Also measure the distance from the floor to the top point. Determine the width of the front wall of the box.
After all measurements, prepare the necessary plasterboard parts.
To assemble them together, you can install supports made of metal guides. They are fixed to the wall and to the floor (this depends on the chosen design).
Drywall is screwed to the frame with self-tapping screws. A grille is inserted into the front part.

It is best to paint drywall before installation, and the fastening points can be covered with decorative panels.

Purpose of decorative grilles

A well-chosen protective grille should not disturb the harmony of the room. Its task is to become an excellent stylistic addition to the interior and an effective camouflage device behind which an unaesthetic battery is hidden.

The functional purpose of the radiator is to heat the room. Therefore, the protective screen should not interfere with effective heat transfer.

If this element retains heat, the room will become cold, and additional heating sources will have to be used, and this entails an increase in utility bills.

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But you can choose a grille configuration that will not only hide the radiator, but also increase the flow of heat into the room.

In addition to hiding the surface of the battery, the decorative grille performs protective functions. Firstly, the screen protects the radiator from dust and contamination. Secondly, it doesn't get as hot as a battery. This means that you can touch it without fear of getting burned. This is especially important for families with children or pets.

In addition, the screen can be quickly dismantled for the purpose of prevention, repair or replacement of the heating device.

Tasks and materials

Most often, grilles are installed on heating radiators for decoration - not all heating devices look attractive, but the grilles are sometimes made very beautiful. The second task that battery screens often perform is to cover sharp and hard edges. This is relevant in families with children, especially if old-style cast iron radiators, the “accordion” type, are installed. Their shape is dangerous, and their appearance is unattractive; they would only be suitable in loft-style rooms.

Grates for heating radiators are made from different materials:

Metal screens for batteries are produced in large quantities. They are made from thin sheet steel, which is then coated with paint. For the most part, they don't cost much, but they also look average. The service life depends on the quality of the paint. Powder enamels are preferable. They last longer, maintaining their attractiveness for decades. From the point of view of the effect on heating, metal screens for radiators are the best choice. The metal heats up quickly, and then it begins to radiate heat. So the option is inexpensive (usually) and does not greatly affect the temperature in the room (if there is perforation).
The most common form, and the design can be anything
Forged grilles are very beautiful. But the forging is too delicate, so some kind of background is required, and it is often made contrasting in order to highlight the forged elements more clearly. To ensure normal air circulation, it makes sense to make the “background” from a perforated metal sheet.
The forging is very beautiful
Wooden grilles and screens. Wood has always been and remains a premium material. The high plasticity of the material allows them to be made in different styles and shapes. And although there are inexpensive products made from wood, they look very good. But, as mentioned above, a radiator covered on all sides with wood transfers little heat to the room.
Wood always looks solid
MDF and HDF. For production, laminated sheet materials are used. Staz should say that no binders are used in the production of MDF and HDF. The softened wood fibers are pressed, releasing lignin, a natural binder found in wood. Lignin is what glues fibers together. So both of these materials are absolutely safe. While we know products made from MDF more or less well, HDF is an unfamiliar material for many. It differs from MDF only in the pressing conditions. It is molded under higher pressure, as a result it is very thin (3-4 mm), but more dense and uniform. HDF holds its shape well, which is why openwork grilles for heating radiators are often made from HDF. From the point of view of their effect on heating, they are slightly better than wood - the layer is thinner, and there are usually more perforations.
Openwork decorative grilles for batteries are usually made from MDF and HDF
Plastic. Plastic products are most often used in bathrooms and toilets. This material is the most hygienic; it can be washed an unlimited number of times. For production, heat-resistant plastic is used, which is not afraid of heating up to 60-80°C. If the grill slats are installed at an angle, as in the photo, the heating will work efficiently. Air flows through the cracks unhindered. It all depends on how the lid is made.
Plastic washes well, is durable and unpretentious
Glass screens for radiators appeared several years ago. They are not ideal from a heating point of view, but they have an attractive appearance. They are made from special tempered glass, frosted or patterned.
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Screen for glass radiators

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Used in the manufacture of decorative grilles for radiators and more exotic materials. For example, bamboo and rattan. Such products are more demanding for interiors and are rare.

Rattan screen on wooden frame

There are also combined grilles. Most often there is a wooden frame on which some kind of decorative mesh is stretched. Bamboo and rattan wickers are most often attached to such a frame. MDF and HDF panels are usually mounted on a wooden frame.

Wood

Wood looks great and is suitable for almost any interior. Well-treated and stained wooden gratings are in great demand, despite the rather high price. They are made from hardwood, which does not release resin when heated. These species include beech, oak, and ash.

It is not recommended to install wooden screens on convector-type radiators. The design of such heating devices involves covering almost the entire upper surface with a grille. Small holes located on it will not be enough for maximum heat transfer.

Rattan lattices, which stretch over a wooden frame, look very beautiful. These materials have good thermal conductivity and are environmentally friendly.

It is not recommended to buy wooden panels for home-made heating devices, since failure to comply with the technology can lead to premature loss of the appearance of the product.

MDF

MDF decorative grille models should be approached with great care. These materials contain adhesives that, when exposed to high temperature heating, can cause surface deformation and delamination of the product. They can be installed solely for decorative purposes if you do not plan to heat the room too much.

At the same time, MDF lends itself well to processing. You can cut out various patterns on the panel that will decorate the room and ensure free flow of heat. To improve the performance of the radiator, it is better to choose MDF screens with sufficiently large holes.

Advantages of MDF gratings:

low cost;
ability to withstand significant mechanical loads;
good thermal conductivity;
easy installation and dismantling.

Panels made from this material can imitate oak, beech, maple, walnut, cherry, mahogany, wenge, metal and other textures. MDF can also be painted any color.

Glass

Some people are wary of installing battery guards made of glass because the material is very fragile. But for the manufacture of such products, high-strength tempered glass with a thickness of 6-8 mm is used. It is very difficult to break it even with a strong desire.

Advantages of glass panels:

relatively low cost;
ease of installation;
high decorative characteristics (various degrees of transparency, various shades, the ability to apply drawings or photographs using thermal printing);
safety;
ease of care;
good heat resistance.

Glass screens are attached to the wall using stands and completely cover the battery. There is space left below and above for the free circulation of convection currents. Heating of the room due to directed thermal radiation in this case is significantly limited.

Metal

Metal is the most common material for the manufacture of decorative grilles for radiators. This product is a panel made of perforated sheet with a different arrangement of holes. The metal screen looks neat, elegant and provides good heat dissipation.

The most commonly used frame design. The metal can be black or galvanized. Stainless steel panels, which are produced in factories, are also common. The thickness of the steel sheet should be 0.8-1.0 mm.

The metal screen body is usually painted using baking technology (powder technology). This layer does not change color when exposed to high temperature. Often various designs are applied to metal surfaces.

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Metal grilles for heating devices, except apartments, are installed in public buildings: schools, children's hospitals, gyms.

Prices for screens for heating radiators

screens for heating radiators

Some types of plastic

Plastic, along with the above materials, can be used to make radiator grilles, but only some of its types, in particular those based on PVC (polyvinyl chloride).

If the manufacturing technology is followed, a PVC screen can withstand temperatures up to +95 °C. It begins to smolder or burn at a temperature not lower than +220 °C. But since the thermal conductivity of plastic is less than wood or metal, more energy will be spent heating the room.

When choosing plastic gratings, you should pay attention to the following parameters:

painting the material in bulk, without laminating film;
non-flammability;
sufficient strength.

Plastic screens are not suitable for gyms and children's rooms. But at the same time, they have a number of advantages: aesthetic appearance, variety of shapes and colors, low cost.

There are also combined screens made from two or more types of materials, for example, metal with PVC, rattan or wood with MDF.

Types and forms

In addition to different materials, radiator grilles come in different designs. All this together creates a huge number of options.

Flat screens. Most often used if the radiator is installed in a niche. In this case, the flat panel is attached to bars fixed around the perimeter of the niche. In addition, glass screens for batteries also have this shape, but are attached to special pins embedded in the wall. This type of decorative grille for heating radiators is also called “facades”.
Flat screens are installed if the radiator is hidden in a niche
Hanging screens. There are two types: With a top cover. They are usually used on accordion-type batteries if the radiator protrudes beyond the window sill. The shape of the cover is made so that the grille holds onto the radiator without any problems.
Without cover. Clings to the upper battery collector using hooks that are attached to the front panel.
Hanging grilles

Grate-box. From a heating point of view, this is far from the best option, since air circulation is difficult. Install if you need to cover the side parts of the radiator. These grilles can be made in the form of some kind of piece of furniture, most often a chest of drawers or a cabinet. If they can stand on their own, without support (like the photo below), they are also called attached. There are also boxes that require fixing to the wall - they do not have legs. For better heat dissipation, a 3-5 cm wide gap is made under the lid and above the floor in the grille box. It is also a good idea to make a hole in the top lid.

Attached grille-box for radiator

These are only the main types of screens and grilles covering heating radiators. Fantasy is limitless, there are very interesting models, but they are most often made by craftsmen with their own hands.

Homemade screen - an original idea

Types of radiator screens

The main property that a decorative box should have is resistance to high temperatures. Therefore, they are made of steel, glass, wood and plasterboard.

The metal box conducts heat well and allows you to create an unusual design structure. The construction and installation of such a screen requires additional skills. However, the box has a reasonable price. The advantages include the absence of deformation under the influence of high temperatures. Such a structure can last for many years.

A wooden box can also serve as protection for a heating radiator. Since wood becomes deformed when heated for a long time, it must be pre-treated with a special protective compound. In addition, this material does not conduct heat well, so the best option would be to choose a box in the form of a lattice, where the spaces between the slats are wider than the slats themselves.

Typically, such screens are used for the interiors of apartments in a classic style, which have other wooden elements. Thanks to their 100% environmental friendliness, they can be installed in children's rooms.

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Drywall is one of the cheapest materials, therefore it is widely used in interior design. It is easy to process and is often used to imitate wood, which allows for significant savings.

Glass boxes are used less frequently than others. Most often, screens are made of glass, which are attached to the wall with four supports. They are installed in expensive interiors and decorated with paintings or designs. The main disadvantage of this material is fragility. Therefore, it must be handled very carefully.

According to the type of design, the boxes are divided into:

Flat - used for radiators in niches.
Wall-mounted without a cover - used for radiators under the window sill.
Wall mounted with lid.
Covering the battery on all sides.

The type of decorative box is chosen based on design, thermal conductivity and method of fastening.

Masking without a screen

In some cases, there is no possibility or desire to use even inexpensive screens for a heating radiator. In such cases, you can find an alternative solution to the problem.

For example, you can very easily decorate the radiator itself. In this case, various decoration methods are used.

The most popular option for masking a radiator without a screen is painting it. Use ordinary monochromatic coloring or draw patterns - everyone chooses for themselves. Usually, when painting, the general style of decoration around is taken into account.

The second type of decoration is the decoupage technique. It involves transferring an image from paper to the surface of the radiator.

Using this technique, you can even age the batteries and make them unique and vintage. And, of course, you can come up with your own design for heating radiators.

Sources

https://stroychik.ru/otoplenie/ekrany-na-batarei
https://otopleniehouse.ru/ekran-na-batareyu-otopleniya/
https://otoplenie-expert.com/elementy-otopleniya/dekorativnye-reshetki.html

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Decorative screen for battery

Installation of a metal or wooden box takes some time. If you just want to cover up an unsightly radiator, you can do this with a simple screen, which is much easier to install.

Typically the screen is a panel with holes. It can be wooden, metal or plastic. But it is better not to use the latter material, because when heated, plastic can release harmful substances.

This screen is usually used to cover radiators in niches. It is installed on four wall mounts. Leave about 10 cm below for cold air to enter.

The screen can also be glass. Then it is installed in front of the heating radiator (not necessarily in a niche). The advantage of such a screen is that you can order an unusual design or do the painting yourself. The glass is subjected to special treatment, making it especially durable. The edges are treated for the safety of the user. This screen is well suited for apartments in minimalist or modern style.

A decorative box is a universal way to fit ugly batteries into the interior of a modern apartment. You can buy it ready-made, with a pattern or carving, or you can make it yourself. If you have already done repairs yourself, you can assemble the heating radiator box yourself.

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