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Tony[_19_] Tony[_19_] is offline
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Default Why are radiators made of cast iron

zzzzzzzzzz wrote:
On Mon, 8 Mar 2010 10:15:29 -0800 (PST), mike
wrote:

On Mar 8, 9:49 am, Tony wrote:
The Daring Dufas wrote:
Doug Miller wrote:
I've read about the Scandinavian or Finnish style fireplaces that have a
huge mass of masonry which does the same darn thing. I've always thought
that if I were to ever build a home, I would want such a fireplace. Add
a bit of hysteresis to the heating cycle and keep things comfortable.
The only problem is they take a long time before putting out any real
heat. Maybe a fire all day until the mass of masonry gets hot. The
more mass, the longer it will take. Also the more mass, the more even
the heating will be.

Agreed. I don't like heating systems with a large lag factor. I want
instant heat when I want heat, and when things are warm enough, I
don't want the system to keep pumping out heat.


Right. Cast iron isn't worth its hype. Copper/aluminum is the way to go for
homes (cast iron is more rugged for commercial use).


It shouldn't be a problem unless you change the thermostat a few times
daily. And if you do, set the setting on your electronic thermostat to
change the high/low settings an hour ahead, or more or less to suit your
conditions.

If your schedule is erratic, yes, stick to light weight copper/aluminum.