Talk:Radiator

message: I generally like this article, but I would appreciate more specifics.
Under "Automobiles," the article states:
"Between the engine and the radiator lies the thermostat, a temperature operated valve. It remains closed, restricting coolant flow, until the engine reaches the thermostat's activation temperature. This arrangement allows the engine temperature to be maintained in the ideal operating range."
[Bolding added.]
What is the "ideal operating range" of temperatures? Do different types of engine (e.g. Gasoline, E85, Diesel, Propane/LPG, Natural Gas, Gasoline-Electric Hybrid) have different "ideal operating ranges"?
: For a standard petrol car engine the ideal operating temperature is around 82C.  Does anyone know the power transfer capacity of a radiator?  I roughly guess that it is 20kW / (80C - 20C) = 340W/K but I can't find any hard figures. --njh 01:21, 10 November 2006 (UTC)
replies: text: I believe that Ethylene glycol and now Propylene glycol are used mainly to stop freezing.  Boiling point elevation is more easily done with pressure valves, both chemicals reduce the water's heat capacity and increase the viscosity (reducing the conduction rate).  They might help with wetting? --njh 01:21, 10 November 2006 (UTC)
thread_title: Request for Specifics

message: I have hot water baseboard heating and need to bleed the radiators because I hear a lot of gurgling when the heating comes on.  Should the heat be turned up or off when I bleed the radiators?Markhoffman 23:27, 1 January 2007 (UTC)
thread_title:  bleeding home radiators 

message: ... for the simple reason that if you say "radiator", people will know what you mean and if you say "convector" almost no one will.  Good luck finding "convector repair" in the Yellow Pages(TM).
Whether "radiators" actually work by radiation is beside the point.  I'll probably fix the article in a spare moment. -Dmh 22:40, 8 January 2007 (UTC)
thread_title:  Convectors in houses are properly called radiators ... 

message: This article currently states that the coolant liquid used in automobile radiators is most often antifreeze. This might be true in locations where the winters are cold enough for the temperature to drop below freezing, but I think that in warmer climates, the usual practice is to just use plain water as the coolant liquid. I'm not knowledgeable enough about the subject to offer any authoritative information, but someone else should look into this. -Sky Blu 2 (talk) 00:15, 14 May 2008 (UTC)
replies: text: I've tried to come up with a more general wording, hopefully this will help. ChrisHodgesUK (talk) 12:38, 4 February 2009 (UTC)
thread_title:  Water as the coolant liquid in automobile radiators 

message: Anyone know what the silver "bulb" that's sticking out the side of the cast iron radiator is ?
located here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:2006_400x700_one_pipe_steam_radiator.jpg it's on the left, about 2/3 of the way up. mine is labeled usav-884. another in the house is labeled usav-881. they have a dial on the top that can be turned from "closed" to "full open", and air seems to come out of it slowly, making a whistling, when the heat is on. Nqzero (talk) 19:26, 26 December 2008 (UTC)
thread_title:  Silver "bulb" sticking out the side of the cast iron radiator 

message: I added the copyediting tag for the first three sections, which are terribly written: run-on sentences, lack of punctuation, and bad structure. I suggest rewriting them entirely.
--162.231.45.138 (talk) 15:33, 13 April 2018 (UTC)
thread_title:  Copyediting 

message: At the beginning of the second section after the lede it says
Surely this can't be right? Conduction is the flowing of heat within a solid object or between touching solid objects, isn't it (not a scientist)? I think that article says so. Also the statement differentiates between "conduction" into air or liquid and "convection" into flowing air or liquid. But except in laboratory conditions, air is always moving at least a little, so the described "conduction" state would basically never occur in the wild, right?  
 
Sure, all radiators must be connected to another solid object somewhere, and presumably there is conduction at these interfaces, but it is trivial or at least small, and not an intended mechanism for heat transfer. I think that a device where the main, or an important, mechanism is for heat transfer by conduction, would not be called or considered a "radiator". It would be an "electric stove" or somesuch. 
Also, "usual methods" seems a bit handwavey. Herostratus (talk) 17:33, 8 February 2023 (UTC)
replies: text: No response in a week, going ahead and removing conduction, subject ofc to brd.Herostratus (talk) 02:12, 16 February 2023 (UTC)
thread_title:  Is "conduction" a defining or important aspect of a radiator?