Several ways to remove old paint from the batteries accurately and quickly

Peeling paint on the radiator only spoils the view of the room, and it needs to be cleaned. Before removing the old paint from the battery, it is cleaned of dust, and after that it is primed and covered with new enamel.

More than 40% of the population still have old cast-iron radiators at home. They can serve as an element of interior design, which provides some "old", or be in the room due to the inability to update the heating system.

Before proceeding to the main task, the work surface must be cleaned of dust and debris. This is done with a vacuum cleaner and a damp cloth. Provided that the old coating has a presentable appearance and does not peel off, you can save time with sandpaper and apply a new enamel. But this is done only as a last resort, because in addition to aesthetics, the multi-layer coating takes away heat.

With a variety of tips for removing old paint from batteries, there are only a few effective and really helpful:

• chemical flushing;
• heat treatment;
• mechanical removal of the old finish.

Preparation for cleaning

It is better to carry out the procedure before starting the repair, when the floor and walls are prepared. Of the tools you will need a metal spatula, a stiff brush and unnecessary rags. If cleaning is carried out when the repair is fully completed, care must be taken to isolate the workplace with thick film or paper so that chemicals, dust and jets of hot air do not harm the wallpaper and flooring.

Ideally, cleaning is carried out with the radiator removed, in the fresh air, but this is not always possible. In any case, you will need tight fabric and rubber gloves for working with solvents, goggles and a respirator. Protective equipment should not be neglected regardless of which cleaning method has been selected.

Any way to remove paint

1. All cleaning and painting procedures are carried out after turning off the heating. Washing with a hot radiator is not only pointless, but also dangerous especially when working with chemical solutions.
2. Liquid wash should be kept in the factory packaging throughout use. If you still used a different container, then for further use in everyday life it will be unsuitable.
3. In places at the junction of the battery sections are rubber gaskets that are best avoided with solvents. If they are damaged, the radiator will begin to leak.
4. Mechanical cleaning is the most dusty, and if it is carried out indoors, it is necessary to ensure maximum air circulation due to open windows and close the doorways leading to other rooms.
5. Before removing the old paint mechanically, it is highly recommended not to apply rinses.

Chemical wash

All means for washing are divided into two types according to the method of application: liquid formulations and aerosols. The second ones will process cast iron batteries much more efficiently and faster. The aerosol stream easily passes into hard-to-reach places, including between the ribs. For a plate radiator, you can use a liquid wash or gel. In the second case, the product is applied evenly over the entire surface with a layer of medium thickness.

For this, wooden or metal brushes are used. It is better not to use rubber or plastic spatulas when working with chemicals - they will dissolve from the aggressive effects of alkali and acid.In both cases, the wash is applied to the surface and held for 10 to 15 minutes, then the paint begins to cringe and bubble - it must be removed with a spatula or brush with a hard bristle. After all the paint has been removed, the battery is washed with soap.

All solvents are toxic, and this is a big minus of chemical flushing. Another caveat - such compositions pass when trying to remove coverage over 2-3 years. You may need to carry out the procedure as many times as the paint years. As a rule, the instructions for the product indicate which paint remover is intended to be removed and the more universal the wash (that is, it is suitable for several types of paint at once), the less effective it is.

Important!

All chemicals are caustic alkalis, acids and solvents, so you need to work in a well-ventilated area and in protective clothing.

Heat treatment

Old paint can be removed by acting on it with high temperatures, only to do this with a building hair dryer is unlikely to succeed. Practice shows that this method is not as effective as in theory, and a cracked enamel can be removed with a hairdryer only in its most damaged places. In our case, it is better to use a blowtorch, which heats the paintwork in a matter of minutes almost before boiling.

Tip

It is highly recommended not to carry out this treatment indoors. Heated to critical temperatures paint emits toxic substances and an unpleasant odor. Work with fire in the house requires maximum compliance with fire safety rules.

This procedure is more convenient to carry out with an assistant, since the paint needs to be removed while still hot, and working with the lamp and at the same time with a spatula is inconvenient. The surface warms up until the paint peels off. The old coating is brushed off.

Mechanical disposal of old coatings

The mechanical method of cleaning the heating structure from the old finish is considered the most time-consuming, but also effective. Any manual or electric tool comes to the rescue. The most convenient is an angle grinder, or in another way a grinder. Instead of a disk, a wire brush - a kratsovka is attached to it. Replace the grinder with a screwdriver, drill or other highly rotating tool. You will have to make an effort by manual machining and get rid of dust, because there will be a lot of it, but after a couple of hours from the old coating and no trace will remain.

It is not always necessary to completely remove the old paint from the heating system, sometimes it’s enough to remove the obvious “rags” with a spatula and sand them with sandpaper. It is impossible to achieve perfect smoothness of cast-iron batteries; for this, the surface must be well primed. Therefore, before choosing a cleaning method, you need to decide whether it will be carried out in full or in part.