How to choose a heater: varieties and specifications

On this page you will find information on how to choose a heater, what they are, what they stand for. You will learn how to calculate the necessary power of this climate technology and to discriminate a quality product from a defective product.

With the advent of cold seasons, many people start to think about buying a heater. After all, as it usually happens, the cold has already come, and the central heating is not included yet. Perhaps, each person wants to live in warmth and comfort. Therefore, in winter and autumn, in many families the question of buying climate technology is firmly raised.

Which heater to choose

As already mentioned above, the first thing you need to decide on the purpose of buying a heater. After all, a properly selected device will provide you with not only heat in the room, but also save your purchase costs. If you buy a device for long-term heating, then the best option is an oil heater( radiator).It is economical, fire-safe and practically does not create noise during operation.

Perhaps, any modern oil heater can be left in working condition unattended, for several days. No worse with the task of long heating, and convertor heaters( convectors).Most relevant, they will be, if the house has small children.

After all, unlike a radiator, the convector can be suspended on a wall and operated by a remote control. Also, such a heater will be ideal for people who are especially concerned about the design of their home. This device can be attached to the wall, then it will be virtually invisible and fit into any interior.

Well, if you need a quick heating of the room, you should pay attention to the so-called fan heaters. Stand similar devices are relatively inexpensive. They very quickly warm up and with the help of a fan, distribute heat throughout the room. But such devices are not recommended to leave unattended for a long time.

If you need thermal equipment for heating some industrial premises, then the ideal choice will be infrared heaters or heat guns.

How to calculate the required power of the

heater After you have decided on the purpose and type of your future purchase, you need to think about the power of the device. Before you begin to choose the power of the heater, you need to determine the area of ​​the room which it must heat. In general, the power is calculated based on 1 kW per 10 sq.m.(with a ceiling height of up to 3 meters).

Knowing the area of ​​the room, which should heat the heater, you can easily calculate the power you need. Another factor that affects the choice of power of the device is: the thickness of the walls, the number of window openings, the type of glazing and insulation, etc.

In any room there are sources of heat loss. Therefore, before you finally determine the power of your equipment, take into account this factor.

Выборовед.Ру recommends buying a heater equipped with a power regulator. With this function, you can monitor the power of the appliance, depending on the room being heated. That will significantly increase the service life of the heater.

We choose oil heaters( radiators) for the house

Oil heaters, quite often referred to as oil coolers. Therefore, when you come to the store and see if any of the above inscriptions, know that this is the same device. The oil heater consists of a sealed enclosure in which there is an electric tan and mineral oil. With the help of electricity, the tan heats up and heats the oil, which in turn gives all the heat to the hull.

Next, according to the principle of a natural convention, the room will warm up( warm air rises, and the cold descends to its place).

If you evaluate the appearance of a similar device, then it resembles a battery that consists of several sections. Oil heaters are open and closed type. Closed-type instruments, section fins, are closed with an outer casing, and the surface has no sharp corners. Such a device is better because it is safer and heats air faster.

When choosing an oil heater, take into account also the fact that the larger the surface of the device, the better it will give off heat. In other words, if you have two devices with the same capacity, but with different number of sections, know that the device having fewer sections will heat up faster, but it will slow down to give off heat.

All modern oil heaters are equipped with thermostats( protect against overheating) and turn-off shut-off functions. Some devices are equipped with a timer, so you can set the device so that it turns on and heals the room a short time before you arrive.

Depending on the model, such a device can be equipped with a built-in fan. This contributes to the fastest heating of the room. However, it is impossible to call the work of such a heater noiseless. Some oil coolers are equipped with a heated towel rail. Thanks to which, you can quickly and safely dry things.

Often, an air humidifier is installed in the oil coolers. This supplement will maintain the normal humidity in the room. This feature is very useful, because when working, heaters dry the air.

Convector heaters( convectors) - advantages and disadvantages of

Such appliances are domestic and can easily heat any living space, with the maximum level of comfort and minimum costs for electricity. When installing such equipment, no installation work is required. It is enough to install the device in the right place for you and turn it on.

This device consists of a heating element( located in a rectangular housing) to which air enters through special openings. When heated, the warm air rises, and the cold air enters the convector. Such heaters are both floor and wall.

If your choice is to stop on the wall convector, then know that it will work more effectively if it is located on the middle of the wall or closer to the floor. The advantages of such a device include: good appearance, fire safety, the ability to set the desired temperature in the room, high energy-saving indicators, small dimensions.

Some models of convectors are equipped with a thermostat, which allows maintaining the necessary temperature in the room. The thermostat in such a device can be electronic and bimetallic. Electronic thermostat, will cost more, but you can set the exact temperature in the room. With a bimetallic thermostat, you will not have such an opportunity.

Currently, there are waterproof convectors. To a greater extent, they are intended for use in damp areas, including baths. As for standard functions, all modern convectors are equipped with an overheating protection function and a trip function when a foreign object hits the device.

Ceramic heaters - fan heaters

All domestic fan heaters are designed for additional heating of premises. There are several varieties of them, of which only ceramic fan heaters can be selected. They differ from traditional fan heaters in that they have a ceramic heating element. This heating element is blown out by the fan, as a result of which the room is filled with warm air.

The advantages of this technology include: high heating rate, the ability to work in several modes, including in ventilation mode and the fact that they do not burn micro dust in the room.

All ceramic heaters can be divided into desktop, floor and wall. Desktop ceramic fans are equipped with a rotation function, which allows the warm air to be distributed evenly and quickly. Like other ceramic heaters, the desktop has a ventilation mode and several heating modes. Self-respecting manufacturers supply such a technique with overheating protection and a trip-over function.

Unlike desktop, floor heaters are characterized by greater power. If the benchtop device has an average power rating of 1.5 kW, then for outdoor equipment this parameter is an average of 2000 kW.

Quite often, floor heaters are equipped with a timer, so that the device can be switched off automatically after a specified time. Many models are equipped with a remote control. The most expensive varieties have an antibacterial lamp that destroys dangerous microbes in the air.

Wall mounted ceramic fan heaters, in appearance, strongly resemble air conditioners. This technique has appeared relatively recently, so it is not very popular yet.

As it becomes clear from the name of this technique, it is mounted in the wall and must be equipped with a remote control. Some models have a thermostat that allows you to maintain the set temperature. Often, wall-mounted ceramic heaters are equipped with an air ionizer.

• More details on the choice of fan heater are described in our article: How to choose the right fan heater for the house

What is so good for infrared heaters

This type of heater is the most advanced and economical. Most often they are used for heating large rooms. Such heaters are fire-safe, noiseless, environmentally friendly, do not emit smell, are easy to operate and do not reduce the oxygen content in the air. This heater will not heat the air, but the objects that are in the heated space.

Such a device is characterized by a rapid heating. The room is filled with heat in a couple of minutes after turning on the equipment. Thanks to the built-in thermostat, it is possible to maintain the required temperature within the required time. Another plus of such a purchase is that the infrared heater does not burn oxygen in the room and does not overdry the air.

Thermal guns - purpose and technical characteristics of

If you need to quickly heat the air in a room, then in this case the heat guns will be an indispensable helper. This device, the same fan heater( located already in a strong metal case.), In which the heating element heats the air. Heat guns are also characterized by high power. The power indicator in similar devices is from 3-30 kW.

Such heating equipment is very convenient and easy to use. Using a heat gun, you can quickly heat the room you need. To a large extent, such a device is considered industrial, that's why it is used in shops, garages, etc. A non-replaceable helper is such a device on construction sites, becauseit can be carried.

Heat curtains

Heat curtains are not very popular today. They are very much like heat guns. Mounted such a technique over the door or window openings. Their main task is to prevent cold air from entering the room.

The main advantages of such equipment is its ability to strengthen the ventilation of the room, but at the same time to save it from excessive humidity. Heat curtains protect the room from dust, flying insects and unpleasant odors. Therefore, the use of such equipment is relevant all year round. The advantages include silent operation and ease of use.

All heat curtains have two installation options: horizontal - are installed above the opening and vertical - are installed on the side of the opening. With any type of installation, the thermal curtains allow you to block the door or window opening, the wall of warm air. When choosing such a heating equipment, it is not the heat output that is important, but the air flow.