What type of heater to choose for a house or apartment

The lower the temperature outside the window, the more often we think about how to warm the room until the central heating is turned on. Especially a similar question worries those who generally can not count on common boiler rooms, and is forced to heat the dwellings on their own.

A wide range of heaters often confronts us with a difficult choice. How to choose a heater for an apartment, cottage or a large country house? What they are and what you need to pay attention to when buying? We will look at the answers to these and other questions below.

Oil Heaters

These heaters are great for heating not too large rooms. The oil cooler is a small battery that is filled with special mineral oil. Also inside are one or more heaters with the help of which they are heated. Outwardly, they are similar to traditional cast iron batteries consisting of several sections. The more of them, the more heat the heater is able to give.

Some oil coolers are equipped with built-in fans. They disperse the warm air around the room, and heating is faster.

Sometimes you can come across oil radiators of a slightly different design. They are a single or double sealed panel filled with oil. The surface area of ​​such a device is lower in comparison with “batteries”.This means that it will warm up the room for much longer. However, at the same time, it takes up much less space and can be used in small spaces.

Like all heating devices, oil batteries have both advantages and disadvantages. The first include the following:

• Most heaters are equipped with a thermostat. It allows you not to "burn" electricity for nothing, but to set the temperature of the air in the room, after reaching which the device turns off on its own.
• Many models are equipped with a timer. In this way, you can program the heater to be turned on at a specific time.
• Pretty affordable cost.
• Compactness and mobility. Most models are equipped with special legs and wheels. With their help, you can place the device in any convenient place.
• Preheated oil cools for quite some time. So the heater will give off heat for a long time after it is disconnected from the network.
• Fanless models run completely silently.

Disadvantages of oil heating radiators, too much. The main thing is that the surface of the battery is very hot. So it should not be placed in those rooms where there are small children. Oil heater weighs a lot. In addition, it goes to the working temperature for quite a while. So if you want to quickly warm up the room, this option will not work. Well, the main drawback: oil heaters can not be called economical. Energy they consume quite a lot.

Convection Heaters

The device of such a device is subject to the laws of physics and is based on the phenomenon of convection. Everyone knows that cold air is heavier than warm air, which means it is located closer to the floor. It gets through the lower grid of the heater to powerful heating elements, heats up and naturally rises to the ceiling. In the meantime, the process is repeated from the beginning.

Depending on the type of mounting convectors can be divided into 4 main categories:

1. Wall. They have a nice design and can serve as an additional decoration of the interior. Most often they are placed under the window like a normal battery.
2. Floor. They have additional legs or wheels, due to which they can easily move in any direction.
3. Embedded. Differ in complexity of installation. They are built into the previously prepared niches in the floor and are used for additional heating of rooms with large panoramic windows.
4. Ceiling. Installed, as the wall, only at the top, on the ceiling.

Depending on the type and source of heating, convection heaters are divided into the following types:

1. Gas. Often used for heating production areas of a large area. In the residential sector are rarely used.
2. Waterborne. In some cases, require additional equipment: pipelines and hot water boiler.
3. Electrical. The most popular option for homes and apartments. They do not require installation of additional equipment, easy to maintain and install.

Some convection heaters are equipped with additional fans. This contributes to better air circulation and allows for a well-heated room in a relatively short time.

The advantages of such devices include:

• The relative quiet operation( if there is no additional fan).
• The presence of a built-in thermostat, providing their own on and off heaters at the right time.
• Emergency relay triggered by overheating.
• Relative safety. The surface temperature of the heater rarely exceeds 65 degrees. So getting a burn is unlikely.
• Ease of use, especially for outdoor models. Nothing needs to be mounted, just plug into the outlet.
• They are quite economical and consume a quarter of the energy compared to oil counterparts.

Such devices, although few, have some minuses, but they still exist.

Firstly, with their help it is difficult to heat very large rooms. A portion of warm air will cool down before the next one heats up. So for rooms with high ceilings, they are not suitable.

Well, and secondly, the convection type of heaters is not suitable for people suffering from various forms of allergy. Constant air circulation creates drafts, which contributes to the active movement of dust particles and household mites around the room.

Infrared Heating Units

This is one of the most modern types of climate technology. The principle of their operation is based on the radiation of infrared waves of various ranges. A good infrared heater can be compared to the bright sun that warms us on a summer day. Inside the heaters are special lamps made of quartz, carbon or halogen. Inside the tubes, the air is pumped out and there are threads of tungsten or carbon fiber. Behind the tubes there is a metal reflector mirrored or polished to a shine. The front part is retracted by a mesh panel.

Unlike all other heating devices, infrared heaters do not warm the air, but the surrounding objects. Already they, in turn, transmit heat into space.

As well as convection, these devices come in different ways of fastening. They can be placed under the ceiling or hung on the wall. And you can prefer a portable floor option. He is also good because he can be taken, for example, to the veranda. Since the rays heat objects and are dispersed in the air, they are not afraid of any drafts or wind. Thus, it is the only device that can effectively warm you in the open.

Advantages of infrared heaters:

• Very economical consumption of electrical energy.
• Perfect noiseless operation.
• They can work without moving air in space, which means they are ideal for allergies.
• When you turn on the heater, it will become warm in just a few seconds. You do not have to wait until the room warms up completely.
• The territory is warming up simultaneously in all directions. It all depends on where the rays are directed.

Instrument Deficiencies:

• Care should be taken when choosing a powerful shortwave instrument. If the calculations are done incorrectly, there may be headaches. They should not be used in rooms with low ceilings. They are intended primarily for outdoor use.
• High-quality infrared heaters are more expensive than other types of climate technology.

Fan Heaters

Traditional heat fans are considered to be the most affordable and easy to use. They are installed on a table or on the floor and are able to provide a fairly rapid heating of the air in the room.

The variety of such heaters is small. It all depends on what kind of heating element is installed inside. They may be:

• Open spiral - heating temperature of about 700–800 degrees.
• Tubular Heater - heated more than 200-250 degrees.
• Ceramic plate - not more than 190 degrees.

Open-spiral devices, of course, warm the room faster, but burn oxygen and pollute the room with products of combustion of dust and other small particles. In this case, it is best to prefer a model with a ceramic plate. Heat from it will be as much, but the smell is much less.

For fast warming up of the room, many models are equipped with an additional turning device. In this case, they are able to distribute warm air for 180 around them.

With all its positive qualities, fan heaters are quite buzzing, so with long work they can cause headaches.

By what parameters to choose?

So what heater to buy for home, office or garden? What kind of preference?

Regardless of which option you prefer, you should first decide on some basic parameters. Perhaps their definition will help make the right choice.

Accommodation

Floor heaters are the most popular. This design allows you to move the device to a convenient place or hide in the pantry until the next time.

Fixed wall or ceiling placement is necessary when the device is planned to be used continuously. In this case, the inclusion will be made with one click, and the wires will not be confused under their feet.

Power

In general, this parameter is selected at the rate of 0.1 kW per 1 square meter of space. That is, for heating a room of 15 m2, 1.5 kW is enough.

Thermostat

The presence of this device allows you to maintain the desired temperature automatically. Thermostats are electronic and mechanical. The first one sets the parameters more precisely, but can be damaged by random drops of energy in the network. The second is much more durable, but here its accuracy rarely exceeds 2 degrees.

In order not to spoil the electronic thermostat, it is necessary to install an additional system of protection against voltage surges.

Additional features

Many models of climate technology have additional options designed to provide the desired degree of comfort and safety. These include:

• waterproof housing;
• protection against overheating or freezing;
• various timers;
• shutdown when overturning;
• ionizers or humidifiers.

By themselves, they should not be a decisive criterion when choosing, but they can weigh the scales on one side or the other, all other things being equal.

Which is better to choose?

Choosing a heater for your home is not easy. It is quite difficult to give advice on this issue. It all depends on what kind of room should be heated and how quickly it should be done.

For example, a fan heater with a ceramic plate is suitable for installation in a nursery. All other options should be used exclusively under parental control or placed under the ceiling.

For a bedroom, it's best not to use models that have a built-in fan. Their noise will be annoying during sleep. In this case, an oil radiator or a conventional electric convector is best suited.

If you come to the country for a short time and want to quickly feel comfortable, the portable infrared model is the best possible way. With him you will be quite comfortable in the house and in the yard.

In general, if it is correct to determine exactly where and how often the device will be used, the answer to the question of which heater to choose for the house during the cold season will be found by itself.