Operation of infrared, electric and water type skirting board heaters

Skirting-type heaters have been known for a very long time. Even at the beginning of the twentieth century, these devices were invented and patented in Europe, but it took more than a hundred years for so that the technology and production capabilities become capable of manufacturing these heating devices in accordance with the existing standards.

Such heaters got their name from their location - a plinth, which is an element of interior decoration installed along the perimeter of the floor. It was at the junction of the floor with the walls that the idea came up to place almost invisible, very efficient and compact heat sources. There are three types of devices, distinguished by the heating element they use:

• Infrared - with the use of a special film, which is also used in "warm floor" systems and tubes with carbon filaments.
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• Electric - conventional tubular electric heaters or, in abbreviated form, heating elements are used as a heating element.
• Water pipes - in the middle of the baseboards there are pipes through which heated water flows. Can be used in conjunction with the district heating system of an apartment building.

Infrared skirting heaters

Acts on the principle of dispersion of long-wave thermal radiation, also used in infrared heaters, which are usually mounted above the ceiling. Plinth placement, however, has its own characteristics:

• Better and more uniform convection - heat is transferred to all horizontal and vertical surfaces, which leads to the appearance in the air of many mutually intersecting streams of warm air.
• More comfortable perception of the current temperature due to heating of the skin and clothing. This effect can lead to significant savings in heating costs by lowering the room temperature by a few degrees. Some experts refer to this feature as the "bonfire effect."

With an instant warmth sensation, infrared skirting heaters allow you to get comfortable indoor conditions faster than usual.

Advantages and disadvantages of infrared heating

Unlike traditional heating systems, infrared has many interesting properties that allow not only more efficient use of space in the premises, but also achieve significant savings funds. In addition, they have the following advantages:

• Lack of the effect of cold walls - due to the nature of the emitted heat, along with the objects in the room, other surfaces heat up - walls, floor and ceiling.
• They do not affect well-being - due to the fact that it is not the air that heats up, the person does not experience discomfort from heat and does not feel headaches.
• Safety - it is impossible to get burned from this type of heater.
• Interchangeability and design versatility.

The main disadvantage of any skirting boards is their lack of popularity. You have to spend time delivering parts that are not available in some stores or order them in advance. But this is not limited to:

• Any electric heaters consume a lot of electricity. In the context of constantly growing tariffs, one has to scrupulously calculate the benefits of using them and think about the prospects for switching to another type.
• The need for additional insulation of the outer walls of a house or apartment - as they heat up and a significant part of the heat energy goes to the street.

Water heaters of air

Inside they have tubes made of aluminum or a bimetallic alloy with copper. The heating medium can be either central heating water or ordinary water - clean or with special compositions. They allow you to leave the room for a long time without supervision and heating and do not allow water to freeze inside the pipes, preventing damage and destruction.

The main parameters of this type of convectors are operating pressure and temperature. Basically, they operate in a pressure range of 10 to 25 atmospheres and temperatures with a lower limit of 90 degrees Celsius and an upper limit up to 130 degrees. There are also such convectors, the design of which provides for the installation of metal fins on the pipes transporting the coolant. This is done to increase the heat transfer coefficient and more efficient operation of the heater.

The metal of the pipes is not much less important. For example, copper or aluminum pipes have a much higher thermal conductivity than steel pipes, which give less heating energy to the environment.

Pros and cons of water heaters

Advantages of water heaters, especially if they are used in high-rise apartments, are pretty obvious:

• The ability to connect to the central heating system without additional costs to ensure the reliability of the power supply.
• Ease of installation - the system is simple enough to install and commission.

And of course, like any system, this one also has weaknesses:

• Sensitivity to temperature changes - without additional additives, the coolant can damage the pipes.
• Dependence on the pipe material used - the most common and relatively inexpensive is still steel, which performs heat exchange worse than others.

Electric skirting heating systems

The simplest ones, which do not require water supply or the use of expensive radiant tapes, are electric skirting heaters. They are easy to operate and install, they will definitely stand for a long time and will not become unusable due to corrosive processes due to the use of heated industrial water.

Electric heaters are the same metal pipes as in the case of water pipes, only inside there are tubular electric heaters (heating elements). They are usually connected together with a cable made of temperature-resistant silicone. This cable is led out together with the grounding cable through the top tube.

The main characteristics of heating elements are their length and the corresponding power of the element. The following typical heating elements are mainly produced:

• Length - up to 0.7 m, power - up to 140 watts.
• Length - meter, power - 200 watts.
• One and a half meters, power - 300 watts.
• 2.5 meters with a power of half a kilowatt (500 watts).

Such heating systems are completed with independent thermostats for each element of the system, allowing you to independently choose the degree of heating of the room. This will help you save a lot on heating, especially if you maintain a cool (about 18 degrees Celsius) temperature inside the house. This temperature is more useful than the one that enters our homes through centralized heating.

There are also variations of this system, in fact, a hybrid of water and electric heater types. The whole difference is that the cavity of the copper tube in which the heating element is installed is filled not with air, but with oil. Thanks to heating, it begins to actively circulate along with convection currents, this allows the system to heat up faster and more strongly, which leads to even greater efficiency.

Pros and cons of electric heaters

Pros:

• The presence of a regulator of heating intensity.
• Moisture protection.
• No need to additionally humidify the air.
• High efficiency.

Minuses:

• Dependence on the cross-section of the electric power wire - it must be 1 square millimeter thick, otherwise overheating and fires are possible.
• High electricity consumption at peak loads.