"There is a hot harmonica in every house under the window." Of course, you know the answer to this children's riddle. And you can immediately say that there is an error in it. Not always this “accordion” is as hot as we would like! So you have to buy heaters.
Heaters are now a lot of different. If you go to the store without thinking about which heater is best for your home, and buy the first one you can make a serious mistake and even harm your health. Further from our article you will learn a few facts that will allow you to make the right choice.
Fact 1: for a city apartment it is wiser to choose one of the electric heaters (oil, infrared, fan heaters or convector). For a country house, where there is no electrical network or its power is limited, gas heaters are suitable.
In the city, gas heaters for the home are rarely used. But in cottages, in country houses, where there is often no electricity at all (or they have not had time to do it yet), the stove is only in the plans so far, a gas heater powered by a balloon is an excellent solution. Even if there is electricity, gas heaters will be useful, as gas is cheaper. And the room warms up faster. Many people choose a combined heating - after a long absence, quickly heat the house with a gas appliance, and use electricity for constant heating.
The owners of country houses speak well of Italian appliances, for example, about a gas infrared heater Pullover I Turbo Plus (4.2 kW). It has an additional heater for 2 kW and an electric fan - so the device can operate on 2 types of fuel. The power of such models is regulated in steps (in 1.4 kW steps). Its maximum value is increased, in comparison with conventional models, by 1.5-2 times. There is piezo ignition, gas control. The built-in security system blocks the supply of fuel with an increase in carbon dioxide concentration.
Fact 2: among electric heaters, fan heaters are considered the cheapest. Infrared heaters and convectors are more expensive.
The most popular fan heaters (Timberk, Ballu, Supra, Electrolux) cost from 300-500 to 2000 rubles. There are models and more expensive. Prices for convectors and infrared heaters with a capacity of 1000 W start from 2000-3000 rubles.
Fact 3: The model’s too low price (compared to other similar devices of the same group and capacity) may indicate assembly flaws, materials, and the absence of important functions.
Perhaps the store where you saw a suspiciously cheap heater is holding a sale. But, just in case, study the chosen model carefully. Low compared with peers, the price often have heaters without automatic thermostat. Or there is no overheating relay in the device. The body can be made of cheap material (simple grades of metal or plastic). The disadvantages of such materials - susceptibility to corrosion, brittleness, unpleasant smell when heated.
Fact 4: Different types of heaters heat a room at different speeds.
The general pattern is as follows: the most rapidly heated air in the room fan heaters. The effect is felt almost immediately. The convector also quickly gives heat - it takes a few minutes. In order to warm the room with an oil heater, it takes at least half an hour. Time depends, of course, on the size of the room.
It is explained simply. The oil heats up slowly. The time after switching on the device is spent on heating the heating element itself, then the oil should heat up, only after that the air temperature will increase. But the device will cool down just as slowly! Therefore, the heat will still be maintained in the room after it is turned off.Convectors and fan heaters create a constant movement of air, all of its volume is driven through the heater and quickly acquires the desired temperature. It will cool down just as quickly.
More efficient oil heaters with built-in fan. For example, the Timberk TOR 51 ... EZ I series (51.2007, 51.2509 and 51.2811 differ in the number of sections and power). These models have a built-in fan heater that can be turned off, three-stage heating, as well as a built-in air ionizer - a rare feature for oil heaters. It fills the air with air ions, reduces the harmful effects of electromagnetic radiation, removes odors. The devices of the series are designed for space heating from 17 to 30 square meters. m
Infrared heaters, unlike other types of devices, do not heat air, but objects. The air temperature will therefore increase not too fast. However, the heat next to him you feel already thirty seconds after the heater is turned on. Because of their speed and efficiency, these appliances are valued as energy efficient heaters for the home.
Photo: mastercomp.com.ua
Fact 5: if you need directional heat (for example, do not consider it necessary to spend energy on heating a large room, but you want to have heat in your favorite chair), an IR heater will do.
Both convectors and oil heaters are designed to increase the air temperature throughout the volume of the room. They are chosen, given the volume (or area) of the room. In the list of characteristics of these devices indicate the parameter "heating area" (example: oil heater Delonghi GS 770920 - power up to 2 kW, heating area at maximum power - 20 square meters. M). Heat from the infrared heater will be felt, first of all, directly in front of the device (the surrounding air is heated indirectly, through objects), so this type should be used for local heating.
Fact 6: Wall mounted convector heaters for the home more effectively heat the room if they are installed low above the floor. Infrared, on the contrary, should be placed higher.
This is due to the mechanism of their work. The convector takes air from the room. To get cold air into the appliance, and not just the heated one, it is necessary to lower the heater lower - after all, the warm air, passing through the heater, rises to the ceiling, and the cold one accumulates below. The radiation of an infrared heater has a direction, so the device is placed over the area that requires heating. One of the main parameters in the list of characteristics of infrared heaters is the minimum installation height (Timberk TCH A2, the recommended suspension height is 2.5 m).
Fact 7: In rooms where windows and doors are poorly insulated, drafts are frequent or regular airing is required, an infrared heater will be most effective.
The effectiveness of all other types of electric heaters for the home is reduced if the room is constantly open door. Through the cracks warm air easily escapes from the room, and the cold just as easily gets inside. It turns out that, in addition to the room, you warm the street or corridor. The drafts do not affect the operation of the infrared heater. It will still be warm next to him. Infrared heaters are successfully used to heat the veranda, an open kitchen, you can use it right on the street.
Fact 8: fan heaters are the noisiest among heaters.
The noise level during operation of the device is a subjective indicator. One fan heater is annoying, and the other owner of the same model is sleeping peacefully - the fan does not interfere with it. If you are sensitive to noise, listen in the store how this or that model works. Fan heaters Electrolux EFH / C-5115, Rolsen RCH-2507 and Ballu BFH / C-20, occupying the top lines in the lists of popular models, are quite quiet. But the noise of the fan Ballu BFH / S-05 has customer complaints.
Oil heaters heat up silently. The only sounds that are heard next to the device are clicking on it when it cools down. IR heaters do not make any sounds at all.
Fact 9: Thermal fans are the smallest among heaters.
So, the Timberk TFH T05UFK thermofan (500 W), designed for heating one workplace (chair, desk, etc.), has a height of only 10 cm and weighs 0.7 kg. Devices of the Ballu BFH, Electrolux EFH, Rolsen series (with a maximum power of 1.5 kW) in height do not exceed 25 cm and weigh 1.4 kg. Oil heaters for the home, usually have a height of about 65 cm, the length depends on the number of sections. The height of convector heaters is about half a meter.
Photo: www.kt-s.su
Fact 10: for use in rooms with high humidity (for example, to dry the bathroom) only models with a sealed waterproof housing are suitable.
Suppose there is no open spiral in the device - if the design does not provide for increased protection against moisture, you cannot turn it on in rooms or non-residential premises with high humidity! The waterproof case has a Timberk brand heater: TCH A2 (infrared), TOR 41 .... FH (oil heater series), also General Climat NY23E and some others.
Fact 11: if the heater is designed for a home without central heating, you should choose a model with the function "frost protection".
Heaters equipped with this function automatically maintain the air temperature in the room at about 5 ° C. This helps to prevent freezing of the walls in the house, if the owners are long gone and the main heating is turned off. Examples of models with the “frost protection” function: the Timberk TFH W200AD thermo-fan, Delonghi GS series oil fans (770920, 770715, 771225, etc.), among infrared ones are the Campa devices. About a third of convectors on the market have such a function (Noirot, Timberk, NeoClima, Ensto).
Fact 12: Incorrectly installed or low-quality infrared heater can be harmful to health.
Infrared radiation is not completely safe for humans. What can threaten the wrong installation of the device or its poor quality? Excessive exposure to IR rays with certain characteristics can lead to various unpleasant consequences (from drying out of the skin to damage to the organs of vision). Therefore, for the application of such radiation developed sanitary standards. Responsible manufacturers necessarily take them into account when developing their devices.
In order for the infrared heater to work not only effectively, but also safely, you should follow a few rules:
- choose a model of a well-known (better European) manufacturer in a store with a good reputation;
- install the device not lower than the minimum height specified in the instructions (and therefore, when choosing, take into account the height of the ceiling in the room);
- Do not aim the device directly at a person (especially at children and at sleepers).
Fact 13: If a family member suffers from asthma or is prone to bronchitis and other diseases of the respiratory system, it is safer to install an infrared heater.
Heaters equipped with a fan, are able to lift into the air all the dust in the room. Dust particles deposited on a heated body or heating element burn and cause an unpleasant smell. Infrared heater in this respect is completely safe, does not create heavy air movement.
Fact 14: for constant heating of the children's room, heaters with wall or ceiling mounting should be chosen..
Devices on wheels are very convenient, but they are the cause of many childhood injuries. A heater securely mounted on a wall or on a ceiling is not capable of falling or in any other way harming a child (and it is more difficult for a child to reach him). The possibility of such an installation is in all infrared heaters, in most convectors, in a small part of thermal fans. An even safer solution for a nursery is a warm floor.
Fact 15: among floor models, safer heaters with a rollover shutdown system are safer..
If there are children in the house, large pets, old people, choose a model with a protection system in case of overturning.Especially if you choose an oil heater or a thermal fan. Such devices automatically drop when dropped.
You have already understood that the question of which heater to choose for the house should be approached very responsibly. Take into account the facts listed in this article - and you save yourself from many mistakes.
