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Most of the popular heaters on the market
are usually powered by either electricity or fuel (either
propane or kerosene). While both types of heaters have their
own individual benefits, electric heaters seem to be the
most popular option because they're often
inexpensive to purchase and easy to maintain. In fact, 90% of
the heaters we carry use electricity to provide warmth. |
Electric heaters primarily work by converting electricity into heat
via an electric resistor within the heater, and an electric current
flowing through the resistor then coverts the electric energy into
heat energy.
Some of the benefits of an
electric heater are obvious - electricity is available anywhere, and
electric heaters do not require any fuel to be stored.
In that respect, electric heaters do not emit
pollutants into the area being heated, but they're still
generated using fossil fuels. In terms of operating costs, electric
heaters can sometimes be costly when used at peak times, so it's important to be prudent when running an electric heater. If used
intermittently, an electric heater can be relatively inexpensive to
run, but depending on your heating needs, they may not be as cost effective as a unit with the same output
utilizing gas.
It's also important to understand safety issues
when purchasing a heater. Some of the older models of heaters available in
second-hand shops do not have safety features such as tip over
switches in place, and
some heating fires can occur with the use of an electric heater.
However, many new models of electric heaters are required to pass
rigid safety tests in order to ensure safe operation. Wire
grills, tilt switches, automatic shutoff controls, and thermostat
controls are all safety features to look for when purchasing an
electric heater. Also, because oil-filled heaters have lower surface
temperatures than most other types of heaters, they're usually safer than most.
In terms of design variations, although all electric heaters use the
same basic principle to generate heat, there are differences in how
electric heaters provide heat to the environment. Here are some
different electric heating methods available:
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Common
Electric Heating Methods |
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Convection Heaters:
Relatively silent and with a low risk of fire hazard, these
electric heaters are great for providing background warmth in a
closed space. Convection heaters warm the air
near the element or body of the heater by using
air convection currents to generate heat, and
these currents circulate throughout the
appliance and across the heating
element. In other words, heat is emitted from the hot
surface of the heater. Because hot air is less dense than cool air,
it rises, allowing for more cool air to take its place. A
constant current of hot air leaves the heater through vent holes and
heats up the area. Examples of convection heaters are
oil-filled radiators, which are perfect for personal spaces
such as under desks; and
electric baseboard heaters, which can efficiently heat rooms
such as a bedroom or lounge area.
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Infrared Heaters (or Radiant Heaters): Infrared heaters transfer thermal energy via electromagnetic waves,
and all infrared heaters share one common characteristic: heat is
emitted or radiated from the heated object or substance, and only
objects are warmed (as opposed to entire areas). They're relatively
quiet, and no contact or medium between two bodies is needed for
this energy transfer. This also makes these heaters energy
efficient. In terms of practical applications, the efficacy of an
infrared heater depends on matching the emitted wavelength and the
absorption spectrum of the heated material. In general,
infrared
heaters are great for multi-purpose use, they're especially
effective for industrial use such as warehouses and even greenhouses where
high temperatures are required to be quickly reached, when temperature gradients
are needed, or when areas need to be heated in a targeted way.
Click here
to read more about infrared heaters. |
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Fan Heaters: A fan heater is a type of convection heater that uses a fan to
pass air over a heating element in order to speed up the airflow.
This heating element heats the air, the air leaves the heater, and
the surrounding area is warmed. This can result in extremely rapid
heating in a room, but these heaters aren't as effective at
providing background warmth when compared to convection heaters, and
may not be the best choice if sound is a concern, as fan-type
heaters can sometimes be noisy. However, fan heaters work well in
areas where installing other types of heating devices would be
impractical, but they should not be left unattended. Examples of fan
heaters would be portable
fan garage
heaters, which are placed on the floor and provide blasts of
warm air onto the body. |
See Electric Heaters >>
Heater Guide Main Page >>
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