Types Of Room Heaters
Last Updated on by Daniel Lawrence
It getting to the winter season and you don’t have a built fireplace in your home? you might consider getting a room heater. Read through this guide as we show you all you need to know about room heaters.
Room heaters work on various principles and technologies and are also available in various price ranges. Even the way of spreading the heat across your room is different.
Types of room heaters available based on the method of heating
When it comes to heating methods, there are primarily 3 types of room heaters available in India. Almost every room heater works on either of these heating principles. Here they are:-
- Convection heaters
They work on the principle of heating the room through convection technology where a coil or a panel is used for heating. A fan/ blower is blown towards the heat panel which spreads warm air in the entire room.
- Conduction heaters
These room heaters spread heat through a metallic coil which glows upon being heated electrically. First, the nearby areas are heated which eventually spread the heat to other areas of the room.
- Radiant heaters
These are the heaters that work based on infrared radiation. These rays of heat are known to directly heat the surfaces on which they fall, thereby generating the warmth that is required in the room
Know The Types Of Room Heaters
Room heaters are also known as space heaters. There are several room heaters available in the market. All of these have varied shapes, sizes, cozy, and many other features. Room heaters can be classified into three major categories based on their heating technology and method.
Here are the major types of heaters:
- Infrared heaters
- Fan heaters
- Oil-filled room heaters
- Infrared Heaters
The infrared room heater is probably the most economical heater that works like a campfire and gives out heat to its vicinity areas only. So it is ideal for small spaces and single people. This heater has no fans, thus it is not at all loud. Besides, it heats up quickly and uses less energy. The only drawback of such a heater is that it is not enough for large rooms or more peoples and not child safe. These are also known as Halogen, Quartz, Infrared based room heaters.
- Fan Heaters
An ideal pick to heat a little large space in a short time, the fan heaters are also quite pocket-friendly. The ceramic coil heats the hot air around such heaters and thus the convection heater quickly creates heat and is safe to touch. This heater includes a fan that will blow out the hot air and thus it will keep your living space hot. A fan heater consumes less energy and is also known as a ceramic heater, convection heater, or blower room heaters.
- Oil Filled Room Heaters
Oil-filled radiators are one of the best heaters anyone can opt for but take a long time to be heated. This is because they provide heat for a long time even after the heater is turned off. Oil-filled room heaters consume less electricity and are not at all loud. As oil is used as a heat reservoir, even you switch off the heater still room will be hot.
Oil-filled room heaters neither burn oxygen nor reduce humidity making the best choice for newborn babies. In this regard, they are healthy options as they won’t cause any suffocation or dry eyes, skin rashes. Contrary to the misconception there is no burning of oil is required in an oil-based room heater. The power is consumed to heat the oil, then the heat is passed to metal walls through convection.
There is a wide variety of heaters available on the market today. While some of the same principles apply to most heaters, each make and model has subtle variations. While many furnaces are powered by gas, oil, or other fossil fuels, smaller heaters often rely on electricity. The primary component common to all electrical heaters is the electrical resistor.
When you turn a heater on, the electrical current that is produced heats the nichrome wire components — better known as the heating coils — in the unit. Electrical energy is turned into heat as the current passes through the resistor. That’s why electric heaters are also known as resistance heating units.
The next step in the healing process depends on whether or not the heater has a built-in electric fan or not. If there is a fan, it will help draw cold air into the heater. The air passes over the heating elements and then is pushed out into the room — this is similar to how hair dryers work. This is also known as convection heating because the warmth is transferred through the air. Convection heaters are a good way to warm a space quickly by getting hot air to circulate the room.
If there is no fan in the heater, air enters the unit from below. The airflow passes over the coils, is heated, and finally finds its way out through the top of the device. This style of electric heating is known as radiant heating — think of a conventional electric stove with a heating element.
It’s a good choice for small spaces and areas where you can be near the heat source while it’s in use. Electric baseboards are radiant heaters and provide an effective way of introducing thermal energy to a room without changing your home’s infrastructure.
Features and variables to look out for:
- Timers:
Allow you to set the heater turn on and turn off times. This helps you save energy and also is very convenient.
- Noise levels:
Silence is gold and it will be very nice to have a noise-free room heater. Noise basically depends on the kind of technology we are using to generate the heat. By definition radiance method of heat, generation does not make noise at all. So Radiant and Oil filled room heaters are noise-free room heaters. Ceramic heaters make little noise due to the fan
- Humidity and Oxygen levels:
Radiance and Oil filled room heaters burn oxygen to make the room warm. In fan heaters, the air is pushed on a hot coil and makes and comes out as hot air. Somewhat similar case with infrared heaters too. In short, fan heaters and infrared heaters reduces oxygen levels and humidity. Less humidity leads to dry eyes and nasal blockage.
To overcome this keeps a bucket of water in the corner of the room. If the problem continues you can get a humidifier. Apart from that, the best option is to buy an oil-based room heater. In Oil heaters, only oil is heated and through radiance hot oil temperature is conducted in air, hence there is no burning of oxygen and humidity. This is a critical factor if you are purchasing a room heater for a newborn baby.
- Room Heater for Asthma:
This is one of the most commonly asked questions, the short answer is all electrical room heaters are fine. In other countries gas-based room heaters are available and fumes come out of gas room heaters are not good for asthma patients. But all the above-mentioned room heaters (fan, radiance, oil) are electrical and safe to use. But as a general rule of thumb for Asthma patients if you face any problem with any appliance immediately stay away from it.
- Aesthetic of room heater:
A room heater is an additional piece of furniture in your room. So it should match with the style of the room interior and also with the other furniture. Many fashionable room heaters are available, so one should search a little and find out the heater which would enhance the beauty of the room. Apart from that make sure you have sufficient place where you can keep the room heater like on the table or chair.
- Portability:
Providing mobility wheels or handles makes transporting your room heater a breeze. Portable room heaters are appropriate for use at different places very easily.
- Automatic oscillation:
It helps to evenly distribute the heat in the room. This feature is most common in fan heaters where oscillation spreads hot air across the room.
- Multiple Heat Setting:
It gives you more control to heat different sized spaces. Multiple heating settings also add to the functionality as the heater can be used in variable temperature conditions.
- Safety Settings:
Overheat protection switch is a must-have feature to keep the internal components at a safe temperature. The heater automatically shuts off after reaching a predetermined temperature.
- Light Levels:
Heaters may emit bright light which can cause discomfort during night hours. Look out for the level of light emitted by the unit.
- Safety Mesh:
Most heaters come with a safety mesh in the front. Check whether the slats are close enough for safe usage with children and pets in the room.
- Type of Plug:
Check whether the heater uses a standard or power plug. For safe operation, additional wiring may be required with a power plug.
CONCLUSION
Heaters allow you to heat only the areas that you need to keep warm, so you use less energy overall. Almost no energy is wasted converting electricity to heat so you get the best use of the energy you pay for. They also help reduce demand for high-polluting petroleum products like oil and natural gas — especially if you choose green electricity providers.
