To solve the problem of which heater is best for the home, buyers do not always focus on profitability and benefits. For women, an important criterion is the appearance of the device and how it fits into the overall interior. For men, the key is the economic side of home heaters, the types of which have different degrees of electricity consumption and efficiency.
Types of heaters and their characteristics
When choosing a heater for a house or apartment, first of all, it is necessary to decide whether the devices will be the main source of heat or a backup one, whether the device has enough power to heat the required area.
In supermarkets, there is a huge selection of models of imported and domestic manufacturers, differing in the principle of operation, cost, quality, installation method, power and electricity consumption.
The choice may differ based on the area of the dwelling, the climatic characteristics of the region, the presence or absence of an alternative heating method, for example, an autonomous gas or fireplace.
Oil radiators
Electric oil coolers have a simple design. Outwardly, they represent a ribbed body with an increased heat transfer area. Inside there is a heating element and a container with refined mineral oil. When turned on, the oil heats up and gives off heat to the body, which in turn transfers it to the room.
An oil cooler is installed closer to the floor, where there are heavy cold air masses. The appliance heats them up and warm air is directed upwards.
The advantages of oil heaters:
- High degree of protection - all high temperature elements are insulated. At the same time, the outer part does not warm up above 60 degrees. In this mode, fire and burn injuries are impossible.
- The ability to work for more than 3 days without interruption, since the device has overheating protection and automatically maintains a safe temperature regime.
- Oil radiators work absolutely silently, except that sometimes a sound is heard when the device is turned off.
- Long service life as internal parts do not burn out.
- The device does not emit odors during operation.
- The humidity level is always kept within 60%.
- There are several operating modes - for cold rooms and for additional heating.
- The degree of protection against moisture allows the device to be installed in damp rooms.
Disadvantages:
- Oil radiators without a fan heat the room longer due to the lack of forced air circulation.
- Large weight of the product. It is difficult to carry if there are no wheels.
- One heater is capable of high-quality heating of one room in winter, therefore, it is necessary to install a device in each room as the main source of heat.
There are several modifications of electrical oil equipment, which are distinguished by the method of installation - floor-standing, wall-mounted, small devices that can be placed on a table.
The most economical are wall-mounted models with a fan. They make more noise, but they heat up faster and consume less electricity.In fact, oil radiators are all similar in principle of operation and differ only in the power and quality of internal parts.
If you need to use the radiator as a clothes dryer (you cannot hang anything on top of ordinary ones), it is recommended to pick up a device with a special frame on which things are placed.
Convectors
Electric convectors as heaters for an apartment are a good solution if the central heating is not on yet and the cold has already come.
You can choose one of the available characteristics:
- By type of installation - universal, wall, floor, skirting.
- Heating element - needle, tubular or monolithic heating element.
- According to the type of thermostat - mechanical, electronic, with a programming function.
The design of the convector is based on the physical properties of air: there is an intake opening from below, through which cold air enters the heating element. It is then heated inside and blown upwards. Thanks to the built-in fan, the room is heated very quickly.
The walls of the case are heated slightly, so a person cannot get burned. In apartments where there are small children, protective boxes are additionally installed, which do not allow touching the hot appliance, but do not interfere with air circulation.
Wall-mounted models are more popular, as they can be placed under windows to cut off the flow of cold air coming from the glass units.
The advantages of convectors are:
- No open flames, so oxygen is not burned in the room.
- Constant air humidity is maintained, which is important for indoor plants and human respiratory organs.
- Different modes of operation.
- Low noise level even when the fan is running.
- The models of devices built into the floor allow organizing invisible heating, which does not strike the eye, then creates streams of warm air of different intensities.
The devices work in automatic mode, therefore they do not require supervision. In the absence of residents of the house, you can turn on the economy mode.
Disadvantages:
- high energy consumption and heating costs;
- powerful appliances are expensive.
The convectors can be transported thanks to the wheels. The degree of protection allows the device to shut down in the event of an accidental fall.
Infrared emitters
The principle of operation of infrared emitters is different from other devices. If they all heat the air, then the energy of the IR heater is directed to the surrounding objects - walls, furniture. If there is a surface in front of the heater that can absorb infrared radiation, then it heats up first, then gives off heat to the surrounding space. Only 10% of the energy comes from heating air masses.
Varieties of IR heaters:
- With heating panel. Heating occurs after the front panel of the device is heated. This protects people from excess infrared radiation.
- Device without heating plate. Inside there is a reflector - a carefully polished panel that amplifies the waves and directs them towards a specific object.
- Gas autonomous IR emitter. Powered by a portable cylinder. The disadvantage is the increased oxygen burning.
Available in various designs - ceiling, wall, portable floor. They also differ in power: there are models that are capable of heating large rooms, there are indoor models. Heaters for greenhouses have been developed, which significantly increase the quality and speed of crop ripening, simulating solar energy.
Advantages of IR devices:
- efficient energy consumption;
- does not raise dust during operation, unlike convectors with fans;
- you can choose a model for a large room with high ceilings.
Disadvantages:
- You cannot program this type of device to use them in smart home systems. For each device, you have to make separate settings.
- When cooling down, the IR emitters emit sounds, since the metal parts in the structure have different degrees of expansion when heated.
When choosing this principle of operation, you need to choose a device according to the type of emitter, which are made from different materials.
Fan heaters
To choose a heater for a room, you can supplement the list of offers from manufacturers with fan heaters. This option is unlikely to be suitable as the main source of heat, but it is often used as an alternative.
The principle of operation is based on the forced circulation of air masses in the room. Its design is simple: a housing, a heating element and a fan that moves cold streams to the burner and carries them around the room.
Devices differ in power, type of heating element, design, number of operating modes.
The heating element can be:
- Spiral, with a thin nichrome wire wound on a ceramic roller. If dust gets inside, the appliance emits a burnt smell. The wire can heat up to 1000 degrees, which is unsafe if the fan accidentally falls.
- Ceramic, safer, as the element heats up to 150 degrees. The area of the heated element is larger, so the heat spreads faster. There is only one drawback - high cost.
- Tubular, the heater of which heats up to 500 degrees. The service life of such fan heaters is much longer. The price, unfortunately, is also.
Fan heaters with high power are called heat guns and are used to heat large areas with high ceilings - industrial.
All models are portable, since it is more profitable to use them as backup heating - for summer cottages, garage.
Main selection criteria
For frequent use, it is recommended to study the recommendations on how to choose a heater for an apartment or a private house:
- Devices that dry the air have a bad effect on the respiratory system. If there are many indoor plants in the house, they will also be uncomfortable in winter, especially for tropical species. For appliances with an open burner, it is necessary to buy household air humidifiers.
- The foreign body sensor switches off the heaters if a foreign object gets inside. In houses with a large area where there are small children, it is necessary to install such protective devices, since it is difficult to keep track of the child.
- The thermostat protects the device from overheating by switching off when the desired temperature is reached. Some models have built-in temperature sensors inside, if it is important to maintain a certain range.
- When buying an oil cooler, it is better to choose a model with a larger area. With the same power, it will give off more heat.
Power is the main selection criterion, which is determined by the size of the rooms and the height of the ceiling. For permanent use, it is not advisable to save on heating devices, since these are devices with a long service life.
For a private house
For a private house, infrared or convection equipment is more suitable, since some focus on objects, heating them, others circulate using fans. Large areas are easier to control with this choice.
When choosing heaters for your home, you can focus on the pricing policy, but more often well-known companies wind up the cost because of their popularity and fame. A device with the same characteristics can be bought half the price by choosing a domestic manufacturer.
For apartments
Low-power convectors are suitable for small rooms. One powerful device is enough to heat a studio apartment.Which heater is best for an apartment depends on how large the area is and how many partitions there are in the path of the warm flow.
The best models of heaters
Heaters can have different costs. At the same time, it is important that the price matches the quality. It is better to immediately exclude cheap models made in China from the selection. Their disadvantage is that inside the device, the manufacturer uses low-quality materials that quickly become unusable.
What models should you pay attention to:
- Ceiling models from Ballu. IR heaters. Economical in terms of energy consumption compared to efficiency.
- Convector-type heater - Atlantic Bonjour. The case heats up weakly, but at the same time the device maintains the set temperature mode thanks to the built-in thermostat. They buy it mainly for children's rooms.
Heat gun Interskol - Heat gun of domestic brand Interskol. Works for heating and cooling, easy to carry, not expensive.
- The Polaris oil appliance is the best in the rating of this type of heaters due to the value for money, as well as the presence of additional functions.
- The budget heater of the ceiling type Neoklima, which is a semblance of an air conditioner, only in this case works only for heating.
Each model, depending on the configuration, differs in price, therefore one of the criteria for choosing heaters is their cost. Especially when you need to buy several devices at once.
Rating
In the rating of electric convectors, foreign brands Ballu, Electrolux and Noaro are in the lead. If you choose infrared devices, then it will be UFO, although the product range remains the same.
By maintaining an affordable price, these brands have succeeded in sales. The devices are distinguished by their durability and service life without breakdowns. The advantage of the companies is the presence of service centers in most cities, where you can bring the device or call the master at home.
Domestic manufacturers are lagging behind in the ranking, since the products do not differ in special design taste, although the quality of parts is not inferior to foreign devices. It is worth paying attention to such companies as Almak, TeplEko, Nika Panel, ESB-Technologies. The assortment may be limited, but in Russia companies are trying to develop separate areas of instrumentation in order to maintain the level of quality.
