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One of the options for electric heating uses radiation in the infrared range. In the same range, the sun radiates its heat, and our body too. Therefore, such heating is described by the owners as very comfortable.
What is infrared heating
Infrared (IR) heating works differently than the more conventional convector heating. From the emitted waves, objects are heated – walls, floors, ceilings, furniture – and the air in the room is already heated from them. A person who is in a room heated by infrared radiation is enveloped in warmth from all sides, and from the side of the floor too. For this reason, the level of comfortable temperature decreases by a couple of degrees, which means that under the same conditions, heating costs will be lower.
Nevertheless, miracles do not happen and only the heating of the house will be economical, in which heat losses are minimized. Under such conditions, of course, all costs for heating will be less, including for any electric one. But with IR heating, the temperature really needs to be lower. The second reason for savings is the presence of a thermostat. If it is present, the heaters operate for a short period of time when the room temperature drops below the set one. Otherwise, the heaters are on all the time, the room is hot, you have to open the windows, and the electricity bills are high (to put it mildly).
You can use infrared heating as the main one, or as an additional one to create more comfortable conditions in a particular place – near the desktop, in a recreation area, etc.
Types of infrared heating and heaters
Infrared heating has many options. There are several types of heaters, some of them can be mounted on different surfaces – on the floor, ceiling and walls – creating the required temperature, and this can be done in a zoned manner.
Ceiling heaters
This type of IR heater is located exclusively on the ceiling. The heating element is tubes that emit waves in the required range. The radiation is scattered with the help of metal dividers, however, the flow of waves still remains powerful, heating the surface is strong. In this regard, it is recommended to install ceiling infrared heaters not lower than at a height of 3,2 meters, but more comfortable sensations if they are at a height of about 3,6 meters.
Not very attractive ceiling infrared heaters from an aesthetic point of view. You can fit them into modern style, minimalism, loft and other technocratic trends. In more classic or romantic interiors, this is unlikely to work.
Film infrared heaters
One of the most popular infrared heaters in recent years is a polymer film with carbon strips deposited on it. A current is passed through these strips, under the influence of which the carbon paste emits infrared rays. The advantage of film infrared heaters is their flexibility, thanks to which they can be mounted on almost any curved surface. Almost – because they still have a minimum bending radius, and it is undesirable to exceed it. If we talk about the location of surfaces, then it really doesn’t matter where to mount it – even on the floor, even on the walls or ceiling. This helps a lot if you need to make the attic floor heating with its sloping walls. At the moment, film heating is the most mobile and easy to install.
The film is attached to a flat surface. The most common fastening material is double-sided tape. If this heater will be mounted on the walls or ceiling, it can additionally be fixed with brackets from the coupled. Only by driving in staples, it is necessary to get into the film, not into conductive tires, nor into carbon (dark) stripes. By the way, if several strips are damaged, the system remains operational – only damaged strips are excluded from operation. But if the tire is damaged, the whole piece of film will not work.
This film is produced in rolls, it can have different widths – from 30 cm to 100 cm. The length is cut as needed – there are cut lines. The cut strips are mounted on the surface, then connected by conductors (in parallel), then they are brought to the thermostat, which controls the operation of the entire heating system. This system has another component – a sensor (sensors) that measure the state of the air or the temperature of the heating surfaces. They are also connected to the thermostat and, according to their readings, the operation of the heating elements is regulated. By the way, there are models of thermostats with built-in sensors. Then you don’t need to install anything additionally, but if the sensor fails (it happens not so rarely), you will have to unwind the thermostat, and it may have a guarantee … In general, the choice is yours.
The film is mounted under the finishing material. On the walls, it can be plasterboard sheets, lining or something similar. On the ceiling, such a system can be mounted under a false ceiling or also upholstered with clapboard. There are even more solutions with the floor – any coating suitable for underfloor heating is suitable.
Wall Mounted Thermal Infrared Panels
These infrared heaters have appeared recently. They are a multilayer structure: the back wall can be made of metal and powder-coated, a heating element (carbon thread) is attached to it, it is closed with a ceramic screen. Some manufacturers add a heat accumulator to this “pie” – a plate of heat-intensive material that heats up to a certain temperature and radiates heat even after the device is turned off.
According to the installation method, infrared panels for heating are wall-mounted and ceiling-mounted. Ceiling can be installed in profiles of the “Armstrong” type or attached to the ceiling on special clamps. Wall models can each be equipped with a thermostat and an electric cord. In this case, the installation is simply hanging on hooks driven in the right place. There are infrared wall panels that are combined into a single system (by wires) and controlled from a single thermostat. In this case, in addition to the mechanical installation, it is also necessary to assemble the electrical part.
These panels can be simply white, they can be applied with a pattern – ordinary or in the form of photo printing. Panels with a pattern are usually hung on the wall, they serve as decoration at the same time.
Infrared heating using skirting boards
By the same principle as the heating panels, infrared plinth heaters are arranged. Outwardly, they are very similar to ordinary ones, only they have a greater height and are made of ceramics. They are installed along all walls or some part of them, but installation on external walls is desirable. They can be mounted on top of existing skirting boards or instead of them.
Such heating is the most rational and comfortable: the wall is heated first of all, and the air is already heated from it. A heated massif of a wall is an excellent heat accumulator. It is able to maintain the temperature for hours even after the heaters are turned off.
Gas infrared heaters
Not all IR heaters are powered by electricity. There are installations that run on liquefied gas. They are available in two versions – for indoor and outdoor use.
Liquefied gas is mixed with forced air, enters the chamber, where the pressure of the mixture rises. Under high pressure, the gas-air mixture enters the ceramic burner, which is a panel with small cells. In these cells, the gas is oxidized, as a result of which the ceramic is heated (up to 800°C) and begins to radiate heat in the IR range.
The temperature regime is regulated by a regulator, which is located near the burner. Safety is guaranteed by sensors for the presence of fire, gas. There is also a device that turns off the burner when it falls.
With such a heater, you can quickly heat the cottage, raise the temperature to a comfortable one on the terrace, in the gazebo, in some part of the yard. So infrared heating can be without electricity. heaters of this type are also available in a portable, camping version.