Which heater is better for an apartment, a summer residence

Winter in our country sometimes throws surprises in the form of abnormal cold weather. Yes, such that even a normally working central heating can not cope and it becomes cold in the apartment. And in some cities, it does not cope even with relatively slight frosts. In dachas, the situation is usually different – there you need to “catch up” with a comfortable temperature for the duration of your stay. In any case, you can’t do without a heater. About what they are, how to choose, how to decide which heater is better, and we’ll talk further. 

Types of heaters

In apartments, heaters are most often used as an additional source of heat at a time when the main heating cannot cope and it is chilly in the room. At dachas, heaters are needed most often for the autumn-spring period, but there is rarely another source of heat, so the approach when choosing is a little different.

In general, there are four types of heaters:

• fan heaters;
• oil coolers;
• electric convectors;
• infrared emitters.
  

Heaters for apartments and cottages must meet several requirements. First, they must be safe. This is perhaps the main selection criterion, especially if the family has small children. One of the key safety points is the presence of overheating protection – the equipment should automatically turn off when a critical temperature is reached. Secondly, the heater must be efficient and, it is highly desirable that it has the function of maintaining a given temperature regime. In addition to being convenient, it also saves electricity – the heater turns on and off, and does not work all the time. When deciding which heater is best for you, these points must be monitored. They are really important. From these points of view, as well as their efficiency, we will consider all types of heaters.

Fan heaters

Electric fan heaters. This appliance has a heating element and a fan. The fan drives air through the heating element, it heats up and carries heat into the room.

Advantages and disadvantages

The advantage of this type of heaters is an almost instant start. After switching on, less than a minute passes and it starts to “drive” already warm air. The second positive point is the small size and weight, hence the high mobility. And the third plus is the low price. If you decide which heater is better to choose for quickly heating air in a small room, then a fan heater is perhaps unrivaled. These devices have some serious drawbacks:

• During operation, they create a constant noise – the fan is running.
• If the heating element is a spiral, then oxygen is burned out and there is a smell of burnt dust. Other models with heating elements and ceramic plates are better in this regard, but they do not heat the air so quickly – they have a temperature 4 times lower (for the spiral 800 °, for the rest – about 200 ° C).
• The air dries up. To neutralize this effect, there are models with ionizers and humidifiers, but they no longer belong to the inexpensive class.
  

Despite all these disadvantages, if you need to quickly warm the air (you will warm up the walls in this way for a very long time), there is no better way out.

Types and features

Fan heaters are available in different versions:

• desktop – very compact, low power, suitable for local heating;
• floor – larger, often look like a column, can have a moving part, spreading hot air throughout the room;
• wall-mounted – more expensive models, often have a control panel;
• ceiling – productive installations with a fairly large set of service functions.

As you can see, there are different fan heaters, for different needs and for any budget. In this segment, there is a very solid price difference between famous brands and lesser known ones, and the choice is very large. Moreover, there are even different stylistic solutions – from classics to hi-tech and other newfangled trends.

Convectors

Electric convectors have a principle of operation similar to fan heaters – air passes through the heating element, heats up and heat differences around the room. The difference is that the movement of air in convectors occurs due to the natural process of convection – the property of warm air to rise up and, in principle, fans are not needed for its movement. But the movement of air in such heaters is slow, and the cold room will warm up for a long time. To correct this shortcoming, fans are also built into the convectors, which, if necessary, activate the heating. Nevertheless, the main difference between convectors and fan heaters is that they can operate without a fan, that is, completely silent. At night, a very important quality.

Types of heating elements and thermostats

The heating element in convectors can be of different types:

• The well-known dry fuel cells are a proven option, not very expensive. Aluminum plates are attached to the heating element tube – to improve heat transfer.
• Needle – inexpensive, but has a short service life. It heats up almost instantly, but burns out very quickly.
• Monolithic – the most expensive, but also the most durable. Its ribs are part of the body, when heated, they expand in proportion to the body, which prolongs the service life.

If we talk about which type of convector is better, then definitely with a monolithic heating element. Although it costs a lot, it will serve for a long time.

Every electric convector has a thermostat. They are thermostats of two types – mechanical and electronic. Mechanical ones are much cheaper, but they have a higher power consumption, they have a solid error in maintaining the temperature, they click during operation, which can be very annoying. There are also quite simple mechanical thermostats. They do not maintain the temperature, but have two (sometimes more) modes of operation at different capacities. Switched manually – usually by turning the knob-regulator. Convector heaters of this type are the cheapest.

Electronic are accurate, silent, require very little electricity. In addition, such models can be controlled from the remote control.

Design features

By design, electric convectors are mainly hung on the wall – it can be under the window instead of a traditional radiator, or it can be in the place where you need it. Most models provide the ability to install on legs. They can come with a heater, or they can be sold separately.

The shape of electric convectors is parallelepipeds with different proportions. There are low and long ones – a good option for panoramic windows, if they are tall and narrow – they can be placed in a wall, there are such sizes as heating radiators – they are traditionally placed under windows – to cut off cold air from the windows.

There are waterproof cases (IP24 protection against splashes), which allows them to be used for heating bathrooms.

This type of heater can have the following useful options:

• Overheat shutdown. This feature is highly desirable if you plan on leaving the equipment running unattended.
• Deviation shutdown. Turns off the device when dropped.
• Ionizer and humidifier. Returns the atmosphere in the room to normal.
• Air filter. During convection, dust is constantly in suspension. To make it less in the air, filters are installed in the convectors.
  

If we talk about which heater is better in this group, then of course – with a monolithic heater and an electronic thermostat. These models provide maintenance of the set temperature with high accuracy.

Oil radiators

This type of heater has been known for a long time. Has the tight case filled with technical oil. A heating element is immersed in oil. There may be several of them, they are usually turned on / off manually by turning the knob / switch.

Advantages and disadvantages

These heaters are good for both home and garden. They are very reliable, rarely break, have a safe design and relatively low prices.

Many people prefer this type of heater, as they spread soft heat, even next to them there is no discomfort. Families with children also prefer such heaters – the design is safe, the body heats up to no more than 60 ° C, which is unpleasant when touched, but absolutely safe. What is not very good is its large mass, so that if it falls on a child, it can injure him. Quiet operation is also a plus.

The main disadvantage of oil radiators is the low rate of space heating. While the oil heats up, the body warms up, a considerable period of time passes. Only then does the air begin to heat up. And then the process goes slowly – only due to natural convection, which usually leads to the fact that it is warm near the heater, a little further – cold.

Design features

Oil radiators are usually made in the floor version, wall-mounted models are much less common. The mass of these devices is quite solid, so they have wheels for easy movement.

External design can be of three types. Most often, there are radiators that are somewhat reminiscent of old cast-iron batteries – an accordion. They also consist of sections welded together. The second type is one-two-three almost flat panels installed in parallel. Today, this type of oil radiators is not common, but it can be hung on the wall without legs.

Another option for wall-mounted oil radiators is very similar in shape to modern aluminum radiators. They can also be used as wall-mounted or stand on legs with wheels.

Heaters for home and summer cottages of this type are mostly simple and do not have a large set of additional functions. What is always present in a normal oil cooler is overheating protection. This is critical for heating elements and for safety, so you cannot do without this function. Occasionally, in more expensive models, there is a rollover shutdown function. This may be important if there are children in the family.

Deciding which of the oil heaters is better is not at all easy. There are no other criteria other than suitable power and good user reviews.

Infrared heaters

Infrared heaters have appeared relatively recently and have caused a whole wave of controversy. Some argue that they are useful, others – that they are harmful. It is difficult to decide which of them is right – the arguments of both sides seem convincing. Everyone, as usual, decides for himself which camp he belongs to.

How it works and what are the differences

The basis of an infrared heater is a long-wave emitter that produces electromagnetic waves in the same range as the sun – infrared. Such heat is perceived by our body as more pleasant – our body emits such waves, therefore it is comfortable to be near such devices. To focus the radiation in the body of the infrared heater there is a reflector – it increases the efficiency of heating a certain area.

The main difference of this type of equipment is that it does not heat the air, but the objects to which the rays are directed. And from their warm surface the air is already heated. If you find yourself in the zone of action of the rays, and your body will heat up. On the one hand, this is good, but on the other, not very good: it is warm in the zone of action of the rays, and cold outside. But you can well focus the heat in the desired area. Up to the point that you can take the device outside / veranda and create an island of comfortable temperature in the cold.

In general, it has been noticed that when using infrared radiation, we feel comfortable at lower temperatures – 2-3 degrees lower than when heated by any other devices. This means less electricity is being used.

Mounting methods

In this category there are a variety of heaters both in shape and in the installation method. In addition, different sources of radiation are used – tubular emitters, infrared lamps, plates, carbon paste and much more. Can be mounted on the ceiling, walls, can stand on the floor. In general, the choice is really wide. Moreover, there are both models that can be used for full-fledged heating – stationary lamps, and to create more comfortable conditions in a separate area. These are portable radiators and heaters in the form of rugs. Rugs are definitely a local device, no matter what the sellers say. They are convenient to warm the feet (there are floor mats) and some part of the room is wall-mounted. They can be hung near the workplace or bed and enjoy the warmth.

Choosing from this group which heater is better is not at all easier. It is necessary to focus on the tasks that he must perform. If you need to heat a specific place, the floor model or wall model is the best option. If the heating zone needs to be very small, a rug will do. To solve serious problems – as the main heating or additional, but for the whole room it is worth considering wall or ceiling options.

Please note that some models are paired with external thermostats, but they are selected separately and their price is not included in the price of the heater.

Which heater is better for the house, which one – for giving

The choice of a heater depends on the tasks that it must perform. For example, in a country house, it is usually required to quickly heat the air to a comfortable temperature. Moreover, the device should not be heavy, small-sized and mobile – so that it would be possible to take it away for the winter without any problems. Fan heaters, convectors and infrared heaters meet these requirements. Oil in this case is not the best choice – they heat up for a long time, they are heavy.

For an apartment and a house, any of the described options is generally suitable. Choose the one that you like more than others or the one that best solves the tasks assigned to it. For example, a family has an allergic person, it is better to exclude active air movement (convection) in this case. Infra-red emitters and oil coolers hardly stimulate convection.

If there are small children in the house, air parameters are very important for them – there should be normal humidity, there should be enough oxygen. To solve this problem, models with ionizers and humidifiers are suitable, and choose the type yourself.

Convectors and infrared heaters can solve the problem of heating in general (serve as the main source of heat). You can create a system of oil heaters, but it will turn out to be inert, it will be difficult to regulate the temperature. Fan heaters are not suitable for permanent use, although there are models for long-term operation – with monolithic heating elements and electronic control.