Infrared heaters: pros and cons, prices for devices. Infrared heaters: price, pros and cons of use Infrared heaters: pros and cons, price

Of all the variety of heating devices for the home, they have gained the greatest popularity. They can heat any local area or the entire room. Most people successfully use them as an additional heating source. And others wonder whether heating with infrared heaters can completely replace a central system. Whether this is true or not, we will find out below.

IR heaters work better than other heating devices. It lies in the fact that the rays emitted by them do not warm the air itself, but transfer their heat to various objects (floor, walls, furniture, human body). Their action is similar to the action of sunlight in nature.

Those who are wondering what an infrared heater is should first know its classification. The devices differ in the following parameters:

1. Source of energy used.
2. Type of emitters (heating elements).
3. The length of the wave radiation used.
4. Type of use of devices (mobile or stationary).
5. Location and installation methods

Classification

By energy source used

All infrared heating devices are divided into 2 main types:

To heat rooms in private houses and apartments, electric infrared units are usually used, as they are the most affordable and safest. Their design consists of the following parts:

1. Housing made of steel or aluminum, heat-resistant plastic or heat-resistant glass.
2. Heating elements (heating elements, halogen, quartz or ceramic lamps, film panels, carbon spiral).
3. Reflector (reflector) having thermal insulation. Aluminum foil often serves as this material.
4. Mounting brackets.
5. Control unit (including a thermostat, an automatic shutdown sensor when overheating or tipping over, a remote control, the latter is usually included in ceiling heater options).

By type of heating elements used

The type of heating elements of heating devices determines the possibility of their use in everyday life:

1. or tungsten heaters operating on the principle of spiral heating. A vacuum quartz tube contains a tungsten spiral, which can heat up to 2 thousand degrees. Because of this, they are rarely used for domestic purposes.
   
   
2. , with an inert gas enclosed in a tube, shine brightly, heat up quickly, and consume a lot of electricity.
   
   
3. , are similar in principle to working with tungsten devices, but instead of a spiral, the tube contains a special carbon fiber in the form of a thread, which has a high heating rate. These heating devices do not dry out the air, cool quickly when turned off, and consume relatively little electricity.
   
   
4. , with a heating element in the form of a spiral made of high-resistance metal and transferring heat to the ceramic panel of the device. Can be used in damp areas.
   
   
5. , or IR heaters with a heating element in the form of thin non-metallic graphite plates mounted on a special thermostatic film. This is the only device that has a flexible design. It can be built into the floor, mounted on a wall or ceiling. It is aesthetically beautiful, invisible to the eye, and silent.
   
   

By wavelength

In all IR devices, heating is based on the principle of infrared radiation of heat waves, which can have different lengths:

1. Long-wave models usually have a fairly low temperature of the heating elements (100-600C). They are convenient for use in residential premises even with low (up to 3 m) ceilings. They are economical and consume little electricity. Long-wavelength (50-200 microns) devices do not produce bright light, but have a comfortable soft radiation. This type of electric heaters is excellent as the main heating of residential premises, provided they are well insulated and insulated. They can be used to heat rooms in city apartments, cottages, and dachas. The devices are harmless and safe.
   
2. Medium-wave models of IR devices have high temperature heating elements (600-1000C). It is advisable to use them in rooms with a ceiling height of more than 3 m. Medium-wave (2.5-50 µm) devices are best used for retail and administrative premises.
   
   
3. Short-wave models, which have the highest temperature of heating elements (more than 1000C), are used mainly in industrial facilities, warehouses and open spaces. Such waves can have an adverse effect on humans, so their use in living rooms is undesirable. Short-wave (0.7-2.5 µm) devices usually operate on the basis of halogen lamps. They can also be used in open areas, terraces, gazebos. The devices are not afraid of snow and rain.
   
   

By type of use

By type of application, IR heaters are divided into:

Stationary heaters, in turn, are divided according to the place of their installation.
Typically, the IR device kit includes certain fastening elements, depending on the type of location of the particular device:

1. Ceiling-mounted, the most popular and convenient models that do not take up much space. Sometimes they are not just attached or hung, but built into suspended ceilings, which is very convenient. In addition, hanging models have a larger range of room heating compared to other models. As an alternative replacement for central heating, they are ideal.
   
   
2. Wall-mounted heating devices are also popular due to their ease of installation and use. But due to their lower location, their IR rays encounter more obstacles in their path and therefore cannot always warm up the room efficiently. They can be placed in certain places to heat local areas (your favorite reading chair, a sofa for collective viewing of TV in comfortable conditions, etc.). For better heating of the room, it is recommended to mount the device higher.
   
   
3. heaters are mostly mobile models, although they can be installed, for example, under a window, similar to central heating radiators. If you have small children or animals at home, it is better to avoid floor-standing models for safety reasons. By the way, this type of heater also includes film models that can be placed under a carpet or linoleum.
4. Skirting IR devices are more suitable for additional heating. They are usually installed at the joints of walls and floors and are often used to warm damp walls and protect them from freezing. The devices are small in size and distinguished by their efficiency.
   
   

Advice. If infrared heaters for the home will be used as the main source of heating, then it is better to buy several models (both ceiling and floor). Their combination and the crossing of radiation will create a favorable opportunity for complete heating of the premises.

When choosing IR devices, you should also focus on their cost. The average price of Russian household heaters can be in the range of 3-5 thousand rubles, and imported ones can reach 8-10 thousand rubles. It is also worth considering that payment for electricity consumption will be added to this cost.

Advantages and disadvantages of using IR heaters

Having decided to replace central heating with autonomous heating using infrared heaters, you should carefully study and compare their advantages and disadvantages.

Let's consider the advantages:

1. They are quite economical (they heat objects in the room, which in turn share heat with the surrounding space).
2. They do not burn oxygen and do not dry out the air.
3. During their operation, combustion products and vapors are not released into the air, and dust does not rise.
4. Quiet operation.
5. Instantly distributes heat when plugged into the network.
6. Prevents the appearance of mold and condensation of suspended dust in the house.
7. Absolutely safe for people and animals, especially long-wave models.
8. Uses a regular 220V network as energy.
9. No permits, design documentation or approvals are required for their installation.
10. They are durable and easy to repair if necessary.
11. They are easy to care for.
12. Useful for the prevention of colds.
13. You can control devices, especially ceiling-type ones, remotely using the control panel.

In addition to a large number of advantages, there are, of course, disadvantages, namely:

• Their cost is slightly higher than that of other heaters.
• Exposure to infrared rays for a long time can cause drowsiness and headaches.

Conclusion

IR heating in foreign countries has long been used as both an additional and the main source of heating. Here they are also becoming more and more popular and necessary. If necessary, they can completely replace central heating in a house or apartment. The main thing is that when choosing an IR heater as the main heating device, take into account all its characteristics (technical features, installation methods, where it is supposed to be installed, how much it will all cost, etc.) and balance them with the parameters of your home.

With the onset of the off-season and the subsequent period of cold weather, heaters rule the roost on the climate control equipment market. There are many varieties of them, but, as they say, not all are equally useful. Typical problems: high energy consumption, slow heating, drying out the air, decreasing oxygen concentration.

In order to partially get out of the situation, you can buy humidifier(to be useful, you need a good and expensive one), ventilate the room more often (thereby lowering the temperature again). But there is a more advanced and rational solution - to choose an infrared heater as a heat source, which is largely devoid of the above disadvantages.

What is an IR heater and how does it work?

We will not consider industrial versions powered by gas or other fuels. They clearly have no place in everyday life, as do the accompanying cylinders and canisters. And here power socket suits us.

Hence the definition: for the devices discussed below, infrared heating is the conversion of electrical energy into thermal radiation. The classic analogy is sunlight heating surfaces, objects, people and animals. Heat is transferred directly to the object, and from it to the surrounding air, and not vice versa. Consequently, less energy is wasted.

What we essentially have: a structure with an incandescent element and a reflector, which is a kind of local “luminary” of directional action, operating in a safe wave spectrum (no radiation or magnetic storms). It is not necessary to rotate around, but rotating or moving the source itself is easy. As needed, you can turn on “God Mode” by pressing the On/Off button or pulling the plug.

The range of equipment for heating unheated rooms is distinguished by a huge selection. But among the existing models, infrared heaters for summer cottages have gained great popularity among consumers. Thanks to their mobility, high efficiency and absolutely harmless radiation, devices of this type are becoming indispensable for country houses.

Operating principle of an infrared heater

The operation of most popular heating devices is based on convective heat transfer. But the principle of operation of infrared heaters for summer cottages can be compared to the action of sun rays penetrating the air without heating it.

Unlike sunlight, this type of rays does not have an ultraviolet spectrum that provides tanning. Infrared heaters produce only thermal radiation, heating those objects at which the rays of the device are directed. And from them the thermal energy spreads to the surrounding space.

The internal design of the heating device is not particularly complicated. The metal housing, coated with durable powder paint, contains an aluminum reflector. The main heating element is attached to it - heating element, which can be halogen, carbon, ceramic, tubular. To ensure uninterrupted operation and long service life, each infrared heater is equipped with a temperature thermostat and a sensor that turns off the device in case of overheating.

Rules for choosing an infrared heater

Today, infrared heaters have only the best reviews. They are considered the most effective, safe and durable infrared heating options. But among the huge variety, it is necessary to choose exactly the option that best suits the given conditions.

Therefore, experts have created special rules for choosing an infrared heater:

1. First of all, the power required to heat the room is calculated. In this case, it is necessary to consider how the heater will be used - as an additional or main source of heating;
2. what energy source is supposed to be used. Typically, electricity is used for a country house, since gas-powered infrared heaters are designed for large rooms;
3. selection of heating element;
4. place of installation of devices.

Selecting a heating element

Manufacturers have not used coils for heating for a long time, as they have a high fire hazard.

Therefore, it was decided to replace it with safer heating elements:

• Quartz tube.
• Heat radiating ceramic plate.
• Halogen lamp.

The heating element, made in the form of a quartz tube, is a closed cavity, inside of which a carbon or carbon spiral is installed. The advantages of this element are fast heating and high efficiency. However, due to the short service life of the heating element, this type of heater is usually used as an additional heating source.

The heat-emitting ceramic plate has reliable protection, which allows it not to glow and be completely safe. Despite the fact that the cost of such a device is slightly higher than the previous type, reviews of infrared heaters with ceramic heating elements are usually positive. This is due to both their efficiency (power consumption from 50 to 2000 watts) and long service life (more than 3 years).

A halogen heating element is essentially a halogen lamp that operates in the infrared range. Inside it there is a filament made of tungsten or carbon fiber. When heated, infrared radiation is released, which has a golden light.

Selection of heaters depending on installation location

Also, the parameters for choosing a heating device will depend on the method of its installation. Infrared heaters for dachas are ceiling, wall and floor. Therefore, when installing them, you must adhere to certain rules.

Ceiling infrared heaters for dachas are considered more convenient, since they do not take up extra space and the range of influence is very wide. They can be mounted either in a suspended ceiling or attached to the ceiling using special hangers.

Wall-mounted infrared heaters for summer cottages must be installed at some distance from the floor, especially if there is a small child in the family. If such a model needs to be installed under a window, then you can choose a model with a plinth design.

As for the floor-standing type, they are not very powerful and efficient, since the rays encounter many obstacles when emitting. If it is not possible to install a ceiling or wall model, then it is better to give preference to heaters with a carbon or tubular heating element.

When installing a ceiling or wall-mounted infrared heater for a summer residence, it is necessary to maintain the required distance from exposure of a person to the rays:

• heater with a power of about 700-800 - 0.7 m;
• heater with a power of more than 1.5 kW - at least 1 m.

Review of infrared heaters for summer cottages

The manufacturer also plays an important role when choosing equipment. A brief overview of manufacturers of infrared heaters for summer cottages will help the consumer quickly navigate and understand which brand to give preference to:

• UFO. They are used both in open areas and are also suitable for indoor spaces. They do not burn oxygen and eliminate excess moisture.
• Sunny. Suitable for indoor spaces. It is lightweight, compact and silent in operation.
• Peony. Ceiling model with ceramic heating element. Thanks to the rounded body, the room is heated with maximum efficiency.

By adhering to the rules described above for choosing an infrared heater, you can always choose a successful model for a country house.

Video: rules for choosing infrared heaters for country houses

Infrared heaters are heating devices whose operation is based on providing heat to the environment through infrared radiation.

The wavelength of the heater is approximately equal to the wavelength of solar radiation, therefore they are felt by the skin in the same way as the sun's heat rays. They spread uniformly in a straight line through a transparent medium. The fundamental difference between an IR heater is that, due to its longer wavelength, it does not transfer thermal energy to molecules of the surrounding air, but acts on objects that do not transmit light (walls, floors, furniture), warming them up. The plates heat up to 250°C, so the heat is felt almost immediately after using the device.

Good weather remains in the room for a long time, because... long-wave rays affect the human body and surrounding objects, not the air. The volume of oxygen remains the same and the air retains its humidity.

Advantages

1. Compared to competitive products, in particular convectors, infrared heaters are more economical because they evenly distribute heat within the room;
2. The heat is felt instantly, immediately after starting the heater, which makes it possible to do without preheating the free space;
3. Easy, fast and convenient installation and connection;
4. Humidity levels remain essentially unchanged;
5. Operation of the products presented in the catalog is absolutely safe.

You should first calculate the optimal power of the heating system based on the height of the ceilings and the total area of ​​the room. Modern infrared heaters have the widest range of applications and can be used as main or additional heating sources. They are actively used both indoors and outdoors, especially when performing construction work in the winter season, as thermomats for soil and concrete, or for heating cafe attics.