Infrared heating, the pros and cons of which we will consider today, is one of the most popular ways of heating rooms. Here, infrared emitters are used as a heat source.
These appliances can be an addition to help a standard steam heating system better cope with their task, or the main heating elements of the house. Infrared heaters can be used for heating both residential buildings and offices, stalls and so on.
The principle of infrared heating
You need to know the principle of operation of such heaters in order to accurately decide whether to use infrared heating at home. Pros and cons, the price of which is comfort in the cold season, should be clear to you. By the way, the cost of such systems is about 500 rubles per 1 square meter or 5 thousand rubles per 1 heater.
The heat emitted by the IR source is transferred to the surface of all objects surrounding it. He heats the floor, walls, furniture, and everything that is in the interior.
When heated, these objects also make air warm, because infrared light does not heat it itself. The heat generated by such a heater is not absorbed by the air (which is characterized by a rather poor thermal conductivity), so the surfaces get enough heat. This allows you to achieve 70% energy savings, as manufacturers of such equipment assure.
Many users find this statement very exaggerated.
House heating
Such heating systems in private sectors are becoming increasingly popular. With their help, you can heat not only the entire room, but also certain sections of it, which allows you to save on heating the territory on which there is no one.
Ceiling infrared heating systems are a good solution for efficiently heating a small room. Installing heaters on the ceiling allows them to distribute heat to all surfaces of objects in the room and, importantly, heat the floors well.
Depending on the height of the ceiling, the devices are fixed at a distance of 2.5-3.5 meters from the floor. Manufacturers recommend placing them not directly above the places where people are staying, but a little to the side.
If you mount the devices on PVC ceilings or near windows, then a lot of heat will be wasted.
In addition to ceiling heaters, private houses can be heated with warm infrared floors, which are also called film. This type of underfloor heating is remarkable in that it can be laid under many flooring options. Among them are parquet, laminate, tile and even linoleum.
Varieties of infrared heaters
There are only two main varieties of all infrared heating devices. The pros and cons for consumer health, energy savings and other indicators are approximately the same for these sources.
The first type of appliances is all kinds of heating panels. The second type includes all film heaters.
This division is due to the scope of these systems. Both types of devices can be used for ceiling mounting, and only infrared film heaters are suitable for making a warm floor.
Baseboards
Thermal emitters are implemented in the form of baseboards. The baseboard, which is always located around the entire perimeter of the room, can heat all objects falling into the field of its action, and in this field is everything that is in the room.
Along the walls there is a kind of obstacle from the heat, which is difficult to overcome the cold coming from the walls. So in the room you can easily create the required temperature mode.
Mold will never spread over corners and walls if you install plinth infrared heating. Pros and cons, its benefits are obvious.
Using the baseboard length, sufficient heater power is achieved. Inside the baseboard are heat storage elements consisting of natural materials. This helps him build up heat.
Floors
So, you can choose ceiling, wall or floor infrared heaters. The pros and cons in the choice depend on the individual characteristics of the room for which the heaters are purchased, but basically all the devices of this type are the same.
Floors come in power from 15 to 55 watts per square meter.
If we talk about the field, then the fundamental difference from other options is that the heat rises, which means that it will pass through the entire room. Infrared emitters heat the floor covering located on them, and it, in turn, heats the air. He rises, giving way to the cold. Thanks to this natural circulation, a comfortable temperature regime is quickly established in the room.
In addition, it is pleasant to walk on the warm floor, and when your feet are warm - it is warmer in general.
Part of the infrared radiation passes through the floor covering. It heats the surfaces of objects in the room.
pros
Infrared heating, the pros and cons of which are described in this article, can heat the room as soon as possible. Even critics of this heating method agree with this.
Unlike other electric heaters, infrared emitters do not burn oxygen in the air, do not make the air dry.
Devices work absolutely silently. The room warms up right after the appliances turn on.
Power surges are not fatal for such devices. This is important if they heat a country cottage or cottage.
Installation of such systems is very simple, which is also a plus. You can do everything yourself without resorting to the services of builders.
Minuses
It is not enough to consider only the positive qualities that infrared heating has. Cons and pros have everything in the world, it is only important to understand whether the negative qualities of the devices are tolerable in your case or not.
And these qualities are as follows:
- It is not always easy to fit ceiling heaters into the style of a room, especially if the interior is made in one of the classic styles.
- It is not always possible to properly organize the heating system with infrared emitters, which is why the declared energy savings of 70% are not achieved.
- Heaters transfer heat only to surfaces. Therefore, if you stand with their backs to her, she may remain in the cold. The problem goes away when air is heated from the surfaces of objects.
- Surrounding surfaces become very hot. The office paper may turn yellow, the smell of plastic.
Reviews
The best way to understand if a thing is good is to listen to those who have been using it for a long time. The same can be said about infrared heating. Reviews, the pros and cons of which are clearly visible, can be read below.
Those who have already installed this equipment and have been using it for quite some time, note the high performance of the system. With its power of 600 watts, it is able to heat up to 100-150 square meters of floor space. Moreover, unlike other heating systems, here you can control the air temperature and change it up or down. And it does not fall if the device is left overnight without control.
As for the shortcomings, here users note the appearance of extraneous sounds (characteristic clicks) in the device. This is due to the instrument grill, which constantly heats up when turned on. However, judging by the reviews, one can get used to this drawback.
Also, people say that even a low-power device in a large room is able to warm the room sufficiently. Moreover, unlike other systems, it does not require a lot of space and the automatic turns off when the temperature reaches a predetermined maximum. Mold and fungus in such houses never appear, which is a huge plus.
Conclusion
It has been said enough so that it can be concluded whether infrared heating should be used. Cons and pros are analyzed, it is only important to understand whether the positive arguments are sufficient, and whether it is possible to come to terms with the negative ones.
Be that as it may, appliances of this type deservedly occupy their place in the niche of modern heating systems.
So, we found out what are the pros and cons of infrared heating.