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Most heaters are powered by either
electricity or fuel. While both types of heaters have
their own individual benefits, electric heaters seem to be
the most popular option because they're often inexpensive
to purchase and easier to maintain.
Electric heaters work by converting electricity
into heat via an electric resistor within the heater.
An electric current flowing through the resistor then coverts
this electric energy into heat energy. |
Heater Tip: |
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Some of the benefits of an
electric heater are obvious - electricity is available anywhere, and
electric heaters do not require any fuel to be stored. |
It's important to understand safety issues when
purchasing an electric heater. New models of electric heaters are
required to pass rigid safety tests in order to ensure safe
operation. Wire grills, tilt switches, automatic shutoff controls,
and thermostat controls are all safety features to look for.
Although all electric heaters use the same basic principle to
generate heat, there are variations in how electric heaters provide
this heat to the environment. Here are some different electric
heating methods available:
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Convection Heaters |
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These
electric heaters are great for providing background
warmth in a closed space. Convection heaters warm the air
near the element or body of the heater by using air
convection currents to generate heat, and these currents
circulate throughout the appliance and across the heating
element. Examples of convection heaters are
oil-filled radiators, which are perfect for personal
spaces such as under desks, and
electric baseboard heaters, which are great for heating
rooms such as bedrooms or lounge areas. |
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Infrared or Radiant Heaters |
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Infrared heaters transfer thermal energy via
electromagnetic waves. All infrared heaters share one
common characteristic: heat is emitted or radiated from the
heated object or substance, and only objects are warmed as
opposed to entire areas. In general, infrared heaters are
energy-efficient and great for multi-purpose use, but
they're especially effective for industrial use such as
warehouses and even greenhouses where high temperatures are
required to be quickly reached. |
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Fan Heaters |
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A fan heater is a type of convection heater that uses a
fan to pass air over a heating element in order to speed up
the airflow. This heating element heats the air, the air
leaves the heater, and the surrounding area is warmed. This
can result in extremely rapid heating in a room, but these
may not be the best choice if sound is a concern, as
fan-type heaters can sometimes be noisy. However, fan
heaters work well in areas where installing other types of
heating devices would be impractical, and examples of fan
heaters would be portable
fan garage heaters, which are
placed on the floor and provide blasts of warm air onto the
body. |
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