Not always the first drop in temperature and the beginning of the heating season coincide. In order to be sure that it will always be warm in an apartment or house, people decide to buy a heater. The market offers many options for such devices. The most common are fan heaters and convectors. They have an acceptable cost, heat the room well and do not take up much space.
The difference between convector and fan heater
Despite some similarities between these devices, they have fundamental differences. Convectors, as the name implies, work on the principle of convection of air currents. Air enters the device through the lower grill, passes through the heating element, thereby raising its temperature, and returns to the room through the upper grill. The hot layer moves up, and the cold cooling air drops. The larger the heating element, the faster the room will warm up. As soon as the device turns off, the air begins to cool.
During the operation of the device, the temperature is automatically monitored to avoid excessive heating of the air. In the mechanical version, control is possible due to the presence of a ceramic plate, and in the electronic one microcircuits are designed to implement this function. In the latter case, the indicated temperature is maintained with an accuracy of 0.5 degrees, which leads to a more economical energy consumption during operation. Accordingly, the price of convectors with integrated electronics is higher.
REFERENCE! Convectors produce electric and gas. Gas appliances are less common, because their operation requires a connection to the gas main, but they are more economical. For the operation of electric convectors, only a standard electrical network is required. Their power ranges from 2 to 3 kW. A device of such power is designed to heat a room with an area of not more than 25 square meters. m
Produce floor and wall models. Floor mounted in the center of the room for uniform heating. Wall-mounted, it is advisable to hang in places where cold air comes, for example, the outer wall with windows.
The fan heater is a more budgetary, but from this no less effective heating device. Its principle of operation differs from the operation of a convection device. Cold air flows to the heating element and, with the help of a fan, spread throughout the room in a given direction. Thanks to the fan, there is a quick mixing of cold and warm air masses. Its power is approximately 1.5 - 1.8 kW. Fan heaters are floor, wall, ceiling.
REFERENCE! A kind of fan heater, can be considered the so-called thermal curtain. This device is ideal for mounting above the front door - it does not allow cold air from the street and prevents the exit of warm air from the room.
As an element that provides heating in such devices, use:
- Open electric spirals. Devices with such an element are the most inexpensive and short-lived. In the process, oxygen is burned in the room and an unpleasant odor is formed that forms when dust and other particles get on the open surface of the spiral. Plus - they heat the room very quickly.
- Closed spirals. Oxygen is not burned so much and air is heated very quickly.
- Ceramic plates. Fan heaters with plates are the most successful option. Almost do not dry the air, do not pollute it with combustion products, heat up faster than spirals.
Advantages and disadvantages of a convector
Convectors have several advantages, such as:
- ease of installation;
- the ability to integrate them into a network to create a heating system;
- maintaining the specified temperature due to the use of thermostats;
- lack of noise during the work;
- there is no process of "combustion" of oxygen, due to the low temperature of the heating element;
- Fire safety;
- safety, i.e. the ability to select the heating temperature of the outer surface;
- small size and weight;
- stylish design;
- durability.
The disadvantages of this device include:
- not the fastest process of heating the room, due to the fact that convection occurs naturally without the use of a fan;
- the difference in air temperature in the upper and lower layers.
Advantages and disadvantages of the fan heater
The main advantages of fan heaters:
- fast and uniform heating of the room;
- small dimensions and weight;
- many models have mobility;
- low cost;
- variety of designs.
Among the shortcomings can be identified:
- unpleasant odor arising from the combustion of dust on the surface of the heating element (only for spiral-type fan heaters);
- noise during operation;
- decrease in air humidity.
What is better to choose - convector or fan heater
For a bedroom or a nursery, it is better to choose a convector, due to the lack of noise during operation, which especially disturbs at night. Also, with insufficient central heating or its complete absence, it is possible to create a whole network of convectors and configure them to maintain the temperature set by the user.
REFERENCE! For heating large rooms, one or several convectors are used, which can be successfully entered into the interior, placed on walls or under windows. Small rooms can be heated with a fan heater.
In workrooms, especially in those where frequent door openings cause cold air to flow in, it is also better to install a fan heater. Moreover, it can be installed under the table and sent to your feet. For installation above a street door in a cold season the thermal curtain is more suitable. If it is necessary to dry the air in a room, for example, in a country house after winter, it is also more advisable to use a fan heater.
When choosing between a convector and a fan heater, you first need to determine the main purpose of using a heating device. For regular and prolonged use of the heater, in addition to or instead of the heating system, as well as to maintain the set temperature, it is worth choosing a convector. If an additional heat source is not needed constantly, but only from time to time it is worth stopping your choice on a fan heater.
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