A home heater is needed in both private homes and apartments. Firstly, it helps in the absence of house heating, as well as with insufficient power of this system. Accidents in central heating networks or in boiler rooms at the height of winter can lead to serious consequences, so it is important to have a sufficiently powerful heating device.
Like many electrical appliances in a home, a heater carries a danger. However, it differs from the heater in the iron or stove in the absence of automatic shutdown, as it is designed for continuous operation. Therefore, the use of a heating device carries a certain fire hazard. Some models cannot be left unattended or the temperature of their surface is so high that it can cause burns to careless households.
Consider what kind and specifically which models have the least danger during operation.
Types of heaters
Just a few dozen years ago, heaters with a heating spiral were mainly distributed, which were very unreliable and dangerous in everyday life. They were quickly replaced by models using oil, and with the development of the market for these devices even more advanced devices appeared. Consider the most common of them, building them in order of increasing cost:
- Oil heaters. An electric heating element transfers its heat to the oil, the temperature of which rises to about 100-120 ° C. It is located in a sealed metal case, where it naturally circulates from the heating point upwards, where the oil transfers heat to the air in the room, thereby heating it. The advantages of this type of heater is its low cost, prevalence and noiselessness. And there are even more shortcomings than advantages. Not all models have a temperature relay, so you can burn yourself on its surface, in addition, it heats up for a long enough time before you start directly heating the air. Oil is quite dangerous if the case is mechanically damaged.
- Convector. It is a heating element that causes natural convection through itself of indoor air. Air, receiving heat from a ceramic element that does not burn oxygen or dust, moves upward on its surface, to the ceiling. And cold air enters through the holes in the housing to the heating element. Almost all models of this type are equipped with a control thermostat, which allows you to keep the temperature comfortable for the user in the room. When a foreign object rolls over or gets on the heating element, it automatically turns off to prevent a fire. To maximize the disclosure of this type of heater, it must be installed, like a radiator, under the window to create a thermal curtain from drafts.
- Heat gun. To accelerate the heating of the room, a fan is attached to the ceramic or bimetallic heating element, which provides heat transfer to the room air using forced convention. Heating devices of this type quickly increase the temperature in the room, have compact dimensions and the ability to control the temperature. They can also be used as regular fans. The presence of an electric motor reduces the reliability and durability of such a device, in addition, it is a source of constant noise. In the daytime, this noise is invisible, but with night silence it can cause awakening.
- Infrared heater. Infrared radiation causes the heating of surrounding objects, which give their heat to indoor air. Such a high-tech device has sky-high characteristics and the same price.It was originally intended for use in saunas. It is safe, runs silently, and can also be turned on and off depending on the room temperature. Unfortunately, it is often faked, so you can pay the full price, but get a model of such a device.
Secure solutions
Engineers of manufacturers of all types of heaters are constantly working to increase the safety of these devices.
Of course, the infrared heater, which does not have a classic heating element, has a minimal threat level. An expensive solution is to use this type to maintain an acceptable temperature in a private home. For small houses, this will be a great, albeit expensive, option.
In second place are silent convectors installed in the likeness of central heating radiators and connected to a single electric network, specially made for this purpose. Their protective systems will prevent serious damage or fire. The rest of the species can not even be used for serious and long-term heating of a frequent home.
When solving the problem of heating a freezing apartment, there is no need for ultramodern heaters, however, oil models are already outdated, a high-speed heat gun is best suited, which will quickly increase the temperature and is very safe in its work. Converters can also be used, but they are not so fast in their work and cannot be used with maximum efficiency due to the presence of central heating radiators in the apartments.
Do not forget that the safety of electric heating is highly dependent on the characteristics of the home network. If there are problems with the wiring, any heating device becomes a potential source of problems with the power supply, so you must take this into account when building a private house at the design stage. When using a separate machine and wires to create a network supplying heaters, the possibility of an accident is minimized.
Offers in the modern market of heaters
Today, almost all manufacturers of household appliances have a line of their own heaters. Let's consider them from the point of view of safety.
Zanussi ZFH / C-410
This heat fan costs 1,500 rubles on average and is used to heat rooms of 20 sq.m. The maximum power is 1500 watts and the weight is 1.5 kg. It is used to quickly heat non-residential premises or apartments when the heat is cut off by central heating or if it is not available.
Ballu BEC / EZER-1500 Enzo
1500 W convector with a heated area of 20 sq.m. The price is 3000 rubles. The heater is protected against capsizing, overheating and moisture. Electronic control, wall mount and rollers for floor mounting.
Polaris PREL 1125
Oil cooler for just 3,700 rubles. It has 11 sections and a power of 2500 watts. Floor arrangement and mechanical control. Due to its simplicity, it is almost twice as powerful as other types of heaters of similar power.
Ballu BIH-0.8
Small ceiling infrared heater 800 watts. Its cost is 2200 rubles. It does not have the ability to configure, but is protected from overheating. For a room of 20 sq.m, several such devices will be needed.
Buyer choice
The safest type of heaters is also the most expensive. Infrared devices heat up perfectly and at the same time do not contain fire hazardous elements. Thus, the final choice should be made by the buyer himself, deciding what is more important for him - his own safety or a less reliable heater in this regard for a lower cost. Reason suggests that saving on this should not be done.
