Convector or oil heater: which is better

Central heating is not always enough to provide a comfortable atmosphere in the house. Therefore, it is often necessary to use additional heating devices. The most popular of them are the convector or oil heater: which is better – you can decide by getting acquainted with the advantages and disadvantages of these devices, as well as the features of their use.

The principle of operation, the pros and cons of an oil heater

When choosing an oil heater for the house should understand the principle of its work. Externally, it is a metal case, inside of which there is a container with mineral oil. After turning on the device, the heating element starts working, which raises the temperature of the oil. The oil, in turn, heats the metal case, and it gives up its heat to the environment. It takes quite a lot of time, but the heat evenly spreads throughout the room.

The intensity of air heating in such radiators, as a rule, is regulated, and the design is equipped with wheels for greater mobility. There are floor and wall oil heaters. Buy the latter is advisable if the house has a small child or pets.
This heater works for periods. When the room temperature rises to the desired level, the built-in sensor turns off the heating element. At lower temperatures, the reverse occurs. Thus, the use of electric oil radiator saves energy.

Of the advantages of the oil cooler are the following:

1. High security – all heating elements are hidden inside the case, so you can not be afraid to burn yourself on the oil heater. In addition, most models are equipped with a special sensor that turns off the device when overturning.
2. No noise at work – you can safely install a household electric oil heater in the bedroom or office. Also, the device takes up little space, and you can arrange it not only on the floor, but also on the wall.
3. Long service life – the heating element of the oil radiator is reliable and durable, and the device itself can work for several days without interruption. Most modern models are equipped with built-in overheating protection.
4. During the work the unpleasant smell is not emitted. In addition, modern oil heaters (Delongy and other companies) do not overdry the air in the room, so complete with the device you do not have to buy a humidifier.
5. The price of the heater is quite low, so everyone can afford it.

Like any household appliance, an oil heater has its drawbacks. Among them are:

1. The air in the room warms up long enough, especially when it comes to a large room. This problem can be corrected if you buy an oil heater with a fan: the heated air will spread faster.
2. The design itself weighs quite a lot, so it is better if the device is equipped with wheels. On the wall to hang the oil heater is only in the presence of reliable fasteners.

Helpful advice! When choosing an oil heater, pay attention to the manufacturer. As a rule, brand awareness is guaranteed by the high quality of the heater.

Different models of heaters may vary in power, size, appearance, and other characteristics. For example, depending on the particular location, oil heaters are distinguished, such as:

• wall mounted;
• floor standing;
• desktop

Using the wall model saves space, but also increases the time required to warm the air in the room. The fact is that the heated air rises, therefore the lower the heater is located, the more efficient it works. Because of this, oil heaters are often installed under the windows.

Outdoor options are the most mobile. They can be easily moved from room to room, cleaned up in unused time. Schemes of oil heaters of floor and wall types practically do not differ from each other.

In addition, such heaters may have a large number of additional features and capabilities. These include, for example, a fan that accelerates warm air through the room, a humidifier that allows you to create a comfortable level of humidity in the room. And the best oil heaters are equipped with temperature sensors and can be programmed to turn on and off at certain times.

The main criterion when choosing any heater is its power. Therefore, before buying it is necessary to measure all the necessary parameters in order not to overpay, but also not to purchase an insufficiently powerful device. If your apartment has standard ceilings with a height of 2.75 m, then for heating every 10 m ?. You will need 1 kW of power. With a different ceiling height, the heater power is calculated as:

1. The length and width of the room is measured, its area is calculated.
2. The resulting value is multiplied by the height of the ceilings, it turns out its volume.
3. The volume is divided by 25, so how about 25 m? 1 kW of energy is required.

The resulting figure will be the necessary power for your oil heater. The presence of a fan in the design affects only the heating rate of the room, but not the required power.

If you want to save money, then an oil-type heater can also be made by yourself. For the assembly of an oil heater with your own hands, you need only a metal case. Heating element and oil. The answer to the question what kind of oil in oil heaters to use is purified and heat-resistant.

This is necessary so that scale does not form on the walls of the heating element, and the oil itself does not boil at high temperature. If you need to know more precisely what kind of oil can be poured into oil heaters and which cannot, then turn to professionals.

Helpful advice! As a housing for a homemade heater, you can use a conventional cast iron battery. The material has good thermal conductivity, and inside such a case you can easily install not only the heating element, but also a lot of other useful improvements.

The electric circuit of the oil heater for self-assembly can be easily found on the Internet, and for greater efficiency you need to choose the right heating element. It should be powerful enough, but without a magnesium anode, since it can quickly damage the heating element. Also when assembling it is necessary to understand the scheme of oil circulation in the device.

In order to repair the oil heater with your own hands, it is also necessary to understand the principle of operation of the device and the internal structure of the structure, as well as to have special tools and skills, otherwise repairs may lead to more severe damage. If you are not confident in your abilities, then it is better to entrust this business to experienced specialists.

Convector heater is not inferior in design to oil. It also has a heating element that raises the air temperature. The name of the device itself comes from the principle of convection, when warm air rises up and cold air goes down. It is thanks to this air circulation and the room is heated.

On the question of how convectors differ from oil heaters, the answer is very simple – in the first type, the heating element heats up the air directly, rather than the device body. This gives a number of advantages, for example, the case of the device heats up not so much. According to the type of energy consumed, electric, gas and water convectors are distinguished, each of which has its own characteristics, but structurally and in power they do not differ much from each other. The most common are electric convector heaters.

There are also infrared convectors that use infrared radiation to heat the air. As a rule, the efficiency of such models is low, so it is best to use combined convective-infrared heaters. They will be able to quickly and evenly heat the air, even in a large room.

Unlike a floor-mounted or wall-mounted electric oil heater, a convector does not heat the casing, but begins to warm the air immediately. This means that when using such a device, the room temperature rises much faster than when using an oil cooler. At the same power, an oil heater can warm up a large room for up to an hour, while a convector heater can cope in a significantly shorter period of time.

Another advantage – the case of a water, electric or gas convector heater during operation practically does not heat up, which excludes the possibility of getting a burn or damage to property. The use of such a heating device is perfectly safe, even if there are small children in the house. The case itself can be made of various materials with different levels of thermal conductivity.

Separately, it is worth noting the security systems of convector heaters. Virtually every model has power and temperature control, which can be done using an electronic or electromechanical thermostat. Also, many models have protection against high humidity, that is, they can be used not only in living rooms, but also in baths and other rooms with a high level of humidity.

The disadvantages of this heater a bit:

1. Uneven heating of air at different heights – when using a convector, the difference in air temperature at the floor and at the ceiling can be up to 9-10 ° C, since the heated air immediately rushes up and the cold air stays below.
2. Dust circulates with the air, so it is not recommended to use the device in dusty rooms.
3. It is possible to install convectors on the wall or near the ceiling, but this makes little sense, since in such cases the temperature difference at different heights will be even greater.

Helpful advice! The use of an infrared convector heater can somewhat reduce these disadvantages, but such models are characterized by a lower power output.

The price category of the heating device depends on its power, manufacturer, the availability of additional functions and other characteristics. The price of an oil household electric heater of small capacity will be about 2500 rubles. The cost of more powerful models is in the range of 3-4 thousand rubles. The price of the device is affected by the heating area and the number of sections.

When choosing a convector, you must also pay attention to the power and manufacturer. Here the price can vary from 1500 to 4500 rubles. Infrared models are cheaper, you can buy such a heater for 1000 rubles or less.

If you want to buy an oil heater DeLong, then be prepared for serious expenses, as the products of a well-known brand are more expensive. If you do not want to overpay for a trademark, you can turn your attention to heating devices from lesser-known companies.

To fully understand what is better, convector or oil heaters, you need to compare their main characteristics with each other:

• time of air heating in the room. In the oil radiator, the heating element is first heated, then it heats the oil, which gives off heat to the body, which is already beginning to heat the air. In the convector air heating occurs immediately. It should be understood that if you are going to buy an electric oil heater with a fan, then it will warm up the air at the same speed as the convector, and even faster. This is due to the relatively low power of the convector heater;

• electricity consumption. In this regard, the convector is about a quarter more economical than an oil radiator of the same power. This factor can be decisive, since the solid energy consumption of an oil device can fly into a pretty penny;
• ease of installation and operation. Convectors weigh several times less than bulky oil devices, so moving them from place to place is much more convenient. In addition, they are easier to mount on the wall, although this reduces the efficiency of the work. Modern models of devices of both types are equipped with sensors, simple and clear controls and displays, so that the level of ease of operation is about the same and depends largely on the manufacturer and model;
• safety of use. The answer to the question what kind of oil heaters may well be the best – those that are less heated during operation. The red-hot oil noticeably heats the body, but the convectors in this regard are completely safe. You can easily leave such a device turned on without supervision, while it is extremely not recommended to do this with oil;

• environmental friendliness and safety for health. Oil or convector heaters do not have parts in their design that could burn oxygen, so in this regard, both types are completely safe. When the convector is used in the room, dust can circulate, which is not the case when the oil heater is in operation. But a lot depends on the cleanliness of the room;
• durability. Convector heaters last significantly longer than oil heaters, and it is much easier to repair them. One of the most common causes of breakdowns in an oil radiator can be the occurrence of microcracks, through which oil flows and evaporates. Repair in such cases is very complicated or simply impossible;
• the cost. Oil radiators are cheaper than convectors of the same power, but in terms of the aggregate performance characteristics are much inferior to them, so the savings can be very doubtful.

In addition to the characteristics already listed, it is worth noting that the improvement of convector heating devices is much faster than oil ones, which are slowly but surely disappearing from the market. The latest invention in this regard is the monolithic heating element of the convector, which doubles the thermal power of the device with the same electricity consumption.

In addition, when choosing a convector or an oil heater, it is necessary to take into account the degrees of protection, and according to this characteristic, the latter clearly loses. Rare convector is not equipped with protection against overheating, voltage surges and overturning. While oil radiators are often found without any protection at all.

Considering all the characteristics considered, it can be said that convector-type heaters have more advantages than oil ones. But this does not mean that the latter have completely lost their positions and are not used anywhere. Radiators with oil as a coolant are cheaper than other types of heaters, which still makes them very popular. Also, an oil radiator can be effectively used where fast air heating is not needed, but its uniformity is appreciated. And models with a built-in fan can warm up a room even faster than a convector.

When choosing a heater model for your apartment or office, consider the combination of its characteristics, manufacturer’s reputation and other factors. A good oil cooler will be more efficient than a low quality convector. An important role when choosing reviews also play. What is better, oil heaters or convectors of one type or another can be found in the reaction of users on the Internet.