Convector Heaters: Benefits and Choices

In the cold season can not do without additional heating. In this connection, convector heaters are increasingly in demand. They are noiseless, compact, efficient and fit perfectly in both home and office interior. Let’s see what are the advantages of such heaters and what characteristics of the device are important to choose the right option.

How convector heaters work: design and operation principles

The principle of operation of a convector heater is simple and is based on the physical properties of air. Air temperature affects its density. So, the cold air is heavier, because it accumulates at the bottom, closer to the floor. Warm air is lighter because it tends upwards towards the ceiling.

In the wall-mounted convector heater at the top and bottom there are special openings through which air passes. The air enters the unit through the lower slot, the device heats it up, after which it is warm and, therefore, lighter air flows out through the upper slot and rises to the ceiling.

Thus, the convector is designed to heat and direct the air flow in the room. For this, there is a heating element in its housing. The body of the heater is made of metal with a thickness of 0.8 mm to increase the efficiency of operation. The housing itself is narrow, which allows the convector not to take up much space in the room. The heater works from the power supply network.

In order for you to influence the degree of heating of the room, a thermostat of a convector heater is provided. To set the temperature mode, it is enough to use a pen or a button on the external panel of the device.

Convectors quickly heat the room. Most of them work silently, and the efficiency of particularly efficient models reaches 99%. The warranty period for convectors is 10 years, while often the life of the heater is 20-30 years. Convectors are completely safe to use, while it is easy to find a good price for a convector heater.

It should be noted that the convector is good for heating a small area. Over time, its speed and heating power fall, and in the process, the heater dries the air and raises fine dust. Also remember that the work of a convector heater is energy-intensive, although some models can reduce electricity consumption and help you save money.

Helpful advice! If you plan to use the convector all the cold season, it makes sense to install it on the wall. If you get the device only during the cold spells, it is better to give preference to the floor convector on wheels.

Oil heater for a long time remained the most popular type for home heating. Let’s figure out whether to switch to convector devices and why.

Thus, having similar minor flaws, convectors are significantly superior to oil heaters in terms of safety, economy, convenience and service life. Therefore, in an effort to choose a suitable heater, today they increasingly prefer a better convector heater for the house.

The choice between a mikatermichesky heater and the convector depends on purpose of the device. The main advantages of convector units in the ability to maintain a comfortable temperature throughout the room. This is true when it comes to a residential apartment or office. If it is required to heat a large workshop or a spacious production room with drafts, the convector is inefficient, as it will distribute cold air and the action will be directly opposite to what was intended. In this case, the mikatermichesky heater is relevant.

Thus, it cannot be said that some type of equipment is worse – they have a different scope of application. If you choose a heater for home or office, the best option would be a convector.

The most popular type of convector is electric, but there are several varieties of this equipment. Convective-infrared distinguishes the principle of heating: they affect objects – walls, furniture, floor. By maintaining a comfortable temperature and humidity level, the air is not dried out, which creates a healthy indoor climate. A significant disadvantage of such a convector is the high cost.

Film wall convectors, consisting of an insulating film and a heating element, are easy to hang on the wall or remove and roll into a roll. They are very effective, but extremely short-lived. The service life of such a device is up to 3 years.

Gas effectively heat up even more space, are simple and safe to operate, environmentally friendly and comfortable. However, to operate such a convector, you need a source of gas, as well as a connection to the chimney or hood, which significantly reduces the scope of application of this equipment.

The principle of operation of water convectors is based on a central heating system. Such a heater can be floor-mounted, wall-mounted and even be built under the floor or into the walls. Such a convector is safe, convenient and durable, however, it is able to heat an area up to 10 m ?, and the warm air from such a device is unevenly distributed. Therefore, most often this type of convector is used in swimming pools and small rooms with a vast glass area.

Helpful advice! To choose the type of convector that suits you without overpaying, determine the scope of use of the heater. If your goals do not include systematic heating of a large house or pool heating, it makes no sense to install a gas heater or build a water facade – just get electric.

Types of heating elements of electric heating convectors with thermostat
The heating element is the most important part of the convector, because it depends on it how effectively your apartment or office will heat up. There are several types of heating elements:

• tape, or needle. Such a heating element is a narrow dielectric plate with loops of an alloy of nickel and chromium on both sides. The main disadvantage of this design is the fragility of these loops. Due to the ease of damage, tape heating elements are almost not used by modern manufacturers. In addition, this design does not provide for the presence of edges, as a result, first the body of the convector is heated, and after it the movement of warm air occurs. This warming principle is not fast and efficient;
• tubular heating element – heater. This is the most popular type of convector heaters for home and office. Its device is simple: along the entire length of the heater tube are aluminum fins. Heat transfer device is directly proportional to the size and frequency of the edges;

• monolithic heating element. At the base, it is similar to the TEN: in a molded aluminum case there is a nichrome thread, and heat transfer is provided by the fins on the case. But as an insulator there is used backfill from a dielectric. Thus, the difference of temperature expansion is leveled, leading to heat losses in heating elements. As a result, the efficiency of the monolithic heating element is maximum. The housing of the device of such a convector almost does not heat up, and the work is quiet. The principle of operation of the unit is as follows: the hollow body plays the role of a wind tunnel, as the air heats up, thrust is created in it. As a result, cold air flows continuously into the switched on convector, is converted into hot air and flows upwards, and all the air in the room is gradually heated.

Helpful advice! When buying a wall convector heater, be sure to ask about the type of its heating element. So you can predict in advance the effectiveness of its work and possible problems.

Electric convector heaters are floor, wall and baseboards. Floor and wall convectors are usually up to 45 cm tall, but baseboards are usually no higher than 25 cm, but much longer — the length of such a convector can reach 2.5 m.

Install convector-type electric heaters on the floor or wall. From where you want to place the device, and the choice of its type depends. If you want to put the heater under the window opening, take a look at the baseboard convectors. They can be moved from one place to another with a handle and wheels. Because of the length, frequent movement of the baseboard convector is not always convenient, but you can be sure that the air in the lower part of the room will be well heated, and this is especially true when sitting at a computer and a cold parquet floor.

If you want the unit to not occupy space in the room, you will need wall heaters of convector type. This heater is mounted on the wall with the help of special brackets, compact and fits well into the modern interior.

What to look for when buying an electric wall-mounted convector with a thermostat
A good convector will serve you for many years, so you should take the purchase seriously and choose a quality appliance. The following characteristics matter:

• power. The choice of this parameter is related to the size of the room. For example, the area of ​​your room is 19 m ?, the ceiling height is 2.7 m. To heat 1 m? space requires 25 watts of power. Thus, we multiply both figures by 25 and get 1285.5 watts. When rounding up, we get one and a half kilowatts – this is the heater power we need;
  

  Helpful advice! Calculation of 25 watts of power for heating 1 m? The square is correct if you intend to use the convector to heat the house in the off-season, while the heating has already been turned off or not turned on yet. If there is no heating in the room at all, consider on the basis of 40 W of power per 1 m ?.

• heating element and its type. The cast monolithic heater is the most effective and efficient;

• dimensions. Height affects the speed of air movement. As a result, a small convector with a height of 60 cm warms up the room much faster than a tall one. If you choose a floor or plinth heater, pay attention to its weight – after all, you may want to move it from place to place or one day you will need to repair a convector heater and you will have to carry it to the master;
• safety in use. It is clear that everyone wants to choose the most secure device. In the case of a convector, you only have to worry about the lack of sharp corners of the unit. After all, one of the main advantages of convectors in the question is which is better, heaters or convector systems in that the convector is free from the risk of ignition. It will not burn the skin if it is accidentally touched, as it heats up to a maximum of 60 ° C, does not require grounding and copes with voltage drops;
• additional options. When you buy a convector-type heater that has useful features in addition to directly maintaining the desired temperature in the room, you can control its operation mode.

Helpful advice! If in the room where the convector will be installed, people with respiratory tract diseases or allergies live or work, take care of the choice of a heater with a function of moistening and ionizing the air.

The products of each manufacturer company have their own characteristics and the best rulers.

• The Norwegian company Nobo is especially known for the Oslo series of convectors. The peculiarity of these devices is the ability to accurately set the temperature and efficient operation with minimal energy consumption. This way you can save on electricity.
• The peculiarity of the heaters of the French company Applimo in the use of Schwarz CV silumin heating element. As a result, the efficiency of the device is very high, in addition, you can set the temperature to within 0.5 ° C.
• The European international company Neoclima makes Dolce and Comfort heaters, designed specifically for rooms with an area of ​​less than 20 m ?. Temperature control in them is controlled by automatic equipment, ensuring maximum safety and comfortable conditions.

• It is not for nothing that Ballu convector has earned customer reviews and recognition in the international market. This company from Hong Kong is known for its high-tech thermostats, also their products are highly secure. The heating element of convector heaters to the ball is made of aluminum, and the X-shaped form increases the working area and allows you to immediately warm up the room. Also, the devices of this company are distinguished by durability.
• Not the last place in the rating of convector heaters is occupied by the products of the Czech company Saturn. Their advantage in diversity, because the range of heaters includes about twenty options.
• Electrolux convector heaters are characterized by quiet operation and versatility: many models can be placed on the floor or mounted on the wall.

Helpful advice! Before buying a model you like, read reviews about the selected convector heater. For example, in a store it is often said that a particular model does not collect dust, although this is physically impossible – due to air circulation, dust inevitably falls into any convector. Thus, it is better to follow not the advertising, but the experience of people who in practice have experienced all the characteristics of the device.

The cost of the heater depends on its characteristics. Wall flexible convector cost most economically. As a rule, the price is directly proportional to the power of the device, although each company has economy options.

For example, the average Nobo model will cost twice as much as the similar Elektrolux model, while the Nobo heater from an economy class can cost less than the production of affordable Watt WCH.

The price of the best convector heaters using infrared radiation above all. They do not dry the air and work on the principle of heating objects. Slightly cheaper gas heaters, and even more economical water, the price of which is still several times higher than the cost of electric.

Be prepared for the fact that a truly effective and high-quality device will be expensive. However, it will last for decades, so it makes sense to overpay for reliability in operation and effective heating of the room.

After purchase, the convector must be fixed. In the case of wall models, the device’s frame is first attached to the wall; if the convector is floor mounted, it is necessary to fix the legs with the wheels on the case. Each model comes with installation instructions.

Please note that the lower edge of the convector case should be no less than 15 cm. Do not bring the device closer to the wall and any objects more than 25 cm. The distance between the upper edge of the convector and any objects should not exceed 45 cm. In all convectors fire safety system, and if the upper slot proves to be accidentally closed by something, the automation will work and the device will simply turn off. Therefore, it is impossible to dry things on heaters, cover it with something or put a high convector under the window.

Helpful advice! From time to time, it is also necessary to remove accumulated dust from the heating element of the heater. To do this, use a vacuum cleaner with a narrow nozzle.

In the care of ceramic convector heaters and convectors of other types and unpretentious. From time to time, wipe the external panels of a power off appliance with a damp cloth. Before proceeding with the cleaning, make sure that the body of the convector has cooled.