Super Duper Heaters » Propane Heaters

Infrared Heaters

admin — Mon, 27 Jul 2009 17:53:09 +0000

Infrared heaters are a great choice for temporarily heating a room, building or outdoors area. This type of heater uses electromagnetic radiation to transfer heat from the heater into the objects (including people) in the surrounding area. Infrared heaters are notable in that they do not heat the air in the room, as the radiative heat passes right through it. The heat, however, is absorbed quickly by the nearby objects in the area.

Power Source

Infrared heaters can be powered by a couple of sources: you can have electric infrared heaters as well as natural gas and propane infrared heaters. They come in several different styles, but the most common style is a wire mesh that is heated by the power source and gives off the radiative heat. The heat is emitted via electromagnetic energy waves which largely pass right through the air (a negligible amount of heat is actually absorbed by particles in the air, but this is less than 1% of the total heat emitted).

Indoors Use

Infrared heaters are a good choice for indoors heating and can even help you save some money on your heating bill. The best thing about infrared heaters is that they work very quickly – much quicker than a convection heater) since they don’t have to heat the air in a room before you start to feel the heat. You can generally feel the heat from an infrared heater as soon as you turn it on. Many people are turning on to infrared heaters for indoors use and choosing a quartz infrared heater has become very popular lately.

Outdoors Use

In addition to being useful for many indoors heating situations, infrared heaters are also a great choice for outdoors heating. Due to the uncontrolled air currents outdoors, conventional heaters that use convection to heat the area are inefficient and ineffective outside. As the heat given off by infrared heaters is independent of the air currents – and even passes right through them – infrared heaters are both efficient and effective for outdoors heating. This makes them a popular choice for heating outdoor areas, like patios, gardens and waiting areas (such as outside restaurants). Reviews of infrared heaters in these outdoors situations have been very positive.

One attribute of infrared heaters is that the heat they give off dissipates quickly when the heater is turned off, due to the fact that the air itself has not been heated. This is useful for situations where the temperature needs to be strictly controlled, such as food preparation. Turning the heater off effectively ends the heating process, allowing for more responsive and immediate temperature control. This also means that infrared heaters are generally not the best choice for areas that need to be heated indefinitely. If you need to heat a room or building all day for several days at a time, then an electric or propane convection heater would most likely be a better choice.

Overall, infrared heaters are somewhat situational and not suitable for every heating need, but they are also very efficient and quiet, and can prove to be effective heaters in the right spot.

Spelling

Quick note on the spelling: it’s infrared heater, not infared heater.

Gas Heaters

admin — Mon, 27 Jul 2009 17:02:26 +0000

Gas heaters are very similar to propane heaters in that they both run off of fuel instead of electricity. The main difference between the two is that gas heaters run off of natural gas, or methane, and propane heaters run on propane, which is derived from petroleum.

Types of Gas Heaters

Gas heaters are generally fairly simple but there are a few different varieties out there. Some of the higher end models can be somewhat complex, but any device that burns gas to produce heat qualifies as a gas heater. The simplest form of a gas heater is something that is used in many high school science classes: a Bunsen burner. It is obviously too small to be of much use in heating and is clearly not designed for large jobs, but it is nonetheless a gas heater.

The most common type of natural gas heater is a convection heater. These heaters usually operate on a fairly simple basis: the gas is directed onto a heating plate and then ignited. As the gas burns, the plate heats up, thereby giving off heat into the surrounding air. As the air heats, the principles of convection take over and the hot air circulates, bringing more cold air in to be heated. These heaters work quite efficiently and are very good at heating a room completely and evenly. The disadvantage to these heaters is that they can take a while to get going, since they rely on the natural air currents to disperse the heat.

It’s possible to speed up convection heaters significantly by adding a fan to them to force the air to circulate more quickly. These heaters are, not surprisingly, called fan heaters or forced air heaters. They speed up the heating process, but come at the cost of lowered efficiency and some operating noise from the fan.

Another sort of gas heater is called an infrared heater, or a radiant heater. These heaters emit infrared waves that travel through the air until they hit a solid object, such as a piece of furniture or a person. Once the waves hit a solid object they are converted into heat. Infrared heaters have the advantage of working very quickly, as they do not heat the air in a room, but rather directly heat the people and objects in the room. You can usually feel the heat coming from an infrared heater as soon as you turn it on.

Another advantage to infrared heaters is that the heat they supply is not affected by air currents, the way that convection heaters are. This makes infrared heaters great for heating outdoors, and a gas patio heater is a great way to keep the guests at your garden party comfortable.

The disadvantage to infrared heaters is that the heat they give off dissipates very quickly once they are turned off, since the air in the room has not been heated at all. This means that you pretty much have to run the heater non-stop to keep the room or space warm. Another downside to these heaters is that they do not heat the room evenly, like a convection heater would. People close to a infrared heater are going to be much warmer than people further away from it.

Using a Gas Heater

Most modern gas heaters generally have several things in common. They are usually fairly sizable, are vent-free (meaning no duct-work or ventilation is required for use), and are very efficient in their heating. Although some gas heaters can be moved around, most are wall heaters and are permanently attached to their spot. Even portable gas heaters are still tied to your gas supply, so it’s usually better to use electric heaters if a portable heat source is needed.

Safety is always a concern for gas heaters. Since there is an open flame, and the heating plate is at least partially exposed, it’s very easy to get burned accidentally if you aren’t careful around the heater. Children and pets would definitely need to be watched to make sure they don’t investigate the heater too closely. In addition, all flammable objects, such as newspaper, magazines, and fabric, need to be a safe distance away from the heater.

Overall, gas heaters make a great choice for heating your house or building. They will continue to run even if the power goes out, which is great for areas that have a lot of winter storms. There would be nothing worse than having your power and heat go out at the same time. You may also want to consider using a gas water heater instead of an electric water heater for this reason. Just make sure to buy a good quality heater, be aware of the safety issues, use the heater wisely, and your heating issues will be solved.

Propane Heaters

admin — Sat, 25 Jul 2009 20:23:44 +0000

Propane heaters are one of the more popular choices for heating a room, house or building. Due to their good efficiency, portability and ease of use, propane heaters are a great option for anyone looking for a primary heating source, or even to use as a backup.

There are several different types of propane heaters available, and sorting through all of the options can be a little difficult. Let’s take a look at some of the main differences between the various types of propane heaters.

Types of Propane Heaters

The most common type of indoor propane heater is what is called a convection heater. Convection heaters use the natural properties of air to transmit heat into a space or room. To put things simply, as the heating element gives off heat, that heat is absorbed by the air surrounding the heater. As the air gets hotter, it begins to rise, and cooler air flows down to the heater. That cooler air is then heated, and rises, and the cycle repeats itself.

Convection heaters are very efficient at heating spaces, work almost silently, and are very good at heating rooms evenly and thoroughly. The disadvantage to using convection heaters is that they take a comparatively long time to heat a room, since they rely solely on the natural air currents to transmit their heat. Using a fan heater (or forced air heaters, as they’re also called) can help speed up the long heating process, as they use a fan to force the air through the heater and into the room.

Another type of propane heater is called a radiant heater, or infrared heater. These heaters transmit heat via electromagnetic waves (also called infrared waves) which travel through the air until they are absorbed by a solid object, such as a person or piece of furniture. The waves are not converted into heat until they reach that object, which means that the heat travels through the air, instead of being absorbed by the air as with a convection heater.

Since radiant heaters do not heat the air, this means that they are capable of heating a room much more quickly than a convection heater. In fact, you can usually feel the heat given off by a radiant heater almost instantly when you turn it on. The downside to this is that, since the air in the room has not been heated, the heat given off by a radiant heater evaporates very quickly once the heater is turned off.

Using A Propane Heater

Safety is very important when using propane heaters. These sorts of heaters operate by burning gas directly onto a metal grid which then heats up, generally to the point of glowing red hot, and gives off significant amounts of heat. Due to the fact that they have an open flame and very hot surfaces, caution needs to be taken when using a gas heater. Children and pets who don’t know better can easily burn themselves on the heater, and the heater could also set fabric or paper on fire if it were left too close to the heater when it’s operating.

The single biggest advantage to using a propane space heater over an electric heater is that propane heaters do not need electricity to operate. This means that if electricity is not available, or more importantly, the power goes out, your propane heaters will continue to work. This is especially important if you live in an area that gets a lot of storms in the winter. The last thing you want to have happen during a blizzard is for you to lose your power and your only source of heat at the same time. If this is a concern for you, it’s wise to invest in a propane or gas heater as your primary heating source, or at least consider getting a generator to power your electrical heater. A propane water heater would also be something to think about.

A lot of older propane heaters tended to be rather big and bulky, and most even required some duct-work ventilation – to allow excess propane to escape outside – to be attached to the heater to allow it to be used safely indoors. These problems have largely been solved. Nearly all modern propane heaters are vent-free, meaning they can be used indoors and out without the need for ventilation or duct-work, and there are also many models that are small enough to be placed in just about any area.

All in all, propane heaters are a great choice for heating your house, garage or workroom, especially if this is going to be your primary source of heat. If there’s reasonable chance that the power could go out in a storm and leave you with no other sources of heat, then electric heaters really aren’t an option. However, if the safety issues are a concern, then you can always check into getting a backup generator to power your electric heaters.

Heaters Guide

admin — Sat, 25 Jul 2009 20:22:24 +0000

Heaters come in many different shapes and sizes and often have very different characteristics, but they all serve the same basic purpose: make a room, space or a building warmer. So why all the different options? While all heaters do the same basic thing, there are lots of differences in how they do it. One heater may use less power or fuel than another, some heat up more quickly, some work best in delicate areas, and some heaters serve specific purposes that other heaters cannot do. Let’s take a look at the wide variety of heaters out there.

Power Sources

There are two main methods for classifying heaters: the power source they run on and the method in which they heat a room or space. Let’s look at the different power sources heaters can run on first. There are three varieties of heaters in this category: electric heaters, gas heaters and propane heaters. All heaters use one of these power sources exclusively and cannot be run on another power source.

Electric heaters run solely on electricity and this can be both an advantage and a disadvantage, depending on your situation. The advantages to using an electric heater are the high efficiency of those heaters, the low costs associated with running them, and the ease and convenience of using electrical power – anywhere you have a plug, you can use the heater.

The main disadvantages to using electrical heaters are that they are limited by the availability of electricity – you will have a hard time using one in the outdoors, for instance – and if your power goes out, your heat will go out with it. This can be a very bad thing if you live in a place that has a lot of winter storms. You don’t want to have your power go out and take your only source of heat with it.

Gas and propane heaters run off of natural gas (methane) and propane (which is a petroleum derivative), respectively. The primary advantage to using gas and propane heaters is that they can continue to run even if there is no power. For this reason, it is generally recommended that you use a gas heater or propane heater as your primary heat source, and have an electric heater as a backup. In addition, if you want to use a heater outdoors, for instance at a job site, then a propane or gas heater will be much more convenient.

The disadvantages to using gas and propane heaters is that they can be less convenient than electric heaters (especially indoors), they are generally more difficult to install and set up, and gas and propane often cost more than electrical power.

Method For Generating Heat

The other way in which heaters are classified is the method they use for generating heat. There are four varieties here: convection heaters, fan heaters (also called forced air heaters), infrared heaters, and radiant heaters. Convection heaters and fan heaters are similar in how they work, as are infrared heaters and radiant heaters. Let’s take a look at what makes them tick.

Convection heaters use the principles of thermodynamics and the convective properties of air to heat a room or space. The power source (whether it’s electricity, gas or propane) is applied to the heating element in the heater (usually a metal bar of some sort) which then heats up to a significant temperature. As the temperature of the heating element increases, it gives off heat into the surrounding atmosphere, which is absorbed by the air. As we all know, hot air rises and that is what allows convection heaters to heat a room. The air that is warmed by the heater rises and displaces cooler air. The cooler air flows down to the heater, becomes heated and then rises itself. This cycle then repeats indefinitely.

Advantages of using convection heaters are that they are very efficient, virtually silent, and do a very thorough job of heating a room. In addition, since convection heaters actually heat the air in a room, the heat they give off remains in the room after the heater is turned off. This allows for more efficient use of the heater, as they do not have to be running constantly. Disadvantages of using a convection heater are focused primarily on the length of time they take to heat a room. Since they rely on natural air currents to heat a space, it can take some time for the heat they generate to reach all of the corners of a room. (Or to be more correct, the heat they generate can be felt quickly, but it is going to rise to the top of the room first. This can be good to know if you are trying to heat a very high-ceilinged room.)

Fan heaters are similar to convection heaters in that they also use the conductive properties of the air to transmit heat, but fan heaters use a small fan to force the air through them, rather than letting the natural air currents carry the heat. This means that convection heaters can heat a room more quickly, but it comes with a cost of lower efficiency and some noise from the fan.

Radiant heaters are fundamentally different from convection and fan heaters, and use different scientific principles to emit their heat. Rather than transferring heat into the air, radiant heaters emit heat in electromagnetic waves (also known as infrared waves) which travel through the air until they encounter a solid object, such as a person, a wall, or a piece of furniture. The object then converts the electromagnetic waves into heat.

The main practical difference between radiant and convection heaters is that the heat given off by radiant heaters is not absorbed by the air. It travels through the air until it is absorbed by a solid object. This means that the heat given off by radiant heaters is felt much more quickly than convection heaters (almost immediately), as the heater does not have to heat the air in the room first.

That point is the main advantage to using a radiant space heater. The space or room you need heated will feel warm much more quickly. Other advantages to radiant heaters include greater efficiency outdoors, as the heat they give off is not carried about by the wind, and a greater ability to direct exactly where you want the heat to be applied. There are a couple of disadvantages to radiant heaters. First, in contrast to convection heaters, the heat radiant heaters emit dissipates quickly when the heater is turned off, as the air itself has not been warmed. This means the heater has to run pretty much non-stop as long as the heat is required. Second, although the heat emitted by radiant heaters is directional, people and objects closer to the heater will be much warmer than people and objects further away. This can lead to people close to the heater sweating, while people on the other side of the room are still shivering.

Infrared heaters are essentially the same as radiant heaters – they use the same scientific principles and generate and emit heat in the same manner – and the main differences are simply marketing decisions. Most heaters that are called “infrared heaters” are powered by gas or propane and are designed for commercial or industrial use, while most heaters called “radiant heaters” are powered by electricity and are designed for home or personal use. They may look different, but other than the power source there is very little practical difference between the two.

Other Heaters

There are many other names under which heaters are sold, but these names usually just refer to the specific purpose they are designed for, and don’t reflect a new or different power source or heating method. Space heaters simply heat a space (or room or house or building), patio heaters heat a patio. Wall heaters are installed on the wall, and baseboard heaters are wide and short and run along baseboards.

Deciding On A Heater

When you are ready to buy a heater, consider both the power source and heating method used to make a wise purchase. If you are going to heat indoors, then an electrical heater might be the best choice, unless it’s going to be the only heating source available, in which case you might want to consider a gas or propane heater. If you are going to heat a room for long periods of time, then a convection heater is probably best, but if you only need the heat for a short amount of time, then a radiant heater might work fine.