Which air heater is better: PETN or ceramic?

When choosing an air heater, or just a heater, the first question is what type of heater to choose. After answering the first question, the necessary power of the device of the selected type is approximately calculated so that it can heat the room of the corresponding area. Approximately take 1 kW per 10 square meters. And finally make the long-awaited purchase.

But if in appearance all these steps seem unpretentious and simple, then as soon as it comes down to business, a lot of nuances immediately pop up to the surface. What type of device to choose? What are the pros and cons of devices of one type or another? Which is best suited to current conditions? We will try to honestly answer these questions in this article. Namely, we compare the two most popular today, and at the same time completely different, such as air heaters - heating elements and ceramic.

TEN new air heaters

TENY represent tight tubes from heat-resistant material, inside of which there is electricity powered spiral.

What is the tube for? In order that the open spiral does not cause harm to surrounding objects, that it does not strongly burn the dust in the air, and finally, that the spiral does not burn out so quickly, because oxygen in the air greatly contributes to this.

TENY in heaters have a wavy shape or the shape of a flat spiral, sometimes with fins. But the principle is always the same: the spiral inside the heater transfers heat to the surface of the heater, and the surface of the heater by convection heats the room air, or the heat is blown away by the fan, which again contributes to the heating of the air.

Everything is obvious, it would seem, - choose a heater with a heating element at the appropriate power, put it in the room and enjoy the heat. Can choose fan heater with electric heater, then the warm air heated by the heater will blow where you need, and the goal will be achieved - the room will again be filled with heat. However, not all so simple. The surface area of ​​the heating element is small, and this is the main pitfall.

Although heaters with open heating elements warm up quickly, they do not evenly distribute heat throughout the room. If there is no fan, then the heat will rush vertically upward, and after a few minutes the smell of burning will still appear, since the dust will still begin to fall on the heater. In addition, oxygen will be burned, and in the end the room (or office) will become stuffy.

Thus, the small surface area of ​​the heating element negatively affects the heating process. The air warms up in volume strongly locally (only near the surface of the heater), while, of course, it overheats, which means that oxygen is burned out, it becomes stuffy, and the heat does not bring the expected comfort.

Obviously, for heating the water in the tank, the heater is ideal, but it does not work well for heating the air. Liquids inside the volume carry heat better, and gases (air in particular) are much worse.

If we are talking about a garage, a small hangar or a warehouse of fireproof materials, where people are not at all times, then a TEN new air heater will do. Well, if the room is equipped with a thermostat, then it will be possible to maintain the air temperature at the required level.

But if we are talking about a room in which people work all the time, if there are fire hazardous materials, or air humidity is higher than usual, then the heater will not work. Need a different solution. Fortunately, these days there are more suitable alternatives.

The noise of the fan is another minus of the heater. The fan there is always powerful, because it is necessary to blow off heat from the surface of the heater in a small area, and this requires a significant air pressure.Another thing is if the heater has a fin or a blown radiator of a good area, then the fan will be quieter. One way or another, due to the presence of noise, such a heater is suitable for noisy rooms, when one of the goals is to save on the purchase of a heating device. Low cost of TENOVA air heater - the main plus of devices of this type.

Ceramic Air Heaters

Ceramic heater is a relatively new trend in climate technology. The heating principle here is forced convection, when a large area heating element is moderately blown with air, and heated air is distributed throughout the room.

The heating element of this type of device is different from the heater. Here, several ceramic elements are combined into a monolithic heating surface, which allows the device to warm the air not near the heater tube, but over a much larger contact area.

That is, losing in the temperature of the heating surface, we get a gain in volume, in the area of ​​contact of the ceramic with air. And if the heating elements overheat the air near the heating element, then the ceramic ones “underheat” the air, but in a much larger volume.

The technology is called revolutionary, since there are practically no shortcomings, except perhaps a higher price than the heating elements of the appliances. Ceramics do not dry air, do not burn dust, do not burn oxygen. The temperature of the heaters is lower than that of the heating elements, therefore, such devices are safe, and even in the children's room you can put them without fear that the child will get burned, or that he will become stifled. In addition, ceramic heating devices are wall, floor and even desktop.

An important factor in the operation of a ceramic heater is infrared heat radiation. If you direct the floor, wall or desktop ceramic heater to any object in the room, then the warm infrared radiation will warm it, not to mention the effect of having a fan. By the way, wall-mounted models of ceramic heaters are very similar in appearance to air conditioners, and aesthetically fit well into almost any interior.

An undeniable plus of ceramic heaters - there is no stuffiness. Since the air inside the device does not overheat, even slightly elevated humidity and the lack of good ventilation will not lead to stuffiness during heating. Thus, ceramic heaters are better suited for rooms where people are present, for example, for apartments, houses, offices, etc. Of course, the cost of ceramic heaters is higher than the heating elements, but the purchase costs will certainly pay off in comfort.