Infrared heat

[John Mercier]

Correct. They also give off a percentage of the heat as radiant.

Sort of like a light bulb is about lumens, but also gives off heat. But given the same amount of electricity, some will provide more lumens... others more heat.

[Woodsy]

Its pretty funny reading some of these...

For power calcs use Ohm's law. 800W is 800W! The reason most hair dryers are limited to less than 1800W is because 120V/1800W = 15A. Most household 120V circuits are limited to 15A, and will nuisance trip at 13.5-14A depending on circuit load. You can have a dedicated 120V/20A circuit but they are pretty rare in a home and will nuisance trip at anything over 18A.

A 120V/1200W heater of any kind will pull 10A.

All of the electric heaters discussed here are convection heaters. They use electricity to heat air, and they will all heat a room slowly. The marketing geniuses just push "how" the devices use the electricity to heat the air.

Woodsy

[SailinAway]

After reading more about heaters, it seems to me that the question is, How much heat will I get with a certain type of heater? I think that should be measured not just in the obvious "1500 watts is 1500 watts," but in the perception of comfort.

I just spent a couple of days sitting next to a small ceramic heater in a 144 sq ft office. It took hours for the room to warm up to just barely tolerable rather than freezing. Touching my clothing and objects near the heater, they are cool to the touch. If I get up and move to the other side of the room or leave the room, I am immediately cold. If I open the room door, all of the accumulated heat is lost within 30 seconds. This indicates that the heat is not being stored in objects.

On the other hand, when I get up from a warm bed in the morning, I notice that I carry the stored heat in my body and clothing for quite some time, even when it's 52 degrees in the house. If I exercise outdoors on a cold day, I will warm up and stay warm for at least 30 minutes after I get back to my cold house.

So it seems that there is quite a bit of value in this stored heat, making me lean toward getting an infrared heater.

Also, reviews indicate that the perceived amount of heat emanating from different types of heaters varies a lot, even when they are all 1500 watts. There is quite a bit of agreement that the Dr-968 can warm a larger room than my small Lasko heater. I conclude that this is due to the value of the heat stored in objects, the body, and clothing from infrared heat, which lasts for awhile after the heater is turned of or as you move around the house.

Unfortunately manufacturers don't usually justify their claims about heat ouput. DR Heater says, "Wattage indicates the amount of electricity needed to power the heater--not the amount of heat it can deliver. Dr. Infrared Heater’s advanced heating system enables greater heat production without using any more power with a high-efficiency blower that delivers an average of 250°F at 3.5m/s to your room versus competing heaters that can do only 155°F at 2.2m/s." That makes me wonder if some of the wattage is going to the blower rather than producing heat.

[John Mercier]

https://www.thespruce.com/best-radia...eaters-4078803

[ITD]

Also keep in mind that heat is constantly exiting a structure. The rate at which it happens is dependent on the type of structure, insulation and how tightly it is sealed. Also important is the difference in temperature between the area you want to heat compared to outside temperature. The colder it is outside, the more heat it will take to keep the space inside warm.

And it is also very important to remember that you need to keep a house heated or your pipes will freeze. Keeping an electric heater going in one room while not heating or keeping the rest of your home too cold will turn into a disaster for you.

[John Mercier]

She is looking for the sensation of heat.

The sun on your face.

[brk-lnt]

Originally Posted by SailinAway

So it seems that there is quite a bit of value in this stored heat, making me lean toward getting an infrared heater.

You're still going to have the problem of the general space being too cold, so when you get up to move, you'll likely feel cold fairly quickly.

Heat is a "thing" (vs. cold, which is not a physical thing, it is just the absence of heat). Objects can store heat, much like wet clothing stores water. You can think of objects storing heat similar to a sponge absorbing water, the outer layer will heat up first, and then the heat will be coducted further into the object and stored. Depending on what the object is made of, it will affect how long it takes that object to absorb heat all the way through, and how long it takes to release it.

If you want to eliminate the cold drafty feeling of a house or room, you need to heat the entire room, and you need to hold that temperature long enough for the objects in the room to stabilize at that temperature. If you blow a little bit of warm air into a room, it will quickly go back to feeling cold, because that little bit of heat ultimately gets evenly distributed to ALL the objects in the room. Again, think of it like water, you're not going to fill a room, or make all the objects in a room wet, with an insufficient quantity of water. Ceramic vs. infrared heaters is like comparing different kinds of buckets, it really doesn't matter much if you don't have enough water to begin with.

[Woodsy]

SailinAway....

BRK-Int has it explained perfectly.

Nothing is better than a temp stabilized room/dwelling... I doubt any 120V electric heater will do the job efficiently.

All of the heaters mentioned here are convective (even the infrared ones). They heat the air and in turn the air heats the objects (mass) in the room. I might also argue the amount of energy needed by the smaller heater may not save you any $$. But it will keep your work area warmer.

If you want some serious heat, but are OK with some hazard, look into the propane heaters for bobhouses etc.

Woodsy

[John Mercier]

You mean the Little Buddy Radiant Heaters?

We sell those. We even sell the propane cylinders.

[SailinAway]

Conclusion after reading all of the above: No, infrared heaters don't save money as claimed compared to other types of heaters and they don't heat a room or a person any better than other types of space heaters. Is that the consensus?

[John Mercier]

I don't know.
Woodsy just suggested a radiant heater... that is what the Little Buddy heaters used to keep the bobhouses warm are.

We sell electric convection heaters. Both the fan types (fans use some of the electricity) and the large surface type.

I find the radiant give a near instant sensation of warmth even when not sitting too close, while the convection ones - unless we trap the heated air under a desk or something - require more time for me to get the same sensation.

When I shut down the radiant, I still to feel cooler almost immediately; when I do the same with the convection there is a slight cooling (I think mostly due to the lack of the fan), but the room overall seems to stay warmer for a while.

The Little Buddy has a new smaller version that at least seem to make it more bearable to be in front of for a longer period of time. I found the original to seem to make it too hot and would move from in front of it to the side, and then move back to the front as I felt cold.

[ITD]

I have a little buddy heater, and it is great, outdoors. I wouldn't use it indoors. You have a fire hazard plus a carbon monoxide potential hazard.

Sailin' I think if you want to have a supplemental source of heat, an infrared heater is fine. I would suggest a tower type or a floor model that focuses on you. A 1500 watt model with 3 heat settings and a remote control would probably work well for you. That way you can adjust to the conditions of the day. This would allow you to lower the heat in most of your house, while keeping the area you sit in comfortable.

Just keep in mind that there are at least a few people a year who lose their homes to fire started by small electric heaters each year. Usually by using them too close to combustible materials.

There seems to be and endless choice of heaters out there. Pick something that floats your boat, just make sure it has overheat protection for added safety.

[John Mercier]

The new ones are designed indoor safe with special features.
They could start a fire the same as other heat sources, and they would add humidity to the house.

Propane not exactly being cheap either.

[pondguy]

Todays 10 day Kero price is $6.399 per gallon time to lower the thermostat.

[SailinAway]

Well, after 6 weeks of being cold, I checked the chimney for storks' nests and started up the woodstove. Ahh . . . bliss . . . except for the thought of all the remaining cutting, splitting, stacking, hauling, restacking, feeding, and sweeping ahead.