Infrared heating of a private house: an overview of modern infrared heating systems

The essence and advantages of the method

Traditionally, wood and gas stoves, convector heaters, and water heating are used for heating greenhouses and hotbeds. All these methods require large material and physical costs for the device and maintenance.

Features of infrared heating

The infrared heating system of greenhouses differs from the traditional methods listed above in that it does not heat the air, but all objects in the radiation field - the ground, plants, walls, etc. This radiation is similar to solar energy: the heated earth and other objects emit infrared photons, which are reflected back by the walls of the greenhouse.

All other methods are aimed specifically at heating the air, the warm vapors of which rise up, practically without heating the soil and leaving the plants cool.

The fundamental difference between convective and infrared heating is clearly visible in the diagram

For reference. You can correct the situation by laying water pipes buried in the ground. But the price of such a system is very high, which increases the cost of grown products, and it is quite difficult to control the temperature of the soil.

Infrared heating systems for greenhouses are distinguished by the fact that their radiation is directed from top to bottom and affects plants and soil, which is important for rapid germination, development and fruiting. Numerous studies have proven that, thanks to them, the germination of seeds increases by 30-40% precisely due to the heating of the soil, in which the air does not heat up so much.

In addition, infrared heating for greenhouses can also be laid under a layer of soil - special films are designed for this.

Advantages of the method

The main advantage of the greenhouse infrared heating system is its high efficiency, reaching 95%. Such an impressive result is explained by the fact that all the radiated heat is spent on heating the soil and plants, and not the air surrounding them.

It, in turn, warms up due to the reflected energy. Other advantages are no less significant.

It:

Significant reduction in heating costs, both due to directed radiation and due to the small amount of electricity consumed.

Note. Compared to convector-type heaters and cable electric heating, infrared heating systems for greenhouses consume 40-70% less energy

• No need for additional air humidification, as these heaters do not dry the air.
• The operation of the system is similar to solar radiation and therefore it is completely safe for both plants and people working in the greenhouse.
• Heaters do not create noise and do not glow, so they do not create any discomfort.
• Fast heating: you can raise the temperature of the air in the shelter to the set parameters in a matter of minutes.
• The possibility of creating several zones with different temperature conditions in one greenhouse. Depending on the needs of a particular crop, you can change the power and height of the heaters above them, thereby creating the optimal temperature in the growing area.

The photo shows that the radiation extends only to the area under the heaters.

• Ease of Installation and Dismantling - heaters are easy to install by hand or with the help of one electrician, which also saves money compared to installing heating systems.
• The presence of a thermostat (see Thermostat for a greenhouse - choose the right one) is a very important option for growing plants that require different modes at different stages of the growing season.
• Fire safety due to the absence of open flames and heating elements.
• Wall or ceiling mounting frees up valuable greenhouse floor space.

Space saving is especially relevant for small greenhouses.

Home heating with infrared heaters and electric fireplaces

Unlike other heating devices, these heaters do not heat the air in the room, but the objects themselves that are in it. Those, in turn, absorb heat and release it into the atmosphere. Thus, the most efficient heating of the room occurs with minimal resource consumption, the total cost of heating with infrared heaters is reduced by 5-10 times.

Speaking about the advantages of heating a house with infrared heaters, it is worth noting that only they allow you to heat a room in zones or points. Using such a device, you can reduce the overall temperature in the room by several degrees, while not reducing comfort. The heat from the heater will be absorbed and the air temperature will remain the same. Moreover, a decrease in the heating temperature by only 1 °C leads to energy savings of 5%.

When using convectors for heating, the air falls in layers, from the warmest at the top to the coldest at the bottom. An infrared heater avoids this by equalizing the heating temperature from floor to ceiling, which reduces energy costs by 10-40%.

For the home, you can choose a portable device in the form of a lamp on the rack, then you do not have to lay wires.

In addition, the infrared heater is the only device that is allowed to be used outdoors. You can safely have a picnic in October in the gazebo in the country, without fear of freezing. It will keep you warm here too.

Depending on the nature of the luminosity, infrared heaters are conditionally divided into light heaters, the surface of which is capable of heating up to temperatures above 600 ° C, and long-wave heaters, which heat up to 600 ° C. Lighting devices are most often used to heat rooms where a lot of heat is required. Longwave is usually used to heat small rooms or greenhouses. It is not advisable to heat rooms with an area of ​​more than 60 m2 in this way.

By design, they can be made in the form of a chandelier. on the counter or panels.

Infrared heaters are absolutely safe for health, since this is the only natural type of heating. Such devices are ideal for local heating and outdoor areas.

Many people dream of having a real fireplace in their home, but its construction is not always possible for a number of technical reasons. A good replacement could be a copy of it that runs on electricity. This appliance is easy to use, easy to operate and is able to give pleasure from admiring the fire, like a real fireplace. In addition, it allows you to control the air temperature in the house, since it is equipped with the functions of both zone heating and heating the entire area of ​​\u200b\u200bthe room.

Thanks to two fans, air enters the fireplace, then under the action of the heating element and comes out well warmed up.

The fireplace, located in the room, is able to warm it up well, spreading heat throughout the area. In addition to heating, it also creates an imitation of a real hearth with burning flames and the sound of firewood crackling. At the same time, such a fireplace consumes no more electricity than one electric light bulb.

This device is an economical device that consumes 1-2 kW / h of electricity, it is easy to connect - you do not have to equip a chimney or supply gas pipes. Maintenance costs are also minimal, parts do not wear out, and cleaning is not required.

Modern electric fireplaces even have a remote control. Devices are hinged, classic, extra wide and freestanding.

From the variety of heaters, you can choose the most suitable one. But you should not be limited to heating from the device and it is better to equip the house with a full-fledged water heating system on electricity.

Varieties

It is most convenient to classify infrared heating devices according to the installation site.

Ceiling

Ceiling infrared heating is the most common, since the ceiling at a height of up to 3 m is the best place to install an infrared source.

Most ceiling models are of the lamp type.

Their emitters are made in the form of a cylinder or plate, and the device itself has an elongated shape and resembles a fluorescent lamp.

You can fix the "heater" on brackets, but the most popular type of fastener is a suspension in the form of a chain, the length of which can be independently adjusted.

In addition to the lamp on the ceiling, you can place a film IR heater. This truly revolutionary invention consists of two layers of polymer film, between which are tracks of carbon paste. She plays the role of an IR emitter. The heater itself looks like a thin sheet, which is laid on the ceiling and screwed with dowels or self-tapping screws.

wall

Devices of this series are able not only to heat the room, but also aesthetically enliven its interior.

They are made using film technology (infrared film for heating), while a colorful pattern is applied to their outer layer.

Such picture heaters have become very popular in recent times.

floor standing

Special models of IR film, equipped with a self-adhesive base, are designed for laying on the floor. After installation, a finishing floor covering is laid over the heater.

Infrared warm floor

Those wishing to install a wall-mounted picture heater should take into account that the surface of the device heats up quite strongly.

If there are small children or animals in the house, the device should be installed so that they cannot touch it.

Questions that PLEN Sales Managers Don't Answer

• Is window glass partially transparent to IR radiation?
  In summer, it is hot near the window, as glass transmits up to 40% of infrared radiation, which turns into thermal energy. Any other heating devices also partially lose thermal energy through windows, but they are much more powerful than the radiation of a low-temperature infrared film and compensate for heat losses due to power and temperature. Doesn't "radiant heat" fly out the window?
• Why PLEN produce underfloor heating?
  PLEN marketers are categorical about underfloor heating - heating with underfloor heating (water, cable) raises dust from the floor through natural convection (warm air rises and carries the dust with it).But why then do they produce an infrared film under the floor covering for a warm floor, if the advertising of the ceiling heating film scolds the method of heating with warm floors?
• How does film work under granite?
  It is stated that PLEN for underfloor heating can even be placed under granite, but doesn't granite shield infrared radiation? What is the meaning of shielded radiation? It turns out that the film simply mechanically heats the stone with its 35 ° C.
• Why does ceiling heating PLEN not dry the skin, but dries the wood?
  If infrared heating does not dry the air and skin, why is the film recommended in the "selling" texts for drying wood, cars after painting and fruits?
• Why does the radiation not go outside the room?
  One "soldier" from the army of film sales managers assured me that PLEN was ideal for an apartment, the other - that it was not effective for an apartment, since I would heat the neighbors. That is, in the house, IR rays do not penetrate walls, floors, windows, but in the apartment I heat the neighbors - the rays leave the room through the ceilings. I have a complete cognitive dissonance with this heating.
• What about physics and optics?
  Glossy surfaces, regardless of color, reflect up to 99% of radiation. The lighter the objects and walls, the less infrared radiation they “absorb”. Is not it? Everything is ambiguous with the absorption and reflection of infrared radiation, accurate calculations and published experiments simply do not exist.

I tried to find a video review of real users of ceiling heating, but apart from NTV videos and promotional video presentations, I did not find anything.

Infrared heaters from ECOLINE LLC are:

• Efficiency 90% - minimum convective component
• Maximum Efficiency - 90° Beam Angle
• Maximum energy savings from 30% to 70%
• Does not reduce oxygen
• No odors, silent operation
• Absolutely fireproof
• Climate control - automatic maintenance of the required temperature
• Mobile (easy to install and dismantle)
• Can be used as main or additional heating
• Service life of 30 years! 5 year warranty!
• All necessary certificates are available
• Ideal heating for the house, giving, the apartment and other rooms.

A bit of theory.

Heating - artificial heating of premises in order to compensate for heat losses in them and maintain the temperature at a given level that meets the conditions of thermal comfort and / or the requirements of the technological process.

Depending on the prevailing method of heat transfer, space heating can be convective and radiant (infrared).

convective heating - a type of heating in which heat is transferred due to the mixing of volumes of hot and cold air. The disadvantages of convective heating include a large temperature difference in the room (high air temperature at the top and low at the bottom) and the inability to ventilate the room without loss of thermal energy.

Radiant (infrared) heating - a type of heating, when heat is transferred mainly by radiation, and to a lesser extent - by convection. Heating appliances are placed directly under or above the heated area (mounted in the floor or ceiling, they can also be mounted on walls or under the ceiling).

The efficiency and economy of ceiling infrared heaters is easily explained and understood.

The air temperature at the ceiling with convective heating is higher than at the floor (the difference can be up to 10 degrees).In order for the floor to also be warm, the convectors must work longer until they warm up the entire volume of air. It turns out that convective heaters consume electricity for unnecessary heating of air under the ceiling.

Ceiling infrared heaters just save electricity due to the fact that they primarily heat the floor and objects below and they do not need to heat the air under the ceiling.

As a result, the ceiling infrared heater, having spent 1 kW of electricity, also gives off about 1 kW of thermal energy, but this thermal energy is directed directly to that part of the room where it is needed, to the lower part.

We have been developing and implementing the latest electric energy-saving heating system "EcoLine" for more than ten years and today we are the leader in the production of electric long-wave infrared heaters in Russia. The growing demand for Ecoline products and positive feedback from customers confirm the optimal combination of price and quality of our radiant infrared heaters. The company takes into account the needs of customers and continues to develop new models. We have representative offices in many regions of Russia and CIS countries. Our company offers you a different look at modern heating and heaters. Especially for you, we develop and sell infrared heaters.

Our company is the official distributor of Ecoline heaters. We provide warranty and post-warranty service.

A dacha is a house where you can spend both an exclusively summer period and live in it permanently.And in the first and second cases, a heating system is simply necessary in a country house, since the house must warm up, even if the owners just come on weekends. Therefore, the owners very often have the question of how to make heating in the country or what will be the optimal heating for the house and cottage.

There are many options for the heating system, which include:

• solid fuel heating systems;
• liquid fuel systems;
• heating with electricity.

Since both the first and second heating options involve the purchase of fuel, and hence a place to store it, the best heating for a summer residence is still electric. It is this energy carrier that is available to all dachas and country houses.

Types of electric heat sources for a country house

If we talk about safety, then gas heaters should be attributed to such devices in the first place. After all, they are equipped with various systems of automation, security and control.

But unfortunately, such devices can not be mounted everywhere. For installation and operation, first of all, gas is needed, as well as conditions that meet the operational requirements for gas installations.

Important! The most common and efficient type of heaters, including those in wooden houses, are electric ones, the installation and operation of which does not require obtaining any permits.

Thermal fans

The main advantage of such devices is their compactness and the ability to quickly heat the air in the room. They consist of a spiral, a heating element or a ceramic heater and a fan.

Photo 2.A heat fan with a compact size is an effective means of heating indoor air.

The disadvantages of such a thermal device include their significant consumption of electricity, the high heat of the spiral, which, if dust gets on it, can either ignite or fill the heated room with an unpleasant odor.

Oil coolers

The radiator consists of a sealed housing filled with oil and heating elements. Typically, all models are equipped with a thermostat, and higher-end appliances have timers that allow you to program heating, and liquid crystal displays that display the operating parameters of the device.

Radiators with a built-in fan heat the room much faster and more evenly. The intensity of their work depends on the availability of sections.

Convectors

They are safe and allow you to quickly heat the room.

All heating devices of this type are compact, easy to operate, and do not require constant supervision.

Each convector designed for a country house is equipped with an operating mode switch, a regulator for changing temperature values.

infrared devices

They are characterized by low power consumption, good heating power, do not dry the air. True, there is one condition for their installation. In a room with an infrared heater, wool, paper, wood shavings, which can easily ignite, should not be present.

Kinds

When choosing an IR heater, several criteria are taken into account.

Existing types of "infrared" can be:

• electric;
• gas (halogen);
• diesel.

Heating element type

Electric heaters are equipped with the following types of heating elements.

• Ceramic - they have increased strength, heating for them is a matter of minutes, they cool down also quickly;
• Heating elements - the advantages of tubular electric heaters are reliability and stable maintenance of the set temperature;
• Carbon - the design of such a heater is represented by vacuum tubes with a carbon-hydrogen fiber filler.

The form

In appearance, heaters can be infrared lamps of various formats, film panels or tapes. Compared to lamps, films or tapes provide the greatest energy savings and warm the soil more evenly.

Mounting method

Before buying a “personal sun”, you should immediately decide on the placement of the device.

Depending on the method of fastening, the equipment can be:

• mobile;
• stationary.

There are no questions regarding the first one - this is a portable technique that can be moved to the right place by means of wheels or special legs.

You can experiment with the installation of stationary models as much as you like, since they are available in several types:

• ceiling;
• wall;
• plinth;
• hanging.

Suspended models differ from ceiling models in the principle of fastening. Suspension-type heaters are built into a suspended ceiling structure, which is pre-designed for the placement of appliances. To fix suspension devices, special brackets and anchor bolts are used in increments of 5 to 7 cm.

Heating temperature

IR equipment differs in the degree of heating of the device itself.

Devices can be:

• low temperature - up to 600°C;
• medium temperature - from 600 to 1000 ° C;
• high temperature - more than 1000 ° C.

Radiation range

In accordance with this parameter, IR equipment can be:

• longwave;
• medium wave;
• shortwave.

According to Wien's law, there is a direct relationship between the wavelength and the temperature of the surface on which the radiation falls. Under high-temperature radiation, the wavelength increases, but at the same time they become hard and dangerous.

IR heaters have additional options.

• In many models of infrared equipment, a thermostat (thermostat) is provided, which is responsible for maintaining the set temperature.
• Any thermal heater must be equipped with a thermal switch that reacts to overloads and automatically turns off the device, preventing it from overheating.
• To ensure comprehensive safety, infrared technology is also equipped with insulators that prevent contact between the housing and the heating element.
• Particularly advanced models have a light indication that informs the user about a problem that has arisen so that he can quickly navigate and take measures to eliminate it.

• Spontaneous shutdown of floor models occurs when tipping over, which simultaneously prevents breakage and reduces the risk of ignition to zero.
• The presence of the Antifrost system is designed to protect the heater from the formation of frost. Even if the heater is operated in harsh Russian winters, you don't have to worry about the operability of the IR equipment.
• Many models of infrared heaters have a timer, which makes operation much more comfortable. Thanks to the ability to set the desired on and off times, you can reduce fuel costs.

Heating cottages with electricity

Heating the dacha with electricity will become practical only at a time when they live on it continuously only in the summer, and in the cool time of the day they are occasionally.

Firstly, it is no secret that certain people are extremely afraid of installations that use flame - despite the fact that high-tech heating installations are manufactured in strict accordance with all safety parameters, a certain possibility of a fire still cannot be ruled out.

Secondly, heating a home (country house) with electricity is a very convenient thing: there is no need to put fuel anywhere (if the heating system does not operate on the basis of gas), clean out soot, there are absolutely no difficulties with the purchase and saving of fuel substances. In addition, if direct heating with electricity is used, then it is possible to separately control the temperature in different rooms - this option is extremely useful.

Heating a house with electricity can be carried out equally and locally: for example, on cloudy summer days there is no reason to connect the heating system of an entire country house - it is enough to place heaters in the necessary rooms.

Today, you can try to reduce the cost of heating with electricity by connecting the heating system, preferably at night, at a time when the cost of electricity is much lower (this method is only suitable for those who have multi-tariff energy calculations in the regions).

Operating principle

IR rays are waves invisible to the human eye with a length of 0.74 microns to 2 mm.The thermal energy absorbed by objects in the room where the PLENs are installed becomes a source of infrared radiation.

According to the range of IR waves, they can be divided into the following types:

• shortwave - from 0.74 to 2.5 microns;
• medium wave - from 2.5 to 50 microns;
• long-wavelength - from 50 microns to 2 mm.

How much objects located in the same room with an infrared heater will heat up depends on its temperature. The higher the heat, the shorter the infrared waves generated, therefore, they penetrate deeper into the material and cause it to heat up more. That is, the air in the room is heated not by the rays themselves, but by the objects on which these rays acted.

Consider the principle of operation of the PLEN in stages.

When connecting a 12-volt heater to the mains, the resistive parts heat up in 7-9 seconds to the preset temperature (usually 40-50 degrees).

Thus, film infrared heaters can reduce energy bills (compared to oil-filled radiators), while maintaining a comfortable room temperature. This is possible due to properly selected materials of manufacture, as well as the unique principle of their work.

How to install infrared heaters?

For those who want to install an infrared heating system, you need to remember that such heaters should be mounted at a special height.

Each heater has its own height. The norm is 2.2 - 3.5 meters from the floor. Of particular importance is the fact that heaters must not be installed less than 0.5 meters from a person's head.That is, if a person is 1.9 m tall, then the minimum hanging height of the equipment should be 2.4 meters.

It is not recommended to install infrared heaters in the zone of constant human presence (above the sofa, bed, desk, in the kitchen, in the living room).

To slightly reduce the impact, moreover, a constant one, on the human head, it is recommended to move the heaters slightly to the side. This means that it is not necessary to mount the heater directly overhead, it can be moved slightly to the right or left.

It is very difficult to heat a large room with just one heater, so it is recommended to install several at once. A common mistake is to install heaters near the window.

This leads to large heat losses. Also, experts do not recommend installing infrared heaters on ceilings made of PVC components.

During installation, you must be careful and observe the minimum distance between the surfaces and the infrared heater.

Load balancing

Load balancing is a special automated process, the essence of which is that it is possible to control infrared heaters, in our case, the load on the system itself.

Management can take place according to various parameters, there can be many options - which ones to choose, the consumer decides.

Below is an example of the use of heating devices. The basic principle of load balancing is that the heaters should operate no more than 20 minutes per hour.

It is this time that is considered optimal with the condition that the building has normal thermal insulation.The heater must be turned on for no more than 20 minutes per hour in order to maintain the optimum temperature in the room. Peak load should be no more than 1.8 kW.

The main material that will be needed for installation and the heating system itself is a box - a wire is laid in it. If the consumer makes a hidden installation in the wall, then a corrugation is needed; if we are talking about a wooden house, then you can use both a box and a corrugation.

The wire for thermostats and heaters must be taken with a cross section of 1.5 - 2.5 square meters. mm - it all depends on the load. It is worth noting that it is necessary to provide for a general machine, the function of which will be to turn the heating system on and off.

Do-it-yourself infrared heating is very easy to do, especially when it comes to installation. You can independently lay the wires, as well as install and connect heaters and thermostats.

The main thing is to observe safety measures. Installation of infrared heating is not a very complicated process, it can be carried out without any special skills.

The main thing is that the layman understands the principle of operation of the system, the features of the use of such heaters. If there is no experience of such work and a person is not confident in his abilities, it is better to invite specialists who can competently, quickly and efficiently perform any work.

Installation of an infrared heating system

Before installing infrared heating batteries, it is worth taking note of the recommendations of experts:

1. Do not turn on the device until it is fully fixed. Do not install near combustible, flammable mixtures.
2. Read the manufacturer's instructions. Some types of elements cannot be used in areas with high levels of humidity.
3. The installation is carried out in distribution electric heating systems with protection against electric shock of at least class II.
4. Do not drill through the heating elements with fasteners and fix the parts with flexible cords, cables and materials that are not resistant to heat.

Installation of IR panels

To fix the elements, you need to use the fasteners included in the kit. The gap between the heater and the wall must be at least 30-60 mm. If the heating is built into the profile structure, you can glue the panels to the profile with liquid nails. If necessary, insulation material is laid out on the back of the panel, then the lamella is connected to the power supply. After drying the mixtures and adhesives, if the panels are built into the false ceilings of the plasterboard, the scheme can be put into operation.

Installation of film heaters

The base for fixing is pre-tightened with a foil tape, which will protect the base base from overheating, then you can fix the heater film, taking into account the edges overlapping each other by a width of not more than 50 mm. Glue the joints with adhesive tape, additionally secure with hardware.

Installation of the film according to the instructions from the manufacturer requires fixing 1 m2 with no more than 8-10 hardware. Install the thermostat to control the heating should be at a distance of 1.5 m from the finish flooring. Place the thermostat as far as possible from any heating element. The heating system should be tested before laying the final floor covering.

Varieties

It is most convenient to classify infrared heating devices according to the installation site.

Ceiling

Ceiling infrared heating is the most common, since the ceiling at a height of up to 3 m is the best place to install an infrared source.

Most ceiling models are of the lamp type.

Their emitters are made in the form of a cylinder or plate, and the device itself has an elongated shape and resembles a fluorescent lamp.

You can fix the "heater" on brackets, but the most popular type of fastener is a suspension in the form of a chain, the length of which can be independently adjusted.

In addition to the lamp on the ceiling, you can place a film IR heater. This truly revolutionary invention consists of two layers of polymer film, between which are tracks of carbon paste. She plays the role of an IR emitter. The heater itself looks like a thin sheet, which is laid on the ceiling and screwed with dowels or self-tapping screws.

wall

Devices of this series are able not only to heat the room, but also aesthetically enliven its interior.

They are made using film technology (infrared film for heating), while a colorful pattern is applied to their outer layer.

Such picture heaters have become very popular in recent times.

floor standing

Special models of IR film, equipped with a self-adhesive base, are designed for laying on the floor. After installation, a finishing floor covering is laid over the heater.

Infrared warm floor

Those wishing to install a wall-mounted picture heater should take into account that the surface of the device heats up quite strongly. If there are small children or animals in the house, the device should be installed so that they cannot touch it.