What is better: convector or fan heater

The first drop in temperature and the beginning of the heating season do not always coincide. In order to be sure that the apartment or house will always be warm, people decide to buy a heater. The market offers many options for such devices. The most common are fan heaters and convectors. They are reasonably priced, heat the room well and do not take up much space.

Difference between convector and fan heater

Despite some similarities between these devices, they also have fundamental differences. Convectors, as you might guess from the name, operate on the principle of convection of air currents. Air enters the device through the lower grille, passes through the heating element, thereby raising its temperature, and returns to the room through the upper grille. The hot layer moves upward, and the cold cooling air descends. The larger the heating element, the faster the room will warm up. As soon as the device turns off, the air begins to cool.

During operation of the device, the temperature is automatically monitored to avoid excessive heating of the air. In the mechanical version, control is possible due to the presence of a ceramic plate, and in the electronic version, microcircuits are designed to implement this function. In the latter case, the specified temperature is maintained with an accuracy of 0.5 degrees, which leads to more economical energy consumption during operation. Accordingly, the price of convectors with built-in electronics is higher.

REFERENCE! Convectors are produced electric and gas. Gas appliances are less common because they require a connection to a gas main to operate, but they are more economical. Electric convectors require only a standard electrical network to operate. Their power ranges from 2 to 3 kW. A device of this power is designed to heat a room of no more than 25 square meters. m.

They produce floor and wall models. Floor-standing ones are installed in the center of the room for uniform heating. It is advisable to hang wall-mounted ones in places where cold air comes from, for example, an outer wall with windows.

A fan heater is a more budget-friendly, but no less effective heating device. Its operating principle differs from the operation of a convector device. Cold air currents hit the heating element and, with the help of a fan, are distributed throughout the room in a given direction. Thanks to the operation of the fan, cold and warm air masses are quickly mixed. Its power is approximately 1.5 - 1.8 kW. Fan heaters can be floor-mounted, wall-mounted or ceiling-mounted.

REFERENCE! The so-called thermal curtain can also be considered a type of fan heater.This device is ideal for mounting above the front door - it does not let in cold air from the street and prevents warm air from escaping from the room.

The elements that provide heating in such devices are:

1. Open electrical coils. Devices with such an element are the most inexpensive and short-lived. During operation, they burn oxygen in the room and emit an unpleasant odor that is formed when dust and other particles get on the open surface of the spiral. Plus, they heat up the room very quickly.
2. Closed spirals. They do not burn oxygen as much and at the same time warm the air very quickly.
3. Ceramic plates. Fan heaters with plates are the most successful option. They practically do not dry the air, do not pollute it with combustion products, and heat up faster than coils.

Advantages and disadvantages of a convector

Convectors have a number of advantages, such as:

• ease of installation;
• the ability to combine them into a network to create a heating system;
• maintaining the specified temperature through the use of thermostats;
• no noise during operation;
• there is no process of “combustion” of oxygen due to the low temperature of the heating element;
• Fire safety;
• safety, i.e. the ability to select the heating temperature of the external surface;
• small size and weight;
• stylish design;
• durability.

The disadvantages of this device include:

• not the fastest process of heating a room, due to the fact that convection occurs naturally without the use of a fan;
• difference in air temperature in the upper and lower layers.

Advantages and disadvantages of a fan heater

Main advantages of fan heaters:

• fast and uniform heating of the room;
• small dimensions and weight;
• many models are mobile;
• low cost;
• variety of designs.

The disadvantages include:

• unpleasant odor appearing due to the combustion of dust on the surface of the heating element (only for spiral-type fan heaters);
• noise during operation;
• reducing air humidity levels.

What is better to choose - a convector or a fan heater?

For a bedroom or nursery, it is better to choose a convector, due to the absence of noise during operation, which is especially disturbing at night. Also, if central heating is insufficient or completely absent, it is possible to create an entire network of convectors and configure them to maintain a user-specified temperature.

REFERENCE! To heat large rooms, one or several convectors are used, which can be successfully integrated into the interior by placing them on walls or under windows. Small rooms can be heated with a fan heater.

In work areas, especially in those where cold air enters when doors are opened frequently, it is also better to install a fan heater. Moreover, it can be installed under the table and directed towards your feet. A thermal curtain is more suitable for installation above a street door in the cold season. If you need to dry the air in a room, for example, in a country house after winter, it is also more advisable to use a fan heater.

When choosing between a convector and a fan heater, first of all you need to determine the main purpose of using the heating device. For regular and long-term use of the heater in addition to or instead of the heating system, as well as to maintain the set temperature, you should choose a convector.If an additional heat source is not needed constantly, but only from time to time, it is worth choosing a fan heater.