In my post at the beginning of January about warming up your home for winter, I mentioned space heaters as a way to heat a localized area of your home. There are several different types of space heaters and they each work best for different circumstances. I am not going to review specific heater brands for you here, so always make sure you do your own research before purchasing one for you home to make sure you are getting a trustworthy brand. However, I will shed some light on the different types of space heaters available.
1. Convection heater: A convection heater takes awhile to heat up and warm a space to a desired temperature, however, once it is warm it offers a steady, regular and even heat to a room. These heaters are fan-less, thus rely on the natural air circulation in a room to heat the space, which causes a slower heat. This model however, is very quiet.
2. Fan Forced Convection Heater: The fan forced convection heater is the same heating mechanism as above, however a fan in introduced into the equation to provide more circulation of the surrounding air. This additional feature helps heat the surrounding space faster than a conventional convection heater.
3. Oil Filled Heater: An oil filled heater is a type of convection heater. It typically looks like an electric version of a traditional radiator. The heater is filled with oil that neither runs out or needs to be filled. It is completely self contained. It works by heating the self contained oil and circulating it throughout the unit. Some units have a thermostat on the unit and can regulate the temperature. Be careful of this unit however, just like traditional radiators the surface of the unit can get extremely hot so be careful not to touch or let little children near the unit.
4. Radiant Heater: Radiant heaters offer instant heat to a limited area. These are great for heating localized areas. Radiant heaters only heat objects within there pathway not the air of a whole room. These are best used for small spaces and local areas, for one or two people. Similar to the oil filled heaters some of the radiant heat models are extremely hot to the touch. Please make sure to purchase a model that is safe if you have small children in your house.
I hope this clears up some questions about the different types of space heaters. Please use this information in conjunction with your own research to choose a heater that is best for your needs.
Written By: JoAnna Landers
