How Infrared Heating Works

Infrared heaters use infrared light; a type of light that can not be seen by the naked eye. Infrared heating comes from the light itself that it projects, despite the fact you cannot see it. This means that the light will heat whatever it is hitting, rather than it automatically heating up the environment. For example, when the sun is shining and you can feel the heat on your body, it tends to die right down if you go into the shade. This is the effect that a basic infrared heater has.

There is more than one type of infrared heater. A basic one will just beam out infrared light in a straight line and only heat whatever it hits in its path. This could be useful if placed by a spot where you often reside, such as your bed or your desk. The direct heat can be very comforting, but it’s not as appropriate for raising the overall temperature of a room. However, infrared heaters like I said come in different types. The other main type is the kind that has a heat exchanger and fan included, so that the heat from the infrared bulb gets increased and circulated, resulting in a surrounding heat. The heat exchanger tends to be made from a very conductible metal such as copper.

Infrared heaters can be sourced by a variety of fuels, such as electricity or propane. They can be particularly environmentally friendly, and can come in a portable form. The strength of heat really depends on the specification of the given heater, and often they can come with timers. This means you could, for example, have it switch off after a couple of hours when you’re in bed going to sleep at night. An infrared heater can come with a thermostat for controlling the current output. Filter control also appear on some.

So, why are infrared heaters more environmentally friendly? Well, no matter what, heaters are always going to have some sort of effect on the environment. And in this case it does depend on the specification of a given infrared heater. For example, electricity-powered infrared heaters don’t release emissions, and there is a huge lack of harmful fumes being let off too. Such heaters can even be built to not take any oxygen out of the air. This is certainly good for a person’s breathing.

Basically, this is not a type of heater that should be used to replace a primary way of heating a home. Infrared heating is not meant for heating homes, it’s more so for heating a cool area that is lacking any heat access. A lot of homes with central heating can end up with rooms that are not warm enough. This is where infrared heating can be appropriate for use. In all honesty, infrared heaters can be used for just about anything that needs direct heat. For example, you can use it to dry wet paint by positioning the heater appropriately.