What is An Infrared Heater?
An infrared heater is a heater which produces heat through the use of infrared rays. Live visible light waves, these waves fall on the electromagnetic spectrum, but they are larger waves so the human eye can't perceive them. Infrared rays generally pass through the air without emitting any heat and then get absorbed by the compound they hit. This compound then heats up due to the slight radiation of the waves and their reaction with the compound's molecules.
How Does an Infrared Heater Work?
There are two types of infrared heaters: gas or electric powered. The gas powered heaters can heat a large area and are generally used in warehouses or other large open space. Most often, you will be using an electric powered heater for home or office use as these are better in a smaller space. Whether the heater is powered by gas or electric, both work in the same basic way. When the internal coils of the machine receive power, the molecules in them begin to vibrate and spin. This causes the heater to emit infrared waves. The waves move through the room and begin to heat an object they strike. The waves, however, don't heat the air in the room. This is because the heater heats with electromagnetic radiation (negligible increase in air temperature) as opposed to thermally (heating comes from increasing the air temperature).
Why Should I Use An Infrared Heater?
There are several advantages to using an infrared heater over a thermal heater. The first and best advantage is energy cost. Since you are not trying to raise the ambient room temperature with the heater, there is less energy needed to produce the desired results. Also, if you are heating the air, you will continually need to pump warm air into the lower areas of the building as the hot air rises. This doesn't happen with an infrared heater because the waves travel in a straight line until they hit something. Since this form of heating is not dependant on air movement, it is possible to set different temperature zones in a single room depending on the temperature people in the room are most comfortable at. An infrared heater heats instantaneously so it doesn't need time to warm up, which not only saves you time, but also the cost of heating a cold room prior to people entering it. This method is clean, 10 percent efficient, and easy to maintain as it has no moving parts which can break.
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