Electric radiator heating: what it is and how it works

Electric radiator - a compact heating equipment, which is placed in residential and office premises for temporary or permanent heating. The battery is easy to manage, quickly heats the room and does not dry the air.

Structure of the electric radiator

Electric radiator - stand-alone equipment. It does not require additional equipment with a pipeline and a pump. Such a heater is silent, since its design does not use a fan. The room is heated due to the natural processes of air movement. The energy source that generates heat in such systems - electricity, which is supplied to the socket from the network with a standard voltage of 220 V.

The electric radiator consists of such components:

• a battery made of aluminum or metal alloy;
• Heating elements - heating elements made of stainless steel, mounted along the sections;
• antifreeze coolant with glycerine which fills the sections;
• radiator and ambient temperature sensors;
• control and adjustment system;
• Electrical wiring and cable with plug.

The electric radiator battery is arranged in the same way as in water heating systems. In models consisting of sections, the upper manifold has a special valve to bleed air from the system, and in the lower - the heating element. The casing is sealed. Models with protection class IP24 are resistant to moisture. They are installed in bathrooms.

Most electric heating systems are equipped with a timer to set them to turn on on a specified day and time. On some heaters, you can set different modes of operation during the day, by day. At night, a lower temperature is set or vice versa. Thanks to such settings, a comfortable atmosphere is maintained around the clock and saves money.

Thermal capacity of the electric radiator depends on the number of sections and the heating power of the heating element. The size of the battery is chosen according to the area of the room it can heat. The manual for each model specifies the recommended room dimensions. On average, for a room with a ceiling height of 2.5 m will be enough power from 80 to 100 watts, at a height of more than 3 m - 120-150 watts.

How does the electric radiator work

The equipment operates on the principle of convection. Heating elements heats the liquid in the sections. The liquid transfers the heat to the metal of the body. The air in contact with the surface of the radiator heats up and rises. It is displaced by the cooler air that follows it naturally. The cycle repeats constantly while the appliance is on. The heated air transmits heat to objects in the room.

The contents do not circulate through the system, but are heated by evenly distributing the heating elements over the radiator. Sensors constantly record the surface temperature of the sections and the environment. Heating elements are automatically activated for heating if the air temperature drops by 0.5 degrees below the set point or the metal of the battery cools.

When the radiator is heated, it consumes the «rated power» declared in the passport. When the specified temperature is reached, the equipment is turned off. This saves electricity consumption of 30 to 50% of the rated power.

Electric radiator meets the standards of fire safety and does not require special maintenance. To install it you do not have to develop project documentation and obtain permission. Electric heater is easy to move around the room and to other rooms. You can choose the radiator according to the area of the room for sufficient heating.