Recently, more and more people have been looking at infrared heaters as a way to provide additional warmth to their household garden or commercial outside space.
This novel technology is being touted as an alternative to traditional gas powered heaters and outdoor wood burners, which are now proving to be rather inefficient and incompetent when compared with new infrared options.
But how exactly do they work? Why are they more effective at providing heat? What fuel do they require and are there any subsequent emissions? Well, to answer these questions, here is a quick look at the technology behind infrared outdoor heaters.
Far infrared spectrum
The vast majority of infrared outdoor heaters operate in the far infrared spectrum tuned between 9-14 micro metres. This is a very specific and narrow range, which provides maximum heat and ensures people sitting or standing nearby remain safe.
Within this range, electromagnetic waves cause molecules to oscillate, which releases energy in the form of heat into the environment. It might sound complicated, but is actually similar to how the sun provides heat for the earth.
But as opposed to ultraviolet rays, which have the potential to cause serious skin conditions and diseases such as cancer, infrared is a pure form of heat with no health risks. Therefore, you can rest assured you’ll stay free from harm while enjoying the warmth of an infrared outdoor heater.
The process of absorbing and dissipating energy
Another clever thing about the technology behind infrared outdoor heaters is how we end up feeling warm when sitting or standing nearby.
The energy produced by infrared outdoor heaters will find its way into surrounding objects, such as people, furniture, floors and walls. After being absorbed, energy in the form of heat is then dissipated from these objects, delivering even and consistent warm temperatures.
Gas heaters and wood burners will attempt to warm up the cold air instead, which doesn’t make a lot of sense. First of all, they have to work extra hard to turn a cold environment into a warm one. Then, when this objective is achieved, the hot air will rise up and soon be out of reach to people wanting to warm up.
This makes oil, gas and wood heaters extremely inefficient and will inevitably cost quite a lot to run. However, infrared outdoor heaters lock energy in objects quickly and continue to provide warmth even when optimal temperatures have been reached.
Infrared outdoor heater fuel and emissions
In contrast to oil and gas heaters, infrared alternatives do not require fossil fuels to function. This means that they do not produce toxic carbon dioxide, which along with damaging the environment, can be harmful if breathed in by people nearby.
On top of that, infrared outdoor heaters operate on a low wattage of electricity, which means that running costs are kept to a minimum. The fuel required for oil and gas heaters can be quite expensive and there is always a danger of running out too. For these reasons, infrared outdoor heaters are extremely eco-friendly and won’t have a detrimental impact on the environment.
Infrared outdoor heaters do not give off any light emissions either, which ensures your garden or outdoor space’s atmosphere and ambience can be maintained. Quartz and halogen heaters are notorious for their fierce red glow, which has been known to cause “burning head” and “dry eye” if you stand or sit too close.
The technology behind infrared outdoor heaters
With a greater understanding of the technology behind infrared outdoor heaters, they become an even more attractive proposition.
In addition to their ability to provide instantaneous heat, they are also much more efficient than gas and oil heaters, do not require dirty fossil fuels to work, and won’t produce any polluting emissions either.