3 ms·

Good article about the downsides of infrared heating. These things can be useful. They are very light, safe and easy to install, and they can really make a diff

by deng 2y ago

Good article about the downsides of infrared heating. These things can be useful. They are very light, safe and easy to install, and they can really make a difference in tight spaces like a caravan. However, with 425W, of course you cannot expect this thing to heat a larger room (to be fair, the article also does not claim this). The theory that you can direct this thing at yourself so that you feel warm but the rest stays cold is nice in theory, but as the article says, this is really difficult to achieve and usually not worth the trouble. And of course, these things only make sense in your home if you happen to get electricity very cheaply (which the writer of the article apparently does).

BlueTemplar 2y ago
I mean, the two main issues here seem to be : poor placement and bad thermostat control, both of which seem (?) to be fairly easy to solve (at least for manufacturers) : place one horizontally over the top of the TV, focused on the sofa (since it's basically a big lamp, would it work better with a parabolic shape and/or a reflector ?), and don't use a thermostat so dumb that it can only do on/off, but instead one that slowly modulates power output %. (The expensive electricity point is also kind of moot in case that's your only heating option.)
- smeej 2y ago
  I'm also wondering about the potential for hyper-localized heating. Like, could I have a family picture printed 8"x10" and place one on my desk? Could I then stay comfortable in a much colder office? I'm only ever in one place at a time, and both my house and workspace are compact, so I'd be up for moving one around with me if it meant saving on propane for the "real" heater. I'd also happily place one under my sink or wherever to keep my pipes warm without having to heat the rest of the room when I'm not in it.
  - donclark 2y ago
    If you find this small device for purchase, please let me know. I would like one as well!
    - donclark 2y ago
      The poster could be placed on the floor... $68 FIR Heater - Infrared Wall Eco Portable Heating Electric Panel 3000 BTU w/ High Quality Picture "Flowers" Folded Efficient Indoor 41''x 24'' https://www.etsy.com/uk/listing/1104443023/heater-infrared-wall-eco-portable https://www.etsy.com/uk/listing/1104443023/heater-infrared-w...
  - Scoundreller 2y ago
    Get a heated mouse (those exist), heated mouse/desk pad (those exist), heated chair(pad), heated footpad (often bought for animals), some IR thingy for the head and you're covered. Any mask over your nose/mouth will retain a lot of warmth and humidity. This is the same logic for electric cars where heat is expensive: conduction>>> convention. Heat the occupant(s) and not the air with heated steering wheels & heated seats. Some ICE gear shifter knobs would get warm from transmission conduction! At one point in life, I had a heated mattress pad so I could turn the heat off a lot. I just ran it before I went to bed so it wouldn't be frigid when I got in. In the morning I'd just run into the shower and leave for the day. My place was western facing (in northern hemisphere) so I got a lot of afternoon sun and would return to a warm place in the afternoon.
    - smeej 2y ago
      I'm not going to go through the list individually, but I can't use a mouse for ergonomic reasons (literally have bones where I shouldn't, so these are fairly unique ergonomic problems), and my laptop already doesn't ventilate very well, so I'm still a lot more interested in something very subtle, like a picture frame on my desk, that wouldn't make me look as weird as I'd look with half a dozen wired things in different places. It's not freezing in my workspace, just a few degrees cooler than I would like, and something inconspicuous like this seems like a great idea!
  - the8472 2y ago
    You could try putting a ceramic terrarium heater into metal desk lamps (I assume metal reflects far IR too) and use them to irradiate whichever body parts feel cold. They operate on the same principle as the panels but at lower power.
  - adriand 2y ago
    You can find heaters using the term "parabolic infrared heater". This is what I use for my basement studio, where I frequently produce music and thus do not want a heater with a fan (like many basements, it's quite a bit chillier than the rest of the house). Something like this [1], which appears to be a differently-branded identical unit to the one I actually purchased in Canada [2]. You can point this thing directly at yourself and you'll be perfectly comfortable even in a very chilly room, and it's noiseless. Caveat emptor: in my experience, these things only last one or two seasons. But paying $25 or $50 to be comfortable for the winter is worth it. There are more expensive, presumably more durable wall-mounted options as well. [3] I've also tried various methods like electric blankets and pads but I find the sensation of direct heat like that kind of annoying, plus I often end up with a warm butt and cold fingers, which is not ideal for music or coding. 1: https://www.homedepot.com/p/PROAIRA-700-Watt-1000-Watt-in-Black-Oscillating-Parabolic-Dish-Heater-with-Tip-Over-Safety-Switch-and-Handle-HTR70/328261245 https://www.homedepot.com/p/PROAIRA-700-Watt-1000-Watt-in-Bl... 2: https://www.homedepot.ca/product/living-zone-oscillating-radiant-heater/1001318862 https://www.homedepot.ca/product/living-zone-oscillating-rad... 3: https://www.homedepot.com/p/Dr-Infrared-Heater-1500-Watt-Electric-Carbon-Infrared-Space-Heater-Indoor-Outdoor-Patio-Garage-Wall-or-Ceiling-Mount-with-Remote-Black-DR-238/303985873 https://www.homedepot.com/p/Dr-Infrared-Heater-1500-Watt-Ele...
    - BizarroLand 2y ago
      My basement tends to be colder than the rest of my house as well. To solve this, I put a blower fan at the foot of the stairs blowing up. This takes the coldest air in the house and sends it to the middle of the house. The 1 ~100 watt fan balances the heat of the basement far more than any supplemental heating systems ever would, and at 13 cents/kwh only costs me about $0.30/day to run.
      - brewtide 2y ago
        Fans are very underrated. I've been heating 1700 sqft of living space using a 25k BTU mini split in Maine for 2 years now. The hot air is moved with some repurposed computer fans up high in a few doorways, and a return cold air fan , like your case, blowing the lower colder air back to the room with the mini split. The introduction of the fan moving the cold air into that room has a FAR larger impact on the house temp than just the fans moving the heat alone. (They obviously help as well but it's far more effective to move the cold air). As a geek side note, I also have a few "in wall" fans that direct into 6" vent work, and come out floor registers for the second floor. There are enabled or disabled via esphome temp sensors -- when a differential greater than X is noted, the fan(s) turn on, more rapidly evening the temps upstairs and downstairs. (To be fair, I also have an oil hot air furnace, and a wood stove, but the furnace has not been used for 2 winters, and the wood stove on the cold cold days in Jan/Feb when the heat pump isn't very happy)
Mistletoe 2y ago
425w is about as much as having two 50 inch plasma tvs on. So it might ever so slightly increase the temp in the room but not if it is cold outside at all really.
- supportengineer 2y ago
  At a previous employer, we did in fact use a large plasma TV as a space heater on chilly mornings.

by deng 2y ago

BlueTemplar 2y ago

I mean, the two main issues here seem to be : poor placement and bad thermostat control, both of which seem (?) to be fairly easy to solve (at least for manufacturers) : place one horizontally over the top of the TV, focused on the sofa (since it's basically a big lamp, would it work better with a parabolic shape and/or a reflector ?), and don't use a thermostat so dumb that it can only do on/off, but instead one that slowly modulates power output %. (The expensive electricity point is also kind of moot in case that's your only heating option.)

smeej 2y ago
I'm also wondering about the potential for hyper-localized heating. Like, could I have a family picture printed 8"x10" and place one on my desk? Could I then stay comfortable in a much colder office? I'm only ever in one place at a time, and both my house and workspace are compact, so I'd be up for moving one around with me if it meant saving on propane for the "real" heater. I'd also happily place one under my sink or wherever to keep my pipes warm without having to heat the rest of the room when I'm not in it.
- donclark 2y ago
  If you find this small device for purchase, please let me know. I would like one as well!
  - donclark 2y ago
    The poster could be placed on the floor... $68 FIR Heater - Infrared Wall Eco Portable Heating Electric Panel 3000 BTU w/ High Quality Picture "Flowers" Folded Efficient Indoor 41''x 24'' https://www.etsy.com/uk/listing/1104443023/heater-infrared-wall-eco-portable https://www.etsy.com/uk/listing/1104443023/heater-infrared-w...
- Scoundreller 2y ago
  Get a heated mouse (those exist), heated mouse/desk pad (those exist), heated chair(pad), heated footpad (often bought for animals), some IR thingy for the head and you're covered. Any mask over your nose/mouth will retain a lot of warmth and humidity. This is the same logic for electric cars where heat is expensive: conduction>>> convention. Heat the occupant(s) and not the air with heated steering wheels & heated seats. Some ICE gear shifter knobs would get warm from transmission conduction! At one point in life, I had a heated mattress pad so I could turn the heat off a lot. I just ran it before I went to bed so it wouldn't be frigid when I got in. In the morning I'd just run into the shower and leave for the day. My place was western facing (in northern hemisphere) so I got a lot of afternoon sun and would return to a warm place in the afternoon.
  - smeej 2y ago
    I'm not going to go through the list individually, but I can't use a mouse for ergonomic reasons (literally have bones where I shouldn't, so these are fairly unique ergonomic problems), and my laptop already doesn't ventilate very well, so I'm still a lot more interested in something very subtle, like a picture frame on my desk, that wouldn't make me look as weird as I'd look with half a dozen wired things in different places. It's not freezing in my workspace, just a few degrees cooler than I would like, and something inconspicuous like this seems like a great idea!
- the8472 2y ago
  You could try putting a ceramic terrarium heater into metal desk lamps (I assume metal reflects far IR too) and use them to irradiate whichever body parts feel cold. They operate on the same principle as the panels but at lower power.
- adriand 2y ago
  You can find heaters using the term "parabolic infrared heater". This is what I use for my basement studio, where I frequently produce music and thus do not want a heater with a fan (like many basements, it's quite a bit chillier than the rest of the house). Something like this [1], which appears to be a differently-branded identical unit to the one I actually purchased in Canada [2]. You can point this thing directly at yourself and you'll be perfectly comfortable even in a very chilly room, and it's noiseless. Caveat emptor: in my experience, these things only last one or two seasons. But paying $25 or $50 to be comfortable for the winter is worth it. There are more expensive, presumably more durable wall-mounted options as well. [3] I've also tried various methods like electric blankets and pads but I find the sensation of direct heat like that kind of annoying, plus I often end up with a warm butt and cold fingers, which is not ideal for music or coding. 1: https://www.homedepot.com/p/PROAIRA-700-Watt-1000-Watt-in-Black-Oscillating-Parabolic-Dish-Heater-with-Tip-Over-Safety-Switch-and-Handle-HTR70/328261245 https://www.homedepot.com/p/PROAIRA-700-Watt-1000-Watt-in-Bl... 2: https://www.homedepot.ca/product/living-zone-oscillating-radiant-heater/1001318862 https://www.homedepot.ca/product/living-zone-oscillating-rad... 3: https://www.homedepot.com/p/Dr-Infrared-Heater-1500-Watt-Electric-Carbon-Infrared-Space-Heater-Indoor-Outdoor-Patio-Garage-Wall-or-Ceiling-Mount-with-Remote-Black-DR-238/303985873 https://www.homedepot.com/p/Dr-Infrared-Heater-1500-Watt-Ele...
  - BizarroLand 2y ago
    My basement tends to be colder than the rest of my house as well. To solve this, I put a blower fan at the foot of the stairs blowing up. This takes the coldest air in the house and sends it to the middle of the house. The 1 ~100 watt fan balances the heat of the basement far more than any supplemental heating systems ever would, and at 13 cents/kwh only costs me about $0.30/day to run.
    - brewtide 2y ago
      Fans are very underrated. I've been heating 1700 sqft of living space using a 25k BTU mini split in Maine for 2 years now. The hot air is moved with some repurposed computer fans up high in a few doorways, and a return cold air fan , like your case, blowing the lower colder air back to the room with the mini split. The introduction of the fan moving the cold air into that room has a FAR larger impact on the house temp than just the fans moving the heat alone. (They obviously help as well but it's far more effective to move the cold air). As a geek side note, I also have a few "in wall" fans that direct into 6" vent work, and come out floor registers for the second floor. There are enabled or disabled via esphome temp sensors -- when a differential greater than X is noted, the fan(s) turn on, more rapidly evening the temps upstairs and downstairs. (To be fair, I also have an oil hot air furnace, and a wood stove, but the furnace has not been used for 2 winters, and the wood stove on the cold cold days in Jan/Feb when the heat pump isn't very happy)

Mistletoe 2y ago

425w is about as much as having two 50 inch plasma tvs on. So it might ever so slightly increase the temp in the room but not if it is cold outside at all really.

supportengineer 2y ago
At a previous employer, we did in fact use a large plasma TV as a space heater on chilly mornings.