Why You Should Consider a Parabolic Heater
Heaters are part of most people’s winter routine. Whether you live in an older home with more drafts or like to spend time in the basement or garage workshop, space heaters can help you create a cozier area of your home without cranking up the thermostat throughout your entire home. Parabolic heaters are a type of infrared heater that uses a parabolic reflector to direct heat into a concentrated beam. Here’s why you should try one of these.
How does infrared heat work?
Infrared electromagnetic energy is energy beyond the red end of the light spectrum that humans can see, hence its name, which means “beyond red.” Infrared energy is what makes us feel the warmth of sunlight or fire. A heater that uses an infrared element, such as a ceramic and wire coil element or a quartz, halogen, or tungsten lamp, generates heat by releasing infrared energy using electricity. Because the heat from an infrared heater is transferred in the same way as heat from the sun, it does not require a fan to distribute it like forced air heating systems.
What is a parabolic reflector?
Parabolic reflectors are reflectors made in the shape of a parabola or curve in which all points are equidistant from the focal point and also from a line known as the directrix. To us, it’s just a shiny, bowl-shaped reflector. This type of reflector is used in lighting devices, satellite and radar dishes, and in heaters to create a directed energy field. The beauty of using a parabolic reflector for an infrared heater is that it will reflect the incoming energy from the focal point through the hole into a uniform thermal field.
Parabolic heaters allow you to direct infrared heat
By using a parabolic reflector to evenly distribute energy from an infrared heat source, a parabolic heater creates a specific area of heat within its opening. Since this type of heater does not use a fan, the main means of distributing heat from the infrared element is the reflector. Instead of being scattered by an infrared source such as a ceramic or wire coil element or a quartz, halogen or tungsten lamp, the reflector traps the infrared energy within its volume and distributes it evenly through an opening in front of the heater.
Parabolic heaters can be used outdoors.
Because infrared heaters use energy rather than blowing air to heat a room, they are a popular choice for outdoor use. The way heat is transferred is not disrupted by the wind, and although the wind will still cool you down, if you are under a parabolic heater outdoors, you will likely feel warmer than if you were relying on a fan to keep you warm outdoors. However, be careful when using a parabolic heater outdoors: make sure it is securely mounted and that you have a model designed for outdoor use.
Parabolic heaters are energy efficient.
Because parabolic heaters do not use a fan, they are more efficient than other types of heaters at heating a specific area. They are advertised to be around 80% efficient, which means that 80% of the energy they use is released as heat during operation. A parabolic heater is in most cases cheaper than turning up a thermostat, so it can help you save energy and lower your home heating costs.
Advantages of parabolic heaters
Parabolic heaters do not have fans, so they are not noisy. In addition to being quieter than most other heaters, they also have the added benefit of not drying out the air as much. Because parabolic infrared heaters emit heat as energy, they heat surfaces rather than the air and don’t dry things out as much as fan-powered heaters.
Disadvantages of parabolic heaters
Because parabolic heaters direct heat in one specific direction and primarily work by heating surfaces rather than the air around them, they are not suitable for large spaces. While they’re really good for keeping you warm while you’re sitting on the porch or on a workbench, they’re not so great if you plan on getting up and moving around because they mostly warm whatever’s in front of them. Although there are oscillating versions of parabolic heaters that can distribute the heat a little, they are not designed to heat entire rooms, but rather to heat specific areas.
Safety when using parabolic heaters
Because the heating element of a parabolic heater can get very hot, you should keep it away from fabrics such as curtains, tablecloths and bedding—the heater should be at least three feet away from flammable surfaces. You can also choose a parabolic heater with an automatic tip shutoff, which will turn off the heater if it falls. As with any heat source, supervision of children and pets is required.