Space conditioning these days uses up almost half of a household's total energy. People are getting used to electric heaters in their homes, but what about outside? Would you know which outdoor electric heater to buy and why it would be the best option for you?
Below we lay out some of the most advanced options for outdoor electric heating lamps. By the time you finish reading, you should understand which options would suit you the best as well as why. So get started today and be ready for the next winter.
Electric Heating Element
It is important that you first understand the different kinds of heating elements that are available on the market. By having a good understanding of these, you can comprehend why one type of heater would be an improvement over another. The following are the most common heating elements for outdoor heaters:
Carbon Fibre Heating Element
These heating elements are usually heated up to 1,200°C. This is often enough to heat many small areas in a home and does not give off much light. This allows their comfortable use in dark rooms without affecting the ambience.
Because of this low heat, they also have a much longer lifespan. You can expect to have a carbon fibre heating element that lasts upwards of 10,000 hours. Even if you have a heater on for eight hours each day, this means that the element will continue to work for around four years.
Carbon fibre heating elements have seen common use in directional heaters which will heat a targeted area. Such an area will receive medium-wave infrared heat, the benefits and drawbacks of which you can see below.
Stainless Steel Heating Tube
As stainless steel does not conduct heat well, these tubes are the least effective option for these elements. This is for many reasons, the least of which is the noise that these tubes make when in use. Such a noise comes from the exchange of heat in a coiled steel element, which causes it to "ping" as it expands and contracts.
On top of this, as they use long-wave infrared radiation, then natural elements such as wind and rain will affect their output. They also take a long time to reach their most efficient stage, and you can expect it to take up to twenty minutes for this heat.
You might expect that this is offset by a long life span, but no. These heating tubes last no longer than the tungsten quartz elements on average.
Tungsten Quartz Heating Element
These elements are much hotter than carbon fibre options and can reach temperatures of around 1,900°C. While this is a lot more heat to the surrounding area, they also give off more light. Whether this is a boon or not depends on how you use the heater, as it can give off a warm and cosy ambience on a cold evening.
These elements produce much more short-wave infrared heat. Because of this higher heat, though, their lifespan is reduced. You can expect these elements to begin to fail after only 5,000 hours of use.
Infrared Light Heating Element
Above, we mention elements that use infrared waves to transfer heat through the intervening space. Each acts differently, across spectrums of efficiency and heat transfer potential.
Short Wave
Heaters that make use of short wave infrared can start to heat you almost as soon as you turn them on. On top of this, much of it reaches its destination, and it is rare that the air takes away much of this heat. Thus, a short-wave infrared heater is perfect to heat a group of people.
It does have its drawbacks, though. It may be too effective. If you do not distribute these heaters well enough or do not have them high enough to disperse the heat, you can end up with uncomfortable hot spots.
Medium Wave
Heaters that use medium wave infrared are more often used to heat an area. This is because their heat is often caught by the area between them and any surface. This does not mean they are ineffective, but more that their use is better suited to when you have a more enclosed area.
You can turn on a medium-wave heater and wait for it to heat an enclosed patio or conservatory. This area will become cosy within a short space of time, because of the device heating the air itself.
This method of heating means that you do not need to worry so much about coverage. You can put it in a central space and wait for the heated air to expand into the room, or the more-dispersed waves of energy will heat up people in the vicinity.
Long Wave
Devices that use long-wave infrared can take a long time to heat up. They are not very good if you have come in from the cold and expect to be comfortable within minutes. They can take over ten minutes sometimes to get from their coldest to a usable temperature.
While they might heat a small area, you cannot expect them to work in an outdoor area. The air will catch most of the heat, and even then the device will not make too much. As such, avoid long-wave heaters on a patio or in similar locations.
HEATSCOPE heaters
These heaters are among the best in the business. They use a pair of parallel carbon elements to create the most heat in a small area. While they might glow, this light is not obtrusive and your guests can easily ignore it.
On top of this, HEATSCOPE heaters come with reflective backing to the element area. This means that you do not lose much heat out of the back of the device, and instead, most of it reflects back towards the user. Because of this, you either do not need the heater to be on as high, or you will need fewer heaters to heat a specific area.
All these heaters get to their desired temperatures within seconds of activation. Thus, you do not need to worry about the same issues that plague steel element heaters or similar as described above. Each of them has its benefits, although none have any real drawbacks because of their well-designed utility.
Spot 2800W Power Heater
As the smallest of the outdoor electric heating lamps on this list, the Spot heater is also the most portable. You can bring it out for any situation where you need to heat a small area. As it is only five kilos, you can store several of them if you need more than one for an event and bring them out if the area starts to get chilly.
This heater is perfect for people who are already cold. The Spot goes from cold to full heat within fifteen seconds. It can put out enough warmth to make an area a lot more comfortable within seconds after that.
This sudden warmth is especially true if you are using the Spot in a well-covered area, such as a tent or home. While fuel-based heaters would be a danger due to gas buildup, an electricity-powered heater such as this can continue to run without fear.
If you are using the Spot outside, HEATSCOPE can also supply a Weathershield accessory. This upper cover prevents rain, wind or snow from entering the Spot while it is running. In a dry area, this can also stop loose leaves from falling onto the heater and causing danger.
If you want to place this heater higher up, the device supplies you with mounting brackets. You can use these to place the Spot on a wall or other surface. As another option, the creators also sell rods that you can use to mount the heaters in freestanding positions.
If the evening is cold, but not cold enough for the full use of a heater, you are again in luck. The Spot has variable heating options. By engaging either one or two of the heating elements, you can choose if you want full heat or to limit it instead.
Pure 3000W Designer Heater
Compared to the Spot heater, the Pure 3000W heater looks like something out of a science fiction future. This might have something to do with the fact that it was an award-winning piece of design that gained the prestigious Red Dot Design Award in 2018.
The piece looks beautiful, no matter where you place it in any space. Also, its interface is satisfying to use, with a user-centric experience like no other heater on the market.
You would be forgiven for not knowing that it is an electric heater for outdoor use. Instead of a flat surface atop the Pure, its main face is slightly curved.
This curvature encourages heat to spread out over a wider area but also reduces the amount of visible light that you can see through it. Thus, you do not need to worry quite so much about having the device somewhere where it could disturb your sleep or enjoyment of a quiet evening.
This curved surface at the front of this designer heater also has a secondary function. Because it covers the element, you do not need to worry about dust, wind, rain or snow. This prevents harm from coming to the heater and allows you to heat up in relative comfort despite the elements.
Much like the Spot 2800W heater, this one comes with multiple heat levels. You can choose to activate one carbon element for a half-heat or put it on full power if you have to warm yourself or the room as fast as possible. Or, with a single mounting bracket, you can angle the device to point to anywhere in the room.
One final benefit of this space-age heater is its beautiful and smooth aluminium case. The design called for a glass ceramic screen to fit snug against a polished metal exterior. This means that the device will not rust or tarnish easily, if ever.
Vision 3200W Ambience Heater
This is the most advanced and luxurious heater available in the HEATSCOPE range. It may be the best outdoor electric heater available.
It is not only the largest model, clocking in at over a metre-and-a-half long, but also the heaviest. That extra mass comes with a powerful heating element, though, so there is no weight spared in the design of the Vision.
Much like the 3000W Pure, the 3200W Vision has a ceramic glass screen that sits in front of the heating elements. This reduces the light that radiates from the elements while continuing to allow heat to pass through.
Despite its lack of curved glass, though, it continues to output a great deal more mid-range heat waves than the Pure. This means that you will continue to get a pleasant feeling of warmth from it throughout the night as it heats you and the air around you.
This device is large enough to demand two mounting brackets. Although, together these allow you to position the Vision anywhere that your heart desires. As with the other models, you can buy extension rods to allow you greater movement for this device.
As with all the other models, the Vision comes with adjustable heat settings. If its full power is too much for a calm evening, you only need to turn it one step down for a half-heat that does not overpower.
When positioned in a high location, the Vision 3200W allows you to hear an area of 4.3m by 2.5m. Although if you are in an enclosed environment, the air will also heat up and allow you to enjoy a toasty and cosy evening.
Where To Find an Outdoor Electric Heater
After reading the above, you should now have a much clearer idea of the outdoor electric heater that would suit your needs. Lucky for you, we have a whole range of matching options so that you can find something that is perfect for you.
If you want to know more about our range of outdoor electric heating lamps, go to our shop. You can search by the best-selling or featured devices, finding something that is great for you. So, visit our store and grab the perfect heater today.
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