Home Safety 101: 5 Wall Heater Components to Understand
What Is A Wall Heater?
If you are searching for practical options for warming a particular room space, one easy choice is a built-in electric wall heater. With home safety matters firmly in mind, this article focuses on electric wall heater components and wattage ratings. Though this appliance is available in a gas-fired option too. Electric wall heaters are simple, clean, efficient, and most importantly, safe in operation.
Wall heaters are heating appliances recessed in or attached directly to a wall. They are common in studio apartments, compact living spaces, and smaller offices. These heaters generate a good amount of heat which helps small areas warm. In addition, because they are wall-mounted, there is no loss of valuable floor space. There are many home heating benefits that homeowners should take into consideration.
A Look at Wall Heater Components
Typically, wall heater components consist of:
- Electric cables that supply power to the appliance
- A large metal housing that recesses into the wall
- A unit with heating elements that sits inside the metal housing
- A strategically positioned fan that directs air across the elements
- A decorative safety cover with louvers for directing heated air from the unit
Simplicity itself! Few wall heater components go wrong, especially since all cables are safely concealed in the wall. To warm the room space, there is a thermostat for controlling the desired heating cycle.
Determining the Right Application for Space
Wall heaters rate according to desired wattage output. When choosing the appliance, you need to match the heat generated by the unit relative to the room size.
Correctly sizing wall heaters for efficient operation means considering the size of the room relative to the volume of heat loss that occurs in keeping the space warm and comfortable. You can do this as follows:
- First, establish the square feet area of the room. This entails measuring the length and width of the room and multiplying the two numbers to get the overall footage. If space measures 10 by 14 feet, you would end up with 140 square feet.
- Next, look at the general insulation levels of the space. Insulation standards in newer houses are typically quite good. Home insulation basics suggest – R-19 in the walls, R-38 in the ceiling, and R-25 in the floor. Windows have double pane glass. Both doors and windows have good weather stripping and caulking.
Houses dating from the 1960s to 1980s may not have modern weatherproofing. This results in poor insulating capability. Take into consideration winter weatherproofing tips in order to prevent drafts and preserve heat.
Do the Math
Having established the floor surface area and the effectiveness of any insulation, you can calculate the rating of the wall heater components. You should allow 10 watts of heat for each square foot, assuming good levels of insulation are in place. In our example, we measured the space at 140 square feet, which means finding a wall heater unit capable of delivering 1400 watts (140 x 10).
Good as Done!
There are pros and cons of heater installation that you should read up on before investing in a new system. This will help them determine whether or not you need a wall heater in your home. Manufacturers of wall heater components usually supply appliances with set output ratings. Finding a wall heater capable of delivering 1,500 watts of heat should not present a problem. If you are a keen DIY type, installing the correct wall heater should prove quite easy. Call your local HVAC store to learn more about wall heater installation.
