Heaters

A heater is a commonly used device which is used to generate heat or to raise the temperature of a substance like water. Heaters can be of various types and are so much an integral part of our daily lives that we often do not pay attention to them unless and until they break down and stop emitting that much needed warmth.

Water heaters are those heaters that employ a thermodynamic process, which involves the use of an energy source to heat water above its initial temperature. These devices which provide a more or less constant supply of hot water for both domestic and industrial uses are known as boilers, heat exchangers, geysers or calorifiers depending on their geographical location, their use and whether they are dealing with potable or not potable water. These heaters generally use fossil fuels with or without electricity to heat water for industrial and commercial purposes. Nowadays with the advent of 'green' living habits even solar energy is used to power these devices and practices like geothermal heating where geothermal resources are available are also gaining favor.

Apart from this even tank less water heaters are becoming popular as energy cost rise around the world. These heaters help you to lower your energy consumption by avoiding standby heat losses that are associated with a storage heater. Hot water is produced in a tank less heater by heating the cold water that flows through it when you turn on the hot water tap. The water is so heated by way of a gas burner or an electric segment instantly so that you don't need to wait for your storage tank to fill before you decide to take a hot shower.

Gas heaters which are widely used in the UK, use natural gas to provide heating to a room while many apartments that are located in buildings in cities like New York City are heated via radiators which are warmed by the steam that comes from a boiler. Still other heaters are those that work by converting electric energy into heat. This kind of heating is used to heat buildings and also for cooking and industrial purposes.

Convection heaters are also known as electric fires in the U.K., these heaters work by using the principle of conduction. As hot air is less dense than cool air, it rises and allows more cool air to flow in and take its place this hot air is the emitted from the device through vent holes and it effectively heats up the surrounding space. Convection heaters are ideal for use in households as they can be used for long periods of time and even be left unattended as well.

Yet another kind of heater is an immersion heater which is used to heat water with the use of electricity. An immersion heater consists of a metal tube which has an insulated electric resistance heater. Domestic immersion heaters run on the household's electric supply while industrial immersion heaters use a three phase supply.

These are just some of the many different kinds of heaters that are available for a wide variety of domestic and industrial uses.