Ceramic core radiators

[Mrs C]

Are ceramic core radiators any better than oil filled? Also, has anyone got one that includes a fan?

Workshop is really well insulated but in the coldest period last winter it needed a bit of extra heat. I would prefer something that just maintains the heat running in the backgroun.

Thanks

 

[John Brown]

All resistive electrical heating devices are 100% efficient, but differences exist in the way we, as humans, perceive and react to different forms of heat. Fan heaters, for example, are "addictive", in that if we sit close to one, we immediately start to feel cold when the thermostat cuts in. It may be that an oil filled rad with a fan has the same drawback. I'm not familiar with ceramic core radiators, only ceramic element fan heaters, so can't answer that.
I recommend you look for the BBC R4 "Sliced Bread" podcast on the subject. I found it interesting.

 

[NCR703]

I have an infrared panel heater I fitted to my office ceiling and I'm very happy with it. It's gentle radiant heat so feels like being in sunlight, and has no noise and won't blow dust around the place so I imagine it would be ideal.
It heats the objects in the room rather than the air so it doesn't blow out the heat every time you open the door too.
Edit fyi my office gets hot with only a 300W one of these.

 

[John Brown]

I have an infrared panel heater I fitted to my office ceiling and I'm very happy with it. It's gentle radiant heat so feels like being in sunlight, and has no noise and won't blow dust around the place so I imagine it would be ideal.
It heats the objects in the room rather than the air so it doesn't blow out the heat every time you open the door too.
Edit fyi my office gets hot with only a 300W one of these.

Radiant heat can be a good idea because, as you say, it heats objects(such as your body). I looked up ceramic core radiators, and they make claims of high efficiency and energy saving, which frankly, are nonsense. Also, unless you're in the workshop most of the time, anything with thermal mass could be slow to respond. I also have a radiant heater in my shed, although I don't use it much, as my shed mainly runs on solar, so I tend to use it less in deep winter.

 

[Mrs C]

I have an infrared panel heater I fitted to my office ceiling and I'm very happy with it. It's gentle radiant heat so feels like being in sunlight, and has no noise and won't blow dust around the place so I imagine it would be ideal.
It heats the objects in the room rather than the air so it doesn't blow out the heat every time you open the door too.
Edit fyi my office gets hot with only a 300W one of these.

Fab, thank you. I used to have a radiant heat patio type heater in my old shed but it used to give me a blinding headache as it was overhead. Assume the panel version would be different

300w doesn’t sound much at all - how big was the offic?

Thanks

 

[Jacob]

Even an ordinary hot water radiator emits some infra red - you can feel it on a cold day if you hold your hand say 12" away even low down, out of the warm air convection current, if the room hasn't already heated up.
Which suggests it would emit more if it was black instead of white. Would black paint be a good idea?

 

[NCR703]

It's only a 12sqm (insulated shed) office but it actually appears that 300W is oversized. It spends 70% of its time off once the room is warm even on the coldest days so if you don't need the instant responsiveness of a 2kW fan heater then its probably enough. I have it on a timer.
If you google Technotherm ISP Frameless Infrared Heating Panel that's the sort of thing I mean. I chased in the cable off a fused spur so it looks quite nice and tidy too against the white ceiling. Some of them are suitable for ceiling mount and some are wall-mount only.

 

[Jacob]

It's only a 12sqm (insulated shed) office but it actually appears that 300W is oversized. It spends 70% of its time off once the room is warm even on the coldest days so if you don't need the instant responsiveness of a 2kW fan heater then its probably enough. I have it on a timer.
If you google Technotherm ISP Frameless Infrared Heating Panel that's the sort of thing I mean. I chased in the cable off a fused spur so it looks quite nice and tidy too against the white ceiling. Some of them are suitable for ceiling mount and some are wall-mount only.

IR panels new to me and sound like a good idea.
Seems to be black panels which heat up to about 90C?
Not cheap, what makes them so expensive? Is there some radical technology involved?
The promoters make daft claims like 110% efficiency which means they could cost less than nothing to run!

 

[NCR703]

Basically the same as a patio heater but over a wider panel at a lower surface temperature. Electric underfloor heating is the 'extreme' version of this approach. Nothing radical and obviously those silly claims need to be ignored.
They have gained popularity as a way to electrify heating when a heat pump isn't an option. The Fully Charged Show on YouTube put me onto them. By heating the room objects rather than the air they are undeniably "better" than convection or fan heaters when you don't need an instant 2kw blast, and I can personally attest to this having got both.

 

[Sachakins]

Are these the type you mean?

Infrared heating180W Far Infrared Panel Heater - Electric Heater Panel - Wall Mounted - Slim Panel Heater - Indoor, Domestic, Living Room, Bedroom, Bathroom, IP54 Splash Proof, (A++) https://amzn.eu/d/hjorMuD​

This one only for small space, but would fit neatly at back of my work desk in the shed, so only on when I sit at desk.
Do you think this would OK for my intended use?

 

[clogs]

my prob is cooling things down.......
big fans are the order of the day...hahaha.......

8,15am and it's hitting 28ºc

 

[NCR703]

Are these the type you mean?

Infrared heating180W Far Infrared Panel Heater - Electric Heater Panel - Wall Mounted - Slim Panel Heater - Indoor, Domestic, Living Room, Bedroom, Bathroom, IP54 Splash Proof, (A++) https://amzn.eu/d/hjorMuD​

This one only for small space, but would fit neatly at back of my work desk in the shed, so only on when I sit at desk.
Do you think this would OK for my intended use?

Yes that's the type I have and I'm very happy with it. I use mine in a similar way actually on a timer before I start work so the desk and chair are warm Obviously wattage requirements depend on the heat loss of the room. I will say the one you've linked seems very cheap but it could just be good value.

 

[Jacob]

my prob is cooling things down.......
big fans are the order of the day...hahaha.......

8,15am and it's hitting 28ºc

18º here but rising to 25º later and forecast to continue. A heat wave in UK terms.

 

[Jester129]

29 degrees in Leicester yesterday afternoon.

 

[Superduner]

33 here in Aveyron, France yesterday. 35 expected today, 37 tomorrow.