Heater
From Skoolie.net Wiki
Contents |
Engine Heater
Buses come equipped with several heat exchangers that use excess heat from the engine. Antifreeze is circulated through the hot engine and then travels through hoses to the heat exchangers inside the bus. When driving or idling the engine these heaters are an efficient and quick way to heat up the bus.
Electric Heaters
Fan Heater
A fan heater is a heater that works by using a fan to pass air over a heating element. This heats up the air, which then leaves the heater, warming up the surrounding area. They can provide very rapid heating of a room, however may be relatively noisy in operation. They are inexpensive to buy and can be used to heat areas where other heating solutions might be difficult to install, expensive or impractical.
Radiative Heaters
Radiative heaters contain a heating element that reaches a high temperature. The element is usually packaged inside a glass envelope resembling a light bulb and with a reflector to direct the energy output away from the body of the heater. The element emits infrared radiation that travels through air or space until it hits an absorbing surface, where it is partially converted to heat and partially reflected. This heat directly warms people and objects in the room, rather than warming the air. This style of heater is most useful in an area that is unable to be kept with minimal airflow. They are also ideal for basements and garages since they are good at spot heating. They are an excellent choice for task specific heating. They operate silently. Radiant heaters present the greatest potential danger to ignite nearby furnishings due to the focused intensity of their output and lack of overheat protection.
Propane Heater
A propane heater can be an efficient and quick way to heat up the bus however some heaters will give off dangerous carbon-monoxide and will create a very humid environment. A CO detector should always be used with a propane heater to alert you of carbon-monoxide buildup.
Kerosene Heater
A kerosene heater operates much like a large kerosene lamp. A circular wick made from fiberglass is integrated into a burner unit mounted above a font (tank) filled with 1-K kerosene. The wick draws kerosene from the tank via capillary action. Once lit, the wick emits flames into the burner unit which heats air via convection or nearby objects via radiation. The burner is designed to properly oxygenate and distribute the flames. The flame height is controlled by raising or lowering the exposed wick height inside the burner unit via an adjusting mechanism. The kerosene heater is extinguished by fully retracting the wick into a cavity below the burner, which will snuff out the flame. Kerosene heaters require no electricity to operate. Most heaters contain a battery-operated or piezo-electric ignitor to light the heater without the need for matches. If the ignitor should fail the heater can still be lighted manually. The wick requires routine maintenance. Usually the kerosene heater is placed outdoors and allowed to operate until it runs out of fuel. Tar and other leftover deposits on the wick are burned off. The wick will eventually deteriorate to the point where it will need to be replaced.
Due to the fact that kerosene heaters are usually unvented, all combustion products are released into the indoor air. Among these are soot, sulphur dioxide, carbon dioxide, and some carbon monoxide. An improperly adjusted, fueled, or poorly maintained kerosene heater will release more pollutants. Use of a kerosene heater in a poorly ventilated home, especially in modern well insulated ones, could pose a health risk. Most manufacturers suggest that a window be left cracked open. Kerosene heaters should not be left unattended, especially while sleeping. A kerosene heater, as any heater that uses organic fuel, when running out of oxygen can produce massive amounts of soot and carbon monoxide. Failure to abide by these precautions could result in asphyxiation or carbon monoxide poisoning, but as modern heaters automatically shut off when there is no oxygen left in the room, and as they burn at very high efficiency, they make CO poisoning almost impossible. Hot surfaces on the heater pose a fire and burn risk. The open flame poses an explosion risk in environments where flammable vapors may be present, such as in a garage. Use of improper or contaminated fuel could cause poor performance, a fire or an explosion. There are risks involved with the storage of kerosene and while refilling the heater.
Wood Heater
With appropriately certified and operated modern wood heaters, the use of good quality wood fuel is one of the most efficient and cheapest forms of heating.
Solar Heater
Solar heating depends on the solar radiation, surface area, surface reflectance, surface emissivity, ambient temperature, and thermal convection from wind. With most all objects on Earth, solar heating reaches a state of temperature homeostasis as the heat imparted by the sun is offset by the heat given off through reflection, radiation, and convection. White objects stay dramatically cooler than other objects because the most important variables are characteristics of the surface, reflectance, emissivity, convection and surface area. Silvery objects get hot even though they are excellent reflectors because they are very poor in heat emission.
