Heating a conservatory - 2 x 1250w radiant heaters

[shd1970]

Hi again,

I just wanted to gauge some thoughts on the following predicament....

I have a 5 x 3 metre conservatory, with glass roof.

i have a 2kw oil heater which is ok but thats all it is really....ok.
it heats its to a bearable temp but on a cold day, i never gets what i would say is really warm

i dont want to extend the central heating into it as its an old system so was planning of installing 2 x 1250w radiant heaters on the wall.

easier on the eye having them fixed to the wall and obviously more heat available.

Now this may seem like a silly question, but will 2 x 1250 heaters (2.5kw) feel warmer that 1 x 2kw and heat the conservatory better ???

The companies website states that for the size of my conservatory, thats what i would need...2 x 1250
http://www.conservatoryheating.com/acatalog/how-many-heaters.html

thanks for any input guys/gals

 

[Richard C]

I don't have any experience of radiant panels but beleive they work quiet well; they don't just rely on convection of air but I would imagine you loose the benefit of radiant heat if you sit too far away. When I had my cons. built 3 years ago, I was advised by an independent heating specialist to allow 200w/sq metre in a cons. on the basis it’s better to have slightly too much capacity than not enough. The heat efficiency of a cons. is only marginally better than a greenhouse & whatever you put in there is going to struggle in winter & especially on a day like today. I have a 20 sq/m Edwardian with fully insulated floor, walls & 4kw of electric underfloor which is capable of keeping it warm but it costs a fortune to run in the depths of winter & you can still feel cold air falling off the windows on you if you sit too close. We no longer use it November through March except on really sunny days.

Extending the house system into a cons requires independant temperature control & an isolation facility to comply with BR's. Have you considered a heat pump? More efficient & gives the benefit of air con in summer!

 

[shd1970]

Hi richard,

Many thanks for your reply.

Heat pump......no i havent considered one because i have no idea what one is

Any pointers and how much do they cost ????


God i wish i'd had a proper extension !!!!

 

[Richard C]

Heat pump......no i havent considered one because i have no idea what one is

Basically it's an air con unit working in reverse in winter.

http://www.constructionmall.com/catalogue/product/282/
There are many others available + there was a recent thread on heat pumps.

 

[Boxerman]

I have just had a 4.5m x 3.5m conservatory built albeit with a plastic/solar roof. This currently has a single radiant/convection heater which works surprisingly well and I'm sure that 2 placed at opposite sides would work even better. I'm fitting electric underfloor heating with a quick warm up time of 5 mins so I can use it when needed but it is very expensive to run if you leave it on.

Heat pump would be a great way to go but it isn't too easy to DIY fit and you've the unit to locate outside which isn't pretty

 

[shd1970]

thanks again richard......

so, its basically a big air con unit then so needs one of those outside cooling contraptions also then i guess ?

 

[tryitandsee]

Better to have two as it will distribute the heat more evenly.

B&Q and Wickes are churning out electric wall heaters at the moment. They have three heat settings, thermostat and time clock all built in for £20. They work a treat and at that price can't be beaten (IMHO). Plug them in or put in fused spurs, whatever works a treat.

 

[woodhamspropertyservices]

Better to have two as it will distribute the heat more evenly.

i agree with this comment it wont be perfect but having 2 will even out the room tempurature and keep it warmer for longer. its like a stereo 1 speaker is ok, 2 is surround sound quality.

 

[Richard C]

thanks again richard......

so, its basically a big air con unit then so needs one of those outside cooling contraptions also then i guess ?

Well it's not that big as far as air con units go but, yes, it will have a condensing unit. The smaller portable units have an internal condensing unit but you then have to hang a dirty great pipe out the window but they don’t usually show you that on the advertising blurb.

Regards the number of radiant heating units, 2 will be better than one but I still think their website is a bit conservative with the heat output required for a cons your size. Also remember, we are talking about radiant panel heaters not ordinary convection heaters which is almost certainly what the 20 quid B&Q & Wickes units are; I actually have one, it works reasonably well but it’s not a radiant heater.

 

[shd1970]

thanks for all the replies

i think the heat pump option is a no go as they are all pretty ugly, and render the space in front of them useless.

my idea is to have the 2 x 1250 on the longest wall which is the further point away from the house but i still aint convinced that they will heat to a satisfactory level being that much smaller.

perhaps if i can get a commitment off the company who quote that 2 will be enough that if not, that they will have them back as they are £130 each..... hmmmmmm

may be worth an email

 

[Boxerman]

thanks for all the replies
perhaps if i can get a commitment off the company who quote that 2 will be enough that if not, that they will have them back as they are £130 each..... hmmmmmm

may be worth an email

HOW MUCH

Shop around you'll get a pay of decent heaters for 30-40 each and they will do a decent job!!! Better still, see if you can borrow one or get these

http://www.argos.co.uk/static/Product/partNumber/0522193/Trail/searchtext>HEATER.htm

from Argos which you can plug in for a trial and then and return them

 

[shd1970]

....i guess its because they are so slim as the majority of other heaters are quite ugly but i know where you are coming from.....£130 x 2 is probably why i have been so hesitant in just buying them.

 

[Richard C]

i think the heat pump option is a no go as they are all pretty ugly, and render the space in front of them useless.

Ugly! Well maybe from the outside but a heat pump wont render the space in front any more useless than a radiant panel.

my idea is to have the 2 x 1250 on the longest wall which is the further point away from the house but i still aint convinced that they will heat to a satisfactory level being that much smaller.

I think you are right to be concerned about the potential of 2 x 1.25 Kw to heat the cons. to a suitable comfort level this time of year; the heat loss & therefore the heat you need to pump into it to maintain comfort levels, will be high!

perhaps if i can get a commitment off the company who quote that 2 will be enough that if not, that they will have them back as they are £130 each..... hmmmmmm

I wouldn’t hold out any hope of that; you can get larger outputs, have you checked these out;
http://www.heattend.co.uk/radiant-panels.html
This was one I looked at but I’m sure a Google will throw up others.

 

[Richard C]

....i guess its because they are so slim as the majority of other heaters are quite ugly but i know where you are coming from.....£130 x 2 is probably why i have been so hesitant in just buying them.

Sean; the heaters these guys keep throwing up at 20 -40 quid a time from B&Q etc. are CONVECTORS which are fine for a back up or as an additional heat source, But your looking at RADIANT heat panels which are a different & more efficient solution for a cons. & are much more expensive.

A convector heater sends practicaly all the heat it generates upwards straight to the ceiling in the form of hot air so you have to wait for the warm air to come down & hit you before you actually feel warm. With the high ceilings associated with a cons, it’s not very efficient & you will loose most of the heat energy through the roof before it ever has a chance of making you warm. A radiant heater projects a large proportion of the heat energy it generates outwards so you feel the benefit much quicker.

 

[shd1970]

Hi Richard,

Thanks for the explanation.

We certainly prefer the radiant heat option so i've bounced a couple of emails out asking if they will have them back if they aint up to scratch, but we're going to measure up the larger 'Sunburst' heaters and see how they fit.

Thanks for all input.....really appreciated