Electric heat gun: types, how to choose, an overview of the best manufacturers

It is impossible to quickly warm a spacious room with heating radiators or other convection heaters. The heat from appliances due to natural convection spreads too slowly around the room.

For efficient and quick heating, an electric heat gun with forced air circulation is more suitable. A powerful fan heater is able to heat almost any room in the shortest possible time.

A wide range of such units is presented on the market, which differ from each other by the type of heating element, housing design, power and functionality. We will tell you how not to get confused in the variety and choose a heat gun, comparing its characteristics with the upcoming operating conditions.

So that the purchase does not disappoint, we advise you to pay attention to trusted manufacturers - a brief overview of the brands of heating equipment is presented in the article.

The device and types of heat guns

A floor fan heater (aka “heat gun”) is a household or industrial heating device that has a built-in fan in addition to the heating element. The first heats the air inside the case, and the second pushes it into a heated room.

Moreover, the circulation process occurs continuously and at high speed. This is due to the high efficiency of heating large areas with this type of heating equipment. When working through a fan heater with a capacity of only 2-3 kW per hour, about 200-300 cubic meters of air mass passes.

Without a continuously working fan from a heat gun, it would be of little use, only thanks to it the heater in question is so efficient and productive

Using a heat gun heat:

• construction sites;
• garages and workshops;
• premises for agricultural and industrial purposes;
• living rooms;
• greenhouses;
• warehouses.

It is also often used to heat or dry various surfaces: stretch ceiling paintings, plastered walls, etc. The electric fan heater does not emit exhaust gases and toxins during operation. From an environmental point of view, this equipment is completely safe and harmless.

Heat gun should not be confused with analogues - gas cannon or diesel engine. It is difficult to call them environmentally friendly. With heated air, at least carbon dioxide comes out of them, large volumes of which are hazardous to health.

Electric heaters are spared this; by definition, nothing is burned to produce thermal energy.

It is impossible to confuse an electric gun with a gas, diesel or infrared - in the first two cases a different source of energy is used, and in the second the principle of heat transfer is changed

The infrared heat gun is similar to the fan heater in design and appearance. However, as such, the fan is absent. The transfer of thermal energy here is not due to forced air exchange, but through infrared radiation.

That is, heat in this case is transferred directly to heated surfaces and objects using infrared rays, and not through pre-heating of the air.

Advantages and disadvantages of the unit

Among the many advantages of working only due to the heat gun electricity are the following:

• possibility of installation in unventilated rooms;
• long period of continuous operation;
• lack of open fire;
• the presence of regulatory automation with a thermostat;
• receipt of heat immediately after inclusion in the power grid;
• lack of need for constant addition of combustible fuel;
• the ability to use the gun as a regular fan;
• high efficiency when heating large rooms;
• small dimensions;
• universality in terms of placement.

The fan heater does not emit unpleasant or harmful substances into the air. There is simply nothing to burn in it. Occasionally, when this appliance is operated, a burning odor appears shortly after power is applied.

This is due to the accumulation of dust on the heating element and the protective grill. If the gun is kept clean, then this will not happen.

Even a housing can be heated by a fan heater (there are no gas exhausts from its operation), problems may arise except with air drying

The heat electric gun is able to work unattended and continuously for several days. It does not need to add fuel. At the same time, the availability of automation ensures that the room temperature will be maintained in the right parameters without human intervention.

The heating of the spiral, which heats the air in the heat gun, after the supply of electric current occurs in a matter of seconds. Heat almost immediately begins to flow into the heated room. In this regard, the equipment in question greatly outperforms other options for heaters.

Fan heaters are extremely easy to operate. It is only necessary to prevent the accumulation of dust inside, which, when the spiral is turned on, will smoke. They can be placed on the floor, wall and even on the table. The range of this thermal equipment is extensive. You can find an option for any placement and with any size.

The fan heater has only three disadvantages:

• “Burning” of oxygen and “drying” of air;
• high noise level when turning on the fan to the maximum;
• power supply dependency.

The air around a heated spiral during the operation of the electric heat gun is naturally dried. As a result, the total humidity in the room gradually decreases, it is impossible to get away from it.

A similar situation exists with oxygen: it gradually burns out due to the contact of air masses with a red-hot heating element.

Of course, these are not the same volumes as when using a gas or diesel gun.But if this moment is critical, then the fan heater should not be chosen with a spiral, but with ceramic plates.

The latter are heated to lower temperatures, which greatly eliminates the disadvantages of open spiral heaters. But such models are also somewhat more expensive.

How to choose an electric gun-heater

Before you go buy a fan heater, you need to clearly understand why a heater is needed at all. If air heating is required occasionally and quickly, then an electric heat gun is ideal for such modes.

If the temperature needs to be maintained in the room for a long time and at a constant level, then it is better to look for another option, otherwise the electricity bills “will please” just huge amounts.

With the help of a working heat gun, the desired temperature regime can be maintained for a sufficiently long time, but much more often the device is used for quick and short-term heating

It is also necessary to determine in advance the required power (depends on the cubic capacity of the room) and power supply. Powerful industrial and semi-industrial models require three-phase voltage to operate.

If the room has only an ordinary single-phase outlet, then the electrical equipment should be selected accordingly.

Criterion # 1: heating element

The main thing in the electric heat gun is the fan. But in all models it is standard. It is difficult to come up with something unique. But the heating element should be dealt with in more detail. Both safety and, in many respects, the power of the heating device depend on its correct choice.

There are two types of air heating elements in a fan heater:

• spirals from alloys with high resistance;
• ceramic plates.

The first option heats up to 300–600 ° С, and the second only up to 150 ° С. However, due to the smaller area of ​​the heating element, the spirals lose to the plates somewhat in terms of efficiency.

The heat transfer surface in the first case comes out significantly less than in the second. And the fan “removes” heat from just the entire heated area.

If an electric fan heater is needed for continuous and long-term operation, then it is better to look at models with ceramic heating plates (+)

The ceramic version is more fireproof, since the temperature of the elements in such a heat gun does not rise too high. And in terms of output power and heating efficiency, models with plates are in no way inferior to analogs with a spiral. And just the spiral burns out much more often.

If the ceramic plate is disassembled, then inside it will be the same heating spiral. It is only made of another alloy and is heated to a lower temperature. In this case, all the heat created by it is transferred to the ceramic, with which thermal energy is already removed by the air flow from the fan.

The plate warms up a little longer in time than an open spiral, but it will also last longer.

Criterion # 2: housing design

All powerful fan heaters are now available in a metal version with anti-corrosion coating. A plastic case is not allowed here. In low-power household appliances, plastic inserts on the casing may be present, but most often these are rubberized knobs and switches that you have to touch with your hands.

The fan heater body is usually shaped like an elongated cylinder (like a gun), but there are also “rectangular” models

All thermal electric guns are divided into:

1. Stationary models - are cheaper and have more power.
2. Mobile (portable) options more compact and can be easily rotated in the right direction. Usually they have hinges that allow you to adjust the direction of the air flow by turning the entire gun where it is needed.

However, on sale you can find an option with rotary dampers, deflecting the air stream from the fan to the right / left and up / down.

If the heat gun has a protective scattering net, then it must be metal. Here, any plastic is strictly unacceptable, since the temperature of the air leaving the fan heater is too high.

Criterion # 3: power

The more power the device has in kilowatts, the faster and larger the room it is able to heat. But with the growth of power indicators, the fan noise also increases. He has to work at high speeds, which inevitably leads to an increase in noise in decibels.

According to a simplified scheme, the power of the fan heater is selected at the rate of 1 kW per 10 square meters. m square. But this formula is only valid provided that the ceiling height does not exceed 3 meters. On it, a heat gun can be selected for a garage, cottage or a small workshop.

For large buildings, you need to do more detailed calculations, taking into account not the square of the area, but the cubic volume of the room.

An exact calculation of power should be made according to the formula, which takes into account the volume of the room in cubic meters and the thermal conductivity of the walls, as well as the difference between the indoor and outdoor temperatures (+)

In the data sheet of the heat gun with a fan, in addition to power (kW), the heat flux or productivity in cubic meters / hour is also indicated. In most cases, about 100–120 m per 1 kW³/ h

Some devices have more efficient fans that can pump more air. When choosing a model, you must consider both of these indicators.

To give or garage heating It is worth choosing a household option with a power of up to 3 kW. For small rooms this is more than enough. At the same time, remember that everything above 5 kW requires a three-phase network.

Criterion # 4: Additional Features

When choosing a heat gun, you should also pay attention to the presence of various additional features.

Useful options:

• splashproof housing - for fan heaters installed in rooms with high humidity;
• built-in humidifiers and filters;
• temperature regulator for stepwise adjustment of output power;
• automatic equipment of "protection against an overheat";
• “self-shutdown” function when the heater overturns.

Also, some models have a full-fledged automatic control unit that independently maintains the room temperature in the specified parameters. If it is available, the heat gun can be left to work completely unattended: the automation itself will turn on / off the fan heater as necessary.

For more information on choosing a fan heater, see this article.

Which manufacturer to prefer

In domestic stores of heating equipment, electric guns are found both imported and manufactured in Russia. In general, there is not much difference between them. Here it is more necessary to focus on the power of the device.

But there are recognized leaders among manufacturers, for whose branded fan heaters they will have to overpay.

If an electric gun for heating needs a powerful and durable, then special attention should be paid to models under the trademarks Ballu (Netherlands) and Master (USA)

Fan heaters are produced by a fairly large number of domestic and foreign companies.

Among the main brands that have won the trust of consumers, we can distinguish:

• Ballu (the brand is Dutch, but production is established in Russia);
• Master (USA);
• Timberk (Sweden);
• Inforce (Russia);
• Fubag (Germany);
• Quattro (Italy);
• Tropic (Russia);
• Resanta (Latvia).

Almost all manufacturers offer heat guns in a wide range of power for heating and air consumption.In the existing range of this equipment there is always a model for specific needs, you just need to correctly assess the needs.

To take too powerful an electric gun, and then turn it off every few minutes so as not to get burned - not too reasonable and expensive for the money.

If you want to save money, you can make an electric gun yourself. For assembly, you need a heater, material for the body (metal sheet or pipe), a fan and an engine.

Conclusions and useful video on the topic

To make it easier to understand the features of the device of different models of electric heat guns, we made a small selection of video materials with reviews and descriptions.

The device of an electric fan heater with a ceramic heater:

Which heater is better - ceramic or spiral:

How to choose a fan heater:

An example of calculating the power of a heat gun:

The fan heater allows you to almost instantly heat the air in the room to a comfortable temperature.

But we must be aware that electric heat guns with a spiral or ceramic plates are designed more for short-term heating. If you need a heater for continuous operation, it is better to take a convector or oil cooler.

Looking for an efficient and reliable electric gun? Or have experience using such a technique? Please leave comments on the article, ask questions and participate in discussions. The contact form is located below.