Outdoors
In the case of heating outdoor areas, the surrounding air is constantly moving. Relying on convection heating is then in most cases impractical. The reason being, that once you heat the outside air, it will blow away with air movement. Even in a no wind condition the buoyance effects will carry away the hot air. Outdoor radiant heaters allow specific spaces within an outdoor area to be targeted, warming only the people and objects in their path.
The systems can be divided as:
- Trace heating- Gutter and Roof De-icing
- Snowmelt system- Electric or Hydronic
- Overhead natural gas-fired radiant heaters
An example of the overhead radiant heaters are the patio heaters often used with outdoor serving. The top metal disc reflects the radiant heat onto a small area. These are very inefficient and are banned in some countries because of the wasteful use of gas.
Radiant heating can also be used for snow melting and for roof and gutter de-icing applications. Snow and ice melting can be achieved on concrete, asphalt, pavers and other surfaces by placing heating units (electric heating elements or hydronic tubing) under the substrate, embedded into the substrate, or retrofit by saw-cut into the substrate of the surface to be free of snow and ice buildup. For roof de-icing, heating elements can be placed on the surface of the roofing material and some technologies can be placed underneath the roofing materials. Heating elements are used in gutters and downspouts to prevent ice buildup that can cause ice dams and icicles. Radiant heating is also used on roofs to eliminate heavy snow loads that can cause structural damage.
Read more about this topic: Radiant Heating
Famous quotes containing the word outdoors:
“The neo-hippie-dips, the sentimentality-crazed iguana anthropomorphizers, the Chicken Littles, the three-bong-hit William Blakes—thank God these people don’t actually go outdoors much, or the environment would be even worse than it is already.”
—P.J. (Patrick Jake)