Home Heating - Fan-Forced Hot Air Systems

Fan-Forced Hot Air Systems
This system is one where hot air is pumped by a fan. For this reason it has a much quicker response than natural convection and it is better mixed with cool air, too, as it forcibly moves about the room.


Example:
Most often the hot air is vented into the room either through holes in the walls or in the floors. Generally in residences it enters from the floor and it rises quickly to the ceiling, mixing some with cool air along the way and then descends to where people are, 0-6' above the floor.

There are fan-forced electric wall heaters to install in or against the walls that also can put fan-forced heat directly where people are.

There are gas heaters to install in or against the walls that can also put heat directly where people are. They discharge the flue gases directly outdoors. They and their installation are expensive.

Note that there are portable heaters that can also put fan-forced heat directly where people are. See them under the title Portable Electric Heaters.


Advantages:
Quicker and better mixing than natural convection with 25% less heat used possible, especially if deflectors are placed over floor vents or if wall vents are used.
The deflectors and the wall vents insure mixing where people are, 0-6' above the floor.
Floor vents are easier to clean and wall vents the easiest. For the electric wall units and portable units the same 25% advantage will apply.
For the gas units the 25% advantage could be greater than the electric units.
No baseboard heaters and their cleaning problems.
No long baseboard heaters along the wall.
Wall heaters have best response times and no heat losses. Portables the same.


Disadvantages:
Floor vents should not be under furniture unless deflectors are used.
Floor vents limit somewhat the use of space along walls.
Wall vents should discharge where no one sits.