This guide is based on the application of SunSwitch
quartz halogen infrared heaters. Other
infrared heaters (e.g. ceramic plaque heaters and quartz heaters)
emit infrared at different wavelengths or less efficiently, and so
this guide is not applicable for these. Please contact us on 01424 883344 for further advice.
Positioning
In general, we recommend placement of quartz
halogen infrared heaters above head height, angled downwards at about 45
degrees. This ensures the infra red rays warm the side of the
body. Ideally, heaters should be placed so that more than one
side of the body is warmed at once. This more than doubles the perceived sense of comfort. We do not recommend
that quartz halogen infrared heaters are angled straight down, because
this can overheat the top of peoples' heads and yet they will
still be cold:

Space heating
To avoid cold spots (unheated zones) in industrial situations, heaters should be installed
so their coverage overlaps. Unheated zones usually occur where the
heaters have too low a power output for the area being
heated, there are too few heaters, or they are too far apart.
The key is to ensure the heaters selected have a throw which is
greater than half the distance between the heaters:

Type of work
The amount of heat required in your factory or workshop will depend on the fabric of the building and the
type of work undertaken:
| Building fabric: |
Highly
insulated |
Poorly
insulated |
Light cladding |
| Sedentary work |
100W/m2 |
130W/m2 |
175W/m2 |
| Light work |
85W/m2 |
100W/m2 |
125W/m2 |
| Heavy work |
70W/m2 |
85W/m2 |
115W/m2 |
Please note that the information provided above
is purely for guidance. Results in reality will be affected by
many physical factors - the structure of the building and weather conditions,
for example - and by subjective factors, such as an individual's
personal idea of comfort. Additionally, the height at which heaters
are mounted will affect the size and warmth of the zone being
heated. The further away the infrared heaters are, the bigger the heated zone
will be, but it will also be less warm.
Shortwave infrared, the kind produced by SunSwitch heaters is the best type of infrared to heat a factory or workshop. Shortwave infrared heat is not sensitive to draughts so it will not blow away. It obeys the inverse square law which means the amount of power required increases logarithmically as the distance from the heater to subject increases.