Heat guns – types, device features and applications

Recommendation points

• Electric heat gun device (heat fan)
• Heat guns for hydrocarbon fuel
• Gas heat guns
• Heat gun manufacturers

We, as consumers, have known heat guns for a long time. The smallest version of such a device is a home hair dryer. Naturally, such products are not used in industrial conditions, although a technical hair dryer (a thermal blower or a construction hair dryer, as many people used to call it) may well be attributed to analogs of a home hair dryer..

It is difficult to say with great accuracy who exactly came up with the idea of ​​creating a heat gun (it is enough to recall the blacksmith bellows, which, although they do not supply heat as such, however, allow a high temperature as a result), but this device, in one form or another, including and as a climatic technology, it has found wide application in a variety of activities. Heat guns can be used for both domestic and professional purposes, and are also divided into stationary and mobile.

Electric heat gun device (heat fan)

There is nothing complicated in this thermal equipment. The main difference is in how exactly heat is obtained (by burning hydrocarbon fuels, which include kerosene, diesel fuel, fuel oil, waste oil, natural gas, as well as through the use of electricity), but the supply of heated air occurs further due to electric fan or by natural convection. We will not consider heat guns that use a coolant (water, steam) from central heating systems as a heating element. Everything is quite simple there and does not need special explanations. It is enough only to know that the air heating temperature will directly depend on the temperature of the supplied heat carrier. Such heat guns are widely used to heat industrial premises. Their main advantage is that they are environmentally friendly and do not consume oxygen from the indoor air..

Let’s deal first of all with the most common heat guns, which use heat energy from electrical thermoelements (TEN). The shape and design of such heat guns is very diverse, the material from which the body of such a heat gun is made is also very different – from plastic (in products with low power) and ending with a combination of different materials (metal, ceramics, heat-resistant plastic). Electric heating elements in them also come in different designs (open or closed spiral, etc.). One of the two contacts of the electric heating element is directly connected to the mains using a cable, and the other contact is connected through a temperature control relay and an operating mode switch.

Some electric heat guns provide for the possibility of both series and parallel connection of heating elements. It is worth noting that any electric heat gun is a fairly strong consumer of electricity and not all networks are designed to use such devices. Moreover, when using such electric heat guns in apartments, private houses, you need to be sure that the electrical wiring will withstand such a load. The temperature control relay is not always present in heat guns. Most often, the temperature in them is controlled exclusively by one switch of operating modes, which change the intensity of the air flow that passes through the electric heating elements.

The air flow rate is changed in several ways – either by changing the rotation speed of the electric fan, or by reducing the inlet through which air is drawn. Almost all designs provide for the installation of a special fuse (disposable or reusable), which avoids overheating and failure of electrical heating elements. Some electric heat guns can work not only in forced mode, but also in natural air convection mode..

Electric heat guns rightfully belong to the most environmentally friendly air heaters in their segment; the ability to connect electric heat guns to networks with voltages of both 220 and 380 volts significantly expands their scope. However, due to their insufficiently high power on large construction sites, and on other large areas, heat guns are most often used, in which hydrocarbon fuel is burned. Naturally, heat guns that are connected to a 380 volt network belong to the category of professional equipment and are not intended for use in a domestic environment, unlike those guns that are connected to a 220 volt network.

Heat guns for hydrocarbon fuel

If everything is quite simple with electric heat guns, then heat guns that operate on hydrocarbons are much more complicated. The thing is that in such guns it is necessary to supply fuel (diesel fuel, fuel oil, waste oil, gas, kerosene). As you know, combustion of any fuel produces combustion products that are either ejected from the heat gun together with the heated air, or are removed through a special chimney. This is the constructive difference between hydrocarbon-fueled heat guns and electric ones..

It is quite clear that direct-flow heat guns (those that emit fuel combustion products together with heated air) are not used for space heating. It is simply impossible to breathe with exhaust gases. The main purpose of such direct-flow heat guns is to dry any materials, for example, with the help of such heat guns concrete and other solutions are dried in winter, heat guns are widely used for drying wood. The efficiency of such direct-flow heat guns is very high; they are recommended for use in large, open areas. As for heat guns that are equipped with a chimney, then such guns are quite suitable for heating rooms in which people can be. Many heat guns with chimneys are additionally equipped with systems for forced removal of combustion products, which allows you to achieve maximum air purity.

Just like electric guns, hydrocarbon-fueled guns are equipped with systems that monitor the overheating of the apparatus, change the temperature of the heated air, and monitor the supply of fuel to the combustion chamber. Many heat guns are equipped with special temperature control sensors in the heated room. Such automation allows the most efficient use of the heat gun and allows you to significantly save expensive fuel. However, it is worth remembering that during the operation of such a heat gun, oxygen is burned in the air. This means that the room must be well ventilated and constantly ventilated. Given that these guns consume little electricity (only for the fan and some systems), these guns are very economical and quite mobile.

Gas heat guns

Separately, I would like to say a few words about gas heat guns. Gas heat guns of direct air heating have been very popular lately. They are very convenient to use, consume very little electricity, and are more fireproof than liquid-fueled heat guns. Another indisputable advantage of such heat guns is that with the current level of gasification and the ability to operate from the main gas pipeline, as well as from compressed cylinder gas. You just won’t have problems connecting it.

Considering the fact that a very small amount of harmful substances is released into the atmosphere during the combustion of gas, such gas heat guns are widely used not only in construction, but also in agriculture. With the help of gas heat guns, cowsheds, poultry houses, pigsties are heated. Gas heat guns are quite suitable for heating rooms in which people are, provided that such rooms are well ventilated..

Heat gun manufacturers

There are a lot of companies that produce heating equipment. This is the company HINTEK, which made its motto the expression “Make your world warm”, the German company KROLL GmbH, which is represented on our market by TechnoKlimat, the Swedish company FRICO, which was founded in 1932, MASTER heat guns are very popular.

It is simply impossible to list all manufacturers of this type of heating equipment within the framework of one article, since the products of Chinese and Italian manufacturers, which occupy leading positions in the production of this equipment, alone will take several pages. I would like to note only one thing – it is recommended to purchase this equipment exclusively from professional sellers who will not only be able to correctly select the equipment necessary for your needs, but also correctly install it, connect it and start it up. Subsequently, these heat guns will need various kinds of maintenance and repair work. A specialized seller of such equipment will be able to more competently carry out all the maintenance work on this equipment and you will not have problems and downtime.