Wherever you live, chances are good that you will need a heater of some sort in your life. Since early mankind discovered fire, heaters have been used for warmth, cooking, and protection from enemies. The Encarta dictionary defines a heater as “a device that uses some kind of fuel to produce heat in order to make something warm or hot, especially a device to heat the air in a room or vehicle.” However, heaters have many other functions as well; unless you eat only raw food, including meat, you will need a heater to cook with; a stove, oven and various electrical appliances that cook your food. You need to heat your bath or shower water; this not only provides personal comfort, but aids in killing harmful bacteria on your skin. Even if you live in hot, desert areas of the world, it’s well-known that deserts cool down dramatically at night; you’ll find yourself shivering without a heater. Heat also plays a crucial industrial role by liquefying metals so they can be formed into tools, automobiles, appliances, etc. Many chemical reactions also require heaters that produce energy such as gasoline.
How Do Heaters Work?
Heating processes are designed to produce and regulate thermal conditions within buildings, for industrial use, and for comfort. Heaters cause temperature rises via electricity, gas, or solar energy. Thus, if you have and stove and oven in your home, it may be heated by electrical current or by natural gas. Other forms of fuel are also used, such as propane, gasoline and kerosene. All these substances form the chemical reaction of producing heat; this is great if you want to cook your food or warm up a room. It can be disastrous if gasoline and other flammables are over-exposed to a heat source that subsequently causes an explosion of flames and intense heat, destroying structures and people alike.
Heaters, therefore, must be cautiously used so that they perform their desired purpose without causing destruction. Any heat source carelessly used or unsupervised can mean unprecedented disaster.
Extreme cold can causes illness, injury and even death by freezing. Inhabitants of northern or southern arctic regions of the world employ some sort of heater to help them survive long, dark, cold winters. These devises range from simple open fires to built-in fireplaces. Similarly, livestock must also be kept warm during winter. Many species of animals have cold-resistant fur or feathers, but domesticated animals like cows, sheep, hogs and horses need a heating device in their stables or barns to keep warm. Losing livestock to extreme cold can mean economic devastation to farmers and ranchers.
Heat is a life-giving necessity. Excesses in temperature (heat or cold) are responsible for loss of life and economic security as well as personal discomfort.
