iNDDOR SPACE HEATERS

[bcmaxx]

So I'm looking for input on auxillary plug in heaters to compliment my funace in my home. Its and older home and not to bad in the winter but its nice to have another plugin heater for the addition area, etc. I used an oil filled plug in heater last year and it killed me in electricity, ceramic heaters and kids and pets scare me. So I'm thinking one of those electric fireplaces or an infrared heater?? Leaning towards an infrared , any recommendations?

 

[blubullett]

All I know is I go on probably 15 service calls a year to houses or business where they have space heaters plugged in and it overloads the circut causing melted neutrals, burned plugs, and toasted buss bars. Not that that is necessarly going to happen to you but I see it all the time. 10 yr service electrician. If there is a weak spot in your homes electrical the space heater will help you find it.

 

[kastein]

I'm using a LifeSmart 1500W unit right now since I haven't finished my house yet and it's getting a wee bit cold.

So far it hasn't burned the place down yet.

Picked it up for 180 bucks at ocean state job lot.

 

[westvirginia24976]

1 watt = approximately 3.41 BTU/hour

This is true of electric resistance heat. It doesn't matter if it is filled with oil, air, quartz, copper, or whiz bang new snake oil. It is 100% efficient and a 20 dollar electric resistance heater will cost the same to operate as a 400 dollar electric resistance heater wrapped in exotic wood and brass, provided they are the same wattage. 120v -240v doesn't matter, only total wattage. 120v X 10A=1200w, 240v X 5A=1200W. Same power consumption. Perhaps some savings can be had when considering a radiant type heat vs heating the air and blowing it around, but strictly speaking of btu per dollar it all is the same.

 

[Crawler]

I used a very small fan to blow through one of those 1500W oil filled space heaters in a workshed last winter,
seemed to greatly improve the distribution of heat in the room, didn't notice much (if any) change on the e-bill.

 

[Milford Cubicle II]

I hear the Amish make good ones.

 

[Matthew Currie]

1 watt = approximately 3.41 BTU/hour

This is true of electric resistance heat. It doesn't matter if it is filled with oil, air, quartz, copper, or whiz bang new snake oil. It is 100% efficient and a 20 dollar electric resistance heater will cost the same to operate as a 400 dollar electric resistance heater wrapped in exotic wood and brass, provided they are the same wattage. 120v -240v doesn't matter, only total wattage. 120v X 10A=1200w, 240v X 5A=1200W. Same power consumption. Perhaps some savings can be had when considering a radiant type heat vs heating the air and blowing it around, but strictly speaking of btu per dollar it all is the same.

True enough, but how that heat gets where you need it can differ a good deal. If you are in a drafty space, and want to get yourself warm, you will probably do better with a radiant heater, which will heat objects up before all the warm air heads up to the ceiling and out the roof. Radiant heat is nice if you want immediate warmth before the whole room heats up. If you want to warm the air in the room, something that heats the air and radiates it well will work better.

Heater fads seem to come and go. Back in the 70's we had the quartz heaters, then in the 80's the mini ceramic disk heaters. Then the oil filled radiators. They all work pretty well, as long as they deliver the heat where you want. I'd be hesitant to throw good money into another new heater when good quality older ones can be had so cheaply.

In our bedroom we use an old quartz heater, which warms up the occupants and the bed nicely on a cold day. In another room we have a little Pelonis "disk furnace," which once sold for well over a hundred bucks and can now be found free or nearly so. It's very well made, safe, and in a small room it heats the space pretty evenly. In a poorly insulated room we have a big oil-filled baseboard unit, which works just right, if not terribly economically, to keep the whole space warm on demand.

 

[n1ywb]

1 watt = approximately 3.41 BTU/hour

This is true of electric resistance heat. It doesn't matter if it is filled with oil, air, quartz, copper, or whiz bang new snake oil. It is 100% efficient and a 20 dollar electric resistance heater will cost the same to operate as a 400 dollar electric resistance heater wrapped in exotic wood and brass, provided they are the same wattage. 120v -240v doesn't matter, only total wattage. 120v X 10A=1200w, 240v X 5A=1200W. Same power consumption. Perhaps some savings can be had when considering a radiant type heat vs heating the air and blowing it around, but strictly speaking of btu per dollar it all is the same.

100% correct. Electric heat is 100% efficient, period.

Radiant heaters have the advantage of heating YOU and not the whole room, like those outdoor heaters at restaurants.

Something with a fan might direct more of the heat where you want it as well, but eventually it will dissipate throughout the room.

Having a fan in a room in general can help blow warm air from the ceiling back down to the floor (a ceiling fan on low is good for this).

Fans, of course, use electricity too... Although it's probably negligible compared to the electric heater.

FWIW I put a 70$ oil filled heater in my daughters bedroom for supplemental heat because she's at the end of the run. I like the fact that it doesn't get hot enough to catch anything on fire.

If your heater is melting your electrical without tripping a breaker, you have one messed up electrical system.

 

[westvirginia24976]

I did include the disclaimer of a radiant type heat, but the same is still true with radiant heat with the exception of how well they reflect/focus that heat. I gotta go with Milford though with the Amish. They have a magical cabinet.

 

[scoobyxj]

Our house only has one HVAC vent for the whole upstairs, and it's located at the top of the freaking steps of all places. That being said we have one of those Edenpur Heaters to keep the chill off the upstairs. I have it plugged into the bathroom and it sets in the hallway blowing toward the bedrooms. It keeps the upstairs at 65* with no issues at all turned almost all the way down (I think it has twelve settings, and we keep it on three, or four depending). It isn't to bad to operate, but obviously not free. Pull it into our large bathroom crank it on high and it'll heat it to 80* in about 5min. We could probably heat the whole house with two (one up, and one downstairs), but we have a brand new 90% efficient furnace that is very cheep to run.