Need suggestions for an electric heater

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mikesj

mikesj

Member
Feb 16, 2009
158
Western MD
My Harman P61A does the bulk of the heating for my 1920's farmhouse, but I do use electric radiator heaters in the upstairs bedrooms when it gets chilly. I've got minimal insulation and no ductwork upstairs for my oil furnace. Electric is a lot cheaper than oil in my area, so no big deal. I have one large, open downstairs room on the opposite side of the house that I can't seem to keep much above 60 when we are in the low single digits, and rather than turn on the furnace, I'd like to just get an electric space heater for that one room. Any suggestions? I've brought the radiator heaters down and tried them, but they don't seem to circulate heat well in open rooms.

Thanks!
 
I have a couple of those oil filled radiators I have used in near zero weather in the far end rooms of my ranch since I havent been able to move the heat from my living room clear down to the far end its usually in low 60's down the other end. I picked up a few Pelonis Ceramic Disc forced air heaters that oscillate and I'm very pleased with how fast and how much warmer they bring the rooms up to . The oil filled arent bad but seem to take forever to warm the rooms and you dont get any air circulating unless you run ceiling fans.... But I'd say a good ceramic disc type with adjustable fan would work well... none of them can exceed 1500 watts, but some are more efficient than others, just don't pick a real cheapo you'll get what you pay for so I'd suggest the big name brands.....
 
3 styles recommended. oil filled - slow to heat up room but maybe maintain temp more economicly . fan forced - noisier but heat room fast, radiant disk - amazing at heating a specific object immediately - ex. you sitting on couch. not good at heating entire room.
 
All electric heaters are 100% efficient, no matter the brand or price....that's just physics !
In my opinion, any electric heater that costs more than $50 is a total rip-off....they all do the same thing, and as long as the Watts are the same, they put out exactly the same amount of heat.
 
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Pelleting In NJ said:
All electric heaters are 100% efficient, no matter the brand or price....that's just physics !
In my opinion, any electric heater that costs more than $50 is a total rip-off....they all do the same thing, and as long as the Watts are the same, they put out exactly the same amount of heat.
Click to expand...

Yes that's always been my school of thought too. With the small exception of if it has a fan or not.

I have a bunch of Titan ceramic heaters and heated the whole house for one winter strictly with those. I still keep one running when I am gone for extended periods. But have to be smart about it. Do not use extension cords unless it's something serious duty. Put the heater on a noncombustible surface and away from any combustibles. I set my main one on the kitchen stove, or at least on a bed of scrap ceramic tiles. I check the cord and plug and outlet regularly and they do not get hot.
 
I am another one who suggests the Vornado heaters. They have a patented technolgy for how they move heated air which is what you want to get a room warm. My 2 are digital and work just like a furnace with a set a temp and forget it. They are expensive but once you have one you will see why. Did I mention they are very quiet?

I as a whole am cheap but I also feel that you get what you pays for. Most of the better heaters are more than $50.
 
I have one of those fireplace tv stands in my master suite. It not only looks good, it's thin and doesn't take up much space. Plus, it holds the tv so it's never out of place and can be a permanent fixture in the room. It throws off some good heat. My room is in the cold corner, so i run it ocassionaly to get the chill out in the morning while I battle the alarm clock. easily picks up my room 2-3 degrees in 10 min.
 
Bkins said:
I am another one who suggests the Vornado heaters. They have a patented technolgy for how they move heated air which is what you want to get a room warm. My 2 are digital and work just like a furnace with a set a temp and forget it. They are expensive but once you have one you will see why. Did I mention they are very quiet?

I as a whole am cheap but I also feel that you get what you pays for. Most of the better heaters are more than $50.
Click to expand...

im mostly w NJ on this one. As i stated earlier a fan will warm faster but need to cycle on/off more than an oil filled. also the fan makes noise. if you pay more for a fan based one it had better be because its quieter or safety features bc otherwise they are the same.
 
Pelleting In NJ said:
All electric heaters are 100% efficient, no matter the brand or price....that's just physics ! In my opinion, any electric heater that costs more than $50 is a total rip-off....they all do the same thing, and as long as the Watts are the same, they put out exactly the same amount of heat.​
Click to expand...
Unfortunately I don't agree.

Yes they will put out the same amount of heat. But the technology that puts out the heat can be different, the thermostat sensitivity can be different, some can retain heat longer, convect it better, etc. For example, a typical baseboard heater with a "dial" thermostat on the wall is not that great. Why? because the thermostat is 4 feet off of the ground. Since the average person is 5 foot 7, that means their shoulders and head will be the temperature on the thermostat. And when it is on, it is 100% on. New heaters have less of a yo-yo effect on temperature as they can increase the power to the heater in stages.

As far as I am concerned, these are the best electric heaters on the market. Why? The sensor for the thermostat is at the lowest possible level and the grates that release the heat do so in a manner that propels the convection of the hear.

http://www.convectair.ca/caen/index.html

However, that is my 2 cents worth and I could be completely wrong.

Andrew
 
using Life-Smart bought at Ocean State Joblot . Live in an oversize raised ranch with adds. The little f100 can't keep up. Will put the space heater in the hall to bedrooms to get them up to comfy 60 for sleep.Just gave in and hit the burner for the evening in the family room,damnitt!
 
lessoil said:
Just bought one of these for a basement area but have used it in upstairs bedroom.
Very quiet and does circulate warm air quite well.
Many good reviews on the net.

http://www.amazon.com/Vornado-VH110...e=UTF8&qid=1358937294&sr=8-3&keywords=vornado
Click to expand...

I love the Vornado! Very quiet and digitally controlled so the fan isn't always coming on and going off. We have used them in the camper for years. The only problem is they don't last too long. Two years is the limit so far. I'm on number 3 and it died last Fall. They aren't cheap unless you find a deal somewhere.
 
Well I stopped by Lowes this evening before I had a chance to read the responses. I was in a hurry because I had to pick up my daughter so I grabbed a Lasko ceramic console for around 80 bucks. It's going back tomorrow. It might be ok for a smaller room, but it definitely wasn't going to cut it.

Ulitmately I will get a propane fireplace of stove for that room. It would be a good back up and I really only need it when we have severe cold snaps a couple of times a year.
 
Maybe consider a second pellet stove. Possibly a second hand if youre comfortable buying that way. If not, there are some incredible bargains on pellet stoves at the end of the season. I've seen the box stores sell Englanders for around $600 just so they can unload their inventory. A second stove just makes good sense to me. It's a back up if the other fails and its a supplement on those single digit days so it takes the load off the single stove. For me, running two stoves on medium doesn't really use much more pellets the running one stove air open.
 
I am a fan of the oil filled ones. They last forever, are quiet, and give off a very comfortable heat.
 
I've thought about a second stove, but most of the time I would just be using it for a quick warm up. It would get used a little more during cold snaps to help out the p61 and to help me not fire the oil furnace. I also like the idea of diversifying my fuels. In my area, propane is cheaper than oil. I have 23k Btu kerosene heater that I busted out tonight. It's just about all I need to supplement my stove. If I could find an electric heater that could put out that kind of heat, I'd be in good shape.
 
mikesj said:
I have 23k Btu kerosene heater that I busted out tonight. It's just about all I need to supplement my stove. If I could find an electric heater that could put out that kind of heat, I'd be in good shape.
Click to expand...

Plug-in electric heaters are limited to 1500 watts, which is something like 5000 BTU/hr. You would need 4 or 5 of them to get that kind of heat.
 
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