Electric Space Heaters

[kenny chaos]

I've used the slant fin, ceramic, oil filled radiators, etc.
and they all eventually burn themselves out.
I use a 15 amp circuit but the heaters burn off a wire before
any breaker pops.
They seem to be good for about one year when they just start burning too hot.
I need a new one but it's going in a babies room and I'm paranoid about a meltdown.
Any ideas for a good reliable electric heater?

 

[mayhem]

I don't really ahve any good recommendations, but I'm concerned that there may be an underlying problem thats burning your heaters out. I'm still using the same oil fileld and fan forced electric heaters that I bought over 20 years ago. I haev never in my entire life had an electric heater burn out on me. From my perspective you have a couple choice for the style of element (wire coil or ceramic) and oil filled and thats about it...anything more than $15-20 and I think you;re wasting money.

Maybe try using a surge protector and see if you get longer life out of them?

How about a baseboard style heater?

 

[stee6043]

I've had great luck with a thermostat controlled oil filled radiator I picked up at Home Depot. It was $70 or so...but it has worked great for several years. It has a built in "program" so I have it turn itself on just before bed and off just before time to rise. I think the brand was Delonghi (spelling?)....

 

[Highbeam]

So you must be running these portable heating devices pretty hard. Is it the only source of heat for those rooms in the winter? All of the portable devices run current through a wire with resistance to make heat. Just like a toaster and the hot wire then heats oil or fins or air directly. These temporary heaters aren't made for continuous primary heater use.

The most likely heater to be dependable are those big oil filled radiator looking heaters simply because they have no moving parts and the elements are protected from vibration and thermal shock by the oil/steel. If you're burning those out quickly, before the warranty is up, then your electrical is suspect and I would be looking for an voltage condition.

I think the cheap heaters you are buying are failing by one or more of the elements losing resistance so the current goes up and the element gets too hot and falls apart.

Personally, I would put in a wall heater. The elements are very stout and designed for heating. Nothing to trip over either.

 

[pen]

Did you use an extension cord on these heaters? Using one may not allow the unit to receive the amperage it needs and cause electrical components to overheat.

pen

 

[pen]

Did you use an extension cord on these heaters? Using one may not allow the unit to receive the amperage it needs and cause electrical components to overheat.

pen

thats backwards.
volts x amps = watts which cant increase unless the volts or amps increase. line may be surging for some reason ithinx

Not true. A small diameter wire can carry a very Large Voltage but NOT a very large amperage.

Ever felt an electrical cord that's hot? It's hot because it's too thin and can't carry the current load. Current load is amperage. As a result of incoming volts being fixed, amps can suffer (be limited) as the device demands a wattage beyond that of the cord, and the electrical device runs at less than recommended wattage because it doesn't have the capacity to get them due to the extension cord that is either too long or too thin or both.

pen

 

[BrotherBart]

Every room in this house has an oil filled radiator with plug in programmable thermostat in it for backup and when we are away. Never had one crap out yet. You do need to make sure that if you are running one it is the only one on that circuit.

 

[EatenByLimestone]

Did you use an extension cord on these heaters? Using one may not allow the unit to receive the amperage it needs and cause electrical components to overheat.

pen

thats backwards.
volts x amps = watts which cant increase unless the volts or amps increase. line may be surging for some reason ithinx

Not true. A small diameter wire can carry a very Large Voltage but NOT a very large amperage.

Ever felt an electrical cord that's hot? It's hot because it's too thin and can't carry the current load. Current load is amperage. As a result of incoming volts being fixed, amps can suffer (be limited) as the device demands a wattage beyond that of the cord, and the electrical device runs at less than recommended wattage because it doesn't have the capacity to get them due to the extension cord that is either too long or too thin or both.

pen

That and the cord can be too long which can cause a heat problem also. At the family cabin sometimes I have to run a space heater on an extension cord due to load on circuits. I picked up a 10 gauge especially for it.

Matt

 

[fbelec]

you got it matt. if you are going to use a heater on a extension cord use a 10 gauge cord. if you are using a cord that is to small the load will make the voltage drop at the appliance. the wattage tries to stay the same but when the voltage drops the current will increase to a certain point and by the way don't use a heater on a surge protector or you will have a fire. i have seen it to many times, and each time the people were lucky enough to smell it and shut it off. especially for a babies room buy a oil filled radiator. they don't get as hot as a wall baseboard heater or ceramic. most rooms will get heated using the 900 watt setting and with the thermostat set at a normal temperature the heater will run almost cool enough to put your hand on. if you are running your heaters with the bedroom door open, that is one of the possible answers for your heater failure. it's trying to heat the house to the same temp and working to hard. if you get a oil filled radiator stick it in the corner of the babies room with a bureau in front of it it will heat the room and at the same time you have protection from little hands getting burnt. set it up kitty corner and there will be plenty of room for air circulation

 

[semipro]

Kenny,
Maybe something like:

http://www.heater-home.com/product/UG01.aspx

or

http://cozywinters.com/shop/rug-heat.html

I'd consider going with a commercial or built-in style heater also as I think they're better built than than the standard consumer grade, chinese made, cheapos you can buy at Walmart etc.

If you think your power supply might be an issue you could run the heater more but at a lower wattage so getting one with multiple output settings might help.

 

[EatenByLimestone]

I didn't intend to infer that the cord would, I just figured I'd mention it due to the fire hazard.

Personally I have issue using a space heater in a house as a regular heater. I don't think they should be left on and walked away from. Too much of a chance for a problem.

I still have the space heaters in the cabin, but haven't turned them on for a few years since I installed the propane heater.

If I needed them in the house I'd probably install electric baseboard.

Matt

 

[Dune]

If it were going in my childs room, I would have an electrician install a 220 volt baseboard style electric heater.

 

[begreen]

Agreed, and make it a water filled heater like an Intertherm or the like. Kids tend to poke and lose toys in baseboard heaters. A water filled heater will run cooler at the fins than a straight resistance heater.

 

[webbie]

I've used many oil-filled and never had a problem with the cord. Then again, I usually run them on only one element (699 or 900w), and in some cases as a backup (to avoid freeze) in case the heater fails.

But I have never had them fail.........

My guess would be that these are not designed for 100% cycles at full boat.......

 

[begreen]

When the house was up in the air with the heating system disconnected we borrowed an oil-filled heater. It ran at full power on a dedicated circuit. I'd check the cord several times a day. It did get warm, especially close to the plug.

If I had one of these and was using it regularly at full power, I'd be tempted to replace the plug and cord and go up a gauge for peace of mind.

 

[kenny chaos]

Lots of good stuff.
I'm at a whole new level of
conscience-nous concerning
electric heaters.
Thank-you, everyone.

 

[fbelec]

When the house was up in the air with the heating system disconnected we borrowed an oil-filled heater. It ran at full power on a dedicated circuit. I'd check the cord several times a day. It did get warm, especially close to the plug.

If I had one of these and was using it regularly at full power, I'd be tempted to replace the plug and cord and go up a gauge for peace of mind.

most times plugs get warm. it's normal. but when it's gets past the i don't want to touch it phase, then you have to worry. most times when a plug gets more than warm it's usually because people pull out the plugs like my wife and all her family does, by the wire. doing it that way or bending it in a sharp direction behind something starts breaking the strands in the cable. sometimes it can be the outlet itself. if the plugs that go into it slide in without much resistance that outlet will heat the plug.

by the way, this doesn't help now , but i picked up my oil filled radiator at the home cheapo in march at the end of the heating season. they had 3 i bought one for 14.99 it sold for 39.99 normally. it's worked great for me in my office in the basement for 3 years.

 

[jadm]

Every room in this house has an oil filled radiator with plug in programmable thermostat in it for backup and when we are away. Never had one crap out yet. You do need to make sure that if you are running one it is the only one on that circuit.

Don't want to hi-jack this thread but I do have one question....

How much difference do the oil filled heaters make on your electric bill? Is it lower than the wire/ceramic portable heaters? (I have seen them at the BB stores but have avoided buying one due to electricity used = higher elec. bill.....but my daughter's room gets pretty darn cold and it would be nice for her to have a little heat that doesn't cost a fortune....)

 

[fbelec]

doesn't matter what kind of electric heater you use. if your room was figured to have a 1000 watt heater in it, it wouldn't mater what type you are running 1000 watts is a 1000 watts. the 100% eff. rating on electric heater is just that. you get 1000 watts of heat from a 1000 watt heater. no loss. safety is a different story. if your room was figured for 1000 watts and you ran 750 watts, the heater cycle time would be to run more to compensate for not being strong enough. if you ran a 1500 watt heater the cycle time would be less on time. should cost dam near the same money to heat the room. at the same time if the outdoor temp was 0 degrees the 750 watt heater would not be able to keep up and the room would be cold. but if the temp outside was 45 degrees and you had the 1500 watt heater, the temp fluctuations would be noticeable up down up down.

 

[semipro]

Every room in this house has an oil filled radiator with plug in programmable thermostat in it for backup and when we are away. Never had one crap out yet. You do need to make sure that if you are running one it is the only one on that circuit.

Don't want to hi-jack this thread but I do have one question....

How much difference do the oil filled heaters make on your electric bill? Is it lower than the wire/ceramic portable heaters? (I have seen them at the BB stores but have avoided buying one due to electricity used = higher elec. bill.....but my daughter's room gets pretty darn cold and it would be nice for her to have a little heat that doesn't cost a fortune....)

All electrical resistance heaters are essentially 100% efficient so the cost per unit heat delivered is the same. Adding oil to such a heater is like adding soapstone to a wood stove. The main difference between electrical heaters is in what form they deliver the heat whether with convection, radiation, conduction or some combination thereof. Convective types (with blowers) are better at heating and moving air. Radiant types (like the oil filled ones) are better at heating objects nearby but they naturally form convective air currents around themselves also. There are also radiant types that glow red and they warm objects they are aimed at.

 

[jadm]

Thanks to both who explained 'heater' stuff to me. I have a better idea now what I would be getting into if I choose to go that route.

 

[Gooserider]

Every room in this house has an oil filled radiator with plug in programmable thermostat in it for backup and when we are away. Never had one crap out yet. You do need to make sure that if you are running one it is the only one on that circuit.

Don't want to hi-jack this thread but I do have one question....

How much difference do the oil filled heaters make on your electric bill? Is it lower than the wire/ceramic portable heaters? (I have seen them at the BB stores but have avoided buying one due to electricity used = higher elec. bill.....but my daughter's room gets pretty darn cold and it would be nice for her to have a little heat that doesn't cost a fortune....)

A 110 volt plug in heater would probably be the cheapest way to get more heat in terms of install costs, but it might be a lot less in terms of operating costs to see if you can get her more heat from the existing system...

What are you currently using for heat? If it's a hydronic system, can you increase the amount of emitters in her room? If it's a forced air system, how about adjusting the balancing on your vents, or getting the ducts cleaned? Of course if it's a case of you're building fires, in order to shut down the main system, and it's a case of her room being to far from the stove, you may not have a lot of choice... In that case just make sure you aren't chewing up your fire related fuel savings just to run the heater in her room...

Gooserider