Oil-Filled Electric Radiator Heater

[me]

OK you make a good argument for sticking with he cheapest oil filled, steel radiator style electric heater than. yes?

[Edwin Pawlowski]

Yes

[me]

Ok that would be the Lakewood brand at the local Farm and Home store then

[Merlin]

See

for $69 and includes a programmable timer.

Here's an update:

After lots of reading and looking at many units, I decided to get the Delonghi TRD-O715T.

I tried it out for two days and it heated my 600 sq ft area to 70 degrees F while being a low of 39 outside. It held it there while cycling on and off. In 24 hours of running, it's used 10 KWH, which translates into $1.10 at my current rate of 11 cents per/KWH.

My per/day costs with propane were MUCH higher.

I'm extremely pleased with this and have just ordered a second one for the bedroom.

Thank you all for your input on this.

[Edwin Pawlowski]

Thanks for getting back about it. If you can heat your house with two of them for about $60 a month, that is pretty cheap.

[Merlin]

I agree. The propane heating was getting crazy. I was filling my 250 gallon propane tank twice each year. That's a lot of money. I was heating my entire 10 room house. I then shut off the vents in unused rooms and decreased my heating costs by almost half.

This latest step was because of the problems I was having with my propane supplier. They started acting as though they were doing ME a favor by coming out to fill my tank when they felt like it. They left the relief/fill valve open one month and the tank emptied itself. When I told them what they had done, the Manager of the place, (a real butthead), told me that "sometimes winos open them to sniff the propane" and that I would have to eat the cost of a refill.

After talking directly to the owner, I still only received half of the cost back.

I told them that day to come get their tank off my property.

So ends the trials of home heating. I've found what I believe to be the most efficient method of heating now. Two of these units will do me just fine. I'm now by myself, so heating the common area and one bedroom is all I need.

[Merlin]

Just an update for those who are interested.

I now use two of these heaters. One in the 600 sq ft area that is set on the highest wattage and about half way up on the Thermostat. It keeps the area at a constant 74 degrees when it's 40 outside.

The other is in the bedroom and set on the lowest wattage and almost off on the thermostat. It keeps the 240 sq ft bedroom at 72 degrees while cycling during the 40 degree weather.

I love these things! The cost to run them both is about $2 per/day.

WAY cheaper that the propane I was using.

[me]

I bought one of the oil filled radiator style heaters as well and so far so good also!!

I have it in my bedroom and shut the bedroom door at night and only heat THAT room....and turn the main forced air furnace WAY down

[ransley]

We have one about 30 years old it still works fine

[Meat Plow]

I have one also, a Holmes model. Do the same thing with mine too.

[Merlin]

I don't even have any heat other than the two radiators now. With one in the common area and one in the bedroom, I have a nice warm house. I turn the bedroom one on about an hour before bedtime.

The biggest problem I've had with them is setting them LOW enough. They produce so much heat that I'm still adjusting them downward to maintain the temperature I desire. They use almost no electricity.

KUDOS to the person who invented this gadget!

[Wayne Boatwright]

Oh pshaw, on Thu 20 Dec 2007 05:47:15a, Merlin meant to say...

Whoever invented the oil-filled electric radiator did so many decades ago, so they're nothing new. There does seem to be resurgence in popularity, and they really are very effective .

[Chris]

I just bought an older home, it's about 900 sq ft. I've got 2 oil heaters...one on each side of the house. I got the oil heaters because I didn't want to sign up for natural gas, for many reasons....The house has a natural gas heater but it also has a electric water heater, so because the water is electric I got the oil heaters to stay total electric. They do okay until the temps dip down in the 20's and then it's a little nippy. But that's alright...because with the oil heaters that's one less bill to pay every month. So I give two tumbs up, all though I haven't got my first electric bill, should be cheaper then gas because natrual gas around here is a rip-off $$$.

[me]

But how small is your home that two of these heaters will heat the entire place?

[Merlin]

One heater is heating a 600 square foot area to 70 degrees and the other is in the bedroom heating a 200 square foot area on it's lowest setting with one hour on, one hour off, to 68 degrees that I like to sleep at.