Thoughts on portable electric heaters
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I just bought an electric oil-filled slimline freestanding panel heater.
We already have a 400W Dimplex that is 20 years old, in the 2nd bedroom for guests. The new one is an 800w Amos brand, in the sitting room as we had to halve our central heating radiator to accommodate new double doors. £75. -
IIRC, your house would be wired at 220V with 16 amp receptacle circuits. An 800 watt heater will draw only 3.5 amps at 220V - well within safe operating limits.
In the US that same heater would draw around 7A on a 15A receptacle. Still OK - it’s when you use the 1500 watt setting you start inviting trouble.
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Thanks Steve. Somehow we have accumulated space heaters over the years. We have three. Two are the upright column type, one is oil-filled. We only use the newest one, in our cold kitchen.
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I like those too. They’re silent and the safest as far as setting nearby things on fire.
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No. Very light.
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My spouse likes it cool... Thermostat is set at 60, but our living room not infrequently gets into the upper 50s. I want to knit sweaters for our birds. One gets used to it. I do wear fleeces - have a flotilla of them from lightly warm to the point where a couple of them are as warm as a medium weight coat. Winter is easy.
What's challenging are the summer months when my spouse wants to think of our home as a very large refrigerator.
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I like our oil-filled heater but it just doesn’t get hot enough.
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They are good for small areas. I kept my insulated tack room above freezing in the barn in Maine. We have one near the desk at the gallery (plus several others that blow air) since the rooms in the lower level of our building have no heat. I like that they don’t make noise, and are so much safer than the ones that get red hot. They are easy to move around too. Just don’t get a cheap one. Our cheap one from Walmart quit working after the first winter.
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Addendum: I did bring out the oil-filled heater today for the room with the TV. It’s working well and the heat is so comfortable even on the low setting. It didn’t have much effect in the kitchen, which is draftier.
It’s possible that the radiator isn’t getting hot enough because of air in the system. I should try bleeding it.
