Winter's Coming, so whats a safe heater

Forums › Home Workshop DIY › Winter's Coming, so whats a safe heater

Ramboss

202 posts

Master Geek

#115865 9-Apr-2013 19:54

As the days shorten, and the nights coolen. I was wonderen if anyone could help me out with a bit of info.

I am after a small cost efficient heater for the babies room, but above all it must be safe, being that it will be on all night unattended.

I was after something with a good thermostat so that the room can be kept at 18 to 20 degrees, i was thinking of a panel heater, but don't know alot about them.
http://www.goldair.co.nz/product-catalogue/heating/ecosave-panel-heaters/ecosave-panel-heater-425w-with-digital-thermostat
Looked quite good if anyone has any ideas, i will be glad to hear them.

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202 posts

Master Geek

#795815 9-Apr-2013 20:00

Quick note,

Doesn't need to heat room as room will be already warm before bed, just has to keep room warm overnight

DonGould

3892 posts

Uber Geek

#795818 9-Apr-2013 20:11

Some of those wall heaters can use a lot of power for the amount of heat they deliver.

It's hard to know what to say without knowing where you're located, what the home is made of and what insulation is in place already or how big this room is.

We have a small oil heater next to our sons bed, with a thermostat, which just keeps the temperature up in the immediate area. But we also put bubble wrap on the windows in winter.

What are the windows like? Are their drafts? How damp is the room? Damp causes cooling.

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Ramboss

202 posts

Master Geek

#795819 9-Apr-2013 20:11

Just saw this post http://www.geekzone.co.nz/forums.asp?forumid=141&topicid=115848

Interesting mabee a cheaper heater and one of them fan dangle do daas.

Ramboss

202 posts

Master Geek

#795820 9-Apr-2013 20:14

DonGould: Some of those wall heaters can use a lot of power for the amount of heat they deliver.

It's hard to know what to say without knowing where you're located, what the home is made of and what insulation is in place already or how big this room is.

We have a small oil heater next to our sons bed, with a thermostat, which just keeps the temperature up in the immediate area. But we also put bubble wrap on the windows in winter.

What are the windows like? Are their drafts? How damp is the room? Damp causes cooling.

Live in the Tron, newish well insulated house mediumish sized room, at the moment outside gets to 5ish degrees and house down to 18ish in the morning

DonGould

3892 posts

Uber Geek

#795824 9-Apr-2013 20:24

Ramboss:
Live in the Tron, newish well insulated house mediumish sized room, at the moment outside gets to 5ish degrees and house down to 18ish in the morning

So it doesn't sound like a heater is going to be doing much work at all. A wall mounted panel heater is likely the safest and I've even seen them mounted on the ceiling, though heat does rise, so it's not going to provide much heating down low.

Oil heaters have tip sensors as well as thermal over load in them.

Prime consideration with panel on the wall is ensuring something isn't pushed up against it and only an idiot puts anything on an oil heater no mater how safe you might think it is.

You need to consider if you have space to put your heater.... and by space I mean 'realistic' space.

Another consideration is controls. You need to ensure what you get is easy to operate and understood. I've found many heaters where the controls are just confusing and people leave them on when they thought they were off or off when they thought they were on. Off when on means your child gets cold, on when off means you've got a fire risk!

Finally.... smoke alarm!!!! Going to use a heater in a room make double sure you actually have a working alarm in the room as well.

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blackjack17

1705 posts

Uber Geek

#795849 9-Apr-2013 21:12

The panel heaters work really well in a small room (very small). I had one in my study (3m by 3m) and it kept the room toasty. That being said if my computer was on I didn't need to use the heater.

When we moved house it wasn't too effective in a room 8 by 3 (even though the new room had better insulation)

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alasta

6701 posts

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#795856 9-Apr-2013 21:35

I won't buy Goldair appliances any more due to my experience of poor reliability with them. It looks as if it's mostly poor quality Chinese designed product that they've just badge engineered.

I now have a Sunbeam oil column heater which I really like as it's totally silent, has thermal cutout with a secondary fuse, has convection housing around it, is well built, and has a two year warranty. However one of the disadvantages with an oil column heater is that for optimum effectiveness you need to switch it on a while before you need the heat, and switch it off a while before you're finished with it - I don't mind that personally.

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timmmay

20574 posts

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#795934 10-Apr-2013 07:46

All standard heaters are 100% efficient, the only way to go better is with a heat pump.

The only difference between heaters is how they distribute the heat. Heat from panel and oil heaters goes straight up, and warms the room from the top down. They're fine for keeping a room warm though. Fan heaters direct the heat and keep it low, so they feel more effective, but they're louder.

Even if you buy a thermostat I'm not sure I'd buy a cheap heater for a babies room. Quality lasts as well.

tchart

2379 posts

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#795936 10-Apr-2013 07:59

alasta: I won't buy Goldair appliances any more due to my experience of poor reliability with them. It looks as if it's mostly poor quality Chinese designed product that they've just badge engineered.

Yeah, I'm gonna go ahead and disagree with you on that. We have a Goldair oil column heater with digital thermostat. Its a few years old but its fantastic. The thermostat actually works well and keeps the room temperature stable with no wild fluctuations.

Sadly they don't seem to have that model anymore...

1eStar

1604 posts

Uber Geek

#795943 10-Apr-2013 08:02

Oil filled heaters tend to deliver a more constant heart due to their thermal mass. Panel convection heaters work fine but they do tend to give a smell as they burn any dust that gets into the element area. One aspect to note is that a thermostat on a heater is not as good at regulating temperature as a remote thermostat. The best setup is to have a hardwired thermostat at the opposite end of the room to the heater. My father just had this done in his place last year where a power outlet in select rooms are thermostatically controlled.

old3eyes

9119 posts

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Subscriber

#795959 10-Apr-2013 08:27

Ramboss: As the days shorten, and the nights coolen. I was wonderen if anyone could help me out with a bit of info.

I am after a small cost efficient heater for the babies room, but above all it must be safe, being that it will be on all night unattended.

I was after something with a good thermostat so that the room can be kept at 18 to 20 degrees, i was thinking of a panel heater, but don't know alot about them.
http://www.goldair.co.nz/product-catalogue/heating/ecosave-panel-heaters/ecosave-panel-heater-425w-with-digital-thermostat
Looked quite good if anyone has any ideas, i will be glad to hear them.

I would suggest that you go and buy this months Consumer mag.

Regards,

Old3eyes

da5id

550 posts

Ultimate Geek
Inactive user

#797118 10-Apr-2013 12:46

I have a DeLonghi Dragon 3 oil column heater which has served me well for years. Puts out way more heat than the ineffective ones you can buy from The Warehouse. Also has a thermostat and a timer (although the timer is one of those manual dial ones, not digital).

It might be overkill for a smallish room though.

gcorgnet

1078 posts

Uber Geek

#797124 10-Apr-2013 13:01

We put a Noirot 1500W (also exists in smaller or bigger wattage) in Baby's bedroom.
They come with an elctornic thermostat that makes a reading every 30 sec and adjust accordingly (as opposed to the mechanical thermostats found in most cheaper heaters)
They come with a digital programmer as well so you can control when the heater is on or off.

They are a bit on the expensive side but seem really effective and feel well built...

timmmay

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#797140 10-Apr-2013 13:35

I have a $20 1200W oil heater from the warehouse for my bedroom. It works fine and is as efficient as any heater. The only reason to upgrade is if I can find one that has a silent fan in it that pushes the air down.

Stan

929 posts

Ultimate Geek
Inactive user

#797451 10-Apr-2013 22:02

My personal opinion is go for this if you are after a small low wattage heater for a room less than 12m2 with a 2.4m stud.

http://www.dimplex.co.nz/catalog/2nc8-042-4l

This is not the opinion of my employer

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