Your favorite space heater?

I had a heck of a time finding one anymore with a tip over switch on the bottom. The four legged critter are known to get rowdy.

We had been using the typical Walmart heaters that are on sale. Usually lasted 2 or maybe 3 years.

For our house, I recently bought a Dyson. It oscillates, can be programmed to turn on/off at certain times, has a remote, is not hot to the touch, and can be used as a fan when needed. That will find it's way into the 5er this spring.

I use a Vornado VH2 when camping http://www.vornado.com/product.aspx?CategoryID=2375dc12-d27e-4e9b-ab03-9ac100a689e1 as it makes it very comfortable. Runs about $70 and well worth it.

When parked, I use an oscillating radiant heater on low.

joeburnes wrote:
Talk about weird coincidences. I'm a catastrophic insurance adjuster and I JUST got a claim today where a space heater burned down somebody's pool house with all their tools.

But did the space heater cause the fire. Or was an improper extension cord used or were there any other electrical issues?

Talk about weird coincidences. I'm a catastrophic insurance adjuster and I JUST got a claim today where a space heater burned down somebody's pool house with all their tools.

We have 2 Holmes & 1 Hunter floor style ceramic oscillating heaters, the prices ranged from $25.00 / $35.00. The Holmes heaters are aprox 16 years old... all 3 are analog with twist controls.

I run 1 upstairs with the sliding door closed and trap the heat in the bedroom /shower/toilet room area, the other 2 run in the living and kitchen areas and work well into the mid 20 degree range.

Trapping the heat in both areas separately has worked well for us. All 3 cycle on/off with the manual twist thermostat knobs.

I did try an electronic remote controlled tower heater a few years back but it developed a high pitch squeal and turned out to be a noisy piece of junk.

RoyB wrote:
I went with the low profile OIL FILLED Electric heaters. 1500WATTS is 1500WATTS whether it is a large size or small size. We always usually have only ONE mode selected and the TEMP setting is around 3... These are left ON all the time when being used...


I like the safety aspect of the OIL FILLED Heaters as there is no FLAMES or RED HOT HEATED CORES that can start fires when curtains get blowed into them or animals or kids can touch... They are almost very silent in operation and only do a CLICK every now and then. No fans etc...


Roy Ken

I use the same heater, but rather than depend on the internal thermostat (which really doesn't handle temp variations too well ), I use a Lux Win 100 digital thermostat. It plugs into the wall and cycles the heater on and off. With it's own temp sensor it is more accurate at controlling temperature and will absolutely shut the unit off ( or turn it on) as needed. Frequently, the oil filled heater will be on the morning when I leave and off later in the day with the A/C running by late afternoon.

The problem with forced air heaters including the furnace is that they put out too much heat while running and zero heat when they are off. But RVs are drafty places and I'm always too warm while a forced air heater is running and then too cold as soon as the heater shuts off. But oil filled heaters put out a steady flow of heat so it is easier to be comfortable.

The other problem is the fan noise at night cycling off and on.

I've recently read several technical articles on the topic and, regardless of whether the heater is resistive coils, ceramic, or whatever, a 1,500 watt electric heater will put out about 5,125 BTUs of heat. Pick one you like and use it.

We like our electric fireplace from Walmart.

Another advantage of the oil filled is you can turn it off and it will radiate heat for a few more hours.

The biggest issue with using these kinds of heaters is that you don't get any airflow into the basement, so you do run some risk of freezing tanks and pipes. If the furnace isn't running, you should still run the fan to circulate air into the basement/underbelly. Also, if it gets =real= cold, you should open cabinets under your sinks for the same reason, as they can become a cold spot very quickly.

Lyle