Ceramic heaters vs. ... what?

Some folks also use the oil filled heaters. I think it's personal preference. Ceramic is generally lighter, smaller, and run without a glowing red hot element... I use a ceramic for these reasons, but it's noisy. Not as loud as my furnace, but noisier than I'd like. Thinking of getting a oil filled unit for next season.

Why not a regular space heater?

MargaretB wrote:
Why not a regular space heater?

Farm Camp answered your question and a ceramic is just a type of regular space heater so I don't understand what your question is and what do you define as a "regular space heater"?:h

Larry

For me, I have little kids that might get burnt on a traditional "red element' heater. Also, (IMHO) the smaller confines of a RV are more suited to something like a Ceramic just because there is not quite so much concern for them getting too close to something flammable like a bed sheet, or couch...

Besides these personal concerns of mine. Technically, they both will do the same job.

My work has several oil filled heaters. I am REALLY surprised that they might use that type, as the heat up to where it would be uncomfortable to touch it accidentally while it is hot, and it takes about 15 minutes to cool down before you can safely store it (or pick it up).

I have seen several ceramic heaters. It is a type of heating element, that is very compact, and has a tiny fan, that blows out very warm heat- to hot for my comfort, I would worry about air more than 120F coming out of the small heater.

I use regular portable heaters. I have 3 in my RV. I can only run 2 at a time with my 30 amp service. I normally run one on low heat, and the other switch back and forth between high and low heat, depending on how cold it is. I don't want to max out my 30 amp plug, so never run both on high, except perhaps a short time. But if the RV is that cold, I would rather just turn on the furnace for 10 minutes to get it from 50 to 65, then use the electric ones to warm it the rest of the way or rest of the night.

My heater is about 8" square - perhaps 10" square. It has a 6" fan on the back and heating element built in. It is fairly quiet, and only warms the air by about 25 - 30F. So normally it is fairly warm, but not hot air coming out of it. It has to have a thermostat, or you can not leave it on at night!

I can also use them in the summer as fans!

Have fun camping!

Fred.

In a 22 foot travel trailer I wouldn't spend the extra dollars for a ceramic one.
I have a 25 foot TT and for years we have just been using a regular 120 volt, 1500 watt resistance coil heater with a fan. Ours has a tip over safety switch and various settings

Jack L

If I use an electric heater it is a infared heater which in my opinion heats much better than any of the ceramic/regular or oil filled heaters.Sun Heat as an example..It does a pretty good job heating our house..The down fall is the price..

The very best heater for an RV in my opinion is the Catalytic heater such as the Olympian Wave heaters..No electricity required and the Wave 8 heated my large trailers and Fifth Wheels very well..I used the small Wave 3 in my Lance pickup camper and it did a great job.Very economical on propane also.

My wife much prefers the Wave heater to an electric..Used correctly they do a great job and there is little condensation saving on battery power without the furnace running all the time in cold weather.

We use a small ceramic heater with thermostat, which is way quieter than any furnace I've ever heard. I've never even turned on my furnace. On our recent trip to Unicoi (north Georgia), all the other nearby RV's were using their furnace, and the constant on/off all night long would frequently wake us up. I feel confident that our little ceramic heater can easily keep us comfortable in our 24' TT in any cold weather camping that we intend on doing.

But this thread is about using electric that is already paid for at the CG instead of LP.

That's why I said the infared heaters heat better than the conventional heaters like the oil filled/milk house/Wal mart specials and ceramic. I've used them all.I have one of each around here somewhere including a tower model that isn't too bad but doesn't heat the trailer even close to the infared.

Like I said, there expensive but they heat more like a furnace instead of a portable heater.

The catalytic heater is something I would never be without in an RV, electricity or not.

Ceramic heaters are usually small cubes, opposed to a regular space heater that are much larger in comparison. Ceramic heaters have all the heating coils tucked inside the unit, and you really can't see them. Regular space heaters have those heating wires wide open (covered with a flimsey screen of some kind, easy for dust or small objects to fall in and touch the heating elements). Ceramic heaters can comfortable be placed almost anywhere because of their small size and put out a considerable amount of heat for their small size, and the side are usually plastic of some sort, much cooler to the touch, and if something touches the side, less chance of fire. Space heaters cases are usually made of metal, get hot and you REALLY have to keep things at a further distance so nothing will touch them, causing a potential fire.

There's nothing wrong with space heaters, it's just ... they work better in a stick & brick house where there's more space, and ceramic heaters work better in tight small spaces (like RV's).

Oil filled (old fashioned radiator style) heaters are good alternatives, but they do take up more space, but are very safe. However, they are "radiant" heat (no fans), work slower, and take up more space.