does anbody remember this "Heater" (found the patent)

[MrWizard]

sorry no picture, i can't find one online ( see page 2 found the patent application and drawings )
i have searched and searched, vintage old portable
you name it, i tried it

it is/was 120v portable, not quartz or halogen or oil or ceramic
it was sealed partial vacuum low pressure steam

DE-iozined water sealed under partial vacuum , when the heat was turned on the water evaporated aka turned to steam at a much lower temperature, heating the surface of the heater much like oil filled
only doing it faster, it would make "ticking" noises while warming up
it was taller than it was wide (did NOT look like a radiator)
looking at the front, it was "V" shaped to provide more surface area
there was temp control knob and on-off switch
the surface temp was really warm but NOT hot, you could touch it with out getting burned, you could hold tissue or fabric against it, it would not catch fire, not hot enough to make anything smolder
there was a fan that came on-off with the temp of the heater

this was the late 80's to 92

i have not seen one in many years, can not find one on ebay
can not find any images or info using google

my memory says the brand was "Heat Tec" but a search brings all kinds of stuff .. not related to what i'm looking for

maybe one of you have or had one ?
i bought it at "FedCo" which is now defunct

[CavemanCharlie]

pnichols wrote:
Keep looking on eBay. Anything and everything eventually shows up there. 😉

Yup, and you can even put in a search on eBay and if the product you are looking for shows up eBay will send you a eMail (see what I did there) that your product has become for sale. I once found a movie I had been looking for by doing that.

[Dutch_12078]

It does look like a good heater technology. And the water/glycol mix makes a lot more sense than freezable DI water as a transfer element. I hope you're able to find one!

[pnichols]

Keep looking on eBay. Anything and everything eventually shows up there. 😉

[MrWizard]

some oil filled get pretty warm to fire danger smoldering levels
especially the smaller ones that are full 1500w

at one time or another i've had every type
we have an 400-800w quartz radiant reflective for these occasions when shore power is available, it does what i expect
but i really would like to find one of the Heatech type, older or newer, its the way it works that i like, the whole concept was innovative

[pnichols]

Wow, not bad .... you were able to heat a guest house with only one ~1500 watt electric heater? Of course the BTU output would still be only a little above 5000.

BTW, I thought that the surface of oil heaters is also quite cool and presents no fire danger?

I sure like our electric Holmes RV/shop radiant heater. There's something about radiant heat in that their standard ~5000 BTU output feels like a lot more. The pure radiant heat propane fireplace (no fans) in our stick house is also magical in how it comfortably heats almost the entire home. I'm a radiant believer.

[MrWizard]

it warms up faster than an oil heater
it spreads the heat really well
the external surface is cooler, no fire danger
its lighter in weight and takes up less floor space

from the patent assign history
it looks like companies kept going out of business and re-organizing
but that is just a guess
to bad some entity like Holmes or pelonas doesn't have the patent and mfg it

it wouldn't be cheap, it cost good $$ 25yrs ago
the price might be reason its not around

I was very happy, heating the Guest house i rented
made quite an impression on me, I remember it so well..!
it was the spelling of the name that i originally had wrong
how many people remember a small appliance that well after almost 30yrs ?

[pnichols]

Great search work!

I'm curious ... why do you think this heater and it's technology would be superior to a quality modern portable electric oil heater?

There must have been some reason why the product didn't make it long term??

[MrWizard]

Bingo ..

heres a picture and , an adv in popular mechanics $129.95
i bought mine at fedco for a bit less, with a 5yr warranty
now i can search ebay

maybe i can find a Newer version if I can't find an original




https://books.google.com/books?id=r-MDAAAAMBAJ&lpg=PA48&ots=Kq8cyVC82g&dq=electric%20heater%20bought...

From April 1988 Chicago tribune

The Heatech portable electric space heater received an Innovator Award in the new-product category. Heatech, manufactured by Technco-Therm Corp., P.O. Box 750, Erie, Colo. 80516 (phone: 303-665-7660), produces heat in a vacuum-sealed steam chamber. A fan blows the heat out into the room. It is said to be safer than most other heaters because it has no exposed elements and the surface becomes only warm to the touch. A safety switch will automatically turn off the heater if it is tipped over. The manufacturer says tests have shown that the heater uses 30 percent less electricity and heats a room up to three times faster than most other types of space heaters. Suggested retail price: $199.

[MrWizard]

Heatech I'll try some research on that name
Thanks

[Thom02099]

Hey Mr Wizard,

Here's some info that might be useful. If you haven't already, try a Google search on the patent number itself ie, "us patent 4518847". There's a response that links to a company called Crockett & Kelly Inc, here in Colorado. Listing shows them at 640 Compton St, Broomfield, CO (other listings show Erie and Westminster CO, all in the same geographical area). Haven't been able to find a phone number for them, though. The patent looks to be expired, and there's a link to another patent #D281811.

Something else you may want to consider is to use one of the pay patent search sites on the web, plunk down the $$ and do a search that way; may have more information on the company than what's found in a basic Google search.

ETA: Regarding the patent #D281811, there's a company name of Heatech International that's associated with that patent number. Perhaps they were the manufacturer at the time?

The initial search also revealed the inventors of the product, all of them in the local area here, in Boulder CO as well as Northglenn CO. Might also try that avenue as well.

[MrWizard]

sure would like to find a working one
maybe the drawing will jog somebodies memory
it would be easier to search for, IF the correct model name could be found

[MrWizard]

did a patent search and found this
this is it



sealed steam portable electric heater

Electrically-powered portable space heater
US 4518847 A
Abstract
A portable electrically-powered space heater includes an electrically-powered boiler generating steam at subatmospheric pressure from a mixture of water and ethylene glycol that is circulated through a closed loop heat exchanger, portions of which comprise fin-tube radiators. The boiler is thermostatically controlled by a thermostat located in a chimney into which a downdraft of ambient air is drawn by a fan creating a forced-flow of air over the fin tubes. An automatic temperature-responsive time delay mechanism allows the boiler to get up to its operating temperature before the fan is actuated to draw air across the thermostat. The heater is further characterized by a novel design wherein a pair of upstanding heat exchangers are each housed in branches of a generally Y-shaped housing with a fan located in the stem-forming portion thereof effective to cooperate with the heat exchangers and the double-walled side panels alongside thereof to distribute a curtain of warm air over a 90° or better swath.

An additional object is the provision of a space heater of the type herein disclosed and includes heat exchange surfaces in the 250° F. range, yet all accessible exterior surfaces remain at all times no hotter than approximately 110° F. even though the heated air entering the environment will be much hotter

still don't know who mfg it, or the sales name
and it was water and glycol in the patent application

[Dutch_12078]

ktmrfs wrote:

Dutch_12078 wrote:
DI water is very corrosive, often referred to as the the "universal solvent". I'm surprised that it would be suitable for a space heater. Even the commercial heaters for heating DI water have to be specially constructed for the purpose. Are you sure it used DI water?

doing some research, NASA testing showed DI water had no corrosion with stainless, titanium, aluminum, silver or tungsten and some with copper

another research paper (not nasa) says DI water is extremely corrosive and will desolve most metals.

hummm........

DI water could be more corrosive than some tap water, but then some tap water is pretty corrosive as well.

but if NASA is correct, using aluminum or stainless shouldn't be a problem.

Well, I'll give NASA the benefit of the doubt. After all, it ain't rocket science... :B

[CavemanCharlie]

Sorry, I too tried different combinations of your description and came up empty.

As time goes by our memories actually change. Can you find a friend or family member that remembers this heater and can give you a different description ? Remember to not lead them on with your description. Just bring it up in passing and see if they suddenly throw out some more details that can help you.