I recently took a trip to the midwest and was intending to use the propane heat in my NL TC for the sole means to keep the comfort in check and prevent potential freezing issues. The temperatures were in the high 20's a few times at night but up to the 50's in the day. As it turns out, we ended up staying at a location that had full hookups, so I stopped by Walmart and found a relatively compact space heater which saved me many trips to the fill station.Although this was overall a great solution, the unit I bought had no thermostat but had high/low. The unit was 1500W/750W but on the low setting it produced too much heat for comfortable sleeping. I was thinking it might be nice to have a compact unit that had a thermostat and was safe to leave unattended (meaning no hot surfaces). Does anyone have a recommendation? I use an oil heater at home that includes a thermostat, but it's too big to travel with. A fan isn't critical but probably would be a plus.TL;DR: I need a portable, compact space heater that is safe to leave unattended and has a thermostat.

Maybe a Pelonis ceramic heater. Also, Amazon Basics brand.

There are a variety on Amazon that are under $20.

I've been satisfied with this Crane Mini Tower 1500W HeaterIt's fairly small and quiet, has a fan and thermostat (not calibrated in degrees though, turn to the right to make it warmer, to the left, cooler and the heater will cycle on and off). It has a tip-over shutoff (just a switch on the bottom, if the heater tips (or isn't on a solid/level surface), the heater turns off). The plastic parts stay cool to the touch, the front grill would probably hurt if you touched it while in operation, but it's not hot enough to, say, catch a piece of paper on fire.

I have bought a number of them from Walmart and they all have had thermostats.

I would recommend the least expensive 1500 watt heater, with a built in thermostat, you can buy. The only thing the expensive ones do that the inexpensive ones don't do is lighten your wallet. Every 1500 watt heating element has the same heating potential.We carry two that were $12.99 each.I get a real kick out of the "Amish made" electric heaters. None of the Amish around us have electricity.

Space heater recommendations? | Good Sam Community

Bedlam
Moderator
May 15, 2021
I use a dual element heater. 500w and 1000w or both at 1500w.
dfm
Explorer
May 15, 2021
We have a Vornado . Best unit ever for our Trailer. Google it.
pianotuna
Nomad III
May 15, 2021
bkenobi

Look for a "toe kick" unit. aka a type of baseboard heater.
stevekk
Explorer
May 14, 2021
If You are going to buy, buy a Radiant Heater. You can sit in front of and and feel the radiant heat, plus looks
nice, like a little fire place.

I have this: Optimus H-5511 Infrared Quartz Radiant Heater. 50 bucks Amazon.
jimh406
Explorer III
May 14, 2021
I have a heater like this one. https://www.westmarine.com/buy/west-marine--portable-cabin-heater--7867500?recordNum=1 It has a thermostat, but also, different levels of heat and fan modes to customize and use just enough heat.

I also have a heating element in my Coleman AC although I prefer the little heater above.
Y-Guy
Moderator
May 14, 2021
This is what I recently bought Vornado 1559 BTU 750-Watt Portable Electric Fan Heater VH203 while we used it in our Class A, I bought it because it was small and uses 750/375 watts not the larger 1500 - just what we wanted for the space. The downside, sort of, is the fan runs constantly. But for the price and features it was just perfect.
Camper_Jeff___K
Nomad III
May 14, 2021
This is what we use. A three foot 1000 watt portable baseboard. It fits in the dinette under the table keeping us warm there or widthwise at the step up to the bed. the heat there tends to flow into the cabover bed area. Best thing about it is it's silent. I don't care for fan heaters when sleeping.
King 3' 1000 watt baseboard portable heater
bkenobi
Explorer
May 14, 2021
The 750W was a bit warm but off was cold. A thermostat is obviously the solution. The question was just are the coil/IR safe to leave. I do with oil heater but it has no hot surfaces. Sounds like the consensus is yes as long as you dont throw a blanket over them.
theoldwizard1
Explorer II
May 14, 2021
The most comfortable and quiet heater are the "oil filled" style (they look a bit like an old fashioned radiator). They are not cheap and they are a bit bulky. Also they do not provide quick heat.
Grit_dog
Navigator
May 14, 2021
bkenobi wrote:
All of this is inline with what I've done to date. The main thing is, can any of these be left unattended? I have no worries leaving the oil heater for a month in the winter. Can any of the coil or IR heaters be left on even overnight without first checking that nothing is close to them?

Idk, I’ve left electric space heaters running inside my trailers for weeks or months at a time. In Seattle, like you, and in my snomachine trailer it’s necessary to keep heat on during the winter sometimes to prevent condensation.

For your camper, I don’t really understand the question. Just get a small heater that does have a thermostat. Most do.
And if 750W is too warm, I wouldn’t even run it at night.

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