Portable heater for home use... updated

[TilliamWe]

I live in a "four square" house built in 1930. The main floor (kitchen, dining room, living room, entryway) is always freezing, while the 2nd floor (the bedrooms are here) is warm. I have a portable heater, but the front of it is HOT ("burn you instantly" hot), and I have a 2 year old child. So I need a portable heater that will not burn/scar/kill my baby boy!

I have checked out a couple at the store that list "cool to the touch" in the big print, but then in the small print say that they are hot to the touch and to use the handles only to move them. So I don't know what to believe.

I have approx 700 sq feet that I'd like to heat, but if I could just heat the living room at 220 sq feet, I'd be okay. I also have 9' tall ceilings, with no ceiling fans. I do not have unlimited funds, but would be willing to spend up to about $200 if it gets my wife to stop complaining, and jacking up the thermostat when we are downstairs.

So do any of you have any actual experience with home portable heater that would fit my usuage?

1.) Has to be cool to touch (2 year old child)
2.) 700 sq foot to heat, but could get away with just 220 sq ft
3.) 9' tall ceilings, no ceiling fans.

Thanks for your thoughts.

 

[bigdee]

Re: Portable heater for home use

Re: Portable heater for home use

I live in a "four square" house built in 1930. The main floor (kitchen, dining room, living room, entryway) is always freezing, while the 2nd floor (the bedrooms are here) is warm. I have a portable heater, but the front of it is HOT ("burn you instantly" hot), and I have a 2 year old child. So I need a portable heater that will not burn/scar/kill my baby boy!

I have checked out a couple at the store that list "cool to the touch" in the big print, but then in the small print say that they are hot to the touch and to use the handles only to move them. So I don't know what to believe.

I have approx 700 sq feet that I'd like to heat, but if I could just heat the living room at 220 sq feet, I'd be okay. I also have 9' tall ceilings, with no ceiling fans. I do not have unlimited funds, but would be willing to spend up to about $200 if it gets my wife to stop complaining, and jacking up the thermostat when we are downstairs.

So do any of you have any actual experience with home portable heater that would fit my usuage?

1.) Has to be cool to touch (2 year old child)
2.) 700 sq foot to heat, but could get away with just 220 sq ft
3.) 9' tall ceilings, no ceiling fans.

Thanks for your thoughts.

I have the same issue with the grandkids so I use the oil filled electric radiators. Cheap,safe and not too hot. It is too hot to touch for an extended period of time but not hot enough for an immediate burn. It is not hot enough to be a fire hazard if it touches combustible material. A bit of advice...don't be suckered into one of those expensive radiant heaters.
http://www.walmart.com/ip/DeLonghi-ComfortTemp-Radiator-White/12534596

 

[Another retired guy]

Re: Portable heater for home use

Re: Portable heater for home use

^^^Agree - oil filled heaters are the way to go. I used them for many years in an old house when my kids were growing up. Not too hot, and much safer than the radiant type.

 

[generator12]

Re: Portable heater for home use

Re: Portable heater for home use

+2 on the oil filled units. The heating element is completely inaccessible and it cannot be made hot enough to cause combustion.

 

[GA_Boater]

Re: Portable heater for home use

Re: Portable heater for home use

+3 on the oil filled heater. I like the infrared quartz units because they kinda throw the heat, but not with kids around.

 

[Tim Frank]

Re: Portable heater for home use

Re: Portable heater for home use

What is your primary heat source?
If you are in IL, the central heating should be able to make the entire house comfortable.

 

[JB]

Re: Portable heater for home use

Re: Portable heater for home use

What Tim said. Your central heating system must be adjustable to put less heat on the second floor. You also need circulation to get heat down off the 9' ceiling. You might also consider a door to keep the btus from racing up the stairwell.

Get a HVAC pro to look at you primary heating system and show you how to adjust it. Then put ceiling fans in the downstairs, at least in the living room.

 

[colbyt]

Re: Portable heater for home use

Re: Portable heater for home use

What Tim said. Your central heating system must be adjustable to put less heat on the second floor. You also need circulation to get heat down off the 9' ceiling. You might also consider a door to keep the btus from racing up the stairwell.

Get a HVAC pro to look at you primary heating system and show you how to adjust it. Then put ceiling fans in the downstairs, at least in the living room.

Completely agree with this post and + whatever on the oil filled electrics if you go that route. The low tech way to balance the system is to close some of the upstairs registers and make sure all the downstairs ones are fully open. Don't overdo this a forced air system requires a certain volume of airflow to work properly.

 

[Tim Frank]

Re: Portable heater for home use

Re: Portable heater for home use

You might also consider a door to keep the btus from racing up the stairwell.

+another on JB's response ...except the extract above....he might be right, but:
Depending on the house layout, you might be better with a large fan at the top of the stairwell. We did that here and it almost completely balanced the temperatures throughout the house. Obviously it showed that our cold-air return system was not good enough....but addition of a fan is a lot simpler than rejigging cold-air return ducting.

Problem with a lot of construction...certainly ours , is that they use joist lining and stud lining as a large part of the system instead of ducting.

Nice thing about a fan is that you can reverse it during A/C season

 

[floatingwoody2006]

Re: Portable heater for home use

Re: Portable heater for home use

My cat sleeps on one of those Edenpure heaters. It heats quite nicely also..

 

[TilliamWe]

Re: Portable heater for home use

Re: Portable heater for home use

Guys, the mdifications needed to make my home more energy efficient would cost more than the house is worth. Look up "four square" construction and you'll understand the problems. No door will be installed to block off my staircase. No ceiling fans are possible to add the living room, since there is no overhead light. No fan able to be added over the staircase, as there is no overhead light. And all the fans in the world aren't going to completely solve my problem.

I realize that a portable heater isn't solving the problem either, but it's not nearly as expensive.

Colby, I am aware of shutting too many vents, for sure. I have some cut down pretty far on the second floor, but unfortunately, a couple don't have the internal "baffle" anymore! (Did I mention this house was built in 1930, and has not been completely changed? Beautiful in some regards, aggravating in others!)

Woody, I had seen the Edenpure, (shockingly high price) and the cheaper versions of it. Wondered how they might work.

Maybe I'll get an oil filled and one of those (it wouldn't hurt to have two!) and see which I like best?!

 

[colbyt]

Re: Portable heater for home use

Re: Portable heater for home use

Colby, I am aware of shutting too many vents, for sure. I have some cut down pretty far on the second floor, but unfortunately, a couple don't have the internal "baffle" anymore! (Did I mention this house was built in 1930, and has not been completely changed? Beautiful in some regards, aggravating in others!)

While the old style 1930's vents may not be available any more cardboard, plywood or magnetic sign material is quite common. Any of of those can be used to partially or completely close a vent.

 

[drrpm]

Re: Portable heater for home use

Re: Portable heater for home use

A pair of sweaters might work (1 for kid and 1 for wife), 3 if you need 1 too. I have a couple oil filled heaters for the rooms over the garage and they seem to work pretty well

 

[Another retired guy]

Re: Portable heater for home use

Re: Portable heater for home use

The Edenpure type heaters are much more expensive than an oil filled radiator and don't provide any more heat! Any electric heater operates at 100% efficiency and one Kw of electricity produces a fixed number of btu's. Reviews of the Edenpure type praise the steady/constant heat levels - an oil filled radiator provides the same benefit. Save your money - buy two radiators

 

[TilliamWe]

Re: Portable heater for home use

Re: Portable heater for home use

A pair of sweaters might work (1 for kid and 1 for wife), 3 if you need 1 too. I have a couple oil filled heaters for the rooms over the garage and they seem to work pretty well

Believe me, I don't need a sweater, and neither does my oldest child. The two of us are like nuclear reactors, always hot. In fact, he can't sit next to me for more than about 3 minutes before I can't stand the heat radiating off his body!
My wife is another story. Even when she wears socks, sweatshirts, and long pants in the living room, she is always cold. And since she "hates" folding up the blanket on the couch (even though I do it most of the time! ) she hardly ever uses it.

Colby, I have to save some cardboard from the recycle bin and try to fashion a block off plate or two!

 

[bigdee]

Re: Portable heater for home use

Re: Portable heater for home use

The Edenpure type heaters are much more expensive than an oil filled radiator and don't provide any more heat! Any electric heater operates at 100% efficiency and one Kw of electricity produces a fixed number of btu's. Reviews of the Edenpure type praise the steady/constant heat levels - an oil filled radiator provides the same benefit. Save your money - buy two radiators

^^^^^A+++^^^^^ Your exactly right. 1500watts gives off 5118 BTUs whether it is a space heater,hair dryer or 15 100 watt light bulbs! Bob Villa should be ashamed of himself for using snake oil advertising. I have used the oil filled radiators for years,safe and very reliable.

 

[southkogs]

Re: Portable heater for home use

Re: Portable heater for home use

We use a couple of Lasko Ceramic Heaters to help out in the winter time. It doesn't get quite as cold down here as you might, but for room by room use, they work pretty well. Not precisely "cool" to the touch, but definitely won't leave a burn that a jury can use to convict

 

[TilliamWe]

Re: Portable heater for home use

Re: Portable heater for home use

... but definitely won't leave a burn that a jury can use to convict

While that is funny right there, it's also just wrong! hahaha

 

[Tim Frank]

Re: Portable heater for home use

Re: Portable heater for home use

.... but definitely won't leave a burn that a jury can use to convict

These days they don't need to "convict", just ned to "award".
That's where the money is!

 

[TilliamWe]

Re: Portable heater for home use

Re: Portable heater for home use

These days they don't need to "convict", just ned to "award".
That's where the money is!

No award, it's my own kid!