Portable heater for home use... updated

[Tim Frank]

Re: Portable heater for home use... updated

I knew there would be at least one bonehead weighing in on my post in the way Tim did.Why does there always have to be some know-it-all who thinks they should dictate how everyone should raise their kids?

I'd never suggest to someone how they should raise their kids....none of my business.
But when someone weighs-in... in an open forum and states that their way is the correct one, they can, and should, expect to get other opinions; if they have to respond with puerile insults such as "bonehead" and hide behind a made-up "handle", I don't think it strengthens their position.

They ASSume all kids/people are the same and that age dictates everything. News for you Tim, all kids are different and progress at different rates....

Thanks for that.
I have two 20+ YOs who are well-launched and whom I watched and helped pass through all the gates and hurdles to get there. You've got a long way to go....good luck.
When you get to that point, check back and we can compare notes then on what works and what doesn't..
Until then please don't lecture me, or anyone else in here on how this should be done...and then get your britches in a twist when someone (at this point I won't say respectfully...:facepalm has the nerve to disagree.:facepalm:


Finally, apologies to the OP for contributing to this stupidity and helping to divert this thread.. :redface:

 

[foodfisher]

Re: Portable heater for home use... updated

WOW! So a fan to circulate the cold into the hot won't work?

 

[MrBigStuff]

Re: Portable heater for home use... updated

Tim, if the post you made is what you think constitutes disagreeing with someone, and based on other of your posts on this site, you may want to look up aspergers syndrome.

 

[coreybv]

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

While everything you said there is 100% correct, I had some personal experience with an Edenpure heater this fall that I honest to God do not have a good explanation for.

I had occasion to spend some late-season time in my (drafty) camper, and there were several nights that dipped into the mid 20s. I had 3 electric heaters with me, a $15 ceramic, a good quality oil filled, and a borrowed Edenpure. All 3 were rated at 1500 watts.

The cheap ceramic didn't heat the place up worth a crap. The oil-filled did a decent job. The edenpure kept it perfectly comfortable no matter how cold and windy it got outside.

Now, here's the part that makes no sense at all. The ceramic and oil-filled both had to be plugged into the 20 amp circuit, since they'd blow the 10 amp breaker. This is to be expected, as 1500 watts is over capacity of a 10 amp circuit. However, the Edenpure ran happily on the 10 amp circuit for 2 weeks even with other appliances on that circuit. And it did so while heating the trailer better than the other 2 heaters.

I have no explanation for it, it shouldn't be that way, and it annoys the crap out of me because I'd always been of the opinion that the things were snake oil. But the thing really did do a better job.

 

[matt167]

Re: Portable heater for home use

Re: Portable heater for home use

The Eden pure is an Infrared heater, and heats objects in the room rather than the air, so it takes less BTU because it's actually heating up less. It's child safe because the heat chamber is on the inside of the box, and the vent is not near the heat source. Infared heaters are common in garage/ shop type environments, and some are fairly inexpensive, but the drawback is they get very hot.

 

[coreybv]

Re: Portable heater for home use

Re: Portable heater for home use

The Eden pure is an Infrared heater, and heats objects in the room rather than the air, so it takes less BTU because it's actually heating up less. It's child safe because the heat chamber is on the inside of the box, and the vent is not near the heat source. Infared heaters are common in garage/ shop type environments, and some are fairly inexpensive, but the drawback is they get very hot.

The heat chamber is the only part heated by infrared. The heating of the living space is done by expelling heated air, just like any other kind of heater. There's no line of sight from the heating elements to the outside of the unit, so the "heating objects" aspect of infrared heat doesn't apply in this case.

 

[Another retired guy]

Re: Portable heater for home use

Re: Portable heater for home use

While everything you said there is 100% correct, I had some personal experience with an Edenpure heater this fall that I honest to God do not have a good explanation for.

I had occasion to spend some late-season time in my (drafty) camper, and there were several nights that dipped into the mid 20s. I had 3 electric heaters with me, a $15 ceramic, a good quality oil filled, and a borrowed Edenpure. All 3 were rated at 1500 watts.

The cheap ceramic didn't heat the place up worth a crap. The oil-filled did a decent job. The edenpure kept it perfectly comfortable no matter how cold and windy it got outside.

Now, here's the part that makes no sense at all. The ceramic and oil-filled both had to be plugged into the 20 amp circuit, since they'd blow the 10 amp breaker. This is to be expected, as 1500 watts is over capacity of a 10 amp circuit. However, the Edenpure ran happily on the 10 amp circuit for 2 weeks even with other appliances on that circuit. And it did so while heating the trailer better than the other 2 heaters.

I have no explanation for it, it shouldn't be that way, and it annoys the crap out of me because I'd always been of the opinion that the things were snake oil. But the thing really did do a better job.

You got my attention there !! I don't see how a 1500 watt heater can work on a 10 amp circuit either
Here's a link to a Consumers Reports comment on these device - they seem to think they're snake oil too. They do explain the claims of big savings in electricity use though - apparently you have to lower your house thermostat setting, and then move the heater around with you as you move from room to room :laugh:


EdenPure Gen 3 Model 1000 space heater improves on an earlier model but isn't heating paradise in a box

 

[coreybv]

Re: Portable heater for home use

Re: Portable heater for home use

You got my attention there !! I don't see how a 1500 watt heater can work on a 10 amp circuit either

Heh, confuses me, too. It was obviously pulling less amps than the other two (otherwise the breaker would have blown), which means it couldn't have been putting out 1500 watts. Somehow, though, it still kept the camper quite a bit warmer than the other two could. As in t-shirt vs. heavy sweatshirt.

I can't explain it. The physics say I shouldn't have seen the results I was seeing. Even added a box fan to the mix for a day to see if it was just an air circulation issue, and that didn't make a difference. Makes no sense but the thing just plain worked better and did it on less juice.

 

[TilliamWe]

Re: Portable heater for home use

Re: Portable heater for home use

I ended up purchasing one "oil filled radiator" type, and one "ceramic with a fan" type. The oil filled radiator type gets too hot to grab ahold of, but I have found an out-of-the-way place that my 2 year old doesn't accidently touch it. It does a good job heating the dining area where we eat (but not the entire dining room), especially when I direct a box fan across it. The ceramic one doesn't seem to throw as hot of heat, but since it has a fan, I can direct it right at me (or my wife). Neither is perfect, but they are working for my needs. And I definately didn't spen "Edenpure" money on either. In fact, I didn't spend as much on the two combined!

 

[Another retired guy]

Re: Portable heater for home use

Re: Portable heater for home use

They do have smaller models ( 1350w draws 11.25 amp & 1000w ) - it's possible ( probable!) that you had one of those, as circuit breakers will take more than the stated load.

 

[coreybv]

Re: Portable heater for home use

Re: Portable heater for home use

They do have smaller models ( 1350w draws 11.25 amp & 1000w ) - it's possible ( probable!) that you had one of those, as circuit breakers will take more than the stated load.

Nope, the sticker on the back had "1500W" in big, bold letters.

I believe those things use more than one quartz IR bulb to generate heat. Not sure what happens when one goes bad, but if the others keep working then that could explain how it was pulling less than 10 amps.

Still, I can't explain how an electric heater can produce more heat than one which draws more juice.