Space Heaters

Archived Q&A and reviews ▼

Archived Q&A and Reviews

Questions

Safe, quiet space heater without off-gas fumes?

Oct 2009

I'm looking for a space heater that doesn't smell like burning chemicals or make a lot of noise. This would be for my preschooler's small bedroom. Previously tried a metal one that roared, rattled, and glowed brightly, then a plastic one that smells like burning plastic (also roared and rattled). I'm considering the ''eco'' panels that you install on the wall, but some negative reviews about cracking and so forth on amazon.com give me pause. Have a heater that you can recommend in your kid's room?

Oil-filled radiators are extremely quiet and effective (no fan). I don't think that there is any offgassing, but with many heating appliances, I have found that they are stinky the first use or two of the season as they cook off any dust that has accumulated over the summer (I've had the same problem with lamps that have been stored). You can easily wipe down the exterior of an oil-filled radiator, since it doesn't have any exposed elements or inaccessible cavities.

Space heater for bedroom we share with baby

Nov 2005

I'm looking for a recommendation for a space heater that works efficiently, i.e. that will heat a big room nicely and not suck up too much electricity. This will be for a bedroom we share with our baby in his crib. Thanks! Amy

I just bought a space heater for my son's room. I originally bought a ceramic heater from Costco. Forget the brand, but it was about 2 feet tall (saw them today at San Leandro Costco). Took it home, but had to return it, as the fan was quite noisy, especially since I want to mostly run it while he is sleeping.

When I returned it, I noticed there was a DeLonghi heater which looked quite similar, but was only about 14'' tall. I plugged in the floor model, and it was much quieter, so I brought it home (cheaper too, about $30). You can set it to run on low or high, oscillate or not, and there is a timer option as well as a thermostat. I set the thermostat and let it go. I can keep the house thermostat down, but I know his room is a little warmer. And with the oscillation, I think it would be better for a bedroom than the big dish-style space heaters. Bryan

I'm thinking about trying Econo Heat Panels -- I've heard good things about them (they supposedly don't use any more energy than a computer) -- http://www.eheat.us/ I haven't bought them yet so I can't recommend them personally (anybody else used them?) but will probably try one as a ''test''. Amazon no longer sells them but their customer reviews are still up: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0006393L8/102-8506114-6094542?v=glance=284507&%5Fencoding=UTF8=glance

A friend turned me on to the Vornado space heater and it has turned out to be perfect. It's really small but does an amazing job heating up a room. It's thermostat controlled, making it more efficient. Plus if it gets knocked or tipped over it automatically shuts off. I got it at OSH hardware for about $70 (someone said Costco has them?) anon