Ceramic Fan Heater

[Sweetfire]

Just picked up a DeLonghi ceramic heater at Costco. It has a timer mode, a rotating base, a programable thermostat with a frost prevention mode, and it looks pretty good too. Just under $30.00.

[owenwetzel]

Just a word of caution. We bought 2 occilating ceramic heaters last year. They lasted 2 months. During back and forth motion the wiring insulation wore out and they shorted out. It was agood thing we were home when the sparks started or we could have lost rv.

Bought another one but have never used occilation.
the other is a round heater that can heat 360 degees or shut down to 180 degrees.

[Montana Sky]

I have a few different space heaters I use in the stick house during the winter months. I do not really trust them so my rule is never, never leave them on when I leave a room or leave the house. I do not want to come back home and find the house has gone up in flames.

[BillyRay]

I never use any space heaters, I think there too dangerous!

[Sweetfire]

Thanks Owen I'll keep a close eye on it.

[dsprik]

So what most are saying here is, if you are in colder weather and you leave your Monty to go on a day trip trip, use your propane instead of space heaters? How about the basement? Don't some use a little extra help with space heaters down there (I know there are vents, too)? Space heaters in the basement aren't able to be monitored very well, either... even if you are "home". I really think it would be financially advantageous to find a good dependable space heater (or two) from a reputable, trustworthy company.

As I side thought... not to be trying to start an arguement... but surely if none of these space heaters were dependable... well, let me put this way: If I were a space heater mfr, and my products had ANY tendency to burst into flames unexpectedly - with the amount of property damage usually at stake, like homes, rvs, people sleeping with them on - I would make sure I kept several BILLION dollars of liability insurance on me and my company - or get out of the business quickly.

I understand maybe not quite trusting them, because human nature (with most) would logically reason that something that we can SEE is hot (red glow) is inherently dangerous (remember, we can't "see" our propane furnace flames - but they are still there running), but I got to believe that there has to be some space heaters that are just as safe as if you are going somewhere (or going to sleep) with the propane furnace running. Unless I missing something. I'm with Dennis. I really want to use space heaters - especially if I'm hooked up to my brother-in-law's house next fall.


*On Edit~ Now... leaving pets inside while you're gone, with the space heater running in a "shared" area of the Monty, is another matter. Unless they're too small (cat) to knock it over, I wouldn't do that.

[Wrenchtraveller]

Electric heaters are in widespread use all over the world and I feel safe using a good quality unit. We have used them to supply heat in our RVs for many years. I had a Braun that was over 12 years old and the fan started getting noisy so I put it in the garbage and got another good one about 3 years ago.

Smoke Detectors are a real bargain and I will be adding at least one more to my Montana. They only come with one and I feel better having at least two or more for better security and peace of mind. In my house we have 5 smoke detectors upstairs and 2 in the basement.

They are annoying when you burn the toast but these wonderful instruments have saved countless lives so I would suggest that only having one smoke detector in a large RV probably represents a bigger threat to your fire safety than a good quality properly used elecric heater. IMHO

[dsprik]

Don, I agree on the smoke detectors, but what do you think about have space heater unattended for a few hours, or all day? Maybe other campers could hear the alarm?

[Montana Sky]

Dave,
You will no way find my rv or home with a space heater unattended. I have read too many stories about these things burning down things, these are the ones that are supposed to have safety shut offs if they get too hot, knocked over, or even a power surge. In my opinion in the colder temps I would run the furnace especially since they have pipes that blow hot air into your underbelly of the rv to keep things warm on the underside. I think that propane is a much cheaper option than buying a new rv or home. Again, just my opinion but I would sure think twice about leaving a space heater on in your rv while you are not there.

[owenwetzel]

After 20 yrs in fire service most portable heater problems were owners. They are not to be less than 3ft from flamable matierial and if an extention cord is used, use a heavy duty cord instead of a common extention cord.
When using heaters you will find out that you need to shut them off in most cases when using microwave or electric appliances to stay within breaker-box limits.
Main thing is ""CAUTION,CAUTION,CAUTION.""

[HamRad]

Any and ALL electrical devices have the potential for fire. I think the message is be very careful and err on the side of safety.

Stay safe.

HamRad

[Sweetfire]

Owen, dsprik, and Wrenchtraveller all make good points, if it produces heat be careful and smoke detectors are a must. I plan to take this DeLonghi heater apart just to see how it's wired, but it does look good. One of the many reasons I bought the model Montana we have is because the door is in the center of the RV between the bedroom and the kitchen. Even with emergency pop out windows I feel safer with it that way.

[Wrenchtraveller]

Lot's of homes are heated with base board heaters and some of these have fans in them.

Propane and oil furnaces have built in safety circuits that turn off the fire if the plenum temperature exceeds a certain limit. These can fail . The bottom line is there are no heating methods out there that are 100 % safe and that is why we buy fire insurance.

If these small ceramic heaters are used properly, they are safe enough that fire insurance companies do not void your insurance if you use them.They are sold by the millions all over North America and I have worked in many places where these little heaters run unattended in operator's booths and cranes. If they were causing fires at above normal rates, they would be banned by underwriters and Home Fire Insurance Companies. Like other posters have said they must be used with respect and I would not leave my dogs alone with one but I have slept in my RVs many times over the last 30 years with an electric heater on because I have camped at 20 below zero when I was on Skiing Vacations with my camper.

Smokers have caused far more fires than electric heaters IMHO and I do agree if you are not comfortable with them use another heat source but whatever you use will have it's own set of risks. Be safe and keep warm. Don.

[dsprik]

I would say there is a difference between electric/ceramic heaters and kerosene/liquid fuel heaters. I would bet the the latter is responsible for 90% (or more) of "space heater incidents". I know over the years, I have left electric space heaters running without me being in the room or garage all night. Now, I don't think I could do that with a kerosene heater.

[sreigle]

Our AirTech rotating upright heater is on its third winter and has held up very well.

We learned the hard way to not use this heater downstairs when temps outside are conducive to a hard freeze. We need the furnace to run enough to keep the water lines in the belly from freezing.

As for the basement storage, I learned there is heat in there. When we were frozen awhile back we ran the furnace on 72, 24x7, for a couple of days. Opening the laundry chute door proved to us enough heat gets to the basement storage area to prevent freezing. I am not sure where the heat comes from but it is there. The front storage locker with the slide pump is not heated, however, so I move anything I don't want frozen to the basement storage in the winter. Like cleaning fluids, etc.