Portable Heater

[coachgrd]

Can anyone recommend a portable heater for a 200 square foot room that won't suck gobs of electricity? Currently we have electric baseboard heat for this room above a garage. Heating the room in this manner is not cheap and we are concerned that with the electric deregulation here in PA beginning soon, the baseboard heating will make our electric bill go through the roof. Thanks for any recommendations!
Gary

Edit to Add: I might be open to kerosene or propane type heaters but my wife has an ol factory sense second to none. She will put the kibosh on anything that has a scent.

 

[WayneB]

I think if you have propane available you might want to take a look at the Rinnai direct vent heaters. I am not sure which model would fit your need the best, but maybe the Rinnai ES11P Direct Vent Furnace LP gas.

There are several direct vent furnace type heaters out there that would do the job with no propane smell in the room. Here is a link to Amazon.com and they even handle rinnai units. Not saying they are the best just that it is a brand name that is known and many people have them and enjoy the individual room heating.

Amazon.com: rinnai Home Improvement

I am sure you can find direct vent space heaters at many locations like Home Depot. Lowe's, local plumbing supplies, hardware stores.

 

[heehaw]

look at lowes, for a portable propane heater: i saw them last week: they use one of the small fat looking green propane tanks, but they also had an adapter and hose to hook them to a regular line or 20pound tank: they said indoor or out: last year they had one on rollers that had a space built in for the 20# tank, but i don't remember if they said for inside or not???
heehaw

 

[JoeL4330]

upgrade garage ceiling insulation ??

 

[hawkeye08]

We have had good luck with the electric oil filled radiator type heaters. They seem to be able to maintain a more even warmth. Of course any insulation upgrades will help also.

 

[TWD]

We have had good luck with the electric oil filled radiator type heaters. They seem to be able to maintain a more even warmth. Of course any insulation upgrades will help also.

We use this too with good luck and no noticeable cost increase.
Sometimes I run the one in my office 8 hours or so a day on high.

 

[keegs]

Can anyone recommend a portable heater for a 200 square foot room that won't suck gobs of electricity? Currently we have electric baseboard heat for this room above a garage. Heating the room in this manner is not cheap and we are concerned that with the electric deregulation here in PA beginning soon, the baseboard heating will make our electric bill go through the roof. Thanks for any recommendations!
Gary

Edit to Add: I might be open to kerosene or propane type heaters but my wife has an ol factory sense second to none. She will put the kibosh on anything that has a scent.

If extending your existing heating system isn't an option and you're possibly considering kerosene, I'm using a kerosene heater at my summer place. I thought the place would smell like a bus garage but I started using an additive in the fuel that reduces the odor significantly. I don't know what it's called but I picked it up at Walmart. I think the mix ratio is 1 oz. per 5 gallons of fuel. Walmart also sells a white kero that burns without much odor but it's expensive (approx. $20 fo 2.5 gallons).

I'm always a little concerned with the open flame though so I turn it off at night and/or when I'm not in the house.

 

[coachgrd]

upgrade garage ceiling insulation ??

The garage is attached to the house and room is fully finished with plenty of insulation. Because it's a fair distance from the main living area of the house, our builder suggested electric baseboard heat for this room, but it's a very much part of the actual house.

 

[WayneB]

The garage is attached to the house and room is fully finished with plenty of insulation. Because it's a fair distance from the main living area of the house, our builder suggested electric baseboard heat for this room, but it's a very much part of the actual house.

What is your main house heating system? If hot water I would think you could run a loop over to this room. if it is hot air then you might have to consider putting in a direct vent heater instead.

Monitor makes both Kerosene and Propane direct vent heaters.

Monitor Products Room Heaters

I have several friends that have the Kerosene units and they work great for them. Also the gas units work nicely. These are direct vent units so you would have to make sure your have a wall that the unit can be mounted onto and that there is ample space for the vent system to meet building codes.

Rinnai makes direct vent wall type furnaces and I am sure you could find the right one to meet your space heating requirements. None of the direct vent units will cause any smells in the room if installed correctly.

Direct Vent Wall Furance, Wall Furnace, Direct Vent

There are also many wood stove manufacturers that provide direct vent propane type stoves. These are attractive and put out lots of heat, plus most do not require any electrical input.

Jotul Gas Stoves:

Jøtul Gas Stoves

Vermont Castings Gas Stoves:

Vermont Castings - Radiance Cast Iron Direct Vent Gas Stove



These are just thoughts for things to look into. If you can do the installation yourself that it is very cost effective. Also there could be tax incentives for installing these units.

 

[Travelover]

We have had good luck with the electric oil filled radiator type heaters. They seem to be able to maintain a more even warmth. Of course any insulation upgrades will help also.

All electric heaters have the same efficiency - 100%. The oil filled ones have more thermal mass so they heat up slower and cool off slower.

 

[MF RED in MT]

Hey Coachgrd,
We have a couple of "EdenPURE" portable electric heaters, and they work great for small rooms. I think they were about $400 each, but after the first one did not raise the electric bill, then we purchased another one :thumbsup: :thumbsup:. They are 110v and they have a remote control. What I can figure about them is that they use a light bulb, I think like a restraunt warming table light bulb. It heats a copper coil, I think and then a fan blows the air across the coil. A real simple design and does not suck up the electricity like the normal toaster type portable heaters. We only heat with a wood stove and the far ends of the house get a little cool. If we tried to heat the far ends of the log house using the wood stove, I think it would be about 100 degrees in the great room and also a little warmer upstairs, . Good luck with your search, KC

 

[coachgrd]

Hey Coachgrd,
We have a couple of "EdenPURE" portable electric heaters, and they work great for small rooms. I think they were about $400 each, but after the first one did not raise the electric bill, then we purchased another one :thumbsup: :thumbsup:. They are 110v and they have a remote control. What I can figure about them is that they use a light bulb, I think like a restraunt warming table light bulb. It heats a copper coil, I think and then a fan blows the air across the coil. A real simple design and does not suck up the electricity like the normal toaster type portable heaters. We only heat with a wood stove and the far ends of the house get a little cool. If we tried to heat the far ends of the log house using the wood stove, I think it would be about 100 degrees in the great room and also a little warmer upstairs, . Good luck with your search, KC

Thanks for your thoughts KC, much appreciated. We actually got some literature in the mail earlier this week on the EdenPure heater. It looks like what we're after. I read some reviews on amazon.com and there is a wide range of responses, some positive, other not so. Looks like you are very happy though. Thanks again, will give the EdenPure a strong look since it does not raise your bill and you are happy with the performance.

 

[Travelover]

Thanks for your thoughts KC, much appreciated. We actually got some literature in the mail earlier this week on the EdenPure heater. It looks like what we're after. I read some reviews on amazon.com and there is a wide range of responses, some positive, other not so. Looks like you are very happy though. Thanks again, will give the EdenPure a strong look since it does not raise your bill and you are happy with the performance.

This is also an electric heater and also has 100% efficiency. I'd guess that it has a small output if it does not raise your bill.

 

[heehaw]

looked at lowes yesterday: they have a portable propane, infrared heater, that has a built in storage for the 20 pound propane bottle: its on wheels, an i can tell you from experience, this type heater does one heck of a good job: for very little money: propane is so much cheaper than kerosene, and i think cheaper than electricity: with this type you can put the heat where you need it. seems like it was called a cabinet heater??
heehaw

 

[MF RED in MT]

Thanks for your thoughts KC, much appreciated. We actually got some literature in the mail earlier this week on the EdenPure heater. It looks like what we're after. I read some reviews on amazon.com and there is a wide range of responses, some positive, other not so. Looks like you are very happy though. Thanks again, will give the EdenPure a strong look since it does not raise your bill and you are happy with the performance.

I know that there are other brands similar to the EdenPure heater, but I do not know if they are about the same cost and work the same. On the note about your room, I think you said it was above the garage and well insulated? If so, is the garage well insulated, or heated? I am in the process of insulating my garage (R19 batts and 1/2" OSB sheets) and roll up garage door (1 1/2" thick sheet insulation), and maybe next winter I will finish insulating the ceiling using the same process and add a heat source like a older wood burning stove to warm it up while I am out there, . Last winter it was real cold to be doing anything in the garage - mostly 8 to 20 degrees F, burrrrrrrrrrrrrrr .KC

 

[coachgrd]

I know that there are other brands similar to the EdenPure heater, but I do not know if they are about the same cost and work the same. On the note about your room, I think you said it was above the garage and well insulated? If so, is the garage well insulated, or heated? I am in the process of insulating my garage (R19 batts and 1/2" OSB sheets) and roll up garage door (1 1/2" thick sheet insulation), and maybe next winter I will finish insulating the ceiling using the same process and add a heat source like a older wood burning stove to warm it up while I am out there, . Last winter it was real cold to be doing anything in the garage - mostly 8 to 20 degrees F, burrrrrrrrrrrrrrr .KC

Yes, the garage is insulated and finished off with dry wall. And the garage door is insulated as well. (That is not say it doesn't get darn cold out there!)

 

[SpringHollow]

Electric Heat is Electric Heat. A lamp heating copper etc is no more efficient than a heating element. There can be some differences in comfort level for a unit with a fan etc. but there is no big difference in energy savings. I used to see claims for savings that i no longer see.

Ken

 

[Marveltone]

Another source for propane heaters:
Vent-free heaters and fireplaces, procom, Kozy World, Eskabe, Doulton and Berkefeld Water Filters, Big Berkey, Williams, Mr. Heater, Mr. Funnel, natural gas, LP, propane
I have dealt with this dealer before and he really gives good customer service. I received an item that had some shipping damage and missing parts. I sent him an email and he was extremely helpful. He sent the missing parts, as well as the replacement for the damaged one with absolutely no hassle. He didn't give any run-around, nor did he need or want the old part back for proof. He apologized for my inconvenience and thanked me for my business.

All in all, a rather enjoyable experience. I will definitely buy from him again.

Joe

 

[thatguy]

Another thing to keep in mind when shopping on whether you can convection or radiant type heat. Personally I would go with a convection heat so the entire room is warmed..

Here is an website explaining the difference if you dont know

Sweep's Library - Radiant vs Convected heat

Brian

 

[thatguy]

Also I was looking at aux heat for my office (we keep the heat low during the day and I work from home) and was asking for suggestions for heaters last fall..

although the poster above likes his, the eden-pure heaters typically didnt get great comments/reviews due to the high price for same amount of heat..

Basically i was told a 1500 watt heater - whether a pelonis disc furnace($90) /ceramic heater ($30-$40) /milk house style with exposed metal coils (pretty cheap) /eden pure ($300) - uses the same amount of energy - 1500 watts...

I know I will be corrected if I am wrong, but that was what I was told

brian