Electric heated metal coil fan cooled VS Infrared heaters.

I have a wood stove in the basement that is set up to deliver heat with air ducts throughout the house. It found it cost more in wood to heat than heating with electricity. Yes it's true.
Here is what happened: $40 a week in wood - opening the windows - cuz it was too hot. VS. Stop burning wood, close the windows and use free standing electric heaters, and the baseboard heat. When I stopped burning wood,.. the electric bill only went up $100.00 a month.

So.. I've been using metal coils that get hot from the electrical resistance - and a fan blowing off the heat for heat.

Now I'm reading that infrared electric heat is the way to go.

Anyone know if it's worth the switch?

Personally, I prefer the oil filled electric radiators. I believe they are much safer (I have a 2 1/2 year old in the house). We have them in our bedroom as well as Marshall's.

I have had one of them. I sold it in a garage sale.
It didn't heat nothing but 6" of air around it. And if I remember correctly.. if you touched it while it was going full 5,000 watts - you could almost get burned. Why is that the safest?

When it come to room electric heaters there is a lot of gimmics out there. Don't fall for them as for efficiency electric is electric and operational expense is the same from one to the other.

As for safety I agree with Dave and would go with the oil filled ones. As winter gets colder you may go back to adding or using wood.

tsaw said:

I have had one of them. I sold it in a garage sale.
It didn't heat nothing but 6" of air around it. And if I remember correctly.. if you touched it while it was going full 5,000 watts - you could almost get burned. Why is that the safest?

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Your experience is exactly the opposite of mine. One 1500 watt unit (a 5000 watt one would melt your circuit) easily heats our 10'x15' bedroom. They are safer because there is no concentrated heat source that is exposed to be touched (like a quartz heater). I can run up stairs and put a probe on the surface of one to see what the temperature is, but I'm a positive you would not burn yourself if you touched it....it might get uncomfortable after 10 seconds, but that is all.

I'm looking for heating options for our basement and saw an infomercial about an infrared electric heater. So I googled it. It was called an edenpure gen 3. I guess they cost around 400 bucks each and the majority of reviews I found called them a gimmick. They cost 10 times what other electric heaters do and did not work as well.
Here is the google link I used:
http://www.google.com/search?q=eden...s=org.mozilla:en-US:official&client=firefox-a

One 1500 watt unit (a 5000 watt one would melt your circuit)

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Proof you are paying attention.

They are safer because there is no concentrated heat source that is exposed to be touched (like a quartz heater)

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But from every design I've seen the heating element is protected from touching right?

tsaw said:

But from every design I've seen the heating element is protected from touching right?

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From direct contact, yes. Take a quartz heater and an electric radiator and throw a blanket on top of each and see which catches fire.

Doc said:

I'm looking for heating options for our basement and saw an infomercial about an infrared electric heater. So I googled it. It was called an edenpure gen 3. I guess they cost around 400 bucks each and the majority of reviews I found called them a gimmick. They cost 10 times what other electric heaters do and did not work as well.
Here is the google link I used:
http://www.google.com/search?q=eden...s=org.mozilla:en-US:official&client=firefox-a

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I've seen them expensive heaters doc. I already had my doubts about them. After all - they are nothing but a cheap infrared heater wrapped in a fancy box.

Here is the same thing for $50 bucks.
http://www.northerntool.com/shop/tools/product_200395479_200395479

Doc said:

I'm looking for heating options for our basement and saw an infomercial about an infrared electric heater. So I googled it. It was called an edenpure gen 3. I guess they cost around 400 bucks each and the majority of reviews I found called them a gimmick. They cost 10 times what other electric heaters do and did not work as well.
Here is the google link I used:
http://www.google.com/search?q=eden...s=org.mozilla:en-US:official&client=firefox-a

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The EdenPure heater is a 1500 watt heater. It'll put out 1500 all day long, no more. You're paying for a fancy cabinet. A lot of bucks for the cabinet too.

And at 1500 watts ..wouldn't that be the same as 15 -100 watt bulbs burning ...might be better to snuggle up to the spinning elec.meter...

tsaw;412799 Here is the same thing for $50 bucks. [URL said:

http://www.northerntool.com/shop/tools/product_200395479_200395479[/URL]

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That is basically the heater that I just installed in my shop. Now as to which is better, it takes the chill off the shop and warms it up a lot faster than any coil type milkhouse heater with a blower that I've ever had and they all use the same 1500 watts of electricity.

I also have 2 oil filled radiator heaters and I've found that they work better at maintaining a warmish temperature than they do at warming a room up from being cold. My wife is using both of them at present to stop her outdoor plants from freezing.

No, if you want quiet, instant heat, the radiant heater is the way to go. Something else that I've noticed. Since the radiant heater heats objects and not just the air around it, the shop tends to stay warmer when you are continuously opening the door to go in and out.

Just this ole dummys opinion , but spend the money on sealing cracks , insulate the piss out of any place cold air might be coming in or heat leaking out & you would be surprised how little it takes to heat or cool .

In my experience wood heating is the best , but not if you have to buy the wood or just have a for the effect type fireplace , Plus it takes some time to learn how to build & control the fire by the type of drafting system you have as well as dampner control . Just my thoughts though & I damn sure aint no expert.

We Just live in a 100 plus year old house that stays plenty comfy with a 30 some odd year water supplyed heat & air pump & wood burning insert . is total electric , no gas available , dont trust propane & our electric bill averages 150 bucks a month for not only the house , but 2 , 24x32 garages & a 40 x 60 metal building that has a 15 x 40 apartment/gameroom in it with a loft spare bedroom , a 30 x 40 shop & a 15 x 40 cold storage uninsulated area for storage .

One garage I work out of all of the time & is heated with a torpedo kero unit for now , the apartment & shop are heated & cooled by an electric heat pump I bought & installed used for less the 200 bucks & it stays 55 degrees year around in the shop & apartment & only changes if we need to use it & be warmer .

I have spent close to 10 grand on caulking , insulation , weather strip & anything else I could do to seal & insulate everything myself . Our place may be old & way below most peoples standards but its allways comfy & our lil slice of heaven .

Woops I probly got off topic .

Woops I probly got off topic .

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Hell no CB. After all this is: "ForumsForums off topic forum fun" At least that's what I saw some where when I joined up.

As far as spending on caucking and insulation, this house is efficient. I can heat it with just 2 1500 watt heaters. One on each end of the house. If it gets below zero, then I kick in two 4' 240 v baseboard heaters. The snow on the roof tells a story. It looks the same as an unheated building. Zero ice buildup on the edge.

I have used and like the infrared heaters for at least 5 years. There are three good things about them.
1) They heat from floor up instead of from ceiling down.
2) If you are in and area where NG is expensive(as I am) it costs less to use.
3) You can actually set a flammable object (like newspaper) on top of it and it will not get more than slightly warm.
I have used the Edenpure and currently have a different, but similar brand.
They will heat about a 1000 sq ft if it is open. Through doorways, temp will drop slightly, but it still provides heat.
There may be cheaper ways to heat, but from personal experience I find this quite adequate. I would not go back to electric space heaters unless forced to.
Oh, by the way, that 5 yr old Edenpure is still running good without even replacing the elements(bulbs). If you decide to go the infrared route, remember, you get what you pay for.

DaveNay said:

Your experience is exactly the opposite of mine. One 1500 watt unit (a 5000 watt one would melt your circuit) easily heats our 10'x15' bedroom. They are safer because there is no concentrated heat source that is exposed to be touched (like a quartz heater). I can run up stairs and put a probe on the surface of one to see what the temperature is, but I'm a positive you would not burn yourself if you touched it....it might get uncomfortable after 10 seconds, but that is all.

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I've had the same experience as Dave. I use them when it gets really windy out. The key is placement in the room. I place them in front of windows and it makes a big difference counteracting the cold coming in. I rarely run mine on anything higher than the 600W setting.