Would you leave an electric oil filled radiator unattended?

PapaLazaru

PapaLazaru

PapaLazaru

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For five days?

GF's parents are away travelling for 6 months and they have a rather nice pad down in the New Forest. She got back tonight after having a girly weekend away and thinks she has left a radiator on. It is on a thermostat (probably on high) and her brother is going down on Friday this week for the weekend. Basically one of those oil filled ones you plug into the wall.

She wants to drive back down there tonight which is a 120 mile round trip. I have a funny feeling she will find it switched off as she is good with these things but is panicking a little. I know they are not designed to set things on fire but 5 days is a long time.

It is not my house or my parents so not sure what I think. :D
 
If it's a decent brand/not a cheap one then I'd leave it, I'm pretty sure there must be some sort of safety standard where they can be left unattended without spontaneously combusting :p
 
It wont be a problem as it will be governed by the thermostat, but they usually are about 1.5kw so left on for 6 days 24/7 will use quite a lot of electricity.
 
bainbridge said:
It wont be a problem as it will be governed by the thermostat, but they usually are about 1.5kw so left on for 6 days 24/7 will use quite a lot of electricity.
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~£40 wouldn't be a far off estimate, how much would the petrol cost to get there? :p
 
bainbridge said:
It wont be a problem as it will be governed by the thermostat, but they usually are about 1.5kw so left on for 6 days 24/7 will use quite a lot of electricity.
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Dunks said:
~£40 wouldn't be a far off estimate, how much would the petrol cost to get there? :p
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It runs off solar which is handy, though her Dad it meticulous with his energy usage and it will be noted when they return.

Petrol is going to be £25 odd we have a very economical Polo.
 
The massive transformers in substations are oil filled,
they are designed that way as to be fantastically safe (oil being an almost perfect electrical insulator)

As is your fantastically safe oil heater.

Your chances of being mugged by Mormon honey badgers is infinitely higher.
Women are just irrational to the nth degree :(
 
It'll be fine.
We have one in the spare room on a timer, not checked it for about 2 years and still no fire.


Of course this might be a one off and your missus might be fighting an uncontrollable blaze right now............
 
At the end of the day it doesn't matter how many safety measures are in place, you'll still worry. You have to weigh up the return trip time in comparison to how long she will spend concerned. If she's too worried I'd just turn it off. Mind you, my wife left a heater on all day and nothing happened, and I've done the same with an iron and a candle. But we were just lucky.
 
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It was indeed on. But not anymore.

Took her about two and a half hours to sort it. It made me realize how amazing time is if you get lost in something as I fired up BF4 when she left and she was back in what seemed like an hour.
 
PapaLazaru said:
It was indeed on. But not anymore.

Took her about two and a half hours to sort it. It made me realize how amazing time is if you get lost in something as I fired up BF4 when she left and she was back in what seemed like an hour.
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Well done. She did the best thing. A long trip to make but she'd just have been thinking about it all the rest of the time.
 
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