Oil filled radiators?

mattyfez

mattyfez

mattyfez

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Sorry if this has been asked before, but what's generally the most efficient suplimental /emergency heater for a small room?

I'm looking at oil filled rads around £60-80.. Preferably ones that you can set a specific temperature on, rather than just a min /max dial?

Any better options?
Thanks!
 
Don't even think about efficiency when it comes to electric heating appliances, they're *all* 100% effecient. The difference I perceive is that fan heaters are quick to raise the air temperature, there's absolutely zero radiant heat, while the exact opposite is true for the oil filled jobbies.
 
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Thanks yeah.. doh! re: my efficiency comment!

I was thinking something like this:
www.diy.com

Ometa Smart Oil Filled Radiator 2500W in Black

This portable smart electrical heater features 11 premium oil filled fins to aid quick and efficient heat circulation in the home. This oil heater radiator can heat to temperatures between 15°C and 35°C. Control your heater effortlessly using Wi-FI, remote control or digital display. Compatible...
www.diy.com

I dont care for the smart functionality, but having an onboard thermostat I can set to 17c or whetever is pretty essential - but does that just mean the oil will only heat to 17c? or it will stop heating when the ambient temp reaches 17c?
 
We have a VonHaus Closed Fin 2000W one. Use it mainly to heat the kitchen when the solar is producing well, as its a north facing room. Does the job well and we rarely have it on full wack as it draws more than the solar produces, but once its been on a while the consumption drops off.
 
I have an oil rad. I think their efficiency advantage is supposed to be from the thermal oil staying hot and radiating heat when they switch off.

How much of an advantage it gives is hard to say but they do stay hot for a good while.
 
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dave28 said:
I have an oil rad. I think their efficiency advantage is supposed to be from the thermal oil staying hot and radiating heat when they switch off.

How much of an advantage it gives is hard to say but they do stay hot for a good while.
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No there is no efficiency advantage at all. As above, they are 100% efficient, same as an electric fan heater.

The residual heat you reference still has to be put into the oil using electricity. It doesn't magically appear.

What an oil-filled rad might do for you is smooth out the feeling of how much heat is going into the room. Everything else is marketing nonsense.
 
I found a fan heater more effective at feeling warm. If you are in there lots, oil filled is the way - as you can heat the actual room vs. just blast yourself with a fan.
 
I’ve found them very good for keeping the chill out of small, well insulated rooms.

In my experience, you can’t beat a convection or fan heater for warming up a cold space if electricity is your only option.
 
Room is a box room, maybe 3m x 3m so I'm guessing an 2-2.5kw oil rad will be enough to not have to run it at max, but with the option of turning it up if needed?

It's consistent ambient temp I'm after so I guess oil rad is best?
 
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As said all electric heaters are 100% efficient.

Fan heaters when blasted at an area immediately send to that area the heat output based on their input. IE if its a 1.5kw model then its blasting 1.5kw at that area, so if its cold and you point that at yourself it immediately feels warm.
Oil filled work like central heating, heating a fluid over time and once that exceeds the ambient it starts to radiate heat. If your trying to heat somewhere from cold it can take ages if you are within that area it may seem like they take forever.
The infrared ones work similar to a fan heater and often do have a fan as well but they aim to heat the target area directly (which is how infrared works) so appear to heat quite quickly if pointed directly at you.

If you want instant heat and the space is large then a fan heater can work well assuming you can safely point it at yourself.

The old tube heaters are ok as well, (as you often see in changing rooms etc) they are a coil in effect in a tube and can be great for some top up as you can put eg your feet on them if you do not buy a very high wattage one.

Fan heaters tend to be a bit trickier to hit and maintain a temp, oil filled do that a bit better.
 
3x3m is a box room now?! Sounds spacious to me...

IME oil filled heaters are the best for consistent heating. They take longer to "kick in" but they then soak heat out for longer also, much like central.heating radiators do. Fan heaters make you feel warm while they're on but as soon as you switch them off it seems to vanish. Fan heaters also need managing as they're full whack all the time, whereas an oil filled will switch on and off with its thermostat, which does save energy comparatively.

The tube heater idea is good for "low and slow" keeping the chill off a room. They're often used as greenhouse heaters for instance to prevent frost.
 
Zefan said:
Don't even think about efficiency when it comes to electric heating appliances, they're *all* 100% effecient. The difference I perceive is that fan heaters are quick to raise the air temperature, there's absolutely zero radiant heat, while the exact opposite is true for the oil filled jobbies.
Click to expand...


Oil heaters take the longest to heat up a room
 
LuckyBenski said:
3x3m is a box room now?! Sounds spacious to me...

IME oil filled heaters are the best for consistent heating. They take longer to "kick in" but they then soak heat out for longer also, much like central.heating radiators do. Fan heaters make you feel warm while they're on but as soon as you switch them off it seems to vanish. Fan heaters also need managing as they're full whack all the time, whereas an oil filled will switch on and off with its thermostat, which does save energy comparatively.

The tube heater idea is good for "low and slow" keeping the chill off a room. They're often used as greenhouse heaters for instance to prevent frost.
Click to expand...


Personally anything less than 4x4 feels like a child's room to me
 
mattyfez said:
Room is a box room, maybe 3m x 3m so I'm guessing an 2-2.5kw oil rad will be enough to not have to run it at max, but with the option of turning it up if needed?

It's consistent ambient temp I'm after so I guess oil rad is best?
Click to expand...
Yes. 2500w is plenty for a small room. My entire house could be heated to a reasonable temperature with 2 of them when it’s -2 outside. My heat pump only has a 6kw output!

In reality, these heaters only have 1 or 2 heating elements so while it’s not running ‘flat out’ whenever it’s element is actually on, it’s drawing 2500w or 1250w.
 
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