A Better Space Heater

[Potatatas]

Okay it's gotten slightly colder here and my room has already dropped to 17c at night...

Bought a cheap electric space heater last year but turned out to be so expensive to run. Any recommendations for one that's cheap to run and has an accurate thermostat setting? Looking to spend up to £100, maybe a bit more if necessary. Room is a small bedroom and just want to take the edge off at night, keeping it no lower than 18c.

Cheers!

 

[cold blood]

Get an oil filled space heater.

Space Heater

• cold blood
• Nov 18, 2017
• 5

 

[ThatsUnpossible]

I’m getting a new heater today from Argos. It’s 0.7kw and has a thermostat, so should be less expensive to run. Its oil filled but more of a panel heater, not the finned radiator type. The reviews are pretty good and it’s under £40.

The heater I’m using now is ok but doesn’t have a thermostat so it’s permanently on. It’s 500 watts, so just pennies to run, though.

 

[Paul1126]

I have wall mounted convector heaters, they are expensive to run.
Example: to run 1 heater in the T room for 24 hours a day ensuring a constant temperature is £60-80 a month.
Mind you my whole flat is electric and that is the total bill a month.

You can probably save money by having them on timers if your room keeps hest well, like have them on for an hour off for 2 etc...

 

[ThatsUnpossible]

OP, try and find something that’s less than 1kw and has a thermostat. That will be the cheapest to run.

 

[Andrea82]

Or just run a heatcable through the cabinet, leaving a gap of a cm between cable and enclosures. Keeps them around 20°C even when the room is 16°C.
Like this:
http://arachnoboards.com/threads/c-lividum-setup.301554/page-3#post-2721123

 

[StampFan]

Okay it's gotten slightly colder here and my room has already dropped to 17c at night...

Bought a cheap electric space heater last year but turned out to be so expensive to run. Any recommendations for one that's cheap to run and has an accurate thermostat setting? Looking to spend up to £100, maybe a bit more if necessary. Room is a small bedroom and just want to take the edge off at night, keeping it no lower than 18c.

Cheers!

I've got the same heater as @cold blood and can confirm its a great choice. Electric space heaters also blow air, drying it in the process, which is an issue if you have moist species. They are also a fire risk. Oil filled heater works amazingly well. Set it and forget it.

 

[ThatsUnpossible]

@Andrea82 Do you know if the heat cable would work with a cabinet like Ikea’s Kallex, which is not real wood? Your cabinet looks like real wood, not particle board? I’m wondering if that would be too hot for it? If it works it would definitely be the cheapest to run.

@Potatatas I’ve got that argos heater on and even on the low setting it’s giving out good heat. I’ve turned it down to test the thermostat, if that works (or not) I’ll update post.

The only problem with those finned heaters is they are usually a higher wattage, so more expensive to run.

 

[Andrea82]

@Andrea82 Do you know if the heat cable would work with a cabinet like Ikea’s Kallex, which is not real wood? Your cabinet looks like real wood, not particle board? I’m wondering if that would be too hot for it? If it works it would definitely be the cheapest to run.

@Potatatas I’ve got that argos heater on and even on the low setting it’s giving out good heat. I’ve turned it down to test the thermostat, if that works (or not) I’ll update post.

The only problem with those finned heaters is they are usually a higher wattage, so more expensive to run.

The cabinet is actually Ikea's 'Billy' series, so it's particle board
The difference with Kallax however is that Kallax doesn't have a backboard, meaning you'd lose a lot of the heat to the wall behind the cabinet.
The cable I use can't catch fire, it is only 25°C at the outside, with a core of 35°C, so not hot enough to start a fire. If there is a problem however, the cable will just stop working because of the safety measure in it.

 

[Potatatas]

Thanks all, forgot I posted this! Defintiely oil filled with thermostat for me. How accurate do you all find the thermostats if you have one? On the cheap electric one I bought the thermostat was next to useless!

 

[mack1855]

How accurate do you all find the thermostats if you have one? On the cheap electric one I bought the thermostat was next to useless!

This is the one I have.As to the thermostat,it works ok,no issues,and ive had it for 2 years.Has
been great keeping the room between 22 and 30c.Of coarse,not sure what brand you all have over there.

 

[viper69]

You could build a campfire in your room, but that may not work out so well in the end.

 

[ThatsUnpossible]

I’ve had my argos heater on all last night and all day today. Seems to be working well. The temp where my t enclosures are is 24c and that’s with the heater on half power (0.35 kwh). I can hear it click as the thermostat turns it on and off. The only snag is it’s quite large and unsightly.

I’ve also ordered a heat cable, worth a try and will be pennies to run if it works.

OP, work out what it will cost to run before you buy.

 

[JPG]

Using this 500W with thermostat and working well so far. $35 Canadian.
https://www.amazon.ca/gp/product/B07VYS3WVT/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

 

[ThatsUnpossible]

@Potatatas How did you get on? Did you find a new heater?

I’ve had my Argos heater for a little over a month now and it’s working perfectly. Keeps my T’s at 22 - 23c overnight and that’s on the lowest setting, so cheap to run too. Oil filled, but lower wattage than most of them.

I also bought a heat cable to do what Andrea82 suggested but my Husband doesn’t want to use it. That would be an even cheaper option.

 

[Eukio]

I have had luck with those Amish electric heaters or ones that are similar to them. They keep the place really warm without making the electric bill too high. They also have other safety features like not being hot to the touch. They may be pricey to buy, though.

 

[Colorado Ts]

I bought a small 500W ceramic heater on Amazon for about $18.00. Then I bought a thermo-regulator to go with it, and I set the whole thing up in a small cabinet.


I keep my slings in the cabinet and I set the regulator to 79°F. The shelving in the cabinet seems to interfere with air flow, so my cabinet is regulated from 77.5°F to a high of 82.5°F.


The cabinet radiates heat into the room and is now keeping my small tarantula den at a consistent 75°F +/-.

 

[Andrea82]

@Potatatas How did you get on? Did you find a new heater?

I’ve had my Argos heater for a little over a month now and it’s working perfectly. Keeps my T’s at 22 - 23c overnight and that’s on the lowest setting, so cheap to run too. Oil filled, but lower wattage than most of them.

I also bought a heat cable to do what Andrea82 suggested but my Husband doesn’t want to use it. That would be an even cheaper option.

Why doesn't your husband want to use it?

 

[ThatsUnpossible]

Why doesn't your husband want to use it?

He doesn’t like the clips making little holes in the shelf unit

I will keep asking until he gives in. I think it’s a great idea.

 

[Feral]

I'm listening closely about heat cable/tape because I don't need to warm up any tarantulas (for me I'd heat the room if I needed to) but I'm thinking of making changes for this winter to my very small lateralis colony, and deciding if either cable/tape or a low-watt heat pad (mounted on a glass pane then positioned next to the colony) would be better for my particular situation.

So, please, I'm interested to hear experiences!

Also, I wouldn't need a lot of power/high temps... So what wattage of heat cable/tape do people use? @Andrea82?