One question about oil-filled Heaters

[Tokendog]

I've been doing some research on them and am going to pick one up today.

The last concern I had with the oil-filled heaters was if the oil DID start leaking or if there was any type of odor (some reviews have reported it), does any one have any experience with the potential dangers it may cause to a T collection?

I know a lot of people on here use them, but has any one had any experience with the oil leaking and causing an odor?

My T room is relatively small - probably 8x8 and doesn't have a door so there is ventilation from the rest of the house as well.

 

[crawltech]

Just run it on high outside for a couple hours to burn of residual assembly lubes and such...then there fine.....ive bin using them for years...never had a leaker

 

[WARPIG]

I have a few of them for over 10 yrs and haven't had any issues with them.

PIG-

 

[Travis K]

From what I have 'heard' they are much better than the fan heaters and do not make the humidity drop as easily. Now that I think about it I might want to upgrade my T room heater as my wife keeps complaining about the electric bill.

 

[Tokendog]

Alright, cool deal. I was just worried that if I did have a leak would the odor harm the Ts. I'd hate for it to backfire on me.

 

[Mattyb]

I've had one for a few year now. Hasn't leaked yet lol.

 

[crawltech]

From what I have 'heard' they are much better than the fan heaters and do not make the humidity drop as easily. Now that I think about it I might want to upgrade my T room heater as my wife keeps complaining about the electric bill.

Ya, they are also much cheaper to run, and def do not dry out the room as bad as fan style space heaters....

 

[k2power]

There is an odor initially after sitting for the summer but it eventually goes away. Don't get an idea that they aren't expensive to operate. You will notice a difference in your bill. I have used them a lot and never had issues. They make a crackling/boiling noise when first heated too. I like them.

 

[Toirtis]

I love them, and honestly, I have never heard of a leaker outside of a seriously damaged unit, and for what it is worth, my research suggests a vegetable-based oil is what is used, so even a leak would be of a non-hazardous material.

 

[Jmugleston]

I use them in 2 of my animal rooms and I've only had one leak. It started dripping after years of use and after being packed and moved numerous times. I don't notice any unusual odor after they've been running for a bit. Though they are expensive to operate, they work well.

 

[Hamburglar]

--- snip --- Though they are expensive to operate, they work well.

That is interesting. I thought one advantage to the oil heaters was that they are cheaper in costs to traditional space heaters. Am I mistaken?

 

[Jmugleston]

That is interesting. I thought one advantage to the oil heaters was that they are cheaper in costs to traditional space heaters. Am I mistaken?

In relation to other space heaters I cannot say as I haven't tried them.

In general though, the costs add up when running 900 to 1300 watts almost constantly.

 

[robd]

I've had my oil filled heater since March and it's pretty good for what you expect it to do. In my experience so far, if the room is small enough it will dry it out. I learned this the hard way unfortunately with my first ever successful mating and the egg sac that came of it, from my big C. fasciatum, ended up being crusty and dry. At first I thought it was no-good because I didn't leave her alone enough, and while that may be true... a few weeks later my E. campestratus dropped a dud sac. It was dry and crusty too. So now I pump 3 humidifiers 24/7 in the hopes that this problem will be solved next time a sac comes about. Hopefully it will.

 

[Ictinike]

I've used them for years to heat smaller basements/areas on the house and while they may dry it's very easy to just place a pot of water on them (small) which will evaporate out and add to the RH of the room.

This is how we used to do it with radiator's in an old home we rented early on and while it's not practical at times (children, pets, etc) in a close area such as a T room it's efficient enough. We've also done this with old style "wood burning" stoves to raise the humidity.