Safety / Portable Heaters

[Deleted User]

This article on the BBC website this morning makes for sad reading.....

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-63627903

Something to keep in mind

Ectophile

That's why I prefer to use an oil filled radiator if I'm going to leave it unattended.  And even then, I won't hang clothes over it.

wittynamegoeshere

There are currently a lot of plug-in heaters available online, they seem to be the latest thing.  They're basically a hair-dryer in a box,  usually from anonymous companies in China and sold under a made-up brand name.  They have very limited ventilation due to their size and proximity to the wall, are usually entirely plastic and have not passed any kind of safety testing.

Big Clive teardown here...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S6BNHWvVMS0

Sadly the likes of trading standards don't seem to exist any more in any meaningful way, and many people don't realise that even big marketplaces such as Amazon and ebay have little or no supervision of safety standards.

Brain and suspicion required, best to buy a genuine brand that actually has headquarters at a UK or EU postal address rather than the cheapest thing you can find that may even have a list of misguided or fake positive reviews.

I'm probably the meanest bargain hunter around, but I definitely draw the line before saving a fiver and running the risk of burning the house down.

EssexHebridean

As much as anything else, it's a shame that the article doesn't include a line suggesting that people check whether in fact they would do better to use their central heating if they have it, as that can often be cheaper! 

Astria

EssexHebridean said:

As much as anything else, it's a shame that the article doesn't include a line suggesting that people check whether in fact they would do better to use their central heating if they have it, as that can often be cheaper! 

My brother insists on using the gas fire in the lounge rather than the central heating because he's measured it and it's cheaper per hour, but the first hour of a CH system will typically always use more because it's bringing the entire house upto temperature and will then switch off, keeping the house at the temperature afterwards may well use less. Not exactly sure how long the gas fire will last either constantly turning it off and on as it has no thermostat...

molerat

Astria said:

EssexHebridean said:

As much as anything else, it's a shame that the article doesn't include a line suggesting that people check whether in fact they would do better to use their central heating if they have it, as that can often be cheaper! 

My brother insists on using the gas fire in the lounge rather than the central heating because he's measured it and it's cheaper per hour, but the first hour of a CH system will typically always use more because it's bringing the entire house upto temperature and will then switch off, keeping the house at the temperature afterwards may well use less. Not exactly sure how long the gas fire will last either constantly turning it off and on as it has no thermostat...

I worked it out a few years back that heating my whole house - including background heating in the conservatory - and hot water 24 hours a day in a cold mid winter cost the same as a single 1.5 kW electric heater for the same amount of time - and the CH includes hot water and nice warm towels.  The ratio has likely changed with recent prices but the principle still stands.  Annoying watching little old ladies on the news sitting in front of an electric fire because they assumed it was too expensive to run the gas CH.

EssexHebridean

molerat said:

Astria said:

EssexHebridean said:

As much as anything else, it's a shame that the article doesn't include a line suggesting that people check whether in fact they would do better to use their central heating if they have it, as that can often be cheaper! 

My brother insists on using the gas fire in the lounge rather than the central heating because he's measured it and it's cheaper per hour, but the first hour of a CH system will typically always use more because it's bringing the entire house upto temperature and will then switch off, keeping the house at the temperature afterwards may well use less. Not exactly sure how long the gas fire will last either constantly turning it off and on as it has no thermostat...

I worked it out a few years back that heating my whole house and hot water 24 hours a day in a cold mid winter cost the same as a single 1.5 kW electric heater for the same amount of time - and the CH includes hot water.  The ratio has likely changed with recent prices but the principle still stands.  Annoying watching little old ladies on the news sitting in front of an electric fire because they assumed it was too expensive to run the gas CH.

And the biggest issue with that is that the media don't then use that opportunity to educate!