Portable heaters

[gbaglo]

I've got a small 800 watt oil-filled heater. Silent, but takes its time heating the trailer.

I'm looking at compact ceramic heaters. I want something compact, quiet, safe and efficient. Several members of forum use these. Can you please advise on brands and models that you would recommend?

baglo

[Donna D.]

I've been following a thread on the CasitaForum about this very issue. For those that are members here's the link: http://www.casitaforum.com/invboard/...er-for-casita/

And one paragraph from a poster:
"No rush of air, almost no noise, and you have the choice of running the fan continuously (to circulate the air, or to keep from being awakened as the thing comes on and goes off), or only when the heating element is activated by the thermostat, and the thermostat switch seems to work better than most in regulating room temperature."

It's a Vornado VH-2. Evidentally available at Costco and big box stores.

[escape artist]

Hi: Donna D... Sorry error You really need to belong to the Casita Forum to view. Alf
escape artist N.S. of Lake Erie

[thoer]

We have the Vornado and really like it. They are definitely more expensive, but seem worth it.

Eric

[Jim Bennett]

No sure what the little electric heater we have is, but if the trailer is real cold it takes a long, long time to warm it up, but it will keep it warm with no problem. I will just fire up the trailer furnace to help heat things up, then let the little electric do its thing. It really does not get a lot of use though, as we are usually camping off the grid.

[gbaglo]

I went to Amazon to read reviews of the Vorando. That scared me off. Seem they have major quality control.

baglo

[thoer]

Glenn,

The one we have is the Vornado EH1-0028-06. It has been completely trouble free since we bought it, but then that can all change.

Eric

[Vermilye]

If you don't want to join the Casita Travel Trailer Forum (and you should join both - they don't seem to mind us Escape owners and they have many useful posts) here is what I posted in electric heaters:

"There are a number of different models of the Pelonis Ceramic Disk "Cube". I like the 1500W-II. Like other heaters it has a thermostat, but the advantage is that it has both an automatic & manual mode. When set to manual the wattage can be varied from as low as 350W to as high as 1500W with the same dial that sets the temperature when on automatic. The fan speed varies with the wattage so if set low, it is very quiet.

When set on automatic, as the thermostat reaches its setting both the wattage & fan speed drops, so it gets very quiet, and only speeds up again if the outside temperature drops a great deal. Even at full power it is much quieter than the furnace. It also has a setting for fan only.

I don't know if they still make this model or anything similar to it - mine is dated 10/89..."

[Texscapees]

We have a small Pelonis ceramic heater (I believe it's the model B-6A) and have been happy with it. It has 4 ceramic disks & operates similar to Jon's older model Pelonis. We got it while on our return trip from picking up Grasshopper when we encountered single digit to teens (F) weather for a week while visiting Glacier, Yellowstone & Grand Teton Natl Parks. It performed admirably for us & kept us reasonably warm. It also enabled us to not have to burn through our propane reserves too fast since we weren't having to run the furnace constantly.

[barry]

I bought one of these from Canadian Tire, http://www.canadiantire.ca/AST/brows....jsp?locale=en . It's Canadian made and has two fan settings. The high fan setting brings the trailer up to temperature quite quickly and then you turn it to the low fan setting which is whisper quiet.

Though I have now put a permanent electric heater in the trailer as per this post http://escapeforum.org/index.php?topic=1490.0 and find it excellent. It's a little noisier than the portable one but I never forget to pack it!

Barry

[padlin]

Reviving this portable electric heater thread.

Just had my Vornado heater die again, need to get something to replace it with before we take off for FL the 1st of Feb. Looking or a small, quiet, electric, with a fan. Preferably with a digital thermostat. Don't want the built in style a few of you are using. Does anyone have a heater that fits the bill?

The Vornado is/was quiet and pushed a good deal of heat, but it always had issues where it would just stop working, like now, and it's long since out of warranty. I'm a little leery of their quality, especially for the $.

[gbaglo]

I just bought another Honeywell to replace the one that died shortly out of warranty. First Honeywell was small cube ceramic that cost me $59. The fan started screaming ( life-time sealed bearing ). New one similar but cost $39.
Although it has a warranty, you have to send it back to distributor at your cost and include $10 US for their shipping and handling. If they determine it is a warranty issue they'll fix or replace. I guess if they don't think it's their problem, they ship the broken one back to you.
It's not got a digital thermostat, but once I learned how to use it, it worked fine. You turn it on to high, and when the temp is comfortable, you gently turn it down until the fan stops. As the room cools, the heater will come on and stay on up to that comfortable temperature.

[padlin]

It's quiet? or at least pretty much so?

[ksitte]

Originally Posted by gbaglo

I just bought another Honeywell to replace the one that died shortly out of warranty. First Honeywell was small cube ceramic that cost me $59. The fan started screaming ( life-time sealed bearing ). New one similar but cost $39.
Although it has a warranty, you have to send it back to distributor at your cost and include $10 US for their shipping and handling. If they determine it is a warranty issue they'll fix or replace. I guess if they don't think it's their problem, they ship the broken one back to you.
It's not got a digital thermostat, but once I learned how to use it, it worked fine. You turn it on to high, and when the temp is comfortable, you gently turn it down until the fan stops. As the room cools, the heater will come on and stay on up to that comfortable temperature.

I too like our Honeywell ceramic cube heater [model HZ-315]. The heater has been a faithful performer, both inside the house and our Escape, sometimes round-the-clock. I can't say it's quiet, however, certainly not as quiet as the Vornado. The Honeywell does need a handle. It's shape is not conducive to being picked up easily. So I took a matching white Stanley screen door pull and simply attached it to the top with VHB tape. Two years later, it's never come loose.

[thoer]

Bob, sorry to hear that your Vornado has been poor quality for you - I've had several of the fans and heaters and all have worked well for years for us. Some of the fans have amazed me how long they last and I have one heater that has been abused and "keeps on ticking"

[cpaharley2008]

Bob,
Try a "radiator" oil filled type. I use one of these when trailer is unoccupied...http://smile.amazon.com/Optimus-H-60...+filled+heater

[Brian B-P]

I like the oil-filled heaters because they are quiet and don't have any hazardously hot surfaces; however, they are necessarily anything but small or light for their power level.

[padlin]

I've got an oil-filled I use at home, too big and slow for on the road use, but it is quiet.

[gbaglo]

The Honeywell I have is relatively quiet.
If you do buy it, or another, hang on to the receipt and run it at home. I had one (SOB) that went straight back to the store after I heard how loud it was in my living room.

[Marky]

I use the Lasko 754200 ceramic heater. It's small, light, and it's only $25 US dollars at Amazon. It has 7500 great reviews. It has a fan, but it's relatively quite, any heater with a fan is going to make some noise. It has an ajustable thermostat and two heat settings, 900 watts which I use and 1500 watts. I've used mine for two years.
Marky