Space heaters?

[Kitte]

Are they safe or not...

I am really paranoid about fire. But my room is always freezing and if I turn the heat up enough to warm my room, my roomates are always roasting.

 

[Kazin]

My ex girlfriend had an older space heater in her basement. She went away for the weekend and forgot to turn it off, some how it shorted out or something and ended up starting a fire in the basement, luckily her roomate caught it time and put it out before it was huge.

I don't trust them.

 

[Rubyfruit]

The newer ones are safe. They turn off if knocked over.

Beware of a big power bill at the end of the month though because these babies suck electricity like you wouldn't believe.

 

[PepperminTrish]

Are they safe or not...

I am really paranoid about fire. But my room is always freezing and if I turn the heat up enough to warm my room, my roomates are always roasting.

I'm sure that they if they are used properly. We have a big kerosene one that we use in the winter in the living room. I was scared of it at first but it works so well and keeps our heating bill down that we'll continue to use it.

 

[Guest]

 

[Guest]

 

[bknight2602]

I agree they are safe while attended, never leave them alone, even with the safety features Ruby mentioned. Anything can fail, and you don't want your house burned!

 

[Kitte]

What really makes me nervous is using it at night..,

Let me add I am REALLY paranoid about fire. My apt burned down a couple of years ago in the middle of the night. It took me about a year to even start burning candles again.

It was a child that started the fire but...fire is fire.

 

[RawHumor]

Re: Re: Space heaters?

never leave them unattended.
They can be a fire hazrd. If I use them, I make sure its always in a room im in.

Again, the newer ones really aren't. I can touch the surface of mine without hurting my hand. And as Ruby mentioned, if it gets knocked over it will shut itself off.

 

[Kazin]

Get a heating blanket and some flannel jammies instead.

Paranoia will destroy ya!

 

[sch00lteacher]

Depends a lot upon the type. There are good ceramic or oil ones that pose little fire danger beyond electrical overload.

I'd never have a kerosene heater in my house. Never. I have cats, cats have tails... I have gas logs, and I rarely use those.

 

[Guest]

Re: Re: Re: Space heaters?

 

[RawHumor]

What really makes me nervous is using it at night..,

Let me add I am REALLY paranoid about fire. My apt burned down a couple of years ago in the middle of the night. It took me about a year to even start burning candles again.

It was a child that started the fire but...fire is fire.

I used mine in college over night. I lived in a big drafty house and in the Winter, it got too hot upstairs if we didn't want to freeze downstairs. Since the thermostat was upstairs, they'd turn it to their own comfort level, so we got space heaters so we wouldn't freeze over night.

 

[bknight2602]

What really makes me nervous is using it at night..,

Let me add I am REALLY paranoid about fire. My apt burned down a couple of years ago in the middle of the night. It took me about a year to even start burning candles again.

It was a child that started the fire but...fire is fire.

As long as a pet doesn't knock it over it will be safe! Position it away from curtains and the like.......... towards the middle of the space you want to heat.

 

[RawHumor]

Re: Re: Re: Re: Space heaters?

Yes, but would you leave it on alone and trust it?

Define "alone". I have it in my office now and I leave it on while I'm gone for lunch. I wouldn't leave it on for a week without me being there, but I'd probably leave it on overnight without me being here. Maybe not, but maybe. I don't know.

 

[Rubyfruit]

Kitte, regardless of safety, you'd be better off getting a nice down comforter to keep you warm while you sleep. If you leave a space heater on overnight every night, you are going to have a breakdown when you see your power bill.

 

[Kitte]

Kitte, regardless of safety, you'd be better off getting a nice down comforter to keep you warm while you sleep. If you leave a space heater on overnight every night, you are going to have a breakdown when you see your power bill.

I have a ton of blankets onthe bed, but really it is during the day when I am at the PC that is a pain...my fingers get so cold I cant type!

 

[Weird Harold]

I have a ton of blankets onthe bed, but really it is during the day when I am at the PC that is a pain...my fingers get so cold I cant type!

Get a waterbed.

I have a kingsized waterbed with a heater and have never used the heater in the four years I've lived in this apartment. 160 Liters of Hot water is a terrific thermal mass that controls the temperature of the apartment without any need for another heat source.

 

[Kitte]

Get a waterbed.

I have a kingsized waterbed with a heater and have never used the heater in the four years I've lived in this apartment. 160 Liters of Hot water is a terrific thermal mass that controls the temperature of the apartment without any need for another heat source.

I live in an apt with rooms below, so it is not possible, it is actually in my lease.

 

[Coolville]

Wouldn't it be pricey to try and heat space? Not to mention the consquences of melting distant ice planets and all that. But then again, the astronauts wouldn't need to have such bulky suits...

 

[glamorilla]

i believe all you need is a small ceramic space heater. they're available at most k~mart's/wa;greens etc. and run around 40 dollars. i need to get a new one myself for the coming winter but the last one i had lasted me about three years of continual use in the winter before it died on me and i never had any trouble with it.

 

[Calamity Jane]

I used to use one of those sealed oil heaters the look like radiators when I lived in the basement at my parent's house. It had a thermostat on it, so it didn't really seem to have much of an effect on the power bill, and I never felt that it was unsafe. It was nearly impossible to knock over, and it was never really hot to the touch.

They run about $40 or so.