Ceramic heaters vs oil radiators

[John From Detroit]

Ceramic heaters are a solid choice—efficient and less energy-hungry.

First this is an old thread
Second though I agree with you that Ceramic's are a solid choice Much smaller than an oil filled and about the same level of safety
BUT "Efficient and less energy hungry"
ALL electric heaters. ALL of them does not matter if its red glowing wire Oil Filed. Ceramic or what ALL of them product precisely the same amount of heat per watt. Exactly.
Why is this? In an electrical system all losses are expressed as HEAT so an electric heater is 100% efficient. Some folks say "What about the fan" well it's heat too. the friction of the air moving produces heat.

And now I have to end this because hardware is calling for my attention elsewhere.

 

[Limitlessness]

Oil-filled heaters are champs at warmth, but that power consumption can be a real drawback. Have you considered ceramic heaters? They're efficient and generally more energy-friendly, offering a good balance between warmth and cost.

I totally get not wanting to go the propane route. If you're after a different vibe, have you explored the world of designer radiators? Places like Radiator Village have some fantastic options. Not only are they effective in heating, but they also add a touch of style to your space. It might be worth checking out their range to find something that not only keeps you warm but also complements your space aesthetically.

 

[Gary RV_Wizard]

The energy-efficiency argument is hogwash. Both types of heaters are 100% efficient, converting every milli-amp of input power to heat. Even the fan motor's waste energy is heat. You can only get 3.41 btu/watt of power, regardless of how it is converted.

 

[LMHS]

I had an electric milk house style utility heater. It died far too soon. I pulled the electric oil-filled radiator heater out of storage and am using that instead. I currently have it on low (600W) and I leave it on 24/7. it kicks on/off all day and all night. It's in the bedroom. I set it up on LOW (600W) and put the thermostat on MAX, waited until the room got to the temp I wanted it to stay at night and turned the thermostat down until it clicked off. I then hung a remote electronic thermometer on the side of the radiator cover. It is currently at 89F (the radiator, not the room) and stays within a few degrees of that most of the time. I like a 60F room but I sleep under a sleeping bag and several blankets and I have a overly warm greyhound that warms things up a great deal. I also have an electric heated mattress pad for those times when the dog isn't enough or she is being uncooperative. What I like about the heater is I don't have to worry about the dog touching it and pushing a blanket up against it (it's at the foot of the bed) resulting in bad things happening. What I don't like about the hear is I think it takes forever to get a room up to temp. So I just leave it on all the time and don't expect it to heat up fast. It's like comparing an oven to a crockpot. They both do the job, one takes minutes and one takes hours.

For FAST heating, I plumbed a spare Mr Buddy heater (indoor rated) into the regulated gas line and use it to heat up the bathroom just for showering. It's a gas hog but I knew that. It is my daughter's and she prefers my little old almost 20 yo DynaGlo Tag-a-long lp heater. So I leave that one in her truck camper. Just used the heater yesterday while the dog was left in the camper while grocery shopping. I am just using the 1LB canisters since it won't be used very often. Little thing lit right up and burned great. These are both the kind with the ceramic brick. I never run either on HIGH.

I find I feel warmer with LP heat over electric. My main source of heat is a vent-free LP residential fireplace. I leave on all day and all night, even when I'm gone. At night or when I leave for several hours, I tend to turn it down to where the pilot light is all that is on. During the warmer parts of the day, the pilot light puts off enough heat. According to my infrared thermometer, the inside of the fireplace where the ceramic logs are, with just the pilot light running, is at 113F. Right now, the outside temps is a toasty 55F with sunny skies and 6mph wind. When it cools off for night or the wind picks up, I will bump the temp up until the flames light. I open up all the doorways and it warms up all 40 ft of bus. We typically have a 25 to 50 degree temp swing over the course of a day with temps dropping rapidly when the sun goes down. Needless to say, I like a fast response from my heat sources.

I feel both electric and LP heaters have their place in my rigs and both usually do what they are advertised to do.

 

[Kirk]

The advantage of the oil filled radiator heater is not in amount of heat supplied but rather in the side of safety. If you place a sheet of paper over each type of heater, the ceramic will start a fire while the oil filled radiator heater will not. But the radiator takes up much more space than a ceramic and the better ceramic heaters do come with some safety features. I have used both and each has both good and bad points.

 

[DutchmenSport]

I did not read all the posts.

I think the difference between ceramic and radiant heaters is this:

Radiant heaters are just that. The oil in the heater is warmed up and that oil circulates inside the radiator. But the heat coming from that heater is slow to spread through the room. But, once the room is heated, they are good at maintaining heat longer once they are turned off. Their cool down is slow. They also make absolutely no noise.

Ceramic heaters produce heat instantly and air is forced through the heating coils with a fan, blowing that heat away form the source faster. Plus the fan helps circulate that heat. Actually, this makes for a steady temperature rise in the room as the fan constantly circulates, pulling in colder air, discharging warmer air, fill the room. It's not necessarily faster than the radiator type, it's just more even through the room. Unlike the radiator type that is very warm near the radiator and can still be 20 degrees different 10 feet away.

The down side of the ceramic heaters is the fact, when they turn off, the heat is off immediately. When the heat turns off on the radiator type, the radiator stays warm, until it's cycle turns the heater back on. The temperature change is not as great as a ceramic heater.

Each one has their plus and their minus. It really is a matter of what works best for you. We started with oil filled and we are now using ceramic. For us, the "instant" heat is more satisfying.

In a way, think of two types like the two types in a home. The oil filled is very similar to all electric heat in a home. The ceramic is very similar to a forced air heat in a home (if the heat source is gas, propane, or electric), it's the fan that circulates the heat.

That is the difference.