Oil-Filled Heaters

Advantages of Oil-Filled Heaters

There are many advantages of oil-filled heaters, most of which are related to the way the heaters work. As their name implies, oil-filled heaters have oil inside the heater. The oil gets heated up, and the heat from the oil is then transferred to the surrounding air. As a result, oil-filled heaters are quieter, cleaner, cooler, and cheaper to use than typical heaters.

No Fans, No Dust, No Noise

Oil-filled heaters work via the process of radiation, which simply means that the heat from the oil radiates outward into the surrounding area. In most heaters, a fan is used to propel the heat outwards, but oil-filled heaters do not need a fan. This is one of the biggest advantages of oil-filled heaters, as fans are noisy and dusty. If the heater doesn’t have a fan, dust will not be kicked up while the heater is in use. Even better, the heater will be completely silent, as fans are the number one reasons why typical heaters are so noisy.

Staying Cool While Warming Up

Another one of the advantages of oil-filled heaters is that they do not get as hot as traditional electric heaters. Because the process of radiation is used in oil-filled heaters, there are no exposed parts of the heater that get overly hot. Accidentally touching the oil-filled heater won’t cause a burn, which makes the heaters relatively kid friendly. In addition, there is little to no fire risk and oil-filled heaters are safe for use inside garages, workshops, or other places with flammable vapors.

Temperature Control

Most oil-filled heaters come with a thermostat of some sort. The thermostat can be used to set a specific temperature as the cut off point, so that when the room reaches that temperature the heater will automatically shut off. Many of the heaters also come with a timer, which can be set to turn the heater on at a specific time, ensuring a toasty warm room just when it’s needed. As an added benefit, many oil-filled heaters allow users to adjust the heat settings and decide on the wattage for the heater.

Easy to Use

One of the advantages of oil-filled heaters is that they are incredibly easy to use. Maintenance consist of nothing more than refilling the oil periodically and wiping the heater with a cloth every once in a while. Since oil-filled heaters don’t get too hot, they can be placed almost anywhere. The heaters are also very portable. Some of the heaters can be mounted on a wall, but others come with wheels so that they can be rolled from room to room quite easily.

Go Green and Save Money

Oil-filled heaters are great for the environment and electric bill. To heat up a room using an oil-filled heater, a small amount of energy is used to heat the oil within the heater. Once the oil is hot, the heater turns off and stops drawing energy from the outlet, but continues to heat up the area. As a result, much less energy is used, which means a lower energy bill and less of a carbon footprint. To take things one step further, some places offer the ability to refill the oil canisters with used oil.

There are many advantages of oil-filled heaters. They use much less energy, which means a cheaper energy bill. They are portable and can easily be moved from place to place. They feature control settings like thermostats and timers. Last but not least, they don’t get that hot, which makes them safe for almost any area of the house of workplace.

Disadvantages of Oil-Filled Heaters

Oil-filled heaters are great for many reasons, and for the most part, people recommend them highly. However, there are a number of disadvantages of oil-filled heaters that you may want to consider before you purchase a unit. In spite of these issues, most people find that in the big picture of things, most of the disadvantages are nothing more than small irritants that are easy to work around, and practically irrelevant in the long run.

How Oil-Filled Heaters Work

Most of the disadvantages of oil-filled heaters, as well as the advantages, arise as a result of how the heaters function. The oil inside the oil-filled heater gets warmed up while the heater is on. After the heater is turned off, the hot oil slowly releases its heat to the room and thereby warms it up. In most oil-filled heaters, the oil is kept within seven long, thin fins. As a result, the fan shape consists of these seven fins with a handle of some sort for portability.

The Perfect Fit

One of the minor disadvantages of oil-filled heaters is that they must be the right fit for the room they are being used in. Oil-filled heaters provide localized heating, which makes them best suited for small or medium sized rooms. Alternatively, they can be used to heat up a small section of a large room. However, an oil-filled heater will not do a very good job of heating up a large area. Heating up a small room with an oil-filled heater requires about 44 watts per cubic meter, but that figure goes up if the room gets larger.

Size Matters

Though oil-filled heaters cannot be used in large rooms, they are not great for really tiny rooms either. The heaters are generally fairly large and bulky, and the fins tend to be very tall, so there must be enough space in the room for the heater to fit. When considering where the heater will be placed, keep in mind that the heater gets hot. Though it is not generally considered dangerously hot, it can be a fire hazard if it is placed too close to curtains or other loose objects.

The Accompanying Price Tag

At the offset, oil-filled heaters tend to be fairly pricey, and this initial expense often prevents people from seriously considering purchasing an oil-filled heater. However, a long term cost benefit analysis usually reveals that this is not one of the disadvantages of oil-filled heaters that people should be concerned with. When the rate of energy consumption is taken into consideration, and the long term savings on are calculated, many customers find that the heaters pay for themselves within a few months. The heaters may be expensive initially, but they are very cost-effective in the long run.

Slow Moving

There are many disadvantages of oil-filled heaters, but the biggest and most important one is the time it takes for the heater to heat up the room. A typical heater begins warming the room within a matter of minutes, but oil-filled heaters take at least a half hour to begin working. It takes time for the oil to heat up, and the heater only begins working after the oil is hot. However, many oil-filled heaters come equipped with a timer, which allows the heater to be set to go on before the room is needed. This way, everything will be nice and warm by the time the room is being used.

The list of disadvantages of oil-filled heaters is a short one, and most of the issues have a fairly easy work around. It is no wonder that oil-filled heaters are considered such a great product!