ivanivanovich wrote:argymusashi wrote:[G]uess what my fiance and I pulled out of the closet and turned on after all summer?

The mind boggles with possibilities!

Does it plug in? Is it bigger than a breadbox?

So does this have any kind of warranty with it?

axphw1 wrote:Can I use it warm my underwear while I shower?

(NOTHING beats warm underwear)

In my errant youth I was , er, dumb enough to drape a towel over a woodstove pipe to warm it. I almost choked to death on the synthetic fumes (wasn't sophisticated enough to use all cotton).
Suggest waving your underwear in front of the heater for a few seconds after you get out of the shower.
In fact, I think it comes with a warning:
"Do Not Leave Hanging Underwear Unattended."

Or it should.

SuperNinja wrote:I'd rather have something that would turn my room into a frozen wasteland.

Get Married

I originally thought this said Towel Heater. Now I want my towels to be heated

Hey uhh woot? Is the shipping image missing or am I blind? Is this shipped ground or smartpost? I want one but smartpost takes 2 or 3 weeks to get to me and I don't want to freeze to death in the meantime.

There are five of us in my house. Two prefer the temperature in the low 60s, two would like it a little cooler than that.

I, on the other hand, unlike the four of them, am not a fur-covered Siberian Husky and am not quite comfortable at those temps.

Sure, sure, I'm da boss. I could leave the thermostat at 75°. And I could buy another Dyson off woot so I'd have one in each hand to vacuum up the additional shedded fur.

Instead, I think I'll get one of these.

mRosi6600 wrote:As a firefighter, I never recommend space heaters, ever, period. Give me all the safety features you want, but that won't help you when you put something flammable too close to it. I have extinguished many fires caused by these types of devices. If you must use one, please use it wisely, and make sure your smoke detectors are in working order. Here is a fact sheet from the NFPA regarding all heating equipment related fires.

http://goo.gl/3h4Va

This bears repeating a few times.

The compromise I've made with myself is to never leave one running unattended, a rule carried over from Boy Scout days when you didn't plug your "heater" into an outlet, you gathered up dead branches to feed it.

MichXelle wrote:I call it a portable heater, not a space heater. Any difference?

Everything is cooler IIIINN SPPPAAAAAAAACEE!

pyius wrote:I originally thought this said Towel Heater. Now I want my towels to be heated

Buy three anyway, then go get some towers.

I bought this heater in January for $44 at Walmart (I still have the receipt, because I intended to return it after I was done with it). In my relatively large studio apartment-style dorm in upstate NY, we had a spell of extremely cold weather (between 10F and -20F), and with somewhat dinky heat in my room and a very large, poorly insulated window, I couldn't get my room above 40-45F. Given that, the addition of this heater allowed me to keep the room as high as 70-75F without setting the heater's thermostat any higher than 3/4.

Needless to say, after a week or two when the temperature returned to normal winter and my regular heat was sufficient again, I didn't bother returning it, because it turned out to be a great deal, and I knew I'd need it again this year.

That all said, I DID pay only $44 for it (I literally have the receipt in my hand right now, I grabbed it to double check), and it was new, and I had it immediately. $35 (including shipping) for a REFURB, and having to wait...I don't know about that.

NOTE: It does make a rattling noise for a few seconds while it starts up as the quartz expands. And the bar on the front is great for dangling bagels or other bread-like items for a quick toast. Not that I know that from experience.

mRosi6600 wrote:As a firefighter, I never recommend space heaters, ever, period. Give me all the safety features you want, but that won't help you when you put something flammable too close to it. I have extinguished many fires caused by these types of devices. If you must use one, please use it wisely, and make sure your smoke detectors are in working order. Here is a fact sheet from the NFPA regarding all heating equipment related fires.

http://goo.gl/3h4Va

I do appreciate this advise, having been through a catastrophic fire in the past year, (not caused by a space heater, BTW).

I am curious what a firefighter would recommend as a safe AND economical method of heating a small space. Mixing batches of plaster might do the job, but it's messy and produces a lot of waste.

Thanks!

,

mohavemarv wrote:If you run this heater for an hour you will have purchased 1.5 kilowatt-hours of energy from your utility company. Prices for a kWh vary around the country but a reasonable estimate of 15 cents per kWh, all taxes included, means 22 cents per hour of operation IF THE HEATER RUNS CONSTANTLY w/o cycling on and off as it most likely will.

That equates to approximately $160 per month just to run the heater, if it runs 24-hours a day for 30 days (which it WILL if you use the one heater as your only source of heat! LOL!)

SimpilotMN wrote:How is infrared different from other types of heaters? Doesn't IR heat the contents of a room or something?

First, despite the marketing hype of some manufacturers, ALL heaters are 100% efficient, every watt used gets changed to heat.

IR heaters tend to heat objects, not air. The infrared radiation (light, basically) travels through the air and heats up the objects it hits (such a people). Some other types of heaters may simply heat the air and circulate it.

The advantage of an IR heater is that if you're using it as a heater to keep people warm, it does that more effectively than a heater which warms air. You can feel warm in front of an IR heater, even if the air is cold.

Ever been at a bus stop (or similar) where there's an overhead heater? That glowing orange is the IR source, and they use them because they're trying to keep the people warm, not the air.

I was just saying to the little lady, "Maude, how are we going to heat an entire tower?" and she was like, "That's not my name and you know it." It's like Woot reads minds.

As for fire concerns, I agree with everyone who has warned against space heaters. This is why I use a turkey fryer filled with bath oils to heat my bedroom instead.

This is a very effective space heater. Originally I purchased it three winters ago at WalMart to use on our covered screened in porch for cold or chilly nights as I like to go out there and smoke a cigar after eating dinner. It worked well in that guise as long as you were close to it. I even stored it out there as it has good roof coverage. Last winter my wife's bathroom heater went south and I told her to take this one since she'd use it more (every morning even in warmer weather). She loves it and thinks it's much better than her previous heater even it was new. For this type of a heater it has to be considered a decent buy...especialy at the price here.

I love that the map shows people buying these for states that never even GET cold. If it wasn't for my new baby, we'd still have the heat off today (outside high today is 35 - nice and crisp, but certainly NOT cold yet).

NoSup4U wrote:Is this the kind of heater that makes popping noises all night as it heats up and cools down?

Every quartz heater I have seen makes a lot of noise at startup. Once they reach their set temperature they are mostly silent, except for a low level of buzzing/vibration when they cycle on.

I just put one in our guest bathroom last night (for a guest) and found it acted the same way as it always did

You can't beat this type of heater for heating people or objects. If you are trying to raise the temperature of a room, a forced air heater will be more effective. As one poster said, it's like sitting in the sun. And that is what makes it so effective, you can adjust the setting and get just as much heat radiating into your bod as you want.

tailings wrote:I do appreciate this advise, having been through a catastrophic fire in the past year, (not caused by a space heater, BTW).

I am curious what a firefighter would recommend as a safe AND economical method of heating a small space. Mixing batches of plaster might do the job, but it's messy and produces a lot of waste.

Thanks!

,

Cute suggestion; it is an exothermic reaction but I'm not curious enough to see how much plaster you'd have to mix to get a BTU. As a former teacher, I'll assign that problem to you for homework.

pksublime wrote:I love that the map shows people buying these for states that never even GET cold.

Although the first state on the map to gain some color was Minnesota.

The good advice given is "DO NOT" use an exstension cord with this high wattage heater.

I noticed the Woot story under today's add mentions using an "EXSTENSION CORD" as a way of powering the unit. This could be taken the wrong way as an endorsment that its "OKAY" to use an exstension cord with this unit.

I know, I know its nit picking, RIGHT? But knowing how the average persons mind works, some one will vagually remember how they read on Woot how its okay to use an exstension cord with their new space heater.

ivanivanovich wrote:Although the first state on the map to gain some color was Minnesota.

My state, yeah we either have some wimps or some people thinking ahead for those -40 nights.

tailings wrote:I am curious what a firefighter would recommend as a safe AND economical method of heating a small space. Mixing batches of plaster might do the job, but it's messy and produces a lot of waste.

I'm neither a firefighter nor play one on the internet although my bricklayer father did perform a lot of exothermic magic by mixing concrete over the years.

So as someone who doesn't meet your criterion, I'd recommend aerobic exercise and/or vigorous interpersonal connectivity.

Wikipedia adds the possibilities of condensing rain from water vapor, mixing alkalis and acids, whomping up a batch of epoxy resin, and adding water to anhydrous copper(II) sulfate.

They also mention rusting metal. If you have the time. And burning stuff, of course, though there are safety issues with that.

ThunderThighs wrote:Could you elaborate?

Great for Toasting your Buns!

Great heater, although I bought a new one at Walmart at the same price a few years ago. It served me well when I was living in a old drafty house with only baseboard heating.

So it is a deal, only because we are at the beginning of cold weather season.

Also, if you use this heater in your room and you use an exercise ball in place of a desk chair, be careful! Keep the two far away from each other. Personal experience talking here: I was lucky and only had a tiny bit of damage.

What do you heat experts recommend for heating a tent with a heavy duty extension cord? I don't want to use gas or propane type heaters in the tent... Might this one work? I could set it up on top of a cooler?


I tried building a fire in the tent and that didn't work....

ALL heaters are required by law to draw no more than 1500 watts. How they translate that into heat varies. I've had good luck with the oil-filled heaters that look like radiators. They stay warm when cycling on/off and even the cats can stick their feet under them without harm.

cvargo1 wrote:how safe would this be to have with a wild puppy in the house.

Get an oil-filled electric. Bigger and harder to knock over.

One for me in Colorado because my Siberian Huskies don't want to get overheated from having the thermostat set too high OR from cuddling with a human thankyouverymuch. One for my daughter who will someday soon move back to Colorado after spending too long acclimating to Honolulu.

dliidlii wrote:The one at Walmart is NEW with 1 year warranty.

Yeah, but then you have to buy from Walmart.

Just purchased one...

First, this isn't an IR heater. IR heaters are a fool's scam.

Second, I challenge the (often repeated) statement, "IR heaters heat objects, not air. The infrared radiation (light, basically) travels through the air and heats up the objects it hits (such a people). Other types of heaters simply heat the air and circulate it."

I believe this is pseudo-science crap. For example, the bulbs in those over-price huckster IR heaters are inside a box.

Pleased post links to validate all this.

mattdiem wrote:What do you heat experts recommend for heating a tent with a heavy duty extension cord? I don't want to use gas or propane type heaters in the tent... Might this one work? I could set it up on top of a cooler?

"Heating A Tent" is a phrase that borders on being an oxymoron.

There's no reason this would not work well in a tent, but bringing any red-hot object into a tent requires a lot of care and caution. Even the anti-tip feature might not be enough to prevent a serious problem if it fell into something it shouldn't. There's also the issue of heating some object that is close to it that shouldn't be heated.

OTOH, if you are careful, understand the risks, don't leave it running while you are sleeping, there's no reason you shouldn't be OK. But remember, neither your mother nor any self respecting fireman would condone putting this in a tent.

Pre-Purchase Warning:

Don't plan on buying this for a bedroom if you need darkness to sleep!

Great deal. I'm in for one. I have electric heat at my house and find it's cheaper to use space heaters.

mattdiem wrote:What do you heat experts recommend for heating a tent with a heavy duty extension cord? I don't want to use gas or propane type heaters in the tent... Might this one work? I could set it up on top of a cooler?


I tried building a fire in the tent and that didn't work....

Heating a tent = heating the Great Outdoors + risk of flaming material falling on you.

What the experts who spend lots of time in tents do is to wear warmer clothes and/or get in their sleeping bags.

You can get stuff that's good to -60°F a lot cheaper than you can heat the Great Outdoors through the uninsulated walls of a tent or get skin grafts for the burned areas on your head, shoulders, and arms.

rsthall wrote:My point WAS that the cost of a NEW one isn't so much..... I'd rather have new with good manufacturer's warr. and that I didn't like the idea of refurbing something like this. Seems like it could be a safety issue ... generally unlike a refurb Sansa clip!

Refurb can mean still new in the box, or actually refurbished by the manufacturer. Any item returned for any reason - even refused at the door - CANNOT be sold as new. So it has to be a refurbished item. Does not mean there was anything wrong with it. Or it might.

Did you guys seriously not get mattdiem's overtly obvious sarcasm or do we desire quality posts so much that we'll answer any question no matter what it is?

mohavemarv wrote:Vermont, 9 miles from the Canadian Provence of Quebec. We have very few options in much of New England and the vast majority of citizens use fuel oil; last price check was $3.40 per gallon.
Even at this price it is cheaper(40-60% cheaper) than electricity. Electricity is generated from other natural sources and the conversion to electricity results in quite a bit of waste; see the Laws of Thermodynamics in any general physics book, especially the second law. Nature, not underperforming engineers, disallows 100% conversions. Heck, some of our companies are using cow manure as a fuel to generate a few kWh of electricity and now we are having those God-awful UNGREEN wind turbines forced on us by the Feds.

To paraphrase Sam Kinison, you don't need a Quartz Tower Heater, you need freaking LUGGAGE!

dimend wrote:seriously, is this safe for a very wild PUG pup??

If it is up off the floor and out of reach it's fine, but don't even THINK of keeping this hot thing that plugs into the wall anywhere near a puppy, no freaking way.