Badge

It's starting to get cold at nights here in the Eastern Suburbs of Melnourne. Not cold mind, it just appears that way as we have acclimatised..when I get up on one day last week I was so cold I almost cut myself shaving and had to double my press up allocation. Soon solved it with a cup of tea, and a walk out in to the sun......(!) you bask outside, then freeze and have to put on a jacket when you come INSIDE!!

Now my heater in the lounge room seems to have packed up, or I can't work it out, one of the two but nonetheless I want to buy another one, for the bedroom, which can then be moved to the loungeroom, as MrsB is arrving in 2 weeks.

Good Guys is the place.

Oil filled radiator vs
Convector Heater

Both are 100 bucks. Both are rated for 2000-2400w. Some have low settings and are 800w odd.

There is one which is sooper dooper - 300 odd dollars - 75pc of a day's pay! I'm told that the more money I pay out on the heater the less power it will consume; or at least it will produce more bang for the buck (and thus need to be left on for less time)

Also I plan to get a timeswitch so I can have it come on 15mins before I get out of bed. If it hasn't already got one of course.

Any comments?

BM

MikeStanton

Have you ever considered moving to a warmer climate?

Bordy

If 300 odd Dollars is 75% of a DAYS pay maybe you could buy me one to .

Pollyana

Hear hear!!!! You trying to make us envious Badge?
And please stop talking about being too COLD........ you don't know how lucky you are!

MikeStanton

On a more serious note (??? ). First, you need to decide whether a quick blast of warm air in the morning will suffice (convector), or you prefer the more gradual heat of a oil-filled radiator (OFR). The OFR takes longer to do its job, so will be more expensive to run (assuming you are comparing the same energy ratings). However, OFR's are useful for drying clothes (assuming it doesn't say 'Don't dry clothes'!).

I wouldn't bother spending a lot on a heater - they're all pretty similar, just with a few extras like on/off timers (and it'll probably be cheaper to buy a separate on/off timer plug).

Is gas heating an option? We had a gas heater which was pretty good.

Badge

Thanks Mike.

I think I will go for the convector as we will probably use it in short bursts, and then turn it down to low in the evening. Once you are out and about, you soon warm up; its first thing in the morning, and later on at night. I'm doing OK - apart from that one morning, but MrsB may have a different opinion.

BM

Don

Convector is noisy; oil-fired is silent.

CHnJ

double my press up allocation

Nah mate, just load your back with housebricks - you don't want to be wasting time.

Badge

bloody psychisysts. All this talk of 'work', what is it - watts (expression of 'work'/time) = energy (expressed as force and newtons yadda yadda) /time or summat??!

Now for being a smart arse you can tell me the energy consumption. Kw hrs and all that.

OK OK I'm scraping the bottom of the barrel now with my physics.

BM

Jacqui

Don't you just miss good old-fashioned radiators in every room? I did find a website once quoting for such "hydroponic systems".

When we eventually move house, I am definitely getting "ducted gas heating" installed, it's just too cold without any form of heating, especially first thing in the morning when the bathroom is cold too.

Amazulu

Coming from South Africa where it can get really cold during the winter (especially at night). I find it strange that more houses don't have central heating. Same goes for Oz.

Larissa

I find that the convector heaters make your skin dry, but the oil filled ones don't. If you get a modern one, they have timers etc. and are convoluted - more surface area, meaning that they can heat quickly. (Blim'll probably tell me off coz I don't understand much physics!) I wouldn't hang clothes directly on any electric fire (plug into mains) but would put a "stable" clothes horse nearby. They also have thermostats & can turn on automatically when the temp. drops. I'm taking our delongi oil filled radiator as I think it'll be handy for Perth winter evenings. Its brilliant & we used it before we had our heating put in.
I think you're suposed to let them stand a while before you plug them in as the oil can be displaced moving them but I could be talking collywoddle.

Gill and Rob

I'm sad I know I am. I DREAM about owning a gas combi-boiler and a central heating system with radiators. I have to stop myself from "fondling" the 4 strutt electric bathroom towel rail.

I'm not asking for much, but I want central heating.

Gill, hot at the moment due to alcohol intake.

Go for the convector heater, instant gratification.

Loopy

We've got both, oil filled for the kids rooms as they're safer & convector thingys for our room & the lounge room. Oil filled are fine but take a while to do the job. We've got oscillating convectors (swish from side to side) mega cheap last year from Good Guys. They soon blast you with heat but get up to go to another room & you freeze! Have got gas bayonets so saving up for a gas heater too, might need it this year. We're lucky enough to have heat lamps in the bathrooms so can go sit in there if we have to!

Loopy, hot at the mo, sat here with the doors open still.

Centurix

Only two more weeks then no more of this melbourne climate. Yippee!