Infrared Heaters

[BradW]

Has anyone tried infrared electric heaters? I am seriously thinking about trying one out. They are sorta pricey at around $250.00, but I think if you do any amount of fall camping like myself, that it would be a good investment. I think that one of these would easily heat my entire 28 foot Flagstaff. They claim the type of heat they emit is a really warm...almost fireplce....type of heat.

[Packer Backer]

We had one paid about 300 for it. Used it in the house and the camper, better then using propane. If you do buy one make sure the control board( where you turn it on and off, temp up and down) is below where the heat blows out. Ours was about 3 years old and the control board is shot and the company that makes them changed their name and won't answer my emails or phone calls.

[myredracer]

Infrared heaters do not heat the air and they don't move air around. They warm up the objects and people that infrared "waves" hit which in turn also radiates back into the room.

There are various types like wall mount, ceiling mount (flat panel) and recessed (lamp bulb tpe). They are a little more efficient generally since you don't heat up all of the air in a room to feel warm.

The lamp bulb type work great in a place like a bathroom as the rooms are small and you feel the warmth when under them but would be too tall for an RV. A ceiling mount flat panel is likely too large in area for an RV. A wall mount *might* work but you'd be too warm near it and cold elsewhere in the RV.

One important thing to consider is that thermostats don't work very well at all with radiant heaters because they do not heat up the air. Often, they are simple connected to an on/off switch.

Radiant heaters work well in places like big warehouses with high ceilings where you want to provide heat to say workers at a counter.

I suppose if you have few options and you just want to keep somewhat warm on a few outings in the cold season, you could opt for a portable plug-in radiant heater and just put up with being too warm or too cold. But you'd want to be very careful that the heater doesn't fall over or get aimed at a wall which could create a fire hazard.

Personally for a permanent solution, I'd suggest some type of heater or furnace that has a fan in it that will push some air around. In a long/narrow RV, you'll probably not going to get evenly heated from end to end but it's going to be better than a radiant heater warming up just what's in front of it. For occasional use or supplemental use, I'd suggest one of the small ceramic heaters or oil-filled fin types.

BTW, I'm an electrical engineer and used to design electric heating systems in all sorts of buildings so I kinda still know this stuff (now retired and I don't keep on top of this anymore). FWIW, the recessed elec. ceiling heater (see my post) I installed cost about $250, all inclusive, for parts - heater, relay, LV transformer, thermostat and a little wire. The hardest part was the 8 hours or so I spent installing the heater and wiring.

[capucine]

myredracer: just a small question! on these infrared furnaces that you can see almost everywhere now they print that these devices are running for pennies a day. Since they consumes the same wattages than other portables heaters I think the pennies a day is misleading? What is your opinion on this?

[LadyWindrider]

If your electric bill for your house was $90.00 for a 30 day month, then your hose would be supplied by 300 pennies a day. You can do the math. Not trying to sound harsh, but no matter what you use it for, 1500 watts is 1500 watts, whether it's a washing machine, hair dryer, or refrigerator, or a heater, at least that is what you will get billed for. Even $1000.00 can be be broken down to pennies. Watch out for advertising schemes.