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Howdy - a quick life-related question:

Does anybody have an oil heater? If so, are they any good, and what brand do you have? Mrs. MiJ wants to get one for the kids' rooms, as she doesnt like them sleeping with the air-con on, but they're a bit of an unknown to me, so any advice would be very welcome.

Cheers in advance

Used to have an old one (8 years ago) so mine would be different to any you are considering. They certainly keep the room toasty.

Biggest problem I had was that refilling the removable tank wasn't so fun (but an electric pump helped) with the occasional spill. Also getting and storing the kerosene was a minor hassle.

Mine tended to dry out the room so I had a kettle on top to keep the air moist.

Just my two cents. I hope it helps.

My wife and I have an oil heater. They are nice in the sense they are safer and conduct heat steadily, but they don't heat a room quickly and if the room is not well insulated, it probably won't become very warm. Also expect a considerable jump in the electricity bill, although I am uncertain how it compares to the cost of running an AC.

The brand we have is a DeLonghi.

BTW, did you mean electric oil heaters or a kerosene heater? My wife and I use kerosene heaters quiet often. They much more effective at heating a room, but the downside is they smell a bit when they start up. Also they have to be filled.

What I really recommend is a natural gas heater. They require a hook up in the room which your house may or may not have. The heat is fantastic, not overly expensive and overall safe.

We've got a DeLonghi too - it heats up a small room very nicely, and is probably good for kiddos as it won't get hot enough to, y'know, light things on fire or burn flesh, isn't a danger if it tips over, et cetera et cetera.

Natural gas "fan heaters" work really well, but man do they do a number on your gas bill (in my experience).

Thanks folks. When I say oil I mean oil, not kerosene*. We actually have a couple of kerosene heaters from our pre-child days, but I sure as heck wouldn't leave one in a kid's room. Also, stinky. (and potentially carbon-monoxidey)

We don't have a gas connection in the house - we're all electric, and enjoy the attached tax breaks. Down side is, no gas hookup.

Which brings us to oil heaters.

I had kinda hoped to read "yeah we have one - it's not a delonghi and it's ace" because them delonghi ones cost about 1man more than any other brand. Ho hum. May just bite the bullet and get one. I shall confer with the missus. Thanks for the input, everyone - y'all are a veritable font of knowledge

*fair play, Dlord, I thought the same thing when my wife first raised the subject. Easy mistake to make. Oil heaters, I have since learned, look more like a radiator like you'd get in a centrally heated house. They're electric - the oil is the medium they use to conduct the heat internally, I believe, rather tha a fuel source in itself.

Well the DeLoghni is a good heater. I can't speak for any other brand. And is seems pretty safe. It doesn't run very hot, so if something or someone touches it, it is unlikely to cause harm. Also I believe there's a time setting and you can adjust the heat level a bit.

I would say spend the extra and go for Delonghi too. Safe and doesn't get too hot to the touch. We have one for the master bedroom to keep Louis warm as he's not at the stage where he doesn't kick covers around, therefore the room has to be warm enough for his no blanket antics. It keeps the room (10 tatami) very toasty. Haven't noticed a spike in electric use to be honest..we opted for an older model as we thought the timer option it has would be more useful than later models of the same type, which are designed to stick at a certain temperature (thermostat control).
The timer has hardly been used to be honest, wish we had after all gone for the later model that sits at the desired temperature.

I'm in the DeLoghini crowd too and it's really nice for the cold mornings.

M.

Good to know. I shall most likely go for the delonghi. I may wait until black Friday though - one never knows one's luck, no?

Many thanks for the input - tis invaluable.