On Sun, 09 Jan 2011 14:18:55 -0500, Metspitzer
wrote:

Here in winter, most days it at least gets above freezing.
(Alabama/Georgia) The nights are supposed to be down in the low 20s
this week.
In my sister's house, the water heater is in a utility room
with no heat. The hot water pipe is in an outside wall so her hot
water freezes during these cold times. I have suggested she put a
100W bulb in the overhead light and leave it on to keep the pipes from
freezing. This has helped, but it still freezes if the temp stays
below freezing for more than a day.
She only needs enough heat in the small x small room to keep
the pipe from freezing. A 100W lamp is not enough and a room heater
is really too much. Can someone suggest something in between?

Buy one of those little ceramic electric heaters. Walmart, hardware
store, building center, etc.. They're about $30 and very safe to use.
They draw lower wattage than the bigger electric heaters. Blow it
toward the wall where the pipes are. (of course leave a few feet in
between - read the directions to know how far to space it from walls).
Heat tape is costly too, but it may be a little cheaper, but this
heater wont need anything installed. Just plug it in.

On 1/10/2011 4:43 AM, wrote:
On Sun, 09 Jan 2011 14:18:55 -0500,
wrote:

Here in winter, most days it at least gets above freezing.
(Alabama/Georgia) The nights are supposed to be down in the low 20s
this week.
In my sister's house, the water heater is in a utility room
with no heat. The hot water pipe is in an outside wall so her hot
water freezes during these cold times. I have suggested she put a
100W bulb in the overhead light and leave it on to keep the pipes from
freezing. This has helped, but it still freezes if the temp stays
below freezing for more than a day.
She only needs enough heat in the small x small room to keep
the pipe from freezing. A 100W lamp is not enough and a room heater
is really too much. Can someone suggest something in between?

Buy one of those little ceramic electric heaters. Walmart, hardware
store, building center, etc.. They're about $30 and very safe to use.
They draw lower wattage than the bigger electric heaters.

How do you figure that? Almost all heaters draw ~1500W on high, and some
portion thereof on medium and low.

Not that I'm adverse to ceramic, but they don't draw less power.

Jeff

When ceramic heaters came out, they were supposed to be more
energy efficient. Years ago, I checked some packages at the
store. 1500 watts delivers 5,200 BTU per hour. Filament or
ceramic, both the same output. The ceramics don't get as
hot, and much less of a fire risk.

And, ceramic heaters are smaller, easier to store in the off
season (get it? OFF season?).

--
Christopher A. Young
Learn more about Jesus
www.lds.org
..


"Jeff Thies"
wrote in message ...


Buy one of those little ceramic electric heaters.
Walmart, hardware
store, building center, etc.. They're about $30 and very
safe to use.
They draw lower wattage than the bigger electric heaters.

How do you figure that? Almost all heaters draw ~1500W on
high, and some
portion thereof on medium and low.

Not that I'm adverse to ceramic, but they don't draw less
power.

Jeff

On 1/10/2011 9:25 AM, Stormin Mormon wrote:
When ceramic heaters came out, they were supposed to be more
energy efficient. Years ago, I checked some packages at the
store. 1500 watts delivers 5,200 BTU per hour. Filament or
ceramic, both the same output.

Same power, same efficiency.

The ceramics don't get as
hot, and much less of a fire risk.

I don't know about that. A quickie IR measurement into my ceramic on
high, gives almost 300F. Reduce the airflow, if it was covered or
partially covered and that will go up. It still needs to be thermally
protected. And caution used that nothing can cover it.

There is no glowing hot wire, but that is not all there is to worry
about.


And, ceramic heaters are smaller, easier to store in the off
season (get it?

I never said anything to lead to the contrary.

Most people I know, myself included, keep one in the bathroom. Small
size, quick heat, reasonably safe. Still need to be careful. The safest
heater, is the largest, the radiator style IMHO.

Jeff


OFF season?).

On 2011-01-10, Jeff Thies wrote:

Most people I know, myself included, keep one in the bathroom. Small
size, quick heat, reasonably safe. Still need to be careful. The safest
heater, is the largest, the radiator style IMHO.

All electric heaters are limited by wiring codes for 110V house
current. Max is 1500 watts. Add a fan and the motor subtracts from
heating element maximum. Radiant heat BTUs are determined by direct
conversion of amps to BTUs. Can anyone show me that ceramics are more
efficient than a heated metal filament?

nb

On 1/10/2011 10:21 AM, notbob wrote:
On 2011-01-10, Jeff wrote:

Most people I know, myself included, keep one in the bathroom. Small
size, quick heat, reasonably safe. Still need to be careful. The safest
heater, is the largest, the radiator style IMHO.

All electric heaters are limited by wiring codes for 110V house
current. Max is 1500 watts.

Roughly. With line voltages typically closer to 125, they can run over
1600W. I've checked all mine with a Kill A Watt. So, 15A max, and
generally more like 13A.


Add a fan and the motor subtracts from
heating element maximum.

They usually rate all electric heaters as 100%. Even the fan and motor
eventually is eventually returned as heat.

Radiant heat BTUs are determined by direct
conversion of amps to BTUs. Can anyone show me that ceramics are more
efficient than a heated metal filament?

Not correctly, anyways!

Jeff

nb

In article , Jeff Thies wrote:
On 1/10/2011 9:25 AM, Stormin Mormon wrote:
When ceramic heaters came out, they were supposed to be more
energy efficient. Years ago, I checked some packages at the
store. 1500 watts delivers 5,200 BTU per hour. Filament or
ceramic, both the same output.

Same power, same efficiency.

The ceramics don't get as
hot, and much less of a fire risk.

I don't know about that. A quickie IR measurement into my ceramic on
high, gives almost 300F. Reduce the airflow, if it was covered or
partially covered and that will go up. It still needs to be thermally
protected. And caution used that nothing can cover it.

There is no glowing hot wire, but that is not all there is to worry
about.

And, ceramic heaters are smaller, easier to store in the off
season (get it?

I never said anything to lead to the contrary.

Most people I know, myself included, keep one in the bathroom. Small
size, quick heat, reasonably safe. Still need to be careful. The safest
heater, is the largest, the radiator style IMHO.

The "radiator style" looks to me safer - more suitable for use in a
chilly bedroom than other types.

But in the original area with pipes prone to freezing and sounding easy
to rid of combustibles? I would use something with a fan to direct the
heat, and UL listed so that if the fan fails the unit fails safely. Keep
the area free of combustibles just in case the unit in question fails less
safely than the sample of that unit submitted for UL testing.

Otherwise get one or two of those clamp-on lights with reflectors, use
150W bulbs in the likely event the units are rated for such, and aim them
where their radiant heat output will be good - should this amount of heat
be sufficient. (Probably will be in a small area when outdoor temperature
only dips to the 20's.)

There are also trouble lights, with hooks for hanging them from things,
and reflectors to give them some directivity. However, those tend to be
rated for maximum of 60 watt bulbs or something like that.

("Industrial service" / "rough duty" incandescents, as well as ones
producing over 2600 lumens of light at "design voltage", are among the
many exceptions from the upcoming incandescent lamp ban.)

Watch out for the ball joints in many of these clamp-on lights being
prone to slipping. Deploy these lights only where they re-aim themselves
safely if the ball joint slips. Don't set yourself up for being only a
minor earthquake or a thermal expansion related loss of grip away from
starting a fire - with any temporary lighting or any temporary heat
source.
--
- Don Klipstein )

In article , notbob wrote:
On 2011-01-10, Jeff Thies wrote:

Most people I know, myself included, keep one in the bathroom. Small
size, quick heat, reasonably safe. Still need to be careful. The safest
heater, is the largest, the radiator style IMHO.

All electric heaters are limited by wiring codes for 110V house
current. Max is 1500 watts. Add a fan and the motor subtracts from
heating element maximum. Radiant heat BTUs are determined by direct
conversion of amps to BTUs. Can anyone show me that ceramics are more
efficient than a heated metal filament?

The ceramics are more efficient at heating air, which is directed by
the fan to what is to be heated. The filament types are more efficient at
heating whatever absorbs their infrared radiation, though they do some
heating of adjacent air that rises upward.
--
- Don Klipstein )