The Safest Type of Space Heaters
Safety is very important when it comes to buying and using space heaters. When you make the wrong choice and purchase a space heater that’s not safe, you end up with a high risk of being involved in a fire accident.
If you use space heaters at home or the office during winters and cold periods, then safety should be a major concern, as most space heaters aren’t safe and are prone to fire accidents.
In the paragraphs that follow, you’ll find the safest type of space heaters out there, what to consider before buying and using space heaters, and what space heaters are not to use at home.
What to look out for when making a buying decision
There are no specific ratings for space heaters, however, always go for the newer models when purchasing a space heater. Newer models come with smart features like Tip over protection and thermostats.
Since space heaters are prone to fire accidents, ensure that your space heater buying decision is influenced by the following factors;
● Tip over test pass
A space heater should pass the tip over the test to be safe before purchase and use. For the tip over the test, the space is taken from its position and placed with its face to the ground. If the space heater automatically turns itself off, then it passes the test.
To get a good rating, the space heater must turn off automatically in 10 seconds or fewer when placed with its face to the ground mimicking a tip-over.
When this is done and the space heater passes the test, it is considered safe for usage at home and in the office.
● Drape test pass
For this test, the space heater is covered with a piece of cloth or fabric and if the space heater shuts down within a minute or two, then it is safe.
To get a perfect score or rating, the space heater is supposed to shut down in two minutes or keep working for 30-40 minutes without burning the fabric or cloth and getting caught up in fire.
● Overheating pass
The space heater is covered with a piece of clothing or any material to enclose it for 2 minutes or less. It is expected that the space heater turns off automatically without interference.
The reason for enclosing with any material or clothing is to make it build up or gather heat within. A safe space heater, it switches itself off because of overheating.
The space heater is also placed in an enclosed position or overloaded with electric energy from the power source to check if it will overheat. A safe space heater shouldn’t overheat, which may lead to fire outbreaks.
For a space heater to be considered safe, it must pass the three tests and come out with a great score or rating. It should score at least 9/10 for each of the three tests to have a positive rating of 9/10 or 10/10.
The Safest Types of Space Heaters
The safest type of space heaters are the new models in the market that come with new safety features like thermostats, overheating, and tip-over protection functions.
Always ensure that it is a new model you’re buying, and it has undergone the tip-over, drape, and overheating test with a good rating, then you can buy and use it.
This doesn’t mean you shouldn’t take safety precautions to get safer because safety doesn’t mean ruling out the risks related to space heaters but lowering the risks linked with them.
Here are the safest types of space heaters out there:
● Oil Space heaters
Oil space heaters are one of the safest types of heaters out there. They hardly overheat, which means they are hardly involved in fire outbreaks attributed to overheating.
The oil inside them is used to circulate the heat from the internal casing to the metal surface, which then spreads across the room.
They have a special casing that covers the oil and heating element inside the space heater. This special casing is enclosed in a metal body which hardly overheats.
When the oil heats and gets to the metal casing, it radiates heat to the room after the oil has heated to a certain temperature degree. This is so effective that after reaching the required temperature, they can be turned off and can still warm the room for over 30 mins.
They’re safe to touch because they don’t overheat. Kids and pets can touch, but it is not advisable to keep space heaters out of the reach of kids and pets.
The DeLonghi TRD40615T and Pelonis oil-filled radiator are excellent examples of oil space heaters. They come with an in-built tip-over, thermostat, and overheat protection, making them very safe for homes and offices.
● Ceramic Space Heaters
Ceramic space heaters are also very safe to use as their chances of causing a fire outbreak are very low. They use fans to blow out heat to warm up people and spaces within an enclosed place.
Ceramic heaters have what are called ceramic plates enclosed with the main casing. When electric currents pass through the plate, it becomes very hot and then spreads the heat throughout the room or enclosed place.
The whole body of ceramic space heaters can’t overheat because the ceramic plates are enclosed within the main body. Only the plates get hot and produce heat, which is then distributed through the room.
An excellent example of Ceramic space heaters is Amazon’s Basic Ceramic Personal Mini Heater and the Givebest portable Electric space heater, which comes with overheat protection, tip-over protection, and an in-built thermostat.
Space heater not safe to use at home
Space heaters that emit carbon monoxide and radiation like the infrared space heater are not safe to use at home but outdoors.
Unvented or combustion space heaters are not safe for use at home because of the risk of carbon monoxide poisoning, asthma, and respiratory problems and diseases.
Some examples are space heaters that use gas and kerosene instead of electricity to generate heat. Electric space heaters are safer to use at home than any other type of space heater that uses gas or kerosene.
Final Thoughts
The safest type of space heaters are oil-filled and ceramic space heaters because they come with an inbuilt thermostat, tip-over protection, and overheating protection features.
The safest type of space heaters may not be cheap and affordable but will definitely keep you safe, so always make the best investment on heaters that come highly recommended and pass the three safety tests.
So always consider space heaters with portability, good safety score, and energy efficiency before making a buying decision.