Oil Heaters

Oil Heaters – are they still relevant?

Oil heaters are a type of electric heater.  Oil heaters are simple in design.  They consist of a series of metal tubes filled with oil and a heating element on the bottom of the unit.  When the heaters are plugged into an electrical outlet, the heating element heats the oil and cycles it through the heater.  The heat is transferred from the hot oil to the metal of the tubes and then outside of the heater by a process known as convection.  This process allows all of the air around the heater to be gradually warmed.

Oil has a high boiling point, which means the oil in oil heaters can carry a lot of heat.  Because the oil is liquid, the heater does not need to be pressurized.  The heat readily transfers from the hot oil to the metal tubes and then out into the room.  Some oil heaters utilize a fan to facilitate a faster heat transfer from the heater to the outside air.  Oil heaters are designed to have a large surface area to maximize heat transfer to the surrounding air.  Although they are called oil heaters, no oil is consumed in the heating process, so you don’t have to buy fuel for oil heaters or fill them.  They come pre-filled, sealed, and ready to plug in.

Oil heaters are more expensive to use than gas heaters, but unlike gas heaters they require no ventilation, which makes them safe to use in small unventilated areas such as bedrooms.  Only electric heaters and electronically powered oil heaters are suitable for use in bedrooms for safety reasons.

Oil heaters – size does matter.

Electric heaters are driving down the popularity of oil heaters because they are cheaper to purchase and take up less space.  Many people are put off by the perceived danger of oil heaters.  Now that electric heaters are commonly equipped with a thermostat that increases their efficiency, oil heaters have been steadily declining in popularity.  Unlike electric heaters, the size of an oil heater is a reflection of it’s power.  Larger oil heaters are more powerful and can heat a larger space, but they take up more room.  Typically, oil heaters take up more space in a room than a comparable electric heater would.  For this reason, in small apartments it’s often more sensible to purchase an electric heater over an oil heater.

Unlike electric fan heaters, oil heaters have a low enough surface temperature that people are known to dry small articles of clothing on them, such as hats and gloves.  Caution must be used when drying clothes on oil heaters, because once the clothes have completely dried they pose a fire risk.  For this reason, it is not recommended to dry clothing on oil heaters.

Oil heaters take longer than electric heaters to heat up and cool down because the oil in the tubes must be brought up to temperature when it’s first plugged in and then the oil takes a little while to cool down when it’s unplugged.  The result is a gradual heating and cooling of the space.

Even with the declining popularity of oil heaters and the advances made in cheaper, electric heaters, an important need in the space heater market still reserve for oil heaters.

About Norhisham Rahmat