Fluid filled electric radiators vs convectors..

[joidevie]

Hi..

I have read the many 'descriptions' of the differences in radiators (from panneaux rayonnants to inerties..) and I actually think for much of the house I will go for simple convectors as many bedrooms are part time use etc. The old ones we have dotted around which we dismounted from the walls have served well to quickly heat the air while the wood burner kicks in..

I am however looking at 'possibly' having something like a fluid filled ticking over in the main room (with the wood burner) and bathroom instead as they 'retain' more of a localised heat..

The main large room struggled during the very cold last year, and I'm not sure if a fluid one will really do enough.. They seem to be only around 1000w, and while the convector chucks out satisfying heat quickly, I fear the fluid might just sit there and not cut the mustard..

I have no problem with the 'dryness' of the convertors as the house is always a little moist in winter, and I find the panneaux rayonnants a little ugly..

Any gut feelings on this one?

Many thanks..

PS. The house is an old stone house however is now properly glazed..

[Cendrillon]

Take a look at Acova (Acover ?sp) not cheap but very efficient and easy to manage IMHO

[mellybelly]

Hi joidevie,

We bought two of these 4 years ago, dead cheap to run, maintain a superb all round temperature and heat the rooms very quickly.

Thermostat regulated and really portable and efficient, plus the modern ones don't smell at all.

Mel.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:JapaneseKeroseneBurner.jpg

[idun]

It is the smell with the kerosene burners, even with the really expensive no smell stuff that I don't like. (Like nosmell paint, well I can). We have one and it has been used, but I'd rather not. Also there is the 'wet' rather than 'dry' problem with them.

I have had convection heaters and oil filled.

I would never leave an oil filled one on tick over when a wood burner was in action, would feel like I was wasting electricity and quite unnecessary. Unless ofcourse, the wood burner in question is one of those that burns but doesn't warm. I've seen a few of them over the years.

For quick heat in a bedroom, I'd probably have electric radiators, hoping that guests wouldn't leave them blasting all night long.

[joidevie]

[quote user="idun"]

For quick heat in a bedroom, I'd probably have electric radiators, hoping that guests wouldn't leave them blasting all night long.

[/quote]

Cheers.. And I presume you mean a convector rather than a fluid filled on this not..?

[Cendrillon]

joidevie do look at ACOVA they do really brilliant radiators with a kind of jell inside, they can be thermostatically controlled and look great.

[idun]

[quote user="joidevie"][quote user="idun"]

For quick heat in a bedroom, I'd probably have electric radiators, hoping that guests wouldn't leave them blasting all night long.

[/quote]

Cheers.. And I presume you mean a convector rather than a fluid filled on this not..?
[/quote]

 

Yes, just ordinary ones, rather than oil filled. This is all down to personal choice isn't it.

I quite like those little ceramic fan heaters for giving a quick blast of heat to a room and before we had gas heating in France and mid season when the wood burner would have been too hot, would use one in our sejour during the evening. And if someone just wanted a quick blast of warmth in a bedroom, they too would work.

 

[joidevie]

[quote user="Cendrillon"]joidevie do look at ACOVA they do really brilliant radiators with a kind of jell inside, they can be thermostatically controlled and look great.

[/quote]

I did look at the Acovas, and after looking at the prices my eyes were watering so much that I couldn't see any more..

OK, only joking, and they do look great.. Possibly an option for one room (as a treat) and then cheapie convectors for the less used rooms..

[Cendrillon]

We have now got Acova radiators in 3 rooms. When we get round to it (and when we can afford to![blink]) we would love to have them in almost every room.[:)]

[Théière]

Are not all these radiators convectors? That is they rely on convection current to heat the room.  Whereas a fan heater as idun said gives a quick blast of heat.

Point being a fluid filled rad takes longer to heat up as it has the extra mass of the water/oil/gel before it really gets to warm the room, although it will continue to stay warmer a bit longer than a standard element type but the element type will be producing heat much quicker.  Neither work that well if there isn't a good convection flow of air.

Do the Acova rads have heating built in or are you using wet rads?

[Cendrillon]

Acova rads are definitely not wet rads (see later post -  I stand corrected![:$]) and do heat up quickly and retain the heat well. I am no techie so can't explain the ins and outs in detail.[geek] You'll have to look on the Acova website for more info.

 All I can say is that they work well for us in our second home.[:)]

[Théière]

I googled them Cendrillon, featured in a B&Q ad showing wet rads.  Is this the type?

[Cendrillon]

Told you I wasn't a techie type![8-)]

Yes ours are something like that I can't remember the name. They look just like central heating radiators but do not need all the pipework, drilling through walls and boiler control that CH needs.

[idun]

I used the word 'wet' to describe the atmosphere with kerosene heaters, as mentioned in a post, we always have lots of condensation when we use ours. As did friends when they used theirs. Most other radiators keep the air 'dry'.

Ah this is so complicated, so much to think about.

 

The cheapest heating we had was with water filled radiators and using mains gas boiler. Cheaper than using the wood burner or electricity. Still in rural France that is rarely an option, and I never imagined it would be for us. In fact much of my old village still hasn't got it.

[Alan Zoff]

Oil boiler in French house playing up on on C/H circuit and was quoted over £2,000 euros

to repair it. Most of the radiators were in need of replacement, too.

So, having read some of the comments on this thread, I have just bought 7 of the water-filled electric radiators on Ebay. Hardly used and like new. (Sellers are prop developers who have gutted house and installed gas C/H as part of their standard refit.)

£425 for all 7, complete with wall fixings - less than new price for one.

Have tested them all and they work fine. Fitting them next week and hoping I have found a good value alternative. Timely, as we were rewiring house anyway so just have to make sure there is a mains socket for each heater.