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This heater is very well made and is not made for instant heat, and it takes about an hour and it heats the air and objects. I am heating 2000 square feet with two of these heaters and the weather has gotten down to 20 degrees and heats the house just fine and stays about 72 degrees in the house I am very pleased with the overall way they work. If you are expecting instant heat in a short period this is not the heater for you it takes a little bit.
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In my quest to lower my oil heating bill, @ $4 per gallon, I did an extensive investigation of supplemental space heating solutions.
I bought a DeLonghi TRD0715T oil-filled radiator and a Vornado AVH2 Vortex Whole Room Heater. I also have my 20+ year old Pelonis 4-Disc Furnace--my trusty old Pelonis does not have thermostatic control, only a High/Low switch--I wanted a heater that had automatic control so I could "set and forget.".
The Eden Pure brochure got me interested in Infared Quartz heating. The Eden Pure sounded enticing, but I thought it over-priced, and the extensive research I did indicated there are better and cheaper alternatives in IQ heating.
After checking comments on different brands of IQ heaters, I settled on the Duraflame Colby and decided to buy from a local retailer (Fortunoff Backyard Store) rather than online because if it did not work out, I did not want to pay shipping to return it.
Instead of one unit, I bought two of them since the retailer was liquidating them as end of season merchandise--if I wanted/needed a second one later on, they would be out-of-stock. I have only set up one of them to test. I bought it at a $175 price.
The Duraflame Colby seems well built, with a nice wood cabinet. Sitting 6 feet away, I can feel the warmth, and the unit cycles on and off. However, before it cycles off, it runs to cool itself off internally and is thus blowing cool air. The built-in thermostat is reasonably accurate, when measured against an external thermometer. Whether it can heat 1,000 sq. ft. is still questionable, and perhaps doubtful, and whether it can do so at favorable electric cost is not apparent at present. Since I have only had it for a little over a week, I cannot comment on its durability. It does have a 3-year warranty, and the quality and packaging was good--perhaps an indicator of quality. I am glad I did not buy the Eden Pure--the Colby is so much cheaper.
I am concerned about electricity use since the entire purpose of my experiment is to substitute expensive oil heat with electric heat in the hopes of achieving immediate savings.
These space heaters are considered an investment and need to generate enough savings in one winter, over and above their purchase price, to justify their use. While I may use these heaters for many years to come, I am only considering the investment return horizon as one winter--the space heaters have to generate savings in one winter--my oil usage has to decline dramatically, and my electricity usage should not be tremendously higher in offset. I am investing $600 in heaters and need to recover this cost plus the incremental increase in electricity just to break even. Increasing the time horizon or alternatively figuring in an end-of-horizon salvage value may be reasonable but immediate payback is what I am after.
My plan is to keep my 2 zone thermostats at 60 degrees, and use the space heaters to push the temperatures on both levels of the house above that. I may even lower the house thermostats lower than 60 degrees after I see my electricity bill.
So far, it is still early on in my experiment since I have not received my most recent electricity bill to gauge usage. In addition, it has not been really that cold outside yet. I will update my comments as I gain more experience. In October and December, with mild temperatures, I got two oil fill ups totaling $1,100, so I am super motivated.
So far, these are my findings.
I will need to return the Vornado Whole Room heater, if I can. Judging from the dimming of lights, the Vornado uses a lot of electricity but generates little warmth. My old Pelonis heats up a room much, much quicker. The Vornado is also only suited for a small room, and I think it will use a lot more electricity to heat up the same amount of space that the Duraflame Colby does.
The Delonghi seems to consume less electricity. It generates strong heat off of the top, rising upwards. The lights don't dim as much, and it seems to be able to heat a large area if kept on continuously. I could use it in a smaller area as a continually on device. I may add a fan to circulate the heat. It is a keeper.
The Pelonis is the most efficient--instant and rapid heating. I plan to buy another B-6A1 classic 4 Disc Furnace with thermostatic control, although I am apprehensive that the new ones do not have the same build quality of my original--that original is over 20 years old and still functioning like new. Nothing is built like it used to be. That the warranty now is only 1-year, down from 3-years, which is down from 7-years is an indication of build quality. My original one was made in Taiwan; the new ones are made in China.
If the new Pelonis performs as well as the old one, it will definitely out-perform the Vornado, as it generates more heat in a shorter timeframe thus saving electricity, and with thermostatic control, I would not have to monitor it like I have to do so with my original Pelonis without automatic control. Thus the Vornado definitely has to be replaced.
I will use the Pelonis to rapidly heat a room as needed, and the Durflame Colby to maintain the larger spaces at an even temperature level, and keep the house oil furnace set at a base temperature level.
I will inform later on how this strategy and experiment works out.
UPDATE--OBJECTIVE COMPARISON TEST RESULTS: 1/12/2012
I have had the chance to make an objective comparison, and make further observations about the Colby, along with the other space heaters. I did an objective comparative test of the four space heaters I own, holding as many factors constant as I could.
I used the same room, an enclosed (door closed) 160 sf room, and placed the same thermometer in the same location during each phase of the test. The outside temperature was relatively constant throughout the test periods. I started each phase of the test at the same base level temperature of 60 degrees, and timed the test for 30 minutes for each type of heater. I recorded the increase in temperature achieved by each heater at the end of 30 minutes.
These are the findings:
Duraflame IQ Colby: (60 degrees to) 67 degrees, 7 DEGREE increase (in 30 minutes).
DeLonghi Oil-filled Radiator (pre-heated--non-cold, plus external circulating fan): 66 degrees, 6 DEGREE increase.
Pelonis 4-Disc (20+ year-old unit): 64 degrees, 4 DEGREE increase.
Vornado Whole Room Vortex: 67 degrees, 7 DEGREE increase.
The results were surprising:
Subjectively, I had thought the Pelonis would raise the temperature the most, since its heat is instant, intensely hot at close distance and it just subjective felt warmer. I will repeat the test with the new Pelonis I ordered when it arrives--maybe because it is 20 plus years old, the output is diminished, even though it seems as strong as when new.
I was impressed that the Delongghi achieved a 6 degree increase (I started with a warmed up Delonghi and not from a cold start because the DeLonghi needed time to heat the oil, and I added an external circulating fan since the Delonghi's heat only comes out of the top and hot air rises--thought this would make it more comparable, as the thermometer is resting on a bed and not hanging from the ceiling, and it does not have a fan to circulate).
I was surprised that the Vornado was able to match the 7 degree increase of the Duraflame Colby. The Vornado is not promoted as a large area heater--just as a "whole room heater." The mfg. rated output is 5,118 BTU's. I was going to return it, but based upon the test results, I've changed my mind.
The Duraflame Colby in comparison is somewhat of a disappointment. It is rated at 5,200 BTU's, matching the Vornado, but promoted as a 1,000 sf heater. I would have expected it to be able to raise the temperature the most (fastest) since it is promoted as a large space heater, thus presumably more capable of pushing out more heat--but it just matched the Vornado.
In using the Colby to heat my upstairs area, about 800 sf, I had noted that the temperature did not rise much in spite of continuously running on cycle. Given this objective test, I can only conclude that the Colby would not be able to heat 1,000 sf, and is at best a small/medium room heater. That being the case, I am not going to keep the second unit I purchased to heat large space. I have a call in to Twinstar--the manufacturer--to see what they say--to see if I have a defective unit or whether such performance is what is to be expected.
Given the results, the Colby is not a good value (typical retail at $200 plus shipping, althought I bought it for $175 plus tax=$190), being twice the price of the Vornado at $98--I got the Vornado from Hammacher Schelmmer at $120 plus shipping--one pays more at HS than Amazon. The DeLonghi is the best value--I bought it from Amazon for $68. The new Pelonis (to be received yet) was purchased at a cost of $75.
I hope the above test results will be helpful to prospective purchasers. An objective test certainly changes subjective perceptions--ie, it reversed my opinion of the Vornado's effectiveness, and I am going to keep rather than return it. It makes my decision on keeping the second Colby easier--it will not do what I expected it to do, heat a large space. The DeLonghi is confirmed as a keeper. Too bad about the Duraflame Colby--I like it and had hoped it would heat large space, and wanted to keep both units. Now I will just keep one for small space heating. I lowered my rating from 5 stars to 3 stars, taking off one star for performance and one star for manufacturer's stipulations not met.
FURTHER UPDATE: 01/13/2012
JUST GOT MY NEW PELONIS 4 DISC FURNACE TODAY. DID COMPARATIVE TEST LIKE BEORE. THE NEW PELONIS WAS ABLE TO RAISE THE ROOM TEMPERATURE BY 7 DEGREES FROM 60 DEGREES, AS OPPOSED TO ONLY BY 4 DEGREES WITH THE OLD PELONIS, ALL OTHER THINGS HELD EQUAL. RE-TEST OF THE OLD PELONIS CONFIRMED 4 DEGREE RISE ONLY.
However new Pelonis has awful smell--hope it outgases. Sides of new Pelonis gets warm, unlike the old Pelonis, which stay cool. Case, grill and cord on new Pelonis all inferior to old Pelonis.
In summary:
Duraflame 7 Degrees
Vornado 7 Degrees
DeLonghi 6 Degrees
Pelonis New 7 Degrees
Pelonis Old 4 Degrees
In summary:
Thus all types pretty much comparable in 30 minute test. BTU rating is determinant of heating ability. So beyond hype and claims of marketers and manufacturers, it is a matter of features and value.
Re the Duraflame Colby, it cannot heat 1,000 sf; for about 600 sf open area, it runs non-stop for hours and only manages to raise temp 1 to 2 degrees, when house heating is set at 60 degrees--had to supplement with Vornado and/or Pelonis to further raise temperature, thus running multiple heaters for the same space--defeats the purpose--might as well raise the house thermostat.
The Colby is best used as a small/medium sized enclosed room portable heater--but as such, the other alternatives do equally well.
A call to the manufacturer, Twinstar, to check if I have a defective unit, did not result in a timely response--still waiting. Will definitely return the second unused unit.
UPDATE: 11/30/2012
The remote failed to work. Changed batteries, still no luck. Contacted Twinstar and the telephone answerer took the model and my personal information and said a technician will contact me about sending out a new remote--strange procedure--I guess they outsource customer support. Will update further when remote received, and if it solves the problem.
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I had this heater for a month now and have used it on and off this fall. I wanted to use it to heat a 825 sq foot area. The heater could not heat this area. I have a seven year old prefab modular home that is very well insulated. I wanted to heat the open floor plan of the first floor which is 825 sq feet. The outside temperature was 50 degrees and I set the heater on 70. The farther away from the heater the less it heated. The manufacturer stated it will heat up to a 1000 sq feet. The heater is made in China. I decided to use it in the master bedroom which includes a walk in closet, and master bathroom. It worked great there and it's about 400 square feet. It's a nice looking heater and I like the remote control. The heater did smell the first couple of days but got better after a while. If you're looking to heat up to 1000 sq. feet you may be disappointed. I like the heater. I purchased this heater at Northen Tool on sale for plus shipping.
Honest reviews on Duraflame Infared Quartz Electric Portable Heater Air Purifier
I purchased this heater with the hopes of saving a little money on my oil bill this winter. With 2 little ones and a wife at home all day, heating the whole house when everyone is downstairs in 3 rooms didn't make a lot of sense. After reading a fair number of reviews, I decided to take a chance on this unit. We haven't gotten our 1st electric bill yet, but we've been using it almost every day. This unit takes about 45 60 minutes to reach full heat output, but once it does, boy does this thing cook. I have been able to lower my thermostat 3 degrees and have a warmer downstairs than with the furnace alone. Turned up, the space downstairs becomes uncomfortably hot. Our furnace is cycling on noticeably less than before when this is in use (my thermostat is located about 25 feet away from the heater, on the far side of a wall). The heat is even, the fan noise isn't any louder than our forced-air HVAC, the front grill doesn't get hot to the touch (the heating elements are contained within the body of the unit), the cabinet is very attractive and blends-in well with our furniture. Plus, it is well-made and comes with a remote. So far, I am very happy with this heater.
** update 11/17/2012 **
This unit works so well we're going to buy a 2nd one for another room. Drawing only 1500W also makes this an option when running on generator power, if you don't have a transfer switch installed (we will, but don't yet). This one's a keeper.
Find helpful customer reviews and review ratings for Duraflame Infared Quartz Electric Portable Heater Air Purifier
Use in an older home not very well insulated and it gets comfortable within 2 hrs of starting. Works well for the cold basement too! Have it set on 74, hasn't gotten below 30 deg outside yet but have no doubt with a top heat of 97 it will handle below zero weather! Strong smell on 1st startup and a lil noisy for some consumers.
