Showing posts with label small electric heaters. Show all posts
Showing posts with label small electric heaters. Show all posts
Monday, November 3, 2014
1,500 Watt Utility Heater - PUH792-UM Reviews
I purchased this to provide a bit of warmth while working in my uninsulated northern garage. I liked the very utilitarian appearance and have had good experience with the Patton brand. Unfortunately this unit just does not have enough output to be noticed in such an environment. The small, single-speed fan just does not move the heated air far enough away from the unit; to get any benefit from it I have to be right on top of it. I never expected it to heat the whole garage but I did expect it to provide some noticeable warming in a few foot radius. This it does not do. If you have a very small space that will contain the heated air better, you might find it acceptable. But generally I would advise looking for a larger-diameter blower with at least two speed settings.
Saturday, October 18, 2014
Buy 2013 Comfort Furnace Electric Heater Infrared Black UV CF1500UV-PA
List Price: $419.00
Sale Price: $259.99
Today's Bonus: 38% Off
Great looking unit and extremely quiet. Perfect for those chilly times when you just need to get warm quickly. The remote control is easy to operate and has simple temperature control settings.
I did considerable research on several competitive models before buying and found Comfort Furnace to be the highest rated for the money. Make sure you read the customer satisfaction reviews, which are so important in your choices. So glad I made this decision.
Click Here For Most Helpful Customer Reviews >>
The infrared heat warms you instantly, rather than merely warming the air. The UV air cleaner smells clean, and nice to have the option of shutting that feature off. The thing is handsome and small enough to tuck into the bottom of our bookcase cabinets when not in use. Because we do not have to heat all the air in our rental house in order to stay comfortable, we anticpate savings on the electric billBest Deals on 2013 Comfort Furnace Electric Heater Infrared Black UV CF1500UV-PA
A huge disappointment. I wanted to heat a fairly small room (about 200 sq ft) and hoped that this product would do the trick without the help of standard baseboard heat. On a cold day, in the 20's for example, the unit raises the room temp by 1 or 2 degrees after an hour at the maximum setting. There is no way this unit could heat an area of 1000 sq ft.Save yourself about 300 dollars and get a standard space heater like a Lasko. It will do just as good of a job as a "Comfort Furnace".
Honest reviews on 2013 Comfort Furnace Electric Heater Infrared Black UV CF1500UV-PA
Quiet, efficient heater. Looks great in the room and we enjoy the warmth of the heat given. The best model heater yet!!!
Wednesday, August 20, 2014
Reviews of Capresso 261.04 teaC100 Temperature Controlled Water Kettle
List Price: $99.99
Sale Price: $88.16
Today's Bonus: 12% Off
Fits my needs perfectly; I drink about 3 8oz cups of tea each morning. No issues thus far after 3 weeks of daily usage.
Initial heating of water first thing in the morning:
Filled to maximum capacity which is 48 oz
Water and ambient air temperature: 75 F
Time to reach 195 F was 4 mins 30 secs.
Used the following to measure temperature:
CDN DTQ450X ProAccurate Quick-Read Thermometer
Reheats within minutes if reheating within a few hours after the initial heating. I do not refill the kettle with water until after making my last cup of tea.
Love its simplicity of operation!
.
.
Update: 10.11.2012
Kettle still going strong, still using daily.
To operate:
Turn dial to desired temperature then press the center of the dial to turn on.
When ON, a blue ring on the knob lights up along with a blue LED next to the selected temperature. Lighting turns OFF when water is at desired temperature.
Would have been nice if it had a means to audibly notify that the water is at the desired temperature.
Still luv'in the kettle...
.
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Update: 01.08.2013
Kettle stopped heating water earlier Dec '12, received replacement after Christmas '12. Had to shipped back the unit to Capresso at my own expense.
The replacement was a new unit, but the power switch does appear to be defective. The switch sometimes requires an extra press or two to turn the unit on. Haven't decided if I want to request another replacement, appears there are quality issues after reading some of the other reviews.
Somewhat disappointing after owning a Capresso espresso maker for over 6 years which is still going strong.
Changed rating from 5 stars to 3...
Click Here For Most Helpful Customer Reviews >>
We've been using this Capresso electric kettle pretty heavily (several times daily) for just over a month, and so far it's working quite well.Pros:
No plastic parts in contact with water (important for health reasons).
Temperature control works very well, so it's great for tea lovers.
Reasonably attractive retro-modern design.
Auto-shutoff works properly at high altitude (8500 feet here), unlike at least one of it's temperature-controlled competitors.
Cons:
The unique design of this kettle has a flaw for single-serving use: The steel dome at the bottom must be completely submerged to avoid damage, which means you always have to heat at least 2 1/2 cups at a time, even if you only need one (because if you only put one cup in, it won't cover the top of the steel dome). This unnecessarily wastes energy, water, and time, and this problem doesn't exist with other kettles (it's specifically a result of the design of this particular model with the dome at the bottom).
Another downside to the glass-and-steel design: If your water is hard, the beautiful, shiny steel dome will be covered in calcium scaling before long, and since the kettle is glass, that scaling is visible. In our home, the water is quite hard and it only takes a day of use for the scaling to be quite visible. So, unless your water is pretty soft, you'll have to choose between frequent cleanings with vinegar or leaving a visibly scaled-up kettle on your counter. In other words, in hard-water locations, it's a more high-maintenance kettle than its all-steel competitors. We can't fault the manufacturer for the quality of our water, but we wanted to make sure that you, the prospective consumer, are aware of what you're signing up for if you have hard water.
Still, we're reasonably happy with the purchase. We're totally sold on the concept of temperature-controlled kettles and we're happy to have found a plastic-free model that works dependably (so far). Next time, though, we'd look for another plastic-free model that doesn't have the steel dome design and thus can be used for single servings without wastage.
BTW, we're sorry to see other reviewers experiencing failed units and some other issues, but we haven't encountered any of these problems (at least not after one month of heavy use).
***
UPDATE Aug 25, 2013: Just a quick follow-up to say our kettle is still going strong months later. We have not had any of the problems with the power button that others are reporting. Perhaps it's the luck of the draw.
Best Deals on Capresso 261.04 teaC100 Temperature Controlled Water Kettle
I bought this based on the other great reviews, but mine quit working after a week. I returned it through Amazon's great return policy. One other thing to note is that it has a large silicone rubber type ring in the bottom of the kettle to seal the heating element to the glass kettle. There is no mention if this is BPA free or not.As a replacement for this kettle, I ordered the Bonavita 1-Liter Variable Temperature Digital Electric Gooseneck Kettle. So far it has been fantastic. It has a variable temperature setting the will maintain a constant temperature for a pre-determined time. The Capresso would bring the water to one of five pre-determined temperatures and then shut off once it has been reached. Plus the Bonavita is an all stainless kettle. The only plastic on the kettle is where the handle attaches at the very top, which is out of reach of the heated water. I highly recommend the Bonavita over the Capresso.
Honest reviews on Capresso 261.04 teaC100 Temperature Controlled Water Kettle
They have a problem with this hot water heater for tea--something internal malfunctioned as there isn't much to go wrong elsewhere. Bad experience for my tea-loving wife and thus for me too!Find helpful customer reviews and review ratings for Capresso 261.04 teaC100 Temperature Controlled Water Kettle
It is a cute kettle and the temperature settings are good for people who like to drink tea. I really liked it when I got it. However, mine stopped working for 1.5 months after I got it. The kettle stopped to heat water: the blue light kept flashing every time I pressed it and then turn the kettle off automatically. Well, the customer service is fine. They asked me to ship it back (I paid the shipping fee) and sent me a replacement. The replacement was also deficient. It was hard to shift the temperature control to the right place, where the power button can be pressed to heat water, and one of the temperature setting cannot be choose. I am waiting for the another replacement (they paid the shipping fee to return it this time) and hope to get one that works perfectly.Friday, August 1, 2014
Buy Honeywell 360 degree Surround Fan Forced, HZ-0360
List Price: $44.95
Sale Price: $29.94
Today's Bonus: 33% Off
I needed to get a heater because where I live, my roommates keep the house kind of cold, for whatever reason. Anyhow, I purchased mine from Wal-mart because I was looking for something inexpensive to keep jack frost away at night. Well, this did it! I turned on the heater and it was super warm and amazing. I woke up the next morning and I was actually a little hot! I thought the roommates turned the central heat up but when I opened the door it was unbearably cold in the rest of the house. I would recommend this for anyone who needs to warm one semi-large room. This may not work for a large room like, say, the living room. It works for a bedroom just fine. One great feature to this heater is that if it falls the heater cuts off because it is not sitting upright, meaning that is diminishing the threats of fire. Purchase, you won't be sorry!
Click Here For Most Helpful Customer Reviews >>
I bought my first one about 4 years ago, and it had always worked well. Sadly, this year I had to replace it. The thermostat no longer allowed it to run more than 5 minutes before shutting down.It was nice to see what appears to be the same Heater, still available, with same features and an even more modern look. I bought it immediately.
However, new is not always better. This new model does not heat up as quick. It also does not get a mid sized room as toasty as the one I had before, tho it still consumes the same 1500 watts.
PROS:
Heats a small to medium area eventually.
Apparently a safe product.
CONS:
Disappointed it did not work as well as its earlier version.
Heat blowing out from it's 360 degree fan coverage should give results better than it does.
Bottom Line: A nice heater that could be better.
Best Deals on Honeywell 360 degree Surround Fan Forced, HZ-0360
I've had this space heater since the beginning of winter and have used it in the bathroom to warm it up before I shower and next to me while I'm on the computer. The last time I used it I noticed a burning smell and discovered to my dismay that the heater was melting in on itself. The plastic housing was too hot to touch and was warped. I immediately unplugged it and carefully carried it outside because of the noxious-smelling fumes emanating from it. When contacted, Honeywell stated that they'd be glad to replace our heater, if we paid for shipping and a "fee." In other words, buy another heater to replace the faulty one. Avoid Honeywell!Honest reviews on Honeywell 360 degree Surround Fan Forced, HZ-0360
I bought one the winter of 2011. It was a warm winter and it was rarely used. When it was on, it heated well, but the little heat it dispersed could not be felt from too far away. It worked well in conjunction with the furnace being on. After about 20 uses it went into a storage room. This fall, i took it out and turned it on. Only the fan was working, the elements in it were not heating up, even on the highest settings. I bought a new one and returned the old one. This new one has worked fine all winter so far. It heats the same as the old one. My son likes to sit over it at his feet while he's on the edge of the recliner with a blanket and it warms him up well. It has a built in thermostat that shuts it off if it detects the heat is beyond a certain temp, and it automatically shuts down if tipped over. These are nice features of this inexpensive product. If my first didn't die after only a small number of uses, i would give it a 5 star review for the price. Because it can die after so few uses, it may not be worth it. I would highly recommend buying it someplace that's close and easy to replace in case it does quit.Find helpful customer reviews and review ratings for Honeywell 360 degree Surround Fan Forced, HZ-0360
I bought this and it works GREAT! It takes cold air and forces it through a fan up and out the top of it in a 360 degree area where ever you sit it. Its best to use it on the floor since cold air is dence and always on the floor etcetera. When it heats up a room it really heats up a room when my furnice went out it kept my pipes warm as well as the basement til it was fixed, I purchased another one for the second floor which worked great it kept everything comfy another thing I like about it is that the plug doesn't heat up like on most heaters even when you switch it onto the hotter heat setting it's still warm to the touch and your plug outlet isn't blazing hot all n all it's a great buy there's also a larger version of it which has really nice features and does just as well but in a bigger version this is the best portable heater I've ever purchased..Wednesday, June 11, 2014
Reviews of DeLonghi PAC T110P 11,000-BTU Portable Air Conditioner
List Price: $1,050.00
Sale Price: $482.86
Today's Bonus: 54% Off
The packaging was damaged but UPS checked it out to make sure that the unit was not damaged before delivering.
I like the ease of moving it from one room to another. The casters roll smoothly. It cools a single room very quickly but is noisy.
The window insert could use some rework. It needs to be beefed up and perhaps some ribs to line it up with the window. It tends to pop out from under the window because the duct is so much heavier than the insert.
Click Here For Most Helpful Customer Reviews >>
Works well, could use a better mechanism to connect to the window when a sliding window (side-ways)Seems to use more Amp than specified, measured it to use 11.5A instead of the 9.7A rated.
Other than that, chills very well, no need to empty water overflow (yet) and not too loud (not quiet either)
Best Deals on DeLonghi PAC T110P 11,000-BTU Portable Air Conditioner
The A/C unit puts out a tremendous amount of cool air and works as advertised. Previous reviews mentioned that it was noisy and that is indeed the case. However, that is a small price to pay after a hurricane has knocked out our power, the generator has been turned on, and it's a humid 95 degrees out without a breath of wind. The price was right, too. I'm very pleased with the purchase. Setup is easy and the manufacturer quickly replaced a minor plastic part that got broken during shipping.Honest reviews on DeLonghi PAC T110P 11,000-BTU Portable Air Conditioner
I bought two of these, a 10,000 BTU and one like this one, 11,000 BTU. They are very good as air conditioners, they seem to cool a lot more than the room they are in, if strategically located. For best results I coupled them with a high velocity fan blowing away from them, towards the rest of the house. This way the cold air from the air condition circulates faster through the room.At first I noticed that regardless of how low I would set the temperature, the cooling was just O-K. Not great. But what really got me upset was the humidity. I had never felt humidity in the house before putting high efficiency windows. Apparently, it is an undesired result of the upgrade, as there are no cracks for the air to circulate and the humidity to escape anymore. To get rid of the humidity I set the Pinguinos to work as dehumidifiers. This seems to be their best function yet. Because they are vented (I have both hoses connected, the one at issue is the exhaust now), the exhaust expels outside the hot air which a normal dehumidifier would release in the room. This makes the room a LOT COOLER than using the air condition function.
For better results yet, I connected the hose in the back of the Pinguino and out the window, so now all the water goes out and the Pinguino can work uninterrupted until it reaches the desired humidity level (I set it at 35%).
Was it worth it???? buying such an expensive piece of equipment x2 and ending up using it as a dehumidifier? Would I have been able to buy 10 to 15 dehumidifiers for the price? Absolutely on both counts. I could have spent a lot less money for dehumidifiers, but I do feel it was worth getting the Pinguinos, after all. -Even if only because I can move them at will...
The jury is out on power consumption. When I was researching about the equipment, I read that they were so much more efficient than the US had standards to measure them by, and that was the reason they were not energy star rated. I also read that they were compliant with the new (2009) EU energy efficiency standards, which are by far better than the US ones. With that in mind, I set out to compare electricity bills. I am not happy so far, but I have other mitigating factors (need new refrigerator, have not used the 'smart mode' enough, etc.) to consider first. I will revisit the issue and write a separate comment on the energy efficiency when I have better indicators.
Nov. 26, 2012.
I have used this units for 2 summers now. I have better indicators about the electricity usage. They are very economical. My electricity consumption this summer was 40% less than last summer according to the electric company data (the stuff we can see online about our consumption, etc.). Some of it is due to generally better management and better understanding of waste. But having the right equipment is the most important part of that management. I have not changed electricity suppliers (yet). I am adding another star to my review.
Find helpful customer reviews and review ratings for DeLonghi PAC T110P 11,000-BTU Portable Air Conditioner
This looked good "on paper" after I researched portable a/c's.The one I have doesn't cool well, its being returned. I made a test where it was on for several hours, and couldn't lower the temperature below 75, when it was only 80 out, but set to 66. I expected to freeze, not be merely comfortable. It won't be good enough for 90+ days.
There were missing parts to connect to the window outlet (I used duct tape workarounds to test), and Delonghi said the serial number indicated it was manufactured over a year ago, and suggested it may have been returned. They seemed quite willing to send the parts...
The good; it looks made well, no cheezy parts. No signs of the water bucket filling (which seems to happen dehumidify mode only), its relatively quiet. It moves fairly easy on the rollers. With separate air intake and output hoses, it should work better (but...).
Con; no side to side adjustment for airflow. You seem to need to point the whole thing in a direction. Its very big and heavy. And it didn't cool well, but perhaps mine was returned by someone else.
Tuesday, June 10, 2014
SPT Portable Air Conditioner with Heater, 12,000 BTUs, WA-1220H Review
I noticed that all portable air conditioner reviews give either 4 or 5 stars or 1 or two stars. The difference seemed to be that the one or two star people did something major that caused the problem, and you could tell what it was, just by reading the complaint. (return a unit that is leaking when you open the carton, stand it up and wait two hours before trytin to turn it on, so that the freon is not flodding the pump (it will break), etc.
I am a chemical engineer, and have worked with both the theory and practical aspects of AC.so let me give you a brief rundown of how to ick te best unit for you, and how to get the best performsnce afterward:
1. Picking a unit: (use the sortable list on to compare different models)
a. There are two main types: 3-in-1 and 4-in-1.
3-in-1 modes are Fan, AC and Dehumidifier. The dehumidifier mode uses the AC to cool the air until the water comes out, then puts the hot ir it sends outside when working as an AC unit back into the room instead of sending it outside.
4-in-1 adds a heater. Cheap designs use an electric heater coil placed in front of the fan. (Ok if you only want a little heat, now and then, or if you want heat when it is colder than 41 degrees outside. (buy this in Maine.)
More expensive 4-in-1 units do not use an electric heater, but act like a "heat pump"that is, they work like good home units popular south of the mason dixon line (wiki it, kids). More about this when we get to my FAQs on mode 4.
Mode 1 FAQ
While buying an AC just for the fan is not smart, don't underestmate the fan only control. Moving air over you can add 5 to 6 degrees to the temprature you feel is comfortable. If it is only 76 or 77 degrees out, try just sing the fan, and pointing it at you. It will usually o the job unless the humidity is extremely high.
Mode 2 FAQ:
AC size is measure in BTU but typically you need 6000 BTU for a room that is 200 sq ft (eg, it is 20x10 or 14x15).
This is if the room is well insulated, the sunlight does not stream in, and the AC is left on so you don't need a quick cool-down. people by an 8000BTU unit and expect it to cool the hot, hunid 350 sq fot bedroom in 1/2 hour. The web site I recommended has tips on correct sizing. One tip I will add is that the exhaust hose is 15 inches fully collapsed. The more you extend it nd make it go around bends, the poorer it will work. Lots of sharp bends and fully extending the hose will "derate" the effective size (and efficnecy) by possibly as much as 20%. When in doubt, buy biggerbut too big a unit will make a gale when the fan is on, and will cycle on and off way to often.
Mode 4. (yeah, its out of order, but this is for a good reaon).
Heat pumps reverse some valves in the AC unit, and suddenly, the pipe going outside gives off cold air, and the indoor part puts out hot air, This is roughly twice as energy efficient as the cheaper heating coil, but stops working around 40 degrees of outdoor temperature.
Mode 3 FAQ: Dehumidification only, and, oh yeah, an AC does dehumidification while it cools-
Actually , the AC dehumidifies too. If the basement is too damp, you can use a portable unit to warm it up a little and dry it out a lot. Then, if it gets too warm, switch to AC and cool it and dry it. For htat matter, just sit a windo unit on a chair, and let it blow back into the room instead of out a window, and use it as a dehumidifier.
In coastal regions, and near rivers and lakes, the air is very humid. Dehumidifiers must cool the air as much as an AC to get rid of the water, (and use as much energy as an AC does), but they dump the hot air back into the room instead of pushing it outside. unless you have a cool damp basement problem, the Dehumidifier only mode is not the answer.
But what happens to the water from the dehumidifier action? An AC may use more energy removing the water than cooling the air. (this is why it tale so long to cool a hot, humid room the first time, but if it is keep closed, so that the next day it is only hot, it will not take nearly as long to cool it down again.) A room sized machine will typically remove 10 gallons (40 pints) or more a day. The water runs to the bottom of the unit. Window units drain the water that collects in the bottom of the unit out the window. A portable AC has to collect it. Typical collection resevoirs hold less than 4 pints, at which time a float switch stops the cooling and leaves only the fan (so you think it doesn't cool after just a few hours use if you just plug it in and let it run.) You can attach a hose and drain continuously (use a hose clamp if you do), or else empty the tiny resivoir each time the AC stops cooling. The trouble with using a hose is that the hose is not very high off the floor, and the resevoir will simply overflow if you don't notice it is full.
Here is my solution. Elevate the machine a few inches by standing it on a set of bed leg height adjusters (>$10 at a hardware store), then, attach the hose, and fashion a hook to hang the end of the free end of the hose up on the machine. I straightened a large paper clip and tied it around the hose near the free end, and bent the end of the paper clip so that it hooked into a convenient spot high enough up on the machine to know the hose would not overflow before the float inside the machine shut off the AC. Since the hose is transparent, I can see how full the resevior is, and, without shutting off the AC, unhook the hose and drain it into a 1 gal plastic jug that sits on the floor and has a hole in the side near the top. Hang the hose back up on its hook, and use the water on your plants or in your iron. (it is actually rain water that you made yourself).
The reason, by the way, they can remove 40 or more pints a day, and only have a resevoir 1/10th the size, is that they blow most of the water they collect onto the condensor coils (the ones that put hot air back outside). This water helps cool the coils and makes the AC run more efficientlyand you don't have to dump it. (They do this to help get back the energy required to remove it from the air that is going into your room.)
About 90% of the water collected will be used this way. This means that if you have no humidity, your energy bill will be about the same, since you don't take it out, and don't put it back. However, if you do live in low humidity, maybe you should be buying a much cheaper evaporative cooler, that cools you by spraying water into the air.
If I can go back to mode 4 (heater, again, It also means that the manufacturer of units with a heat pump mean it when they say that when you use a unit to heat with, set up a continuous drain. Spraying the water on the normally hot (now cold) side will form ice, and freeze up the unit, causing it to fail to operate, and possible damage to the compressor.
For the advanced student, who wants to continuously drain the unit in the summer, Just remember that you are eliminating one of the big energy reducing featurethe re-use of the water to spray cool the hot condensor coils. My hose trick can be modified by putting a tee connector in the hose above the drain outlet of the unit, but below the height that causes the compressor to shut offconnect an overflow hose, and any water that is needed for the cooling of the coils will be available, but the exces will be available to safely drain away. hopefully, you are now hagh enough to draininto a 5 gallon plastic gas can, or something, but you have to know what you will do with all that water. They sell plug in drain pumps that can be used to keep your overflow can emptied out, and that can pump the water through a small plastic tube wherever you want it.
Have a whole house AC and don't need more? read this:
My house is in Floridatypical daytime temp of 94, with 65% or more humidity, and while night time temps go down to 70 by about 3 AM, the humidity goes up. No one lived in Florida by choice until the invention of AC. My reason for buying the portable units was to create a "zone" in my bedroom at night, (set the Hose AC at 80), and also to have small unit that I could put in my TV room in the cold months to use between 7 and 11 in the evening when we like to watch tV (let the whole house cool, and sleep under blankets in the now cool bedroom when we go to bed.)
For this reason, I got a 4-in-1, and because I live below the mason dixon line, I got a heat pump version.
I hope this review prevents you from experiencing any of the reasons why so many people had bad experiences with the same products others found to work well.
Now, one thing about draining the water out of the unit.....I haven't. Was delivered on July 6th and as I said above, it has been on all day since then. I hardly run it at night as once my place is in my comfort zone, it stays that way all night. I have not had to empty any water and it has been humid here. I am almost frightened to say anything about that in front of it so I don't jinx myself.
I did buy the Square Deal warranty for this for three years so that if it does break down, I am covered. Anyone who does not shell out the money for that at the reduced rate you get from Amazon is being quite foolish with their money. Way cheaper that what you would get at Best Buy or Sears by more than 50%.
In the winter, I plan on rolling it into my bedroom to heat that area. We still have radiator steam heat here and during temperature transitional days, temp goes up then down real fast, the heat does not catch up for about 24 hours. This will make that room much cozier.
I am a chemical engineer, and have worked with both the theory and practical aspects of AC.so let me give you a brief rundown of how to ick te best unit for you, and how to get the best performsnce afterward:
1. Picking a unit: (use the sortable list on to compare different models)
a. There are two main types: 3-in-1 and 4-in-1.
3-in-1 modes are Fan, AC and Dehumidifier. The dehumidifier mode uses the AC to cool the air until the water comes out, then puts the hot ir it sends outside when working as an AC unit back into the room instead of sending it outside.
4-in-1 adds a heater. Cheap designs use an electric heater coil placed in front of the fan. (Ok if you only want a little heat, now and then, or if you want heat when it is colder than 41 degrees outside. (buy this in Maine.)
More expensive 4-in-1 units do not use an electric heater, but act like a "heat pump"that is, they work like good home units popular south of the mason dixon line (wiki it, kids). More about this when we get to my FAQs on mode 4.
Mode 1 FAQ
While buying an AC just for the fan is not smart, don't underestmate the fan only control. Moving air over you can add 5 to 6 degrees to the temprature you feel is comfortable. If it is only 76 or 77 degrees out, try just sing the fan, and pointing it at you. It will usually o the job unless the humidity is extremely high.
Mode 2 FAQ:
AC size is measure in BTU but typically you need 6000 BTU for a room that is 200 sq ft (eg, it is 20x10 or 14x15).
This is if the room is well insulated, the sunlight does not stream in, and the AC is left on so you don't need a quick cool-down. people by an 8000BTU unit and expect it to cool the hot, hunid 350 sq fot bedroom in 1/2 hour. The web site I recommended has tips on correct sizing. One tip I will add is that the exhaust hose is 15 inches fully collapsed. The more you extend it nd make it go around bends, the poorer it will work. Lots of sharp bends and fully extending the hose will "derate" the effective size (and efficnecy) by possibly as much as 20%. When in doubt, buy biggerbut too big a unit will make a gale when the fan is on, and will cycle on and off way to often.
Mode 4. (yeah, its out of order, but this is for a good reaon).
Heat pumps reverse some valves in the AC unit, and suddenly, the pipe going outside gives off cold air, and the indoor part puts out hot air, This is roughly twice as energy efficient as the cheaper heating coil, but stops working around 40 degrees of outdoor temperature.
Mode 3 FAQ: Dehumidification only, and, oh yeah, an AC does dehumidification while it cools-
Actually , the AC dehumidifies too. If the basement is too damp, you can use a portable unit to warm it up a little and dry it out a lot. Then, if it gets too warm, switch to AC and cool it and dry it. For htat matter, just sit a windo unit on a chair, and let it blow back into the room instead of out a window, and use it as a dehumidifier.
In coastal regions, and near rivers and lakes, the air is very humid. Dehumidifiers must cool the air as much as an AC to get rid of the water, (and use as much energy as an AC does), but they dump the hot air back into the room instead of pushing it outside. unless you have a cool damp basement problem, the Dehumidifier only mode is not the answer.
But what happens to the water from the dehumidifier action? An AC may use more energy removing the water than cooling the air. (this is why it tale so long to cool a hot, humid room the first time, but if it is keep closed, so that the next day it is only hot, it will not take nearly as long to cool it down again.) A room sized machine will typically remove 10 gallons (40 pints) or more a day. The water runs to the bottom of the unit. Window units drain the water that collects in the bottom of the unit out the window. A portable AC has to collect it. Typical collection resevoirs hold less than 4 pints, at which time a float switch stops the cooling and leaves only the fan (so you think it doesn't cool after just a few hours use if you just plug it in and let it run.) You can attach a hose and drain continuously (use a hose clamp if you do), or else empty the tiny resivoir each time the AC stops cooling. The trouble with using a hose is that the hose is not very high off the floor, and the resevoir will simply overflow if you don't notice it is full.
Here is my solution. Elevate the machine a few inches by standing it on a set of bed leg height adjusters (>$10 at a hardware store), then, attach the hose, and fashion a hook to hang the end of the free end of the hose up on the machine. I straightened a large paper clip and tied it around the hose near the free end, and bent the end of the paper clip so that it hooked into a convenient spot high enough up on the machine to know the hose would not overflow before the float inside the machine shut off the AC. Since the hose is transparent, I can see how full the resevior is, and, without shutting off the AC, unhook the hose and drain it into a 1 gal plastic jug that sits on the floor and has a hole in the side near the top. Hang the hose back up on its hook, and use the water on your plants or in your iron. (it is actually rain water that you made yourself).
The reason, by the way, they can remove 40 or more pints a day, and only have a resevoir 1/10th the size, is that they blow most of the water they collect onto the condensor coils (the ones that put hot air back outside). This water helps cool the coils and makes the AC run more efficientlyand you don't have to dump it. (They do this to help get back the energy required to remove it from the air that is going into your room.)
About 90% of the water collected will be used this way. This means that if you have no humidity, your energy bill will be about the same, since you don't take it out, and don't put it back. However, if you do live in low humidity, maybe you should be buying a much cheaper evaporative cooler, that cools you by spraying water into the air.
If I can go back to mode 4 (heater, again, It also means that the manufacturer of units with a heat pump mean it when they say that when you use a unit to heat with, set up a continuous drain. Spraying the water on the normally hot (now cold) side will form ice, and freeze up the unit, causing it to fail to operate, and possible damage to the compressor.
For the advanced student, who wants to continuously drain the unit in the summer, Just remember that you are eliminating one of the big energy reducing featurethe re-use of the water to spray cool the hot condensor coils. My hose trick can be modified by putting a tee connector in the hose above the drain outlet of the unit, but below the height that causes the compressor to shut offconnect an overflow hose, and any water that is needed for the cooling of the coils will be available, but the exces will be available to safely drain away. hopefully, you are now hagh enough to draininto a 5 gallon plastic gas can, or something, but you have to know what you will do with all that water. They sell plug in drain pumps that can be used to keep your overflow can emptied out, and that can pump the water through a small plastic tube wherever you want it.
Have a whole house AC and don't need more? read this:
My house is in Floridatypical daytime temp of 94, with 65% or more humidity, and while night time temps go down to 70 by about 3 AM, the humidity goes up. No one lived in Florida by choice until the invention of AC. My reason for buying the portable units was to create a "zone" in my bedroom at night, (set the Hose AC at 80), and also to have small unit that I could put in my TV room in the cold months to use between 7 and 11 in the evening when we like to watch tV (let the whole house cool, and sleep under blankets in the now cool bedroom when we go to bed.)
For this reason, I got a 4-in-1, and because I live below the mason dixon line, I got a heat pump version.
I hope this review prevents you from experiencing any of the reasons why so many people had bad experiences with the same products others found to work well.
Click Here For Most Helpful Customer Reviews >>
I live in Pittsburgh and we do get some heat here in the summer. Small apartment in a 60 year solidly built building. I have been running this machine during the day for over 2 weeks now and I love it. I am not a big fan of really cold air-conditioning and so far this unit does not make my place a freezer, but makes it extremely comfortable considering the shape of my apartment, i am cooling about 630 sq ft with bedroom and bathroom doors closed. So it is a little over its recommended cooling area, but for my needs, it is more than great.Now, one thing about draining the water out of the unit.....I haven't. Was delivered on July 6th and as I said above, it has been on all day since then. I hardly run it at night as once my place is in my comfort zone, it stays that way all night. I have not had to empty any water and it has been humid here. I am almost frightened to say anything about that in front of it so I don't jinx myself.
I did buy the Square Deal warranty for this for three years so that if it does break down, I am covered. Anyone who does not shell out the money for that at the reduced rate you get from Amazon is being quite foolish with their money. Way cheaper that what you would get at Best Buy or Sears by more than 50%.
In the winter, I plan on rolling it into my bedroom to heat that area. We still have radiator steam heat here and during temperature transitional days, temp goes up then down real fast, the heat does not catch up for about 24 hours. This will make that room much cozier.
Tuesday, March 18, 2014
Discount Nostalgia Electrics CCM-505 Vintage Collection Cotton Candy Maker
Pros:
5*, not 3*
Way cute
Constant use duty cycle
Short warm up time
No cool down time required
Beautiful cotton candy
Good size cones of candy compared to other toy machines
Largely metal construction
Quiet
Cons:
Spinning, heated disk is a serious hazard to anyone that might touch it.
Disk will get damaged if dropped.
Slow to be expected from a toy.
Small output of candy to be expected from a toy.
Note that the "Nostalgia Electrics CCM505 Cotton Candy Maker" is the same mechanism as Looney Toons cotton candy maker. My review applies to both.
I give this a 5 star rating (excellent). I think I initially rated it only 3 stars because of the safety concern. Amazon won't let me change my rating. Other than the safety concern this is an excellent toy machine.
This way cute toy cotton candy maker is good. I used it a lot and it held up fine. It easily makes nice cotton candy. Largely metal construction is durable and well made. Clean up is not too bad. You pay for the cuteness in storage space, this box is big, something like a deep fryer. I was able to make respectable cones of cotton candy, similar to those shown on the box. As you run the machine longer it starts to work better, I guess it's heating up more. This machine can run for extended periods of time without overheating, a big plus over the misnamed "The Real Cotton Candy Machine," (TRCCM) a competing toy machine. I have run it for an hour at a time with no problem.
At a recent event I served a cone and absolutely stopped the show with everyone marveling at how beautiful was the cone of cotton candy.
With this machine there is only a two minute heat up period and no cool down period required, both big pluses. From ice cold you pour the scoop of sugar into the hopper, turn it on, and about two minutes later it begins to make the candy. At 1'45" you will smell the most wonderful aroma of caramelizing sugar!
As far as making candy goes, there is no question. This machine is far superior to TRCCM. However there is one serious reservation: this machine uses an exposed spinning metal disk. The heated disk spins at high speeds and would prove plenty dangerous if anyone was to touch it or get hair, jewelry, or clothing tangled. By contrast, TRCCM has no exposed moving parts and a plastic guard to keep fingers out.
Disassembly allows good access for cleaning. Cotton candy is intrinsically messy so you've got a problem no matter what. The disk keeps most of the sugar and candy away from the heating elements so you don't get a mess inside the unit. The bowl seals well against the body of the unit so not much candy there. The bowl detaches so you can wash it in the sink. Without the bowl you get good access to wipe down the rest of the unit.
The metal disk is sturdy, but gets damaged if dropped, which I did with mine. The Looney Tunes company offered a replacement disk for $10. Not free, but not a rip off either.
The instructions specify white table sugar only. This works fine, makes a lovely cone, and the lack of vanilla flavoring makes for delicious, unusual candy. However, people constantly annoy me by griping that it's not purple and asking if we can put food coloring in the sugar. I don't think that would work, I think the sugar would clump. So, to appease them, you might consider the "Nostalgia Cotton Candy Fun Kit CFK-515," but shop around because the one on Amazon here is posted with a price that is way too high. Commercial floss (colored and flavored sugar) is also locally available, I don't know if either of these options would work in this machine.
This machine suffers some typical toy food maker shortcomings.
1: It's slow. It takes about two minutes to start making candy and then maybe five more to complete the cone. When trying to serve even five kids, hahaha-think again. It's not happening. With five machines maybe.
2: Quantity of candy output is small. The instructions warn you not to put too much sugar in at once; it's probably best to heed that warning. It comes with a little measuring scoop so that you can get it right. Once you put in that scoop, you need to wait until it's exhausted before adding more. That will cost you a two minute delay each time while the fresh sugar melts. However, that scoop does make a nice fluffy cone of candy that is great for this toy machine. Unfortunately it's not what you get at the carnival, but for this toy it's great. With practice you learn how to roll the candy loosely so as to make the most attractive cone possible. I found that candy output doubled or more on the third and later batches.
3: Lack of suction cup feet on this model will help this guy vibrate off the table.
4: Toy size bowl with no cover allows sugar granules and candy fibers to escape machine, making a mess. I didn't find it troublesome.
5: Consistency of candy is on the light side compared to what I get at the grocery store. That makes this candy light, fluffy and delicious, but it also allows you to eat the entire cone in a few bites. My guidelines: no sharing, and savor every bite for all it's worth, because that cone doesn't last long.
Notes on the video:
Here we are having great fun making cotton candy with the Nostalgia Electrics machine. You will obviously see that this machine works great. In this video Suelo made a gigantic cone that actually rivals what you'd get at the circus. It's similar to the cones shown on the box of this unit, that's an honest company, but then they don't have anything to be ashamed of with this unit, do they?
This really is a lot of fun!
For best results, you need to follow the instructions scrupulously: run the unit for five minutes without sugar to heat the spinning disk, turn it off to put one scoop (1.5 tsp) of sugar in the center, and turn it back on. It takes a good 3-4 minutes for anything to happen, then a ring of sugar particles will show up on the wall of the basin. Shortly after that, threads of candy will show up in the bowl. At this point, start winding the cone vertically around the center. After you have collected some, you can lift the cone, and continue twirling it to keep collecting the spun sugar. Now hold the cone horizontal and twirl just fast enough to keep the sugar going on. With a bit of practice, you will have a moderate ball of fluffy sugar. Subsequent loads will melt faster and spin into larger wads of candy. Quite a lot of fun for something that is about 23 calories!
Cleaning the spinner is critical (soak in hot water until all sugar is dissolved).
Because of the heat and the spinner, this is an appliance for teens or adults. Because of the speed, it is best for small groups or patient users. Small children might find it hard to wait. Still, for 1/20th of the cost of a commercial unit, it does quite a nice job.
Way cute
Constant use duty cycle
Short warm up time
No cool down time required
Beautiful cotton candy
Good size cones of candy compared to other toy machines
Largely metal construction
Quiet
Cons:
Spinning, heated disk is a serious hazard to anyone that might touch it.
Disk will get damaged if dropped.
Slow to be expected from a toy.
Small output of candy to be expected from a toy.
Note that the "Nostalgia Electrics CCM505 Cotton Candy Maker" is the same mechanism as Looney Toons cotton candy maker. My review applies to both.
This way cute toy cotton candy maker is good. I used it a lot and it held up fine. It easily makes nice cotton candy. Largely metal construction is durable and well made. Clean up is not too bad. You pay for the cuteness in storage space, this box is big, something like a deep fryer. I was able to make respectable cones of cotton candy, similar to those shown on the box. As you run the machine longer it starts to work better, I guess it's heating up more. This machine can run for extended periods of time without overheating, a big plus over the misnamed "The Real Cotton Candy Machine," (TRCCM) a competing toy machine. I have run it for an hour at a time with no problem.
At a recent event I served a cone and absolutely stopped the show with everyone marveling at how beautiful was the cone of cotton candy.
With this machine there is only a two minute heat up period and no cool down period required, both big pluses. From ice cold you pour the scoop of sugar into the hopper, turn it on, and about two minutes later it begins to make the candy. At 1'45" you will smell the most wonderful aroma of caramelizing sugar!
As far as making candy goes, there is no question. This machine is far superior to TRCCM. However there is one serious reservation: this machine uses an exposed spinning metal disk. The heated disk spins at high speeds and would prove plenty dangerous if anyone was to touch it or get hair, jewelry, or clothing tangled. By contrast, TRCCM has no exposed moving parts and a plastic guard to keep fingers out.
Disassembly allows good access for cleaning. Cotton candy is intrinsically messy so you've got a problem no matter what. The disk keeps most of the sugar and candy away from the heating elements so you don't get a mess inside the unit. The bowl seals well against the body of the unit so not much candy there. The bowl detaches so you can wash it in the sink. Without the bowl you get good access to wipe down the rest of the unit.
The metal disk is sturdy, but gets damaged if dropped, which I did with mine. The Looney Tunes company offered a replacement disk for $10. Not free, but not a rip off either.
The instructions specify white table sugar only. This works fine, makes a lovely cone, and the lack of vanilla flavoring makes for delicious, unusual candy. However, people constantly annoy me by griping that it's not purple and asking if we can put food coloring in the sugar. I don't think that would work, I think the sugar would clump. So, to appease them, you might consider the "Nostalgia Cotton Candy Fun Kit CFK-515," but shop around because the one on Amazon here is posted with a price that is way too high. Commercial floss (colored and flavored sugar) is also locally available, I don't know if either of these options would work in this machine.
This machine suffers some typical toy food maker shortcomings.
1: It's slow. It takes about two minutes to start making candy and then maybe five more to complete the cone. When trying to serve even five kids, hahaha-think again. It's not happening. With five machines maybe.
2: Quantity of candy output is small. The instructions warn you not to put too much sugar in at once; it's probably best to heed that warning. It comes with a little measuring scoop so that you can get it right. Once you put in that scoop, you need to wait until it's exhausted before adding more. That will cost you a two minute delay each time while the fresh sugar melts. However, that scoop does make a nice fluffy cone of candy that is great for this toy machine. Unfortunately it's not what you get at the carnival, but for this toy it's great. With practice you learn how to roll the candy loosely so as to make the most attractive cone possible. I found that candy output doubled or more on the third and later batches.
3: Lack of suction cup feet on this model will help this guy vibrate off the table.
4: Toy size bowl with no cover allows sugar granules and candy fibers to escape machine, making a mess. I didn't find it troublesome.
5: Consistency of candy is on the light side compared to what I get at the grocery store. That makes this candy light, fluffy and delicious, but it also allows you to eat the entire cone in a few bites. My guidelines: no sharing, and savor every bite for all it's worth, because that cone doesn't last long.
5*, not 3*
Way cute
Constant use duty cycle
Short warm up time
No cool down time required
Beautiful cotton candy
Good size cones of candy compared to other toy machines
Largely metal construction
Quiet
Cons:
Spinning, heated disk is a serious hazard to anyone that might touch it.
Disk will get damaged if dropped.
Slow to be expected from a toy.
Small output of candy to be expected from a toy.
Note that the "Nostalgia Electrics CCM505 Cotton Candy Maker" is the same mechanism as Looney Toons cotton candy maker. My review applies to both.
I give this a 5 star rating (excellent). I think I initially rated it only 3 stars because of the safety concern. Amazon won't let me change my rating. Other than the safety concern this is an excellent toy machine.
This way cute toy cotton candy maker is good. I used it a lot and it held up fine. It easily makes nice cotton candy. Largely metal construction is durable and well made. Clean up is not too bad. You pay for the cuteness in storage space, this box is big, something like a deep fryer. I was able to make respectable cones of cotton candy, similar to those shown on the box. As you run the machine longer it starts to work better, I guess it's heating up more. This machine can run for extended periods of time without overheating, a big plus over the misnamed "The Real Cotton Candy Machine," (TRCCM) a competing toy machine. I have run it for an hour at a time with no problem.
At a recent event I served a cone and absolutely stopped the show with everyone marveling at how beautiful was the cone of cotton candy.
With this machine there is only a two minute heat up period and no cool down period required, both big pluses. From ice cold you pour the scoop of sugar into the hopper, turn it on, and about two minutes later it begins to make the candy. At 1'45" you will smell the most wonderful aroma of caramelizing sugar!
As far as making candy goes, there is no question. This machine is far superior to TRCCM. However there is one serious reservation: this machine uses an exposed spinning metal disk. The heated disk spins at high speeds and would prove plenty dangerous if anyone was to touch it or get hair, jewelry, or clothing tangled. By contrast, TRCCM has no exposed moving parts and a plastic guard to keep fingers out.
Disassembly allows good access for cleaning. Cotton candy is intrinsically messy so you've got a problem no matter what. The disk keeps most of the sugar and candy away from the heating elements so you don't get a mess inside the unit. The bowl seals well against the body of the unit so not much candy there. The bowl detaches so you can wash it in the sink. Without the bowl you get good access to wipe down the rest of the unit.
The metal disk is sturdy, but gets damaged if dropped, which I did with mine. The Looney Tunes company offered a replacement disk for $10. Not free, but not a rip off either.
The instructions specify white table sugar only. This works fine, makes a lovely cone, and the lack of vanilla flavoring makes for delicious, unusual candy. However, people constantly annoy me by griping that it's not purple and asking if we can put food coloring in the sugar. I don't think that would work, I think the sugar would clump. So, to appease them, you might consider the "Nostalgia Cotton Candy Fun Kit CFK-515," but shop around because the one on Amazon here is posted with a price that is way too high. Commercial floss (colored and flavored sugar) is also locally available, I don't know if either of these options would work in this machine.
This machine suffers some typical toy food maker shortcomings.
1: It's slow. It takes about two minutes to start making candy and then maybe five more to complete the cone. When trying to serve even five kids, hahaha-think again. It's not happening. With five machines maybe.
2: Quantity of candy output is small. The instructions warn you not to put too much sugar in at once; it's probably best to heed that warning. It comes with a little measuring scoop so that you can get it right. Once you put in that scoop, you need to wait until it's exhausted before adding more. That will cost you a two minute delay each time while the fresh sugar melts. However, that scoop does make a nice fluffy cone of candy that is great for this toy machine. Unfortunately it's not what you get at the carnival, but for this toy it's great. With practice you learn how to roll the candy loosely so as to make the most attractive cone possible. I found that candy output doubled or more on the third and later batches.
3: Lack of suction cup feet on this model will help this guy vibrate off the table.
4: Toy size bowl with no cover allows sugar granules and candy fibers to escape machine, making a mess. I didn't find it troublesome.
5: Consistency of candy is on the light side compared to what I get at the grocery store. That makes this candy light, fluffy and delicious, but it also allows you to eat the entire cone in a few bites. My guidelines: no sharing, and savor every bite for all it's worth, because that cone doesn't last long.
Notes on the video:
Here we are having great fun making cotton candy with the Nostalgia Electrics machine. You will obviously see that this machine works great. In this video Suelo made a gigantic cone that actually rivals what you'd get at the circus. It's similar to the cones shown on the box of this unit, that's an honest company, but then they don't have anything to be ashamed of with this unit, do they?
Click Here For Most Helpful Customer Reviews >>
My daughter got this for christmas and we have had so much fun making cotton candy. It's easy to work and clean up and it makes a nice size ball of cotton floss. I found that the first cone of cotton candy I make each time turns out smaller then the subsequent ones. The hotter the machine gets the better the cotton candy. Also, once you accumulate some floss on the cone by holding it vertically, turn the cone horizontally to collect the rest. The higher you hold the cone and twist, the fluffier the ball of cotton candy will be. It just takes a little practice. The machine came with a small bag of strawberry vanilla floss sugar and I also purchased a couple boxes of flavored floss sugar at another web store. The floss sugar works great. The instructions say you can use regular table sugar if desired and it can be flavored with sweetened kool-aid powder. We haven't tried this yet.This really is a lot of fun!
Best Deals on Nostalgia Electrics CCM-505 Vintage Collection Cotton Candy Maker
My son loves cotton candy. Whenever we go to the fair, it's one of his must-have treats. Therefore, when he wanted a cotton candy maker at home, I bought this one.For best results, you need to follow the instructions scrupulously: run the unit for five minutes without sugar to heat the spinning disk, turn it off to put one scoop (1.5 tsp) of sugar in the center, and turn it back on. It takes a good 3-4 minutes for anything to happen, then a ring of sugar particles will show up on the wall of the basin. Shortly after that, threads of candy will show up in the bowl. At this point, start winding the cone vertically around the center. After you have collected some, you can lift the cone, and continue twirling it to keep collecting the spun sugar. Now hold the cone horizontal and twirl just fast enough to keep the sugar going on. With a bit of practice, you will have a moderate ball of fluffy sugar. Subsequent loads will melt faster and spin into larger wads of candy. Quite a lot of fun for something that is about 23 calories!
Cleaning the spinner is critical (soak in hot water until all sugar is dissolved).
Because of the heat and the spinner, this is an appliance for teens or adults. Because of the speed, it is best for small groups or patient users. Small children might find it hard to wait. Still, for 1/20th of the cost of a commercial unit, it does quite a nice job.
Honest reviews on Nostalgia Electrics CCM-505 Vintage Collection Cotton Candy Maker
I got this for christmas and I love it. It's not messy at all if you do it right. It's very easy to work and it tastes great! My friends think it's really cool and want to use it all the time. I got extra flavors of cotton candy sugar to go with it and they all taste good. It's very easy to clean up after you're finished. I recommend this cotton candy maker if you're looking to buy one.Find helpful customer reviews and review ratings for Nostalgia Electrics CCM-505 Vintage Collection Cotton Candy Maker
Pros:Way cute
Constant use duty cycle
Short warm up time
No cool down time required
Beautiful cotton candy
Good size cones of candy compared to other toy machines
Largely metal construction
Quiet
Cons:
Spinning, heated disk is a serious hazard to anyone that might touch it.
Disk will get damaged if dropped.
Slow to be expected from a toy.
Small output of candy to be expected from a toy.
Note that the "Nostalgia Electrics CCM505 Cotton Candy Maker" is the same mechanism as Looney Toons cotton candy maker. My review applies to both.
This way cute toy cotton candy maker is good. I used it a lot and it held up fine. It easily makes nice cotton candy. Largely metal construction is durable and well made. Clean up is not too bad. You pay for the cuteness in storage space, this box is big, something like a deep fryer. I was able to make respectable cones of cotton candy, similar to those shown on the box. As you run the machine longer it starts to work better, I guess it's heating up more. This machine can run for extended periods of time without overheating, a big plus over the misnamed "The Real Cotton Candy Machine," (TRCCM) a competing toy machine. I have run it for an hour at a time with no problem.
At a recent event I served a cone and absolutely stopped the show with everyone marveling at how beautiful was the cone of cotton candy.
With this machine there is only a two minute heat up period and no cool down period required, both big pluses. From ice cold you pour the scoop of sugar into the hopper, turn it on, and about two minutes later it begins to make the candy. At 1'45" you will smell the most wonderful aroma of caramelizing sugar!
As far as making candy goes, there is no question. This machine is far superior to TRCCM. However there is one serious reservation: this machine uses an exposed spinning metal disk. The heated disk spins at high speeds and would prove plenty dangerous if anyone was to touch it or get hair, jewelry, or clothing tangled. By contrast, TRCCM has no exposed moving parts and a plastic guard to keep fingers out.
Disassembly allows good access for cleaning. Cotton candy is intrinsically messy so you've got a problem no matter what. The disk keeps most of the sugar and candy away from the heating elements so you don't get a mess inside the unit. The bowl seals well against the body of the unit so not much candy there. The bowl detaches so you can wash it in the sink. Without the bowl you get good access to wipe down the rest of the unit.
The metal disk is sturdy, but gets damaged if dropped, which I did with mine. The Looney Tunes company offered a replacement disk for $10. Not free, but not a rip off either.
The instructions specify white table sugar only. This works fine, makes a lovely cone, and the lack of vanilla flavoring makes for delicious, unusual candy. However, people constantly annoy me by griping that it's not purple and asking if we can put food coloring in the sugar. I don't think that would work, I think the sugar would clump. So, to appease them, you might consider the "Nostalgia Cotton Candy Fun Kit CFK-515," but shop around because the one on Amazon here is posted with a price that is way too high. Commercial floss (colored and flavored sugar) is also locally available, I don't know if either of these options would work in this machine.
This machine suffers some typical toy food maker shortcomings.
1: It's slow. It takes about two minutes to start making candy and then maybe five more to complete the cone. When trying to serve even five kids, hahaha-think again. It's not happening. With five machines maybe.
2: Quantity of candy output is small. The instructions warn you not to put too much sugar in at once; it's probably best to heed that warning. It comes with a little measuring scoop so that you can get it right. Once you put in that scoop, you need to wait until it's exhausted before adding more. That will cost you a two minute delay each time while the fresh sugar melts. However, that scoop does make a nice fluffy cone of candy that is great for this toy machine. Unfortunately it's not what you get at the carnival, but for this toy it's great. With practice you learn how to roll the candy loosely so as to make the most attractive cone possible. I found that candy output doubled or more on the third and later batches.
3: Lack of suction cup feet on this model will help this guy vibrate off the table.
4: Toy size bowl with no cover allows sugar granules and candy fibers to escape machine, making a mess. I didn't find it troublesome.
5: Consistency of candy is on the light side compared to what I get at the grocery store. That makes this candy light, fluffy and delicious, but it also allows you to eat the entire cone in a few bites. My guidelines: no sharing, and savor every bite for all it's worth, because that cone doesn't last long.
Tuesday, February 25, 2014
DeLonghi DFH550R Remote Control SafeHeat Motorized Oscillation Fan Review
This is a great heater. Operates primarily with remote control. Small and QUIET! Only drawbacks that I've come across are that 1) the temperature dial is a little hard to read and 2) you can't set it on a carpet, because the anti-tip mechanism is a little sensitive, but probably shouldn't be on a carpet anyways. Works perfectly on dresser top or hearth.
But it's hardly the most important feature of this product, so it doesn't seem helpful that somebody would go to the trouble to log on here, refute my earlier comments, but say nothing about the heater's performance AS A HEATER.
Well, I now have two of them, and I will try to give some idea what it is like. Unfortunately, it's a mixed message.
GOOD NEWS AND BAD NEWS.
One of the two units I ordered was shipped in its retail carton. That box was beat up terribly in transit. However -surprise -the heater that came in it works fine (so far). So ironically, the beat up box is where we get the good news.
THE GOOD NEWS. I think this product is just great, in the set of features, and the design. It uses DeLonghi's "ECC" -a very cool feature (I have other DeLonghi models that use it, too). To see it in action, you need to set the "power" (wattage consumption) control to High.
Again, to clarify: the "power" switch does not change the target temperature. It changes how warm the coils get, which in effect controls how quickly the heater warms things up. In anything but a really cold setting, this feature can really cut down on wasted electricity by dropping out of high, to medium or low, once the room is mostly warm.
To pick a desired temperature, you use its thermostat dial, which is not terribly precise, but which is typical for a device like this. The numbers on the thermostat dial are white on white -a really invisible way to mark a control dial! And they have only vague relation to actual Farenheit degrees. They'll get you into the ballpark, but fine tuning will be up to you and your senses (or a separate thermometer, if you have one).
You find a temperature setting that you're comfortable with, and once that's done, presumably you can leave it there from day to day. If one had to constantly reset that dial -for example, if it is used by different people with different tastes, or whatever -I suppose it could be a drag. But it's a fairly inexpensive device, and has a lot of other features, so I can live with it. Speaking of multiple users: if you want to move it around a lot, that is made easy by the light weight and built in handle.
ELECTRONIC CLIMATE CONTROL. Once you figure out a temperature setting, the ECC feature can go to work. Again, you need to *set* it to high, for it to switch downward, or back up, as needed. I do not think it will switch upward from a lower setting to high, if you have manually chosen one of those lower settings to start with.
With ECC, the heater senses how close the current room temperature is to the setting you have chosen, and as it gets closer to that temperature, it lowers the power setting from high to medium, or to low. During the few days I've used it so far, a cold draft kept it from ever shutting off entirely, but it would do in a better-sealed room.
Note: when the heater shuts off, the fan and oscillation also shut off. Unlike other models, the oscillation does not continue unless the fan is on. And the fan can be run without oscillation.
There is a totally separate setting to run the fan by itself (for cooling); but the fan only runs at one speed, and is quite meek. It will not be mistaken for a wind tunnel! The fan always runs when the heater is on, and I'm sure the reason for that is to prevent the plastic case from melting. The only heaters I've seen where the fan can be turned off are ceramic or convection designs, and come in metal cases. So there's a good reason that it works this way.
In any case, the ECC feature has worked great for me so far. For the most part, the heater ran on lower power settings even though I had set it to High. On a couple of nights when the draft got worse, I could see it kick up to high for a while, then go back to a lower setting. The room (15x15) was plenty warm, with not much effort by the heater. I'll probably set the thermostat a bit lower next time I use it, and perhaps it may hardly ever need to use the High setting at all. That would save a lot of electricity.
The remote control works fine. It can control everything on the heater except the thermostat setting, which -as noted above -is a rotary dial. Everything else is electronic, even including the oscillation feature, and can be operated from across the room (as well as by the physical switch on the unit itself). To use the remote you will need to supply the two AAA batteries yourself.
SAFETY. One of the reasons I specifically wanted this heater is because it has multiple safety cutoffs. Some are thermal, but I was also interested in the tipover switch. If it tips over at all, it powers down completely. It does not turn itself back on when set back on its base. I've seen reviews of other heaters complain about this, but such complaints REALLY miss the point.
There are two things you want from a portable heater. 1) Heat up the room; and 2) DO NOT BURN DOWN THE BUILDING. Just scan the headlines in any given winter, and you'll find people dying from fires caused by heaters. So, safety is an important buying issue.
There are a million ways that a heater could be tipped over, but one thing you do not want is for an unattended heater to get knocked around -by whatever cause it might be -and then turn itself back on. Unattended, it could fall on something flammable, or into standing water, or who knows what. Being upright is no guarantee that it's safe. That's also why the unit also does not automatically reset itself after a loss of power. It's all about safety, and I think this model scores high in that regard.
The tipover switch sensor is in the base of the unit, relying on gravity, and works just like it should. I'll leave it to somebody else to test the thermal cutoff safety switch, or just trust DeLonghi. The unit supposedly sounds an audible alarm in the case of overheating, which is a great feature.
FINALLY, THE BAD NEWS
Okay, so we ordered a second unit. Unlike the first, this one was double boxed and the retail box looked perfect. We took out the heater, plugged it in, and turned it on.
ZAP! SPARK! ZAP! and with that, the heater died completely!
Very scary. That one is being returned to Amazon, and we've decided to make do with the one that (so far) works fine. I would have scored this product a five based on the first unit, which appears to live up to its designers' clever intentions. But I would have scored it a 1 (or zero) based on the second unit, which was at best a huge inconvenience (requiring a return) and at worst, a potential hazard. I think leaving it as a three is fair, under the circumstances.
Considering the difference between these two units, either there is really bad Quality Control at the manufacturer, or something in the distribution channels, or whatever. The first one is just delightful. But the second one? There is no excuse for a brand new product -shipped so carefully -to fail so completely and dangerously. It was a disaster waiting to happen, and I feel lucky that it killed itself immediately, rather than emitting sparks two weeks later in a bedroom or some such place.
With that in mind, follow the instructions in the manual for this heater -as for ANY heater -and keep it as far as possible from flammable items. That is very hard in most homes, but you need to be conscientious about it. This sort of goes back to the discussion about hanging it on a wall... that was something I contemplated doing, but if I want to get it off the floor, I think I'd rather set it on a metal filing cabinet or something. After all, many homes have plasterboard walls, which is basically gypsum coated in paper.
By the way, the whole thing can be tilted upward or downward, besides the horizontal oscillation. So the floor really is the most logical place for it, I think.
I hope this fills in any information gaps. I think the overall design is great, and the main reason I'm not more worried about the quality issue is because we own two new DeLonghi radiators that are good, reliable products that live up to their promises. I suggest that if you buy it, run it through all the features in the manual before putting it to regular use.
If you watch the price fluctuations at Amazon you can get a very good deal on it. It was out of stock for a long time before we finally got ours, so if you're thinking about it, you may not want to delay.
If you live in an unusually cold region, I would recommend opting for a bigger sized space heater.
FYI: if the safety button on the back is not pushed in, your heater won't operate. I thought mine was broken until I found this out...
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When I first shopped for this item, there were no reviews here, DeLonghi was not much help, and the manual they published on their website did not show the back of the heater. They mentioned "wall mounting" in the MARKETING information. Why wasn't this part of the USER MANUAL? Trust me, if you have a problem and go to the manufacturer, they will tell you to refer to the manual -NOT to a website listing that may be long gone.But it's hardly the most important feature of this product, so it doesn't seem helpful that somebody would go to the trouble to log on here, refute my earlier comments, but say nothing about the heater's performance AS A HEATER.
Well, I now have two of them, and I will try to give some idea what it is like. Unfortunately, it's a mixed message.
GOOD NEWS AND BAD NEWS.
One of the two units I ordered was shipped in its retail carton. That box was beat up terribly in transit. However -surprise -the heater that came in it works fine (so far). So ironically, the beat up box is where we get the good news.
THE GOOD NEWS. I think this product is just great, in the set of features, and the design. It uses DeLonghi's "ECC" -a very cool feature (I have other DeLonghi models that use it, too). To see it in action, you need to set the "power" (wattage consumption) control to High.
Again, to clarify: the "power" switch does not change the target temperature. It changes how warm the coils get, which in effect controls how quickly the heater warms things up. In anything but a really cold setting, this feature can really cut down on wasted electricity by dropping out of high, to medium or low, once the room is mostly warm.
To pick a desired temperature, you use its thermostat dial, which is not terribly precise, but which is typical for a device like this. The numbers on the thermostat dial are white on white -a really invisible way to mark a control dial! And they have only vague relation to actual Farenheit degrees. They'll get you into the ballpark, but fine tuning will be up to you and your senses (or a separate thermometer, if you have one).
You find a temperature setting that you're comfortable with, and once that's done, presumably you can leave it there from day to day. If one had to constantly reset that dial -for example, if it is used by different people with different tastes, or whatever -I suppose it could be a drag. But it's a fairly inexpensive device, and has a lot of other features, so I can live with it. Speaking of multiple users: if you want to move it around a lot, that is made easy by the light weight and built in handle.
ELECTRONIC CLIMATE CONTROL. Once you figure out a temperature setting, the ECC feature can go to work. Again, you need to *set* it to high, for it to switch downward, or back up, as needed. I do not think it will switch upward from a lower setting to high, if you have manually chosen one of those lower settings to start with.
With ECC, the heater senses how close the current room temperature is to the setting you have chosen, and as it gets closer to that temperature, it lowers the power setting from high to medium, or to low. During the few days I've used it so far, a cold draft kept it from ever shutting off entirely, but it would do in a better-sealed room.
Note: when the heater shuts off, the fan and oscillation also shut off. Unlike other models, the oscillation does not continue unless the fan is on. And the fan can be run without oscillation.
There is a totally separate setting to run the fan by itself (for cooling); but the fan only runs at one speed, and is quite meek. It will not be mistaken for a wind tunnel! The fan always runs when the heater is on, and I'm sure the reason for that is to prevent the plastic case from melting. The only heaters I've seen where the fan can be turned off are ceramic or convection designs, and come in metal cases. So there's a good reason that it works this way.
In any case, the ECC feature has worked great for me so far. For the most part, the heater ran on lower power settings even though I had set it to High. On a couple of nights when the draft got worse, I could see it kick up to high for a while, then go back to a lower setting. The room (15x15) was plenty warm, with not much effort by the heater. I'll probably set the thermostat a bit lower next time I use it, and perhaps it may hardly ever need to use the High setting at all. That would save a lot of electricity.
The remote control works fine. It can control everything on the heater except the thermostat setting, which -as noted above -is a rotary dial. Everything else is electronic, even including the oscillation feature, and can be operated from across the room (as well as by the physical switch on the unit itself). To use the remote you will need to supply the two AAA batteries yourself.
SAFETY. One of the reasons I specifically wanted this heater is because it has multiple safety cutoffs. Some are thermal, but I was also interested in the tipover switch. If it tips over at all, it powers down completely. It does not turn itself back on when set back on its base. I've seen reviews of other heaters complain about this, but such complaints REALLY miss the point.
There are two things you want from a portable heater. 1) Heat up the room; and 2) DO NOT BURN DOWN THE BUILDING. Just scan the headlines in any given winter, and you'll find people dying from fires caused by heaters. So, safety is an important buying issue.
There are a million ways that a heater could be tipped over, but one thing you do not want is for an unattended heater to get knocked around -by whatever cause it might be -and then turn itself back on. Unattended, it could fall on something flammable, or into standing water, or who knows what. Being upright is no guarantee that it's safe. That's also why the unit also does not automatically reset itself after a loss of power. It's all about safety, and I think this model scores high in that regard.
The tipover switch sensor is in the base of the unit, relying on gravity, and works just like it should. I'll leave it to somebody else to test the thermal cutoff safety switch, or just trust DeLonghi. The unit supposedly sounds an audible alarm in the case of overheating, which is a great feature.
FINALLY, THE BAD NEWS
Okay, so we ordered a second unit. Unlike the first, this one was double boxed and the retail box looked perfect. We took out the heater, plugged it in, and turned it on.
ZAP! SPARK! ZAP! and with that, the heater died completely!
Very scary. That one is being returned to Amazon, and we've decided to make do with the one that (so far) works fine. I would have scored this product a five based on the first unit, which appears to live up to its designers' clever intentions. But I would have scored it a 1 (or zero) based on the second unit, which was at best a huge inconvenience (requiring a return) and at worst, a potential hazard. I think leaving it as a three is fair, under the circumstances.
Considering the difference between these two units, either there is really bad Quality Control at the manufacturer, or something in the distribution channels, or whatever. The first one is just delightful. But the second one? There is no excuse for a brand new product -shipped so carefully -to fail so completely and dangerously. It was a disaster waiting to happen, and I feel lucky that it killed itself immediately, rather than emitting sparks two weeks later in a bedroom or some such place.
With that in mind, follow the instructions in the manual for this heater -as for ANY heater -and keep it as far as possible from flammable items. That is very hard in most homes, but you need to be conscientious about it. This sort of goes back to the discussion about hanging it on a wall... that was something I contemplated doing, but if I want to get it off the floor, I think I'd rather set it on a metal filing cabinet or something. After all, many homes have plasterboard walls, which is basically gypsum coated in paper.
By the way, the whole thing can be tilted upward or downward, besides the horizontal oscillation. So the floor really is the most logical place for it, I think.
I hope this fills in any information gaps. I think the overall design is great, and the main reason I'm not more worried about the quality issue is because we own two new DeLonghi radiators that are good, reliable products that live up to their promises. I suggest that if you buy it, run it through all the features in the manual before putting it to regular use.
If you watch the price fluctuations at Amazon you can get a very good deal on it. It was out of stock for a long time before we finally got ours, so if you're thinking about it, you may not want to delay.
Best Deals on DeLonghi DFH550R Remote Control SafeHeat Motorized Oscillation Fan
This is a medium size heater that can heat from a small room to a medum and a half size room very well in less than 3 to 10 minutes depending on the size of the room. The thermostat is great. If it gets too hot just turn down the dial until you hear the fan turn off and just leave it. It will turn back on and reheat when the room temperatures lowers. The only cons I have with this heater are 1) that it does not have a timer and 2)one can barely see the numbers on the thermostat dial. Although it really doesn't need a timer because of the anti-freeze thermostat and although the numbers on it blends in with the dial just using a color marker pen can bring out the numbers so they can be read without having to use a magnifying glass will do the trick.Honest reviews on DeLonghi DFH550R Remote Control SafeHeat Motorized Oscillation Fan
This is a good looking, small unit. The remote control is very convienant and this heater has some great safety features. I dont feel that it gets warm enough however. I live in Vermont and it gets pretty cold. It takes a long time for this heater to have any effect on my room.If you live in an unusually cold region, I would recommend opting for a bigger sized space heater.
Find helpful customer reviews and review ratings for DeLonghi DFH550R Remote Control SafeHeat Motorized Oscillation Fan
I have an office that is a decent size, on the smaller sizebut has a very large window and thin walls so it is arctic cold at times. I purchased this heater based on the reviews and the remote control...the remote is great, as is the safety feature. I have only had it a couple of days, but so far I am very happy. I have the thermostat cranked up as high as it will go and the heater on the highest setting and its so quiet I can barely tell its running. My office heats up so quickly my coworkers have been stopping by to warm up!FYI: if the safety button on the back is not pushed in, your heater won't operate. I thought mine was broken until I found this out...
Sunday, February 9, 2014
Review of Long Term / Emergency Food Storage Supply Kit (1 Gallon Size)
Tim Jones went above and beyond the call of duty getting the product out to us! We are EXTREMELY happy with what we received and would recommend them to others. Dollar for dollar I couldn't find a better deal when you combine the O2 packs and the bags!
I like the ease of the heater and it works very well. I thought I would "over heat" the seal but thats not the case. The heater itself is self explanitory as are the bags. Some folks use a clothing iron but this is more convenient and does a better job.
The oxy absorbers are packed 20 in a pouch. No issues there but as soon as you open them you have to work quickly. It's better to have 20 bags ready to go so you can pop the the little guys in there then seal them up. When it's done correctly, those absorbers are great.
All in all I'm happy with it. I can see the heater lasting for quite some time as long as I don't go cowboy crazy with it. It's a decent built quality all around but it's up to the user to take care of it. The bags are hefty but when sealed properly, then can be damaged easily. For example: I stored some pasta and one rouge piece was a little sharp. When stored in a 5 gallon bucket, that one piece damaged three other bags.
I will buy more bags but not another heater just because I won't have to.
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This is my first go around at storing food this way so I have nothing to compare it to. For some reason I can see storing food this way as a little addicting. I'm already planning more projects.I like the ease of the heater and it works very well. I thought I would "over heat" the seal but thats not the case. The heater itself is self explanitory as are the bags. Some folks use a clothing iron but this is more convenient and does a better job.
The oxy absorbers are packed 20 in a pouch. No issues there but as soon as you open them you have to work quickly. It's better to have 20 bags ready to go so you can pop the the little guys in there then seal them up. When it's done correctly, those absorbers are great.
All in all I'm happy with it. I can see the heater lasting for quite some time as long as I don't go cowboy crazy with it. It's a decent built quality all around but it's up to the user to take care of it. The bags are hefty but when sealed properly, then can be damaged easily. For example: I stored some pasta and one rouge piece was a little sharp. When stored in a 5 gallon bucket, that one piece damaged three other bags.
I will buy more bags but not another heater just because I won't have to.
Best Deals on Long Term / Emergency Food Storage Supply Kit (1 Gallon Size)
we just recieved this kit and put it straight to use. We are very pleased with it . very easy to use.Honest reviews on Long Term / Emergency Food Storage Supply Kit (1 Gallon Size)
I love this product. The only thing that I would suggest to a buyer is to also have a vacuum sealer. I suggest this because the oxygen absorbers that are not immediately being used need to be revacuumed sealed or they will be useless. Have the vacuum sealer and a bag out and ready to use for the ones that you are not using right then.Saturday, December 28, 2013
Buy PROCOM Blue Flame Wall Heater - 10,000 BTU Output, 300 Sq. Ft
List Price: $139.99
Sale Price: $119.99
Today's Bonus: 14% Off
I purchased this item on Nov. 2, 2011, (received it on Nov. 9, 2011), replacing an existing heater that had gone out. It was easy to hook up to the existing line that was already installed in the room from the old heater. I have NO complaints about the heater, I love it, it does everything it say and then some. It has a glass plate along with a screen in the front of it, which at first when I read that it's a 'cool touch' heater, I was very sceptically about that, but honestly it is very cool to the touch, even in the front! The only place the heat comes out is at the top and us having dogs in the house, makes this very comforting to me, as our old one was a 'brick' burner heater and it did leave the front open to being able to get to the flame and the bricks and possibly getting burnt or worse. In an approximate 15x15 area room, we can comfortable set it around 1-2 on the dial and stay very toasty with it. It's a dual gas heater, meaning you have have either natural gas or propane to hook it to, we have the propane, which there was nothing to do but hook it to the right line hole, (which are very clearly marked) and didn't have to worry about setting any other settings with it, it also has an electronic push button ignition, which does not even take batteries to work it and comes with a bunch of safety features as well. I plan on getting a larger one to replace the old brick burner we now have in our living room, but first I would like to let you know about the seller we purchased it from through Amazon, Northern Tools & Equipment, it states both here on Amazon and Northern's website that it comes with a blower,(but can't be used with this model), IT DOES NOT! I have went through countless emails back and forth about this between Amazon and Northern Tools, they, (Northern Tools & Equipment) just keep telling me that they will refund the money if I send it back to them and AFTER it passes THEIR inspection, which anyone will tell you that it won't after being hooked up! So, when I order my next ProCom heater I WILL NOT order it through Northern Tools & Equipment! I will make doubly sure that it comes from another seller and not Northern Tools! They will not stand by what they sell as far as what is suppose to come with it. I have no problems with Amazon, I have purchased many, many items over many years through them and will continue to make purchases through Amazon, they are a great company to buy from, they strongly stand behind what they sell and they have done everything in their power to correct this problem, but Northern Tools & Equipment refuses to co-operate, except as I stated earlier to return the product and refund my money after it passes inspection. So, if you want a very good heater that is easy to hook up and does what it says it will do, then I highly suggest the ProCom heater and it does come with a one year warranty included. ProCom Blue Flame Wall Heater 10,000 BTU Output, 300 Sq. Ft. Heating Capacity, Model# MD100TBA
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I purchased this unit to replace a ProCom 10,000 btu unit I had gotten in Quartzsite, Arizona 7 years ago. That unit worked fine until last winter when it wouldn't stay lit. I thought this was the same unit until I received it & it said on the box "not for use in an rv" It also said that it would not work above 4,500 ft. None of this was mentioned on the web site. I returned it having to pay postage both ways.Best Deals on PROCOM Blue Flame Wall Heater - 10,000 BTU Output, 300 Sq. Ft
The thermostat works perfect. Just the right size for the rv. Set it up with a fast connect hose under the fridge.Honest reviews on PROCOM Blue Flame Wall Heater - 10,000 BTU Output, 300 Sq. Ft
I purchased mine on sale at Northern Tool while visiting my in-laws during Christmas of 2009. I grew up in the family plumbing business so was able to install the gas line myself, but those without experience will need professional installation. If you are replacing an existing appliance it is a non-issue. Otherwise, gas pipe and installation will cost more than the unit itself.We live in Appalachia where power can go out for days and intended it to provide backup heat for one room. Once installed, however, the warm glow of the blue flame was irresistible and it has been on every winter since. We set its thermostat slightly lower than that of our inefficient central heat which now kicks on just often enough to disperse the heat and provide ventilation. This appliance has paid for itself in savings on our gas bill! It is supposed to only heat 300 Sq. Ft., but 700 Sq. Ft. is comfortable with a sweater when power is out and outside temperatures are below freezing.
We used to run our generator constantly when power was out just for the furnace fan, but since we bought this we can rely on a $100 inverter to cool our freezer an hour in the morning and evening and watch TV a few hours a night. Instead of standing in the freezing cold every 6 hours to refill the generator, we could fill up our Jeep once every two weeks. We live near the well heads, but if natural gas would be interrupted it will run about 3 days on a 20# propane grill tank (left outside).
Find helpful customer reviews and review ratings for PROCOM Blue Flame Wall Heater - 10,000 BTU Output, 300 Sq. Ft
An Excellent, well-built little heater (I now own two of this model).The mandatory things I needed included:
1. A room sensitive/automatic thermostat (NOT the low-med-high manual type)
2. The size needed to be around 10,000 BTU's
3. That it was made by a trusted company
4. Priced low enough to fit my retirement budget
This unit fit the bill perfectly. I have used a much larger PROCOM heater as my primary living space heater for many years and, as long as I clean out the pilot every year (shut off for the summer), it runs perfectly.
The good:
The unit was well packed and the Installation instructions were accurate.
Everything needed to install the heater(including wall mounting anchors/screws and an allen wrench to UN-cork the gas port) was included.
The unit has a glass cover plate that extends across much of the front burn area (behind the metal grill) which serves as an added flame safety device, dust shield and draft blocker (to keep the pilot from being blown out) which is really an excellent idea. Access to this area to service the pilot is via four screws, two at the top and two at the bottom of the front grill.
-The igniter spark is strong and consistent. Once air was out of the gas pipe the pilot lit quickly and stays on.
The bad:
Nothing to speak of.
Notes:
As a dual use type (can be set to either Natural gas or Propane) it has two internal regulators and independent pilot systems. You should note that the pilot on the right is for the propane. It burns cleanly and fully covers the thermocouple which glows red as it should.
The gas pipe inlet ports are located on the bottom left as you face the heater. I ran my 1/2" black pipe to the left of the heater which allowed for a gentle "s" type curve of the flex pipe. I also purchased the Mr. Heater F271239 One-Stop Universal Gas-Appliance Hook-Up Kit which has everything you will need (except a gas pressure tap which is optional as long as you know your line pressure is in spec.)
The temperature sensing bulb is on the back of the heater very close to the bottom edge. Being on the back, you should be aware of the temperature of the wall you are mounting the heater to. I needed to mount one of my units on a cement wall which constantly radiates cool air during the winter. To minimize excessive and false thermostat turn-on, I insulated the wall behind the heater with 1" hard board insulation then used 2x4 pieces to stand the heater off the wall. So far, so good.
Summary:
The unit burns cleanly with a perfect blue flame and It puts out a good amount of heat for the modest size of the flame area. I liked the heater so much that I purchased a second one and will now be able to run the entire winter with the oil burner off.
Good luck and stay warm!
Buy Honeywell - SureSet 1500W Digital Oscillating Ceramic Heater, Black
This is a reliable space heater that puts out a fair amount of heat. The thermostat controls work (more or less) like any other heater -whatever you select, when the temperature around the heater reaches that level, the unit shuts off. As long as you don't expect it to correctly monitor room temperature, you're fine. We have had ours for a couple of years now and after about 18 mos the oscillating gears started falling apart, making clicking noises and leaving little pieces of plastic behind. It is still usable but not with oscillation. It is also noisy (loud fan) and is only used by us as a backup heater when other options are not available (ie one of our radiant flat panels died).
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