Best Oil Heater to Buy?

Lockdude on 26/07/2021 - 15:56

Hello value experts, please help me out!

I have decided I would like to buy an oil heater for some small spaces I hope to heat. So I went online and bought the cheapest I could find that had reasonable reviews. So I bought this.

I was wanting it to heat up my bedroom in the morning for an hour or two (really struggle to get out of bed when it's cold - first world problem, I know, but I have the disposable income, so why not?).

However, oh my goodness, the loud clicking and popping noises it makes were unbearable. Woke me up and I'm already over it.

So, I will return this. However, my next question is, what should I go with? I thought Delonghi was top of the range, so looked at their top-of-the-line Dragon 4 (seems I can get this for ~$260 on good guys commercial).

However, in my experience with other products, top brands are usually paying overs for the brand name.

So that's my question. Is there a less expensive reliable oil heater that has a timer on it, and isn't going to make horrendously loud popping/cracking noises? Or is that just the curse of oil heaters?

Noting there are reviews that say even the Dragon 4 makes terrible noises.

Home & Garden Heater

Comments

  • John Kimble on 26/07/2021 - 16:01
    +6

    They all make those noises AFAIK

  • GG57 on 26/07/2021 - 16:04
    +2

    Is an oil-filled column heater the best for your proposed use? My understanding is that the heater heats the oil, which then heats the air/room.
    I think a panel heater might be more effective, particularly if you buy one with a timer to start before you get up. You probably only need it on for 1 hour or so.

  • onetwothreefour on 26/07/2021 - 16:06

    I've got a Delonghi one I bought on sale after winter from Bunnings. It does make noises but I can't see it being so loud it would wake me up. It has a timer but I've never looked to see how it works, I just turn it on when I'm cold and off again when I'm getting too warm.

    • MS Paint on 26/07/2021 - 16:21

      I just turn it on when I'm cold and off again when I'm getting too warm.

      That is very inefficient with any type of heater but more so for an oil column heater. Does your model have an adjustable thermostat?

      • fantombloo on 26/07/2021 - 16:36

        They all have thermostats. They're talking about the timer. I too never use the timers.

        • John Kimble on 26/07/2021 - 16:40
          -1

          It's not the noise of the timer, that's a constant ticking; it's the intermittent sound of the metal expanding/creaking as the oil heats up.

          • fantombloo on 26/07/2021 - 16:42

            @John Kimble: I know that. I'm responding to MS Paint's reply about not using a thermostat being inefficient - something that's not actually an issue since they all have thermostats.

      • onetwothreefour on 26/07/2021 - 16:40

        Yes, I set it to a low to medium setting (3 or 4 out of 6), it does turn itself off after it has heated up and then back on again after it cools down a bit. I just turn it off fully when the sun gets a bit higher during the day and the room gets warm naturally.

  • upended on 26/07/2021 - 16:14

    Agreed, all oil heaters make noises. But none of these make noises that would disturb your sleep. OP, perhaps you are a light sleeper?

  • muckingfuppet on 26/07/2021 - 16:30
    +1

    I got a micathermic arlec from bunnings. It's almost silent, except a small click when it hits the desired temperature of the thermostat.

    Electric heaters are all the same in terms of energy efficiency, unless it has a heat pump. So you're splitting hairs between heaters, and this one pretty much does the same job.

    • fantombloo on 26/07/2021 - 16:39

      They are all close to 100% efficient but they may have very different heat dispersing properties. Choosing the right one is an important consideration.

  • vjozb on 26/07/2021 - 17:10
    +2

    If its just waking up in the morning, have you Considered buying an electric blanket or quilt with a smart timer on/off?
    Would be more efficient than an oil heater too.

    • meowsers on 26/07/2021 - 18:22

      electric blankets are great, we have a breville one and you cant even tell it's there.

      Only problem is sometimes I set it to 6 and then I wake up thinking I have leukemia because I'm sweating.

  • garffi on 26/07/2021 - 17:27

    I bought a delonghi radia and I'm quite happy with it. The cracking noise only happens at the start when its heating up, otherwise I haven't noticed any other noises. There is some white noise when it's left plugged in but not turned on, though you can barely hear it. The digital version is a lot more user friendly and easy to change settings. I could never figure out how to use the timer on those circle spinning things…

  • mskeggs on 26/07/2021 - 17:31
    +5

    A fan heater will give you heat pointing right at you while you get up, get dressed etc. and doesn’t have to be turned on an hour earlier to heat up as it is instant.
    Likely save money on up front cost and operation if you turn it off 10mins later when you are ready.

    If you need 3 hours of heating between wake up and leaving your bedroom this isn’t the right solution.

  • Wystri Warrick on 31/07/2021 - 14:37

    Hey op.

    I just bought a Click 5 fin oil heater from Bunnings for $35. It's completely silent while operating, only makes a couple of clicks when it's first turned on or being turned off. I've just turned it off several minutes ago and it's only made 3 clicks.

    Couldn't send you a link to the heater as I can't find it on the website.

    You could pair the heater with a smart power plug. set the heater to on and when it's time (2 hours before you get out of bed) the smart plug will turn on resulting in the heater turning on.
    You could also set the heater to turn off at the time you leave home for work or uni.

  • Euthyphro on 04/08/2021 - 11:21

    Would it be better to use oil free heater? It's quicker and wastes less electricity. https://www.bigw.com.au/product/dimplex-oil-free-column-heat…

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