Bedroom Electric Heater Recommendation(s)

1440 Watts would be the theoretical maximum for a standard 15 A 120 VAC receptacle, and that's assuming you're not running anything else off that same branch circuit.

Remember that a nominal 15 A breaker can not be operated at more than 12 A on a steady-state basis.

P = IV
1440 W = 12 A * 120 V
If I may add ..... Replace those builder grade receptacles with an industrial type if your running a 1500 watt heater because the plug can get pretty hot.
 
If I may add ..... Replace those builder grade receptacles with an industrial type if your running a 1500 watt heater because the plug can get pretty hot.
Agreed - good advice, and use the screw terminals on the side of the receptacle, NOT the holes on the back!

I replaced one in the garage with an upgraded one - big difference!
 
If I needed some heat in the bedroom. blanket is most efficient (electric blanket)

or oil filled electric radiator on low (750w)

I have natural gas though.

I have friends with propane and O U C H. I'd be looking at anything that would give me some lube to go with those heating bills.

Heat pump isnt perfect but with shoulder seasons and warm days Can easily slash your propane or heating oil use.

Is it the best thing for 0f at midnight on january 12th... no.
 
Another thing to keep in mind is the plug in electric oil heaters are all but 100% trouble free... For their entire life. At the start of every heating season around here, I see HVAC trucks with service guys up on roofs because people are having heat pump issues.

Won't run. Doesn't blow warm air. Runs too long and doesn't heat up the house. Making loud noises. Name it. It's the same thing every year. I never run mine. The switch stays on A/C all year. I don't even move the switch to off. (I just move the thermostat to 90, and it never runs).

The money I end up saving on service calls, more than pays for the little electricity my electric heaters use for the few hours I have them on at night. Heat pumps are overly complex, not to mention expensive for the little amount of heat they provide.
 
Another thing to keep in mind is the plug in electric oil heaters are all but 100% trouble free... For their entire life. At the start of every heating season around here, I see HVAC trucks with service guys up on roofs because people are having heat pump issues.

Won't run. Doesn't blow warm air. Runs too long and doesn't heat up the house. Making loud noises. Name it. It's the same thing every year. I never run mine. The switch stays on A/C all year. I don't even move the switch to off. (I just move the thermostat to 90, and it never runs).

The money I end up saving on service calls, more than pays for the little electricity my electric heaters use for the few hours I have them on at night. Heat pumps are overly complex, not to mention expensive for the little amount of heat they provide.
You got a ****ty heat pump. Sorry.
Even a decent heat pump system is very reliable and in Havasu should have zero problems maintaining a base temperature.
And I am the first person to say in cold places, a heat pump ALONE is a terrible choice.

Oh and our two oil filled units both died. I like those things.
 
A main thing to remember about electric heaters is they all basically put out the same amount of heat per watt, and so the question is how do you want that heat delivered.

I like electric oil heaters since they are quiet. But the heat isn't directional. So you kind of have to heat an entire room with it to get the benefits unless it's right next to you. And they heat up, and heat up the room, slowly.

Ceramic heaters make more noise due to the fan, but they are much more directional and fast. Great for if the bathroom is cold. Turn it on for 5-10 minutes before taking a shower. And having direction, it's easier to heat up part of a room more than the entire room. And good for having near you if sitting in the same area for a while since you can point it right at you. Pick one that is pretty quiet (at least on the low setting), and place it 2-3 feet away from you. Definitely better than an oil heater in that scenario, other than the fan noise.

I don't know about the new ones, but the older Vornados were marketed as having strong fans that can move the air across the room. It's true. I have one. But there's a couple negatives. It's on the loud side even on low, and especially the farther from it you are, the less warm its air feels and instead can feel like a cool breeze making you feel colder. It's warm air, but not necessarily warm enough at a distance. That can somewhat be avoided by not pointing it directly at you, but then that somewhat defeats the positive thing about ceramic heaters being you can point them directly at you to feel its warmth instead of having to heat up the entire room.
 
You got a ****ty heat pump. Sorry.

Sometimes, perhaps most times, it's not the heat pump but the knuckle-dragger that installed and serviced it.

It's no secret to anyone who pays attention that there are some real hacks in the trades, and some places in the country where it's easer to get away with being such a hack.

I once witness one of these HVAC hacks (in Virginia--no surprise there) condemn a compressor because he was too stupid to understand that his non-contact voltage detector was telling him that the compressor had power because the contactor only broke one side of the 240V circuit.
 
I never run mine. The switch stays on A/C all year. I don't even move the switch to off. (I just move the thermostat to 90, and it never runs).

Since the reversing valve on your unit defaults to heat when it's not energized (unless it's one of the few that doesn't), you aren't saving your system the way you think by never using heat.

And the only difference between a heat pump and a straight cool AC is .... the reversing valve and a defrost control. (A different thermostat and aux heat coils, too, but that's not part of the condensing unit).

Reversing valves rarely fail from what I've seen. Ditto for defrost controls.
 
I paid $99 for this one (below). We have a decent sized bedroom and bath and large closet over the wife's garage. That SOG keeps the room TOO WARM! Even on MIN with the T-Stat pretty low. I got up and shut it off last night.

It's not pretty and it's large. And no it's not alien thermodynamics, just a relatively large surface area.

I just can't fathom the current Amazon price!



I almost bought one of those a few years back but went instead with their convection heater. If I was going to get another heater I would consider that one.
 
3 guys at the gun club are all having problems with their heat pumps this past weekend.... Making hissing noises.... Not blowing any heat.... Runs, then shuts off.... Won't run at all.... No thanks.
 
The same guy who flunked shop class installed all 3?
It's not just them, I see HVAC trucks in people's driveways all over town this time of year. I never turn mine off A/C. I just raise the thermostat in the cooler weather, so the unit won't kick on, and I've never had an issue.

When it gets hot again, I simply lower the thermostat. These guys are switching them from A/C to heat, then back to A/C, and they're having nothing but trouble. Expensive trouble. HVAC people LOVE heat pumps. They get double the work out of them.
 
When it gets hot again, I simply lower the thermostat. These guys are switching them from A/C to heat, then back to A/C, and they're having nothing but trouble. Expensive trouble. HVAC people LOVE heat pumps. They get double the work out of them.

I have lived in places that have heat pumps for a total of 15 years, including my current house.

In that time, the only problem any of them had was a sticking fan relay on the indoor unit. Which cause the indoor fan to stay on.

What you fail to understand is that leaving the unit in "AC" does nothing to save it. The reversing valve defaults to the "heat" position when it's not energized when the unit is off. It's moving everytime the unit turns on and shuts off, even in AC mode.

As far as you seeing HVAC trucks in driveways when heating season starts...

...I don't see that around here. Must be a local problem.
 
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