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Original poster

gas heater

23 replies

feelingbullied · 20/12/2011 12:41

I stay in shared accomodation with other students during the week, and they dont turn the heating on. its a cold, drafty victorian house. I have never insisted on turning the heating on as i really dont want arguments about it, so spend most of my time in heated libraries. but sadly thats not possible all the time. would i be okie with something like this?
www.amazon.co.uk/Portable-Gas-Cabinet-Heater-4-2kW/dp/B002PZXOHO/ref=pd_cp_kh_0
I can have a warmish room and they wont be paying any extras. Ive never used anything like this, so have no idea how itwould work. anyone use one of these before? advice appreciated.

oh, and my nickname doesnt refer to this situation, but something completey different

OP posts:
WorraLiberty · 20/12/2011 12:46

I grew up with one of those

They're great and throw out a lot of heat but you must keep the room ventilated.

OldGreyWassailTest · 20/12/2011 12:47

Yes, had a house where one of those heaters was my main heating. They're fine, but keep it on one bar only or it will eat the gas. The gas bottles are also heavy, but fine if you can lump them up and downstairs.

WorraLiberty · 20/12/2011 12:48

We used to get our bottles delivered. I can't remember how much it cost but wasn't too bad as the company were local.

sitandnatter · 20/12/2011 12:50

Lived huddled around one of those during my bedsit days many moons ago. Make sure you get the others to share the cost if they all end up in your room for the warmth.

grovel · 20/12/2011 12:52

They work like a dream. Charge an entrance fee to your room.

WorraLiberty · 20/12/2011 12:53

And you can shove some bread on a fork and toast it Grin

Well I used to anyway Blush

Original poster
feelingbullied · 21/12/2011 23:44

thank you all. I think i shall be geting one then, except it might be prudent to find out where i can get the gas from locally.
lol, love the idea of charging for my room :)

OP posts:
Goolash · 21/12/2011 23:49

What about one of the oil filled radiator things? We have one for our conservatory. They don't have that same blast of heat to warm up very quickly, but are pretty safe and have a thermostat. You can leave them on over night, or in the background.

JollyJinglyJoo · 21/12/2011 23:51

We had one of them in the living room when we were freezing students- fab!

You were, however, only allowed to have it on when there were at least 3 of us in! And the blummin cat used to lie right in front of it and block out the heat. We used to smell him burning and have to physically move the stupid singed creature bodily back from it!!

Go for it!

BuntyPenfold · 21/12/2011 23:54

If you use it in your bedroom, please get a carbon monoxide detector, about £15 in Tesco.

SingleSoloShattersSparklyStars · 21/12/2011 23:55

Yes and make sure it's an audible one, not a spot one.

HollyPricklesMyFanjo · 22/12/2011 00:00

Without being a pain I would say, I assume you are a tennant, check your tenancy agreement. I had a tenancy that forbid the use of these type of heaters dur to fire concerns of the landlord, it can be fairly common.

BuntyPenfold · 22/12/2011 00:02

Oil filled rad is a much better option imo.

SingleSoloShattersSparklyStars · 22/12/2011 00:41

But an oil filled heater would (I assume), impact on the cost to everyone in the share which (I assume) is why the house heating is not being used.

LineRunnerCrouchingReindeer · 22/12/2011 00:57

I saw halogen heaters in Wilkinsons for £20. Whatever they are.

TroublesomeEx · 22/12/2011 05:09

You can often get the gas canisters from petrol stations and also from camping shops. Sounds like a good solution to me, but agree with getting a CO detector.

KittyFane · 22/12/2011 08:37

No, too much faff getting gas bottles and an explosion/ carbon disaster waiting to happen. Get an oil filled radiator much safer.
Also check with your landlord if you do go for the gas bottle one- for insurance purposes, they may not be permitted

santastophere · 22/12/2011 10:06

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

Original poster
feelingbullied · 22/12/2011 11:08

no, cant get the oil filled radiotors, or the electirc ones as it will pull gas and electricity from the shared bills, which will create a massive ruckus, one which i am anxious to avoid.

i hadnt thought about the rental agreement. will check that. :S

There is actually a proper fireplace in my room, but its got a bit of mdf in front of it. probably where much of the draft in my room is coming from.

definitly noisy co monitor. spot ones are a bit, lol, quiet. :)

OP posts:
jari · 22/12/2011 11:54

Get an electric heater with a timer on it. Work out how much electricity it pulls whilst on and how long you will have it on per day. Then work out your kWh/day for the electric heater and how much it will cost.

Tell you housemates what you've decided to do, how you got to the figure for the cost (and encourage them to double check your sums), how much it will increase the electricity bill by, and then when it comes through subtract your heater amount off the bill and then divide by however many housemates you have. I would recommend an ~1.5kw convection heater (fan heaters will stop you sleeping with the noise) with 2 independant elements. I got one from argos for £20 last winter, can give 750, or 1500 or 2250W heating if I put one, the other, or both heating elements on. 750 for a couple of hours a day was plenty for a small room with a very poor window.

jari · 22/12/2011 12:03

Be generous in your sums, use the most expensive kwh tarrif (if you have 2), and use it for a week or two so you accurately know how long you'll use it for/day before coming out with a final figure. That way there can't be any argument unless your housemates are a) idiots or b) don't trust you.

eg: 1kw for 2 hours/day = 2kwh. Assume 20p/kwh (probably not the number you're paying, but probably close enough) and that comes out at 40p/day. in 100 days it'll be march almost and at 2kwh/day you'll have paid £40 on electric, which is almost the price difference between the gas cabinet heater and a convection heater. 2 year warranties are good, depending on the retailer and whether the manager is having a good day you may be able to claim 'not fit for purpose' under the sale of goods act for 6 years after you bought the item. 2 independent heating elements will give you redundancy should 1 fail.

Also, convection heaters are a lot lighter than oil filled rads- great if you're a student and expecting to move house a lot.

SingleSoloShattersSparklyStars · 22/12/2011 23:16

Jari are you saying that the OP should ask for a replacement due to 'not being fit for purpose' every two years on the warranty? No wonder businesses are closing Hmm. Different if a genuine claim and I apologise if I've read that wrong...I hope I have!

ohokthen · 22/12/2011 23:33

I have to live with one of these, to keep my office warm. Yes they will keep you warm, but there are gas fumes that you can smell. Or get used to. And others smell as they come in and out of the room.

£25 for a bottle. Generally delivered same day. We ordered 1 bottle last year and have had it exchanged in the last couple of weeks or so.

And they DO make you drousy want to sleep. Your make up slides right off your face.

As soon as you turn them off, the room does go very cold. ALL I will say is please be very very careful. Use them fruedently. Although easier said than done. When it is very cold.

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