How to safely heat only half my house at night?
February 7, 2016 8:36 AM Subscribe
My single radiator heats the main living areas from one side and the bedrooms from the other. At night it gets down into the 30s/40s. Is there a way I could safely heat just the bedrooms at night? Diagram inside.
Other data points:
We rent.
We have a toddler who is still in a sleep sack, not in blankets.
+----------------------------------------+---------------+ | | | | | | | | bed | | | | | | | | | | | +----+----------+ | thermostat | | | | +--> ++ | | | ++ +----------+ | | | | | | | | | +-+ | | | <-----> | | Radiator +++ | | | | | | | +----+----------+ | | | | | | | | bed | | | | | | | +----------------------------------------+---------------+I'd need some way of blocking off the outward-facing face of the radiator, and some way of getting the thermostat to respond to air on the other side of the wall?
Other data points:
Response by poster: Karaage: Space heater + toddler is generally not a good combination. Or am I thinking of the wrong kind of electric radiator?
posted by joshwa at 8:44 AM on February 7, 2016
posted by joshwa at 8:44 AM on February 7, 2016
How about you leave the door open and hang a heavy non-flammable curtain that separates the radiator, doorway, and thermostat from the rest of the house? Or a room divider. The Wikipedia article says that they were once used mostly by royalty, so it would make your family super fancy.
Also btw 2-liter bottles serve quite well as hot water bottles.
posted by XMLicious at 8:47 AM on February 7, 2016 [1 favorite]
Also btw 2-liter bottles serve quite well as hot water bottles.
posted by XMLicious at 8:47 AM on February 7, 2016 [1 favorite]
I'm thinking about it more and I bet if you made a room divider from three or four big panels of non-flammable styrofoam or other foam, sized exactly so that they'd brush the ceiling, it would probably be both very insulating and extremely light and therefore easy to move around.
posted by XMLicious at 8:53 AM on February 7, 2016
posted by XMLicious at 8:53 AM on February 7, 2016
Response by poster: (side note: asciiflow.com is tailor-made for AskMe)
posted by joshwa at 8:56 AM on February 7, 2016 [6 favorites]
posted by joshwa at 8:56 AM on February 7, 2016 [6 favorites]
Space heater + toddler is generally not a good combination.
This didn't occur to me initially, but a quick googling shows lots of recommendations of units that are good in kids room that either have good anti-tip mechanisms or are recessed so they can't burn to to the touch. Consider also "Wall panel" type heaters that screw into the wall.
posted by Karaage at 8:56 AM on February 7, 2016 [3 favorites]
This didn't occur to me initially, but a quick googling shows lots of recommendations of units that are good in kids room that either have good anti-tip mechanisms or are recessed so they can't burn to to the touch. Consider also "Wall panel" type heaters that screw into the wall.
posted by Karaage at 8:56 AM on February 7, 2016 [3 favorites]
I can't tell from your diagram where plumbing is, but you definitely don't want your pipes spending any substantial amount of time below freezing, since water expands as it freezes and can burst pipes quite easily, or just block them up for a while.
posted by spindrifter at 9:07 AM on February 7, 2016
posted by spindrifter at 9:07 AM on February 7, 2016
Response by poster: spindrifter: I'm in the Bay Area, so it almost never freezes here-- just gets much colder than my 1910 house is insulated for.
posted by joshwa at 9:10 AM on February 7, 2016
posted by joshwa at 9:10 AM on February 7, 2016
Best answer: I am in sacramento. I have one of these:
http://www.amazon.com/DeLonghi-TRD40615E-Full-Radiant-Heater/dp/B00G96S4Y8
It is superb. It can be set with up to three different output powers, two of which are cool enough that you just couldn't burn yourself on it. But it does a really good job of heating to a temperature and holding it there. It is gentle, continuous heat (so needs to be on longer term, rather than 'heat the room within 20 minutes), but that's easy enough.
It has an eco setting that will use the lowest setting that maintains the temperature it heats at (low, med high), but also a separate control that limits the maximum heat. I usually have it set to Eco (low, high) and it would easily keep our RV (approx 300 sqft) warm to 68 degrees, given our not so awesome insulation. I only have to use the highest setting when we have windows open through the RV to prevent condensation build up.
At the low and mid settings I'd be astonished if even a toddler could burn themselves.
posted by Brockles at 9:34 AM on February 7, 2016 [2 favorites]
http://www.amazon.com/DeLonghi-TRD40615E-Full-Radiant-Heater/dp/B00G96S4Y8
It is superb. It can be set with up to three different output powers, two of which are cool enough that you just couldn't burn yourself on it. But it does a really good job of heating to a temperature and holding it there. It is gentle, continuous heat (so needs to be on longer term, rather than 'heat the room within 20 minutes), but that's easy enough.
It has an eco setting that will use the lowest setting that maintains the temperature it heats at (low, med high), but also a separate control that limits the maximum heat. I usually have it set to Eco (low, high) and it would easily keep our RV (approx 300 sqft) warm to 68 degrees, given our not so awesome insulation. I only have to use the highest setting when we have windows open through the RV to prevent condensation build up.
At the low and mid settings I'd be astonished if even a toddler could burn themselves.
posted by Brockles at 9:34 AM on February 7, 2016 [2 favorites]
So I suggest (forgot this bit) using the thermostat to keep a reasonable temperature in the main room and a radiator or two to keep the bedrooms a reasonable temp.
posted by Brockles at 9:35 AM on February 7, 2016 [1 favorite]
posted by Brockles at 9:35 AM on February 7, 2016 [1 favorite]
Another DeLonghi option is this one, which I have sitting in my office as we speak. Bonus points for being able to hang it on a wall.
posted by thomas j wise at 10:03 AM on February 7, 2016 [1 favorite]
posted by thomas j wise at 10:03 AM on February 7, 2016 [1 favorite]
+1 for the oil-filled heater idea. Our downstairs family room is underpowered in the forced air dept, and while there's a wood stove, that's work. Heater did the trick and doesn't look bad, either.
posted by Cool Papa Bell at 11:05 AM on February 7, 2016
posted by Cool Papa Bell at 11:05 AM on February 7, 2016
Another option: electric bedwarmers. I love mine with all my heart. Heating just the beds is probably also more efficient than heating entire rooms.
posted by metasarah at 11:07 AM on February 7, 2016 [5 favorites]
posted by metasarah at 11:07 AM on February 7, 2016 [5 favorites]
If you are currently heating with gas, I imagine that switching to the electric radiators is going to be considerably more expensive.
I'm thinking XMLicious' idea about the insulating panels, combined with moving the thermostate to the other side of that wall, would accomplish what you're going for.
posted by she's not there at 11:17 AM on February 7, 2016
I'm thinking XMLicious' idea about the insulating panels, combined with moving the thermostate to the other side of that wall, would accomplish what you're going for.
posted by she's not there at 11:17 AM on February 7, 2016
If you sleep with the bedroom doors open, it will allow them to affect the thermostat, and then you could cover the vents in the living room at night, forcing all the air into the bedrooms.
posted by myselfasme at 12:33 PM on February 7, 2016
posted by myselfasme at 12:33 PM on February 7, 2016
Best answer: To be honest, both you and your toddler would be better off sleeping in a cool space, but with appropriate nightware and bedding.
In Scandinavia, it is normal for children to sleep out in the snow during daytime, and bedrooms are similarly cool. Good bed-clothes are a cheaper and safer solution to your problem.
posted by mumimor at 12:33 PM on February 7, 2016 [1 favorite]
In Scandinavia, it is normal for children to sleep out in the snow during daytime, and bedrooms are similarly cool. Good bed-clothes are a cheaper and safer solution to your problem.
posted by mumimor at 12:33 PM on February 7, 2016 [1 favorite]
Is your thermostat attached to an actual box or just screwed to the wall either directly or to a low voltage ring? Because if it is either of the latter you could just drill a small hole on the other side of the wall and mount the thermostat with small plastic anchors. This is something easily reversed when you move out with a tiny bit of Spackle.
XMLicious: "I'm thinking about it more and I bet if you made a room divider from three or four big panels of non-flammable styrofoam or other foam"
There aren't any rigid foam panels that don't have to be encapsulated in a fire barrier. All of them will give off noxious fumes when burning even if they don't support combustion themselves.
Having said that you don't need that sort of insulation level anyways. A simple open box made of plywood (like a radiator cover without the ventilation) that you can slide over at night would redirect most of the heat into the hallway.
Or if you wished to get fancy you could make a conventional radiator cover with either cabinet doors that you open in the day time and close at night or some sort of built in control louver.
posted by Mitheral at 4:17 PM on February 7, 2016
XMLicious: "I'm thinking about it more and I bet if you made a room divider from three or four big panels of non-flammable styrofoam or other foam"
There aren't any rigid foam panels that don't have to be encapsulated in a fire barrier. All of them will give off noxious fumes when burning even if they don't support combustion themselves.
Having said that you don't need that sort of insulation level anyways. A simple open box made of plywood (like a radiator cover without the ventilation) that you can slide over at night would redirect most of the heat into the hallway.
Or if you wished to get fancy you could make a conventional radiator cover with either cabinet doors that you open in the day time and close at night or some sort of built in control louver.
posted by Mitheral at 4:17 PM on February 7, 2016
Another approach: what about just heating your bed? Getting a heated mattress pad is one of the best things I've ever done.
posted by Jacqueline at 10:12 PM on February 8, 2016
posted by Jacqueline at 10:12 PM on February 8, 2016
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That seems to make a lot more sense than trying to design a contraption to both trick your thermometer and redirect the heat into the bedrooms.
posted by Karaage at 8:40 AM on February 7, 2016