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Dimplex OFX075
by SoadFan
~An economical heater that offers a low heat output~
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This Dimplex OFX075 oil filled panel heater is something that we used to have in the conservatory, that was purchased by the previous occupants as a way to keep winter chills at bay. This heater is not as effective at keeping a ... cool/ or cold room like a conservatory at a high heat during really cold snaps, although it will certainly keep the chill off of a cold room. The plus points for these heaters are that they can be simply wall mounted in areas around the home that need a little bonus heat during winter weather, without having to be plumbed in to a main central heating system, as each unit is a stand alone oil filled product that can be simply plugged in to an electrical socket or attached more permanently if wanted to your electricity supply by a qualified electrician.
This heater is a lowly 750 watts meaning it can and does take the chill off a cool room, but won't really be able to throw out lots of warmth on very cold days. I feel that the installation of this heater in the conservatory was in theory a good idea as it provided a means of keeping chills at bay to a small extent and could be left on during periods of extreme cold without costing the earth to run. If the room that you are heating is not in regular use during the winter months, this is quite possibly a good option as it provides a very light background heat.
If you are wanting to really boost the heat in a room so that it can be comfortably sat in for a number of hours on cold days, then this model is not really going to be enough. I found that to be the case when using this heater which is why it is no longer in use as it has been replaced with something that throws out a little more heat. The heat controls on this model do allow you to adjust the heat settings, so as to get the best value for money when running this heater during cold periods and if all that is required is a little background heat to take the chill off of a cold room then this would be fine to use.
~Product presentation~
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The look of this panel heater is simple and neat with a minimal cool white finish that looks modern and would suit a number of room schemes. These heaters do look very similar to some of the ultra slim central heating radiators that can be bought and so would not look out of place if used in a home with a mix of both gas central heating and electric heating. These heaters are easy to set and use and they seem to come fitted with the required electrical cable, although I cannot comment on whether they also have a plug fitted to them as the one I had in use was connected directly to the electricity outlet on the wall. I also cannot comment on whether these heaters have a set of wall connectors with them when new, as the heater was already in situ, although I would assume that they do.
~Price and rating~
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In terms of rating this oil filled heater I feel that the issues with it were really based around the fact that it didn't throw out enough warmth for a person to be able to spend any length of time sitting around, without the room being topped up by an additional convector heater. As a simple way to keep chills away and have a low base line temperature in a room then this heater does what it should and as such should be rated accordingly. Taking everything in to account I feel this heater ought to get a mid range 3 star product rating as it can cut the cost of keeping chills away, however it may suit some room situations more than others. I am unable to comment on the price paid for the heater although a quick search has lead me to see a price range from £70 to £80 for these types or products.
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Dimplex OFC1500
by Mauri
Our boiler broke down last week at the height of the cold weather snap and we found that we had little is any alternative ways to heat any part of the house. Thankfully an engineer came out within 24 hours and we only had to endure one night without heating. But this got me thinking that it would be a good idea to have an alternative ... emergency source of heating that would also be mobile so that it could be used in whatever room it was needed without much hassle. Having done some research it seemed like the oil filled portable mini radiators were a good option and relatively economical to run. Of these I plumped for the Dimplex OFC1500 for the following reasons; it was a reasonable price around £50, Dimplex are a known reliable make, the product had some good user write ups online and also looked aesthetically quite pleasing.
THE PRODUCT
The Dimplex OFC1500 is a 5 bladed oil filled radiator type heater. It stands on castors so it can be moved around easily and it has two setting one with a maximum output of 800w and the other with a maximum of 1500W (1.5kw) with a variable range thermostatic control on each setting and a frost setting if the radiator is being left in an especially cold environment like an outhouse or garage.
The principle behind the use is the same as an ordinary radiator; the blades are filled with a hot liquid which then radiates heat out to its surroundings. The difference is that in a central heating radiator the liquid would be water heated up by your gas fired boiler while in this mini radiator the liquid is oil heated up by an electric current. The heating element is completely sealed unlike many fan or bar heaters so that it is completely safe and reliable. In addition compared with fan heater it is also completely silent!
The radiator stands at 635mm in height including the feet, with a width again including feet of 280mm and is 398mm deep. The unit weighs about 10 kg and is supplied with a built in handle at the front for easy lifting although the castors make it possible to roll it along most surfaces. Also at the front is an integral cable tidy making it easier to store away when not in use. In fact the dimension are reasonable enough for it to be tucked away quite happily in a corner when not used and bright white finish and slightly retro styling make it not unattractive to look at. The controls are on the front of the unit and are self explanatory, on/off, two heat settings and a thermostat dial. A red light on the front panel also tells you when the unit is plugged in to the mains even when it is switched off.
I bought mine from the local Robert Dyas store purely for price and it came packed in a large cardboard box, which would easily fit in the boot of an average to small car. Note that once you have unpacked it you will have to fix the feet with castors to it yourself and this I found a little fiddly thanks to the fact that the instructions were not all that clear.
Once up and running the unit will not need any maintenance and comes with BEAB Intertek safety approval and a 3 year manufacturer's guarantee. The build quality looks and is good, they can stand up to a few hard knocks.
EASE OF USE AND OPERATION
Oil radiators are not the cheapest form of temporary heating you can use and they are relatively slow to get warm and will not give you the instant heat that say a fan heater will do but they are safer than most type of heaters in that there do not have exposed elements and you don't have to worry about air flow and toxic gases as in gas heaters. I would image that they are also more expensive to run but if you have one with a thermostat control it will be more efficient than a fan heater without a control. Having done a bit of research I think a 1.5kw oil radiator on full power would cost around 20p/hour in electricity although if it is used off peak or during the night this can drop as much as to 7p/hour.
Because of the oil in them they also tend to be quite heavy and it is a very good idea to have them on wheels. I found that the castor wheels on this model were a bit flimsy and care should be taken when moving the unit. I also found that the cable supplied with it was rather short limiting the positioning or movement of the unit around a room.
Although the unit does take a few minutes to heat up once it is going it will heat up a reasonable space quite quickly and maintain the temperature efficiently. One word of warning when used on the full heat setting the radiator get very hot and care should be taken if you have small children running around.
OVERALL
The Dimplex OFC1500 is a well made, good looking heater that will do the job it's designed to do safely and efficiently. It can be expensive to run over long period since any heating system that use as secondary fuel like electricity i.e. one fuel to heat up another to produce heat will inevitably be less efficient that say a gas or real fire. However if used just when needed and not always at the highest setting which in most situation will not be necessary then it compares quite well with fan heaters and the like. I think this is a good option as an emergency of temporary secondary form of heating.
For the price this was a good buy although a couple of niggles would be the length of the electric cable and the wheels, a longer chord and slightly more robust castor wheels would have made it even better.
Recommended.
© Mauri 2012
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Tesco OFR1K10 Oil Filled Radiator
by rosebud2001
Autumn is here with a vengeance and as such I have turned my attention to heating the house again. I have a gas central heating system in my home but both the kitchen and one bedroom don't have radiators. Furthermore, I have recently been informed that my gas charges will be increasing by 18% and as I live in a rental property and don't ... plan on staying long term, I can't even just switch to a cheaper provider - assuming there is one of course.
I have two oil filled radiators which run off the electricity and these really come into their own on cooler days when I only need to heat a small area as opposed to switching on the central heating. I have already reviewed my Delonghi Dragon oil filled radiator so this review is for my Tesco OFR1K10 heater.
~~Appearance~~
This is a cheap and cheerful heater and it is fairly small, measuring just 14 cm wide x 66 cm high x 27 cm in depth. The heater is white and sits on 4 castors. It has five fins, one of which is thicker and houses the controls.
The heater has a carrying handle and a storage area for the cable, which measures 160 cm. The heater itself weighs just 6.4 kilos making it easy to carry up and down stairs.
Despite the heater not being particularly expensive, it is actually a very well made consumer item. The whole heater is made from metal which is painted white with only the control section and handle being made of plastic. The handle remains cool at all times.
~~Setting Up~~
When you first open the heater up it does require a small amount of assembly to locate the main part of the heater on to the castors. This is very straightforward and takes no more than ten minutes. It should be noted that the heater will not work until attached to the castors due to a tilt system which automatically switches the heater off if it's not positioned properly on a flat surface.
~~The Controls~~
Using the heater is very simple because this isn't a particularly fancy item. It has no timer which simplifies things enormously but also limits use to times when you know you will be in the same room.
To switch on you should turn the temperature knob to "Max" and then decide how much heat you want. There are two press down power switches and if you press the first one you will get heat coming out at 300 watts. If you opt for the button marked "II" you get an output of 600 watts. Alternatively you can depress both at the same time for maximum output of 1000 watts. There are lights on both switches which will illuminate while the radiator is heating up.
Once the heater has reached the maximum temperature the lights will go out and it's desirable to then turn the temperature knob down to a lower level which the heater will then use as its required temperature for the thermostat to ensure the radiator doesn't over heat. The total output of the heater is 1kw.
~~My Thoughts~~
I really do love my Delonghi Dragon heater which is an incredibly powerful oil radiator but my Tesco heater is a fraction of the weight and as such much easier to move about. It's also smaller, making it easier to store. So in spite of this heater lacking the bells and whistles of the Delonghi, it's an incredibly useful spare heater to have in the home.
The heater itself doesn't take long to warm up at all - certainly within 10 minutes you can feel the heat emitting from the radiator and the thermostat tends to switch off within 20 minutes once the desired temperature has been reached. After that the thermostat ensures an even temperature according to the settings you have chosen.
I have found that some oil filled radiators can be quite noisy - certainly my Delonghi Dragon can be noisy as the heat can cause the metal to contract but this one from Tesco is incredibly quiet, with only the occasional click when the thermostat switches off. The noisiest this heater gets is when it's cooling down once you switch it off.
I also love how easy it is to move this heater around. The castors are excellent, allowing for smooth movement along the floor and the handle at the top of the heater enables you to easily carry it up and down stairs. Futhermore, the power cable can be safely stored by winding over a cord storage area and then you can insert the plug into a storage socket to ensure no-one can trip over the plug or the cable.
The heater isn't particularly expensive to buy either. I paid £29.99 for mine instore at Tesco last year and it's currently on offer on the Tesco website, costing just £19.97 which is a bargain.
I really don't have any real complaints about this heater even though it falls into the "cheap and cheerful" category. Yes, it would be nice if it were to have a timer control but experience has taught me that this feature alone can increase the price of these heaters by a staggering amount of money and as such is only worth paying for if you know you are going to use it.
As I only use this heater when I am sitting almost right beside it, I am happy for the thermostat to control the temperature and energy use and find it works perfectly well on the low power setting at taking the nip out of the air. Because of the thermostat I find it fairly economical to run but of course the main downside about not having a timer is ensuring you remember to switch this off when you no longer need to have it on.
Because the fins are located quite far apart on this radiator it is simplicity itself to clean. I just use a microfibre duster which lifts the dirt off in no time.
~~Safety Considerations~~
I have already briefly mentioned the tilt control in this heater and I have to say it's a great idea. If the heater isn't sitting on a flat surface or if it is knocked over, the tilt control will automatically switch it off.
You need to use the heater in an area which allows 20 cm of space around the sides of it and a minimum of one metre above it to allow proper ventilation.
The heater cannot be used in a bathroom or close to any water source. This includes an open window to avoid rainwater creating an electrical hazard. As with all oil filled radiators you cannot hang anything on them so unfortunately this cannot be used to speed up the drying of clothes.
The heater should never be left switched on in a room and left unattended.
When you have finished using the heater the plug should always be removed from the mains for safety reasons and you should wait until the heater has cooled before storing the power cable on the cord reel.
~~Finally~~
This is a cheap and fairly cost effective little heater which is capable of slowly heating a room on a low temperature or offering a quick burst of heat to take the chill off the air on colder days and keeping the room warm.
Because of its size it's probably best suited to smaller rooms and as such this works very well in my spare bedroom but I have used it downstairs in my quite large living room where it keeps me warm so long as I position it close to where I am sitting. Because it is easy to move about I can move the heater close to where I am sitting in my living room, whether that be close to my desk or on the sofa.
The lack of a timer does mean you have to be sure to remember to switch the heater off when you are finished with it but I have never forgotten it's been on in all the time I have owned it although I do concede the fact it is so quiet might make it easier to forget than if it were as noisy as my Delonghi.
Overall though this is an effective and easy to use oil filled radiator from Tesco and definitely worth considering at it's current offer price of £19.97.
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