Heater Recommentation for a Cleaner, Healthier Room

Posted by Hans de Ruiter

This post may seem a bit out of place in this blog, but seeing as it relates to health, I think that it's important enough to post anyway. It is also an example of how good design and attention to small details makes a difference. The short story is that I recently bought a new heater, and it has done wonders to the air quality in my room. One small change has made the room so much more pleasant to work in.

The Problem - Poor Air Quality when Heating the Room

I do most of my work in a small room without central heating, and had been using a small fan heater to stay warm during winter. While the warmth was welcome, the air in the room quickly became very stuffy. It seemed like the heater was sucking up dust off the floor, heating it, and then blowing it into the room, sweeping even more dust into the air. Yuck! As it turns out, this was more or less exactly what was happening.

Needless to say, it wasn't particularly pleasant breathing in that heavy dust/particle laden air, and I frequently opened the window just to flush it out again. Opening the heater to clean it out, and vacuuming the room made a little difference, but it still wasn't good enough. Since I spend a lot of time in that room, it was time to find a new heater. One that would heat the room without the stuffiness.

The Solution - DéLonghi Ceramic Heater

The DéLonghi TCH7592PB
Ceramic Heater

Having decided that I needed a new heater, I set about looking for one that would keep the air clean and breathable. The room was too small to bother with a heat-pump, so the search was on for a conventional heater. Whatever it was, it had to have the following two features:

• An air/dust filter,
• Relatively quiet, and
• An electronic thermostat.

To my surprise, almost no heater had a dust filter on its intake, something that would help reduce dust particles in the air. After much searching, I found that the best option was the DéLonghi Ceramic Heater (NOTE: Model numbers may vary from country to country, in New Zealand, it's the DéLonghi TCH7592PB, whereas in the USA, the closest model is the DéLonghi TCH7590EB). I had never thought that I would spend $170 on a heater for a small room, but it has been worth every penny. The difference to the room's air quality was so big, that I wondered how I had put up with the old heater for so long. Keep reading to see why.

Good Design - Attention to Detail

So why do I think that this heater makes such a big difference. It is a combination of  attention to detail and the quality. Firstly, the heater stands tall vertically, moving both the air intake and outtake off the floor. As a result, it isn't sucking dust off the floor, or whipping dust of the floor/carpet into the air. This one design decision alone reduces the amount of dust in the air. Next, it has an air filter which, despite being a small and cheap addition, nevertheless helps keep the air in the room clean. Having the air filter is one of the things that separates it from other tall heaters. Those of you who are concerned that a tall heater might fall over and burn the house down, don't be; there is a switch in the base that disconnects power to the heater if it tilts over (or is lifted off the floor). There are other vertical orientated heaters out there, but this is the only one that I found that had an air/dust filter.

It is also quiet. No, not Mitsubishi heat-pump quiet, but much quieter than the rumbling that most fan heaters make. In low heat mode the fan is slowed down, and only a soft air-through-pipe noise is heard. In automatic mode, it will heat the room rapidly, and then switch to the quieter low mode one the room is close to the desired temperature.

The other important point is that it is good qulity both in design, and construction. Despite having a lot of plastic parts, it is solidly built, and doesn't look like it's going to break easily. The plastic is also of a type that can handle the heat. Due to its vertical design it also doesn't take up much space.

The heater has other features, but they aren't important to me, and didn't factor in my buying decision. By far the most important thing is that I now have a warm room without the stuffiness. Breathing clean air makes a world of difference.

I recommend anyone who is using cheap fan heaters to consider replacing it with the DéLonghi Ceramic Heater, or any other heater that has an air/dust filter. If you don't mind waiting longer for the room to heat up, a convection heater that's easy to clean might be another idea. Just ditch that cheap fan heater, your lungs will thank you for it.

Comments (0) | 3 September 2010