Infrared Heating: A green, lower cost space heater alternative. REVIEW of Redcore Concept R1
- Thread starter Overmind One
- Start date
Gatefan1976
Well Known GateFan
Thank you!!
The United States uses BTUs to describe heat output as well as the British.
shavedape
Well Known GateFan
Rac80
The Belle of the Ball
It was the same in maine where I grew up. EVERYONE had wood heat. (the classic Ashley wood stoves were found everywhere) the smell of buring pine was a constant in the winter time. It was easy to collect the wood- many people had their own land they could cut wood on and allow it to season for a year or two. we did. even after living in the home for 20+ years there was still plenty of forest on the 10 acres.
It was the same in maine where I grew up. EVERYONE had wood heat. (the classic Ashley wood stoves were found everywhere) the smell of buring pine was a constant in the winter time. It was easy to collect the wood- many people had their own land they could cut wood on and allow it to season for a year or two. we did. even after living in the home for 20+ years there was still plenty of forest on the 10 acres.
I knew you were independently wealthy! 10 acres aint cheap ANYWHERE in the US. Not even in the desert.
But if you can burn wood for heat, you are doing the best thing you can because wood is renewable, and although it leaves soot, it burns clean compared to fuels like coal. It generates a lot of heat and light for its weight. And who does not love the smell of burning pine, maple, redwood or elm? For me, the choices are narrowed down to electric heat because I refuse to allow gas to be routed into my home. The only thing which uses gas is my wall heater which I have covered up because I will never ever use it. So, within the realm of electric heating, infrared heating is looking to be the best choice. I am constantly amazed how this thing works. It manages to heat the entire house, without leaving "hot spots" like a conventional ceramic heater. It heats objects in the room rather than heating the air. Things which reflect the radiation remain cool, like glass and mirrors and fish tanks (YAY!). It does not dry out my plants, or quicken evaporation in my fish tank.
YJ02
Well Known GateFan
Oh wait...
"I gotta have more cowbell!"
http://screen.yahoo.com/snl-iconic-skits/more-cowbell-174128899.html
YJ02
Well Known GateFan
It was the same in maine where I grew up. EVERYONE had wood heat. (the classic Ashley wood stoves were found everywhere) the smell of buring pine was a constant in the winter time. It was easy to collect the wood- many people had their own land they could cut wood on and allow it to season for a year or two. we did. even after living in the home for 20+ years there was still plenty of forest on the 10 acres.
Pretty much everyone in PA-and probably Ny-burns hardwoods.
Black and red cherry, maples, red and white oak, hickory even poplar. It is better to use because it gen's more BTU's and creates less soot/creosote if it is seasoned right.
Now I cut selectively on my property-even a little under 4 acres generates a lot of firewood if you do it right, and my neighbor allows me to cut on his so long as the tree is dead.
When I had a pick up, I would buy a National Forest firewood permit for $20. From 1 Oct to 30 Sep you can get like 8 pick up loads. Most people take more and that is really what the Forest service wants as they are getting logging sites cleaned up for free.
But with out a truck I now buy most of my wood.
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Sheez....you guys have ACRES of property? In California, you dont buy acres unless you are building a commercial building or an estate...the land is just not available in acre sized lots to average residential buyers. Our family home sits on only 1/4 acre and it is worth almost two million dollars. An acre in Los Angeles County is going to cost somewhere around 3 million dollars unimproved.
YJ02
Well Known GateFan
When my parents bought it in 1981, it was at $1000 an acre. Land is still fairly cheap compared to other places
Though it is rising with the natural gas leases out there and hunting leases being sold.
In my town you can buy a very nice updated Victorian styled home on a large lot-like 300' x 400' for less then $100k
The place isn't a shit hole, its just that since the big mills and steel works left in the 70's the cost of living has gone way down.
Ironic how what is bad for our local economy with the big pollution generators moving out, has done wonders for restoring our local environment. We can now eat the fish out of every local river and stream...trade-offs
Your $1 in CA is my $5 here.
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YJ02
Well Known GateFan
<iframe style="height: 270px; width: 450px;" src="http://www.mapquest.com/embed?hk=17gT48u" marginwidth="0" marginheight="0" frameborder="0" scrolling="no"></iframe>
This is a sat image of my property, the purple dot is us. We own from the large cleared area on the rightside to the large cleared area on the left and from the highway to the middle of the river. If you look close you can see my hand dug Koi pond in the back yard. (google maps is much better though)
This is a sat image of my property, the purple dot is us. We own from the large cleared area on the rightside to the large cleared area on the left and from the highway to the middle of the river. If you look close you can see my hand dug Koi pond in the back yard. (google maps is much better though)
You have a beautiful home.
Using Google Maps, I can see a lot more like your beautiful deck, the koi pond, your greenhouse, and the stands of trees to the right of your home (from the perspective of the map). I would love to live in a place like that, having come from a big city like Los Angeles. I would grow goodies in that greenhouse too.
More wonderfulness...
This heater is definitely taking less energy. My power usage for this month is lower than last month already, and last month is the last time I ran the Holmes old style heaters. But the coolest effect is the re-radiation of heat from the objects in the room. The heater is off and has been off for about n hour, yet the house is a warm and toasty 80°. I have it in a place where the radiation can be reflected off walls in all rooms, and the entire house is warm. I have been running my hands along stuff to see what is re-radiating the heat, and it seems to be darker objects, wood, rocks or things with a stone structure, and walls. I think the warmest are my floors, as I am walking around barefoot right now and the floors are surprisingly comfortable. The heat seems to be coming from everywhere at the same time.
According to the specs, this thing is putting out 5000 BTU of heat at 1500 watts. Such BIG heating from such a small little box. I actually have my bedroom window all the way open and the place is staying warm. AMAZING!
This heater is definitely taking less energy. My power usage for this month is lower than last month already, and last month is the last time I ran the Holmes old style heaters. But the coolest effect is the re-radiation of heat from the objects in the room. The heater is off and has been off for about n hour, yet the house is a warm and toasty 80°.
I have it in a place where the radiation can be reflected off walls in all rooms, and the entire house is warm. I have been running my hands along stuff to see what is re-radiating the heat, and it seems to be darker objects, wood, rocks or things with a stone structure, and walls. I think the warmest are my floors, as I am walking around barefoot right now and the floors are surprisingly comfortable. The heat seems to be coming from everywhere at the same time.According to the specs, this thing is putting out 5000 BTU of heat at 1500 watts. Such BIG heating from such a small little box. I actually have my bedroom window all the way open and the place is staying warm. AMAZING!
YJ02
Well Known GateFan
You have a beautiful home.
Thanks. That is from a few years ago...Apparently Google doesn't updt that often, and it was in the spring-if you look close you can see the rows of onions in the garden.
The greenhouse is gone now and the deck is a bit bigger. Most people cut down the majority of their trees at one time.
Between my parents and myself, we have only cut selectively, putting in paths through the woods and a small area cleared for some plum trees down by the river.
We used to have a small deck down by the river, but one of those 1 in 100 yr floods took the whole thing away.
It is amazing though how detailed these sat views can be. Apparently some crooks use them to scout out koi ponds and then steal the koi, many can bring in $100's.
YJ02
Well Known GateFan
More wonderfulness...
This heater is definitely taking less energy. My power usage for this month is lower than last month already, and last month is the last time I ran the Holmes old style heaters. But the coolest effect is the re-radiation of heat from the objects in the room. The heater is off and has been off for about n hour, yet the house is a warm and toasty 80°.
According to the specs, this thing is putting out 5000 BTU of heat at 1500 watts. Such BIG heating from such a small little box. I actually have my bedroom window all the way open and the place is staying warm. AMAZING!
What is the avg low temp there for winter?
I hope the thing doesn't quit on you-like I said Holmes were notorious for malfunctioning/short lived heaters. They have good designs but apparently some poor manufacturing QC.
Rac80
The Belle of the Ball
oh OM1- acerage in maine is cheap. it's actually pricier here in indy beleive it or not. It seemed everyone had quite a bit of land where I grew up, even if it was outside of the twon and you lived in the "town"....hey you have to have room for a good sized garden, barn, and orchard trees. 
not to mention hunting grounds, and if you have a stream where the salmon spawn it's a bit of heaven! we "ate" off the land- wild game meat & fowl, fresh fish, and home grown produce. It's stilla way of life in maine since all of the industry has left.
yeah youngjin- it's amazing how rivers can be cleaned up-- in the 70's the androscoggin river in maine was considered a "dead" river, but IP (international paper)was ordered to clean it up and it did. When I was home in 2005, I had salmon caught in it! finally edible.
not to mention hunting grounds, and if you have a stream where the salmon spawn it's a bit of heaven! we "ate" off the land- wild game meat & fowl, fresh fish, and home grown produce. It's stilla way of life in maine since all of the industry has left.yeah youngjin- it's amazing how rivers can be cleaned up-- in the 70's the androscoggin river in maine was considered a "dead" river, but IP (international paper)was ordered to clean it up and it did. When I was home in 2005, I had salmon caught in it!
finally edible.
I have experienced the lowest on about 35°, but it is averaging around 43° during the winters here in CA by the beach.
The Holmes units are what I got rid of. The Infrared unit is a Redcore Concept R1.
I took the little electricity muncher heaters to my garage and put them away for good. I may give them away. I do not believe Holmes makes infrared heaters yet, do they? I did a lot of research first.
YJ02
Well Known GateFan
I have experienced the lowest on about 35°, but it is averaging around 43° during the winters here in CA by the beach.
The Holmes units are what I got rid of. The Infrared unit is a Redcore Concept R1.
Got thrown off by the first pic you had up...
Where is it made? I looked on the link you gave plus the redcore site. I didn't see "made in america" plastered all over which usually means it was made elsewhere.
It is not EnergyStar rated!!! You energy hog!
It has a 1yr warranty on parts and performance so that's good.
Hey, I see WAYFAIR.com (whoever they our) is selling it for $129. Maybe you can get best buy to do that new after the purchase price match thing? (Not that you need the $20 but to test their theory)
Got thrown off by the first pic you had up...
Where is it made? I looked on the link you gave plus the redcore site. I didn't see "made in america" plastered all over which usually means it was made elsewhere.
It is not EnergyStar rated!!! You energy hog!
It has a 1yr warranty on parts and performance so that's good.
Hey, I see WAYFAIR.com (whoever they our) is selling it for $129. Maybe you can get best buy to do that new after the purchase price match thing? (Not that you need the $20 but to test their theory)
I looked on it and it is made in China...but so what? I dont really care. Apple buyers dont seem to have a problem with their iPhones, iPads and MacBooks being made in China.
This thing has gotten good reviews, and I can PERSONALLY vouch for its performance and excellent energy efficiency. I am very pleased with it. The only moving part in it is the fan. And like you said, I dont need the $20.00 and would gladly have paid $200.00 for it. This thing is already saving me money.
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More goodness...I mentioned before that the housing on this heater is plastic because it does not get hot. In reality, this thing is 100% pet and baby proof and you can touch any exposed part of it while it is running and set to heat at 90°. My cats love it, my plants love it, my fish love it, I love it, everybody wins. . Also, I have started noticing that some restaurants with patios are now using these instead of the heat towers they normally use with a propane tank. They are usually wall mounted.
Yong spoke earlier about these being good for only zone heating...that is EXACTLY what they are good for, and this is a good thing if you have a large home, and dont want to waste money and energy heating the entire place. I have a medium sized apartment and this easily heats the entire apartment. Also, since air is not heated, the energy loss experienced with using gas heating (or conventional electric heating) because the heated air escapes under doors and heat leaks, infrared heating does not. You can even open your doors and windows and still be completely warm.
. Also, I have started noticing that some restaurants with patios are now using these instead of the heat towers they normally use with a propane tank. They are usually wall mounted.Yong spoke earlier about these being good for only zone heating...that is EXACTLY what they are good for, and this is a good thing if you have a large home, and dont want to waste money and energy heating the entire place. I have a medium sized apartment and this easily heats the entire apartment. Also, since air is not heated, the energy loss experienced with using gas heating (or conventional electric heating) because the heated air escapes under doors and heat leaks, infrared heating does not. You can even open your doors and windows and still be completely warm.