Talk:Kerosene heater

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This article discusses one type of kerosene heater in use in Japan. However, more popular are the ones called "fan heaters" which incorporate a fan to distribute the heat. These plug into the wall, and the features include (1) digital thermometer of current temp (2) digital readout of the desired temp (like a thermostat) (3) timers, from simple ones (i.e. "turn off after x hours") to moderns (i.e., "turn on / off at x time") (4) motion detectors, to turn off the unit in case of earthquake or getting bumped into. That's the minimum. These can cost as much as $150 dollars for ones capable of heating medium-size rooms. Ones for larger rooms are at least twice that price, but usually also include (1) ionization outlets for air quality, (2) gas-saving settings for sleep (eg, when you go to sleep, it gradually produces less heat until it turns itself off), (3) remote control interface.

When you are shopping for one, an important bit of info is the size of the room that can be heated by the heater. There are two numbers, one for "wooden structures" (wood buildings with lots of drafts) and "concrete rooms" (modern apartments with drafty windows) and these numbers are given in "jo" (where 1 jo is the size of one tatami mat). Standard rooms are 6 jo; modern middle-class living rooms are about 12 jo. Expensive apartments can have 18 jo living areas. A $150 unit is usually "9 jo wooden, 12 jo concrete".

All of this is just a summary of what I learned while shopping today, so it's too first-person to include in the article.

--Looks like valuable information to me. (Interesting how you were able to enter a comment without leaving a date or IP address.)74.82.64.144 (talk) 14:41, 27 November 2013 (UTC)[reply]

100% efficient?

Unless it has a heat exchanger to condense the water vapor out of the exhaust, no way. (See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Higher_heating_value#Higher_heating_value). I searched on "Laser" heaters. Apparently, this is a brand name of Toyotomi. They advertise 87.5% AFUE, which is about right.Yak99 (talk) 03:56, 14 May 2012 (UTC)[reply]

careful adjustments

I'd like to see more examples of how careful adjustments to kerosene heaters are made for proper combustion.74.82.64.144 (talk) 14:41, 27 November 2013 (UTC)[reply]

too specific

An article called "kerosene heater" should be more general than one specific product apparently used in Japan. The device I know as a "kerosene heater" or "torpedo heater" is described instead in the article salamander heater which this article doesn't even reference; it's used on construction sites to heat unfinished buildings that have electric service but not finished HVAC, and sometimes to warm otherwise unheated outbuildings, garages, etc., while doing work in cold weather. 207.180.169.36 (talk) 02:22, 18 October 2022 (UTC)[reply]