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Old 01-06-2012, 10:25 PM   #1
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Pelonis Disc heaters?

Is anyone using the Pelonis Disc heaters? Are they worthwhile?
Thanks, Jim
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Old 01-06-2012, 11:12 PM   #2
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I had one that worked well for over 15 years. It was all steel construction, no plastic. It had a variable output with a variable speed fan. As it approached the set temperature it slowed down and got quieter, and sped up as needed. It kept the temperature pretty constant which seemed better than those that had a simple on/off thermostat. I don't know what the current ones are like.
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Old 01-07-2012, 07:52 AM   #3
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I have two Pelonis ceramic heaters, not the disc type. They keep our 26' Argosy nice and toasty. Even when the temps drop to below 20F.
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Old 01-07-2012, 07:58 AM   #4
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I don't know anything about them. Are they 1500W each? How do they create heat?
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Old 01-07-2012, 08:08 AM   #5
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I've got one and while it heats very well and will run you out of a room if set on high, when it gets to the normal set point it drops to low heat setting but it continues to give off heat and it will make a room get hotter than desired. This gets to be an issue when using it to heat the bedroom overnight and I usually have to shut it off for a while to let the room approach comfortable again, only to have to later turn it back on again. Usually by this time the outside temperature has cooled enough that the room doesn't overheat again. If they had just made the controller shut off when it reached the setpoint instead of going into low heat mode it would be a perfect heater.
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Old 01-07-2012, 08:17 AM   #6
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They have two settings 1250 or 1500 watt, they are electric heaters. We usually run them on the lower setting. Each heater is about 6" square and 8" high. By far the quietest heaters with a fan I know of. They cost less than $15.00 each.
I cautionary note: if you plan to run 2 heaters you will need to be plugged into a 30 amp service. They will need to be on separate circuits inside the trailer. A 1500 watt heater draws about 13 amps at 120 volts.
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Old 01-07-2012, 08:32 AM   #7
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Quote:
Originally Posted by TG Twinkie
They have two settings 1250 or 1500 watt, they are electric heaters. We usually run them on the lower setting. Each heater is about 6" square and 8" high. By far the quietest heaters with a fan I know of. They cost less than $15.00 each.
I cautionary note: if you plan to run 2 heaters you will need to be plugged into a 30 amp service. They will need to be on separate circuits inside the trailer. A 1500 watt heater draws about 13 amps at 120 volts.
But what's so "special" about the ceramic part that gives a more even or "better" heat than just a heated metal coil? Is there something more efficient about the thing? ie, more btu output from those 1500 watts?
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Old 01-07-2012, 08:33 AM   #8
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Silver Goose View Post
I had one that worked well for over 15 years. It was all steel construction, no plastic. It had a variable output with a variable speed fan. As it approached the set temperature it slowed down and got quieter, and sped up as needed. It kept the temperature pretty constant which seemed better than those that had a simple on/off thermostat. I don't know what the current ones are like.
We too....

Used it in our 63 Safari, still going strong 15+yrs later.
Perfect for controlling "wet wall" syndrome.

Bob
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Old 01-07-2012, 09:22 AM   #9
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Have used the Pelonis heater for over 10 years with no problems. Works well for a small unit that does not take up lot of floor space.
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Old 01-07-2012, 09:45 AM   #10
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I had one of the nice old, all metal Pelonis to heat the kitchen in our 100+ year old farm house and it worked great! Kept it nice and toasty. But alas, it finally gave up the ghost at the end of last winter. It ran great for 16 years. Now I have a substandard SOB that jacks up my electric bill but does not heat like the old Pelonis did. I'd love to find another one.
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Old 01-07-2012, 09:58 AM   #11
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We've used 2 of them for over 8 years now (including diff rigs) and they do a nice job. With 2 dogs now we only run them when we're around/daytime just to be safe (not worried abotu the heaters as they have a tip sensor but of the dogs getting into trouble with them).
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Old 01-07-2012, 01:53 PM   #12
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I have a 4 disc model. It heats very well. I've had it for 5 years and no problems. It seems to heat better than other brands.
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Old 01-07-2012, 07:20 PM   #13
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We have used one their small cube-shaped ceramic heaters for about 10-12 years, and it works exactly as described by Silver Goose above.

The advantage of the variable-speed fan (which only slows in automatic mode, never off) is that one doesn’t experience the temperature fluctuations in the room as you do with a typical heater that cycles on and off. The very small size is convenient, both in use and in storage.

While we’ve enjoyed the Pelonis over the years, and we still carry it around, we’ve found more recently that we’ve turned the heat on low at night, if temperatures are dropping too low. Setting the thermostat on low for a night time setting, we found that the Pelonis fan starts out very quiet, and then gathers speed and noise during the night as it tries to address the falling temperatures with more and more fan with the thermostat at a low setting…a little more noise than I like in the middle of the night. Consequently, we’ve switched to a small version of those oil-filled electric radiators. It’s all convection heating (no fan), absolutely quiet, very steady heating as the heated oil smoothes out the heat output while the heating element cycles on and off, and it is fairly quick (but not fast) in a small space like the Airstream. So far, the only disadvantage is size and weight relative to the Pelonis ceramic.

The advantage of both of these over a straight heated coil is not that they produce any more btu’s (they don’t) (about 5,100), it’s that the independent thermostat/variable speed fan in the Pelonis, and the oil in the radiator allow for a minimization of the temperature spikes as the heating element cycles on and off.
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Old 01-07-2012, 07:40 PM   #14
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Where did you find the small version of the electric oil filled radiator? I've been using a large one and it works great, but I'm curious how the smaller one compares.
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Old 01-07-2012, 09:07 PM   #15
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Originally Posted by KYAirstream View Post
Where did you find the small version of the electric oil filled radiator? I've been using a large one and it works great, but I'm curious how the smaller one compares.
I believe we bought it at a favorable price when Home Depot liquidated their "Expo" stores a few years ago. It is still available, and I've seen at OSH (a California home improvement store owned by Sears), and maybe even Home Depot or Lowes. I can't vouch for the price shown below, but I see it can be purchased from the DeLonghi store. Amazon may also have them.

It's the small DeLonghi shown here (on the left):
Delonghi - Oil Filled Radiators

It works nicely in our 25-footer at the temperature ranges we tend travel in. There's no question that the larger versions would work better in colder temperatures, simply because there is a greater surface area to facillitate heat transfer (they both produce the same btu). The advantage/disadvantage pertains to size & weight versus heat transfer. The small one meets our needs, and it is often on low settings for a steady, even heat. If necessary, I put it on low on retiring in the evening to keep the coach from getting too cold. I can keep the living area warmer, and open the bedroom windows a tad for cooler, fresher air in that area. If you're consistently camping in 20 degree weather, or have a much larger coach, a larger heater may be better.
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Old 01-07-2012, 09:07 PM   #16
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Our 2002 unit gave up the ghost last year. ( a lot of use) Replaced it with two of Pelonias's cheaper units. Plastic body, heat grid similar to an a/c unit, thermostat, 2 speed. These units run very cool due to the grid to transfer heat ( no red hot cal rods) They have a tip over shutdown switch.

They were approx $30 from Amazon.

Retailers like China Mart (Walmart) have nothing to compare.
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Old 01-07-2012, 10:18 PM   #17
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Thanks for posting that link to the smaller heaters.
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