Oil Filled Radiator Heater Leaking

A very common and increasing popular source of supplemental heat in the last few years has been the oil filled electric radiator.

These radiator heaters are filled with an oil that circulates through the fins of the heater and is heated by electric heating elements. The result is a steady even type of heat that has a lower surface temperature then many space heaters, making them a great way to get supplement heating into a room when you have pets, small children or combustibles near by.

One of the big questions that comes up with these oil filled heaters is what to do if they start to leak. The answer is that if the oil heater starts to leak then it is no good anymore and needs to be disposed of. These heaters are filled with oil at the factory and then are sealed tightly. Because of this there is no need to ever refill the heater with oil again. The heaters are sealed with the proper oil inside for the best heating efficiency.

So what this means is that if you have one of these oil filled radiator heaters, you will never have any maintenance or worries about adding oil to the heater. But if there ever is a leak then the heater is also no good and will need to be throw out and replaced. Very few of these oil filled heat units ever leak, but as is always the case there are always some that do.

A word of caution about heating efficiency. Always remember that when heating with electricity, the laws of physics always apply. For every 1 KW of electric you will only ever get 3415 BTU's of heat.

There is no way to get any more or any less than that, so if anyone tries to tell you that their electric heater is more efficient then the next one they are not telling the truth.