Customer Reviews

Delonghi TRD0715T Safe Heat Oil-Filled Radiator

5 star:		(192)
4 star:		(110)
3 star:		(44)
2 star:		(15)
1 star:		(45)

 

 

I have tried the quartz and ceramic heaters which often require a small fan to circulate air past the elements to heat the air. I have also been in homes that use natural gas for gravity heat, central air, built in electric ceiling heat, and a natural gas wall heater. Most of the gas or electric element heaters that I mentioned tend to dry out and remove some of the oxygen from the air which can cause that uncomfortable "soar throat and headache" feeling. These DeLonghi oil-filled radiators don't seem to negatively effect the air since they use clean electricity and simply heat up the air through efficient convection and radiation. This model TRD0715T has side metal tubing that creates more of a vacuum effect which seems to make the hot air blow out of the top of the unit without the use of a fan. DeLonghi rightfully nicknames this as a "Dragon model" since has the effect of a forced air heater without the noise or extra electricity requirements. On low 700W, medium 900W, or high 1500W settings you can feel the hot air at least two feet above the top of the heater. A simple analog thermostat dial enables you to choose your desired temperature level for the unit to operate at. Other nice features include a 96 position, 24 hour timer that allows you to customize when the heater turns on or off throughout the day. There are also some nice safety features such as an automatic shut-off if the unit is tipped over or if the temperature of the unit gets too high. Although the sides and top of the device get hot it does not burn you if you happen to accidently touch it. These devices are very efficient compared to the other electric heaters and many people use them as very efficient room space heaters and they are able to turn down their central air systems to save on gas or electricity.

PROS: This oil filled heater is clean, energy efficient, safe, and works well at heating small to medium sized rooms. The clever design allows for a hot air vacuum effect which heats a room faster, this model includes a 24 hour programmable timer. Retractable wheels allow you to easily move or store the device. The sealed oil-filled unit with auto shut off features makes it one of the safest electric heater designs.

CONS: Not as effective at heating large rooms that have poor insulation or large open areas. Energy efficiency is limited to use as a space heater in smaller to medium sized rooms or very well insulated larger rooms. The heated air is very non-directional compared to forced air or reflective quartz or ceramic electric space heaters. Similar to other types of large electric space heaters it requires a very high (up to 1500W) electrical current from a single outlet which can cause problems in homes or buildings with very old or poorly designed electrical systems. It does not have a digital LCD temperature display which is a common feature on many other space heater models.

SUGGESTIONS: On their high setting most electrical space heaters can draw as much electrical current as a big hair drier. Make a plan as to which room outlet you are going to plug this high current heater into since it is recommended that you do not have any other high current devices plugged into the same outlet or on the same circuit as this heater. If you have any of the previously mentioned issues with your electrical system consider using the low 700W or medium 900W settings to help prevent any problems with overloading the electrical circuit. If you are on a very tight budget and you don't need a programable timer take a look at the very low cost model EW0507W (I also own one of these) which has less features and no metal side tubing but uses the same basic oil-filled radiator technology. When brand new all models of these heaters give off a "wet paint" odor which in fact from an anti-corrosion chemical used to protect the unit during shipping. Simply keep the heater in a well ventilated area when you use it the very first time and the odor will go away for good after running it at the high temperature setting for a few hours.

THE BOTTOM LINE: This "Dragon model" TRD0715T safe heat oil filled heat radiator is the best room space heater I have ever used. I am so impressed with this heater that I have purchased two of them. I give it the highest rating of FIVE out of FIVE STARS.

Just bought this, still deciding whether to keep it. Ran a little experiment, thought it might give folks an idea of what to expect.

Room size: 154SF (11x14)
Finished, unheated basement room, with one insulated external wall, the rest uninsulated interior walls. No windows, door closed.

Outside temp: 15F

Put heater in center of room
Put thermometer on a desk 6 feet away
Started at 10:20AM with a cold heater set on high, measured for 5 hours

10:20AM 49.6F
11:20AM 55.9F
12:20PM 59.9F
01:20PM 62.6F
02:20PM 64.4F
03:20PM 65.8F

So roughly 2 hours to raise the temp 10F, 4 hours to raise the temp 15F

Unfortunately, I suspect that none of the competing electric heaters would do significantly better, since they're all limited to 1500W. Since I'm reluctant to try a fuel-burning heater in an unventilated space, I may stick with this Delonghi and call it good enough.

I've had an old Delonghi oil-filled space heater for 15 years or more. It had a recall on the control panel. The last few years it has been leaking oil on high setting. So I searched and decided on the newest version of the old Delonghi.

This is a good product with easy control and a clever timer feature (took me a while to figure out, though - NOT obvious, and I'm reasonably bright and handy!).

Only complaint, and it is fairly serious: when new, it stinks when run on high setting, which is only 1500 watts, after all.

There was a paper in the packing that said to expect some off-gassing at first. Well, I've run the thing for 5 days on high heat and it still smells toxic when running on high heat. The paint finish gives off some sort of fumes for days and days. I still cannot stand to run it on the high setting indoors at all. It really smells bad - like curing oil-based paint.

It really stinks! I've been running it in the basement and it still is not nearly acceptable for indoor use.

I trust I will eventually be able to use it in an actual room. I'll give it five more days of blasting away. I may have to send it back. It is pretty heavy, though; I'd lose a lot of money on the deal from shipping costs.

Here's a review from the perspective of having used one of these for an entire winter. I bought one of these a year ago so we could set our natural gas heat on a very low temprature at night during the winter and still keep the master bedroom warm. Here are my observations.

1. It performed flawlessly and was so quiet we wouldn't even know it was there.

2. The timer is what sold me on the unit. 24 hours divided into small time intervals which may each be turned on or off give huge flexibility in when this heater runs and doesn't. It's on automatically only when you want it on.

3. The heat comes out the top. The sides stay very "cool" for a heater. I can put may hands on the sides for about a half a second, which means that touching the heater accidently on the sides probably won't cause a burn. It really seems to be built with safety in mind.

4. I would, of course, still follow the directions with regard to how close it is placed to other objects. As an additional safety measure, I bought a large, thick ceramic tile to put on the carpet, and then I put the heater on the tile.

5. There is an oily smell that seems to come from the heater when it is new out of the box and after being turned on for the first time after being in storage for the summer. When we first activated ours two nights ago we smelled it, but tonight not so much.

6. Some seem to have had build quality issues and I can't comment on that because we seem to have received a good one.

7. I live in the Pacific Northwest where the winter temperatures rarely get below 30 degrees. I know in some places it gets way colder than that, and I have no idea how well this heater would keep you warm under those circumstances.

8. Right now we're running it in the family room to see if we can leave the electric baseboard heaters off for the winter. Of course, if this experiment succeeds, we'll have to buy another one of these heaters for the bedroom.

9. I have two small children, and once I've explained to them that they need to stay away from it, I have no safety worries for them.

So far, this is far and away the safest, quietest, and most effective space heater I've ever owned. For me, it sure beats a box with glowing orange heating elements and a fan!

Postscript: I bought a second one. When you are unpacking it, beware that there may be bits of styrofoam down in the heater. Look for those and get them out of there before you power it on for the first time. That may save some you some stinky fumes, but still follow the directions and let it run on full power with a lot of ventilation for at least two hours or more. I bought a second unit and ran it for three hours with the window open.

Second Postscript: Well, we bought a second one to see if it was more efficient than the baseboard heaters in our family room. We turned the baseboards off and ran this heater using the timer to have it be on about six out of every twenty four hours. Surprisingly, our electric bill this December was significantly higher than last December, and this is about the only thing different about our energy consumption. So, that experiment seemed to have failed, and then the timer on the second heater failed only ten weeks after we purchased it, so I took it back to where I bought it and decided to take a credit instead of a replacemet. I still love having the one in the bedroom for those cold winter nights though.

This is our third DeLonghi heater. We bought the first one about six years ago and it's still going strong. With oil prices fluctuating, we decided it might make sense to lower the thermostats a few degrees and use electric heaters to supplement. After reading the reviews, I had a hard time deciding between this model and the EW7707CM, so since we needed two units, I ordered one of each. We're keeping the EW7707CM and are returning this unit (TRD0715T) in exchange for another EW7707CM. Why? Well, they both put out a nice level of warmth, both are stable and safe, and both are attractive. BUT, this unit only radiates the heat upwards. The fins are so close together that there is no heat radiating from the sides. I was sitting right next to it and felt very little warmth. The EW unit radiates heat from top and sides and it gives off a lovely warmth. And it's comfortable and safe enough that my cats curl up near it.

This is not my first Delonghi Oil Filled heater purchase. I am now the proud owner of 2. The TRD0715T is another keeper. Not as fancy as the DR-18T model but still does the job. We keep the setting on low wattage and very low heat. It's not that cold here yet (35-52degrees outside) but we don't want the furnace running yet. The 17x15 room is at 72degrees all evening long. The heater does take time to heat up and I recommend starting on the high settings. Once your ideal temperature is reached, cut it back, sit back and enjoy the warmth with out the high expense. The thermostat in the heater is off only by a few degress keeping the temperature consistant.
Last winter we supplemented with one heater. The differance in the electric bill was minimal. It's nice to be warm when everyone else is wrapped in blankets.

Bought this from Amazon.com. It boasts vertical hot air tunnels to maximize radiant heat flow while maintaining a low surface temperature. A little bit suspious about that initially. I owned a Homles for a month. Homles heater can raise a small bedroom temperature by 3F, and the embedded thermostat always show 85F(the max it can show) when the heater itself is heated up, while room temp is not raised yet. Totally bogus. I didn't expect the new Delonghi can be anything better because the thermostat is on the unit, how can it do a good measure of room temperature? Delonghi turned out to be beyond my expectation. First, the thermostat seems to be more accurate to measure the room temperature. Second it can raise room temperature a lot more than Holmes, and faster. Finally my bedroom is so warm and I can get good sleep at night. I did a side by side comparison by turning both heaters on for a while, then put face above the heater to feel the air flow. For the Holmes, the best I can say is it feels warm above. For the Delonghi, man, the hot air is blowing to your face and your can even hear the flow. Unbelievable! The vertical hot air tunnel is realy doing some magic. The outside surface is really cooler than Holmes. I decided to return the Holmes to Target and buy another Delonghi.

The unit caught fire last night. It looked to be a short inside the front panel that caused the fire. Fortunately we had not fallen asleep yet and were able to unplug it and put out the fire.

Great heater, very simple, and does the job it's supposed to do. Other reviews explain more in detail, but globally it's not disappointing heating-wise.

BUT... BUT...

If you room is silent, and if you have a tendency to hear "little noises", then you will hear the timer doing "tic-tac-tic-tac...".
I returned the heater after a week because I couldn't sleep with that noise.

NOTE: not all the people will hear it. Again, I'm pretty sensitive to noises.

Warm up my 15x13 bedroom quickly. It's a lot more comfortable than the forced air central heating system, which makes the air
dry. The timer function is great. It's very quiet except for
a few tiny click sound each day (you won't hear it unless it's very quiet), probably from the timer.