So cold! [Heaters]
SniperGuy
SniperGuyGamingRegistered User regular
SniperGuyGamingRegistered User regular
So my badly insulated rental college house is starting to bear the brunt of winter. We called our landlord and were all "Hey so the heat doesn't blow warm air, it blows cold air." And he told us we need to turn the gas on.
Turning the gas on? 330 buck deposit (which we don't really have).
So instead, I need what my roommate got! A portable heater. He recommended me one for about 50 with a theromstat built in and filled with oil that heats and circulates so it has no weird emissions and such, but I figured I'd check with the internet and see if they had anything I should look for or avoid. My room is carpeted, and the kitchen (directly outside my room) is tiled, so if I can roll it out there in the mornings that'd be great too.
Suggestions?
Turning the gas on? 330 buck deposit (which we don't really have).
So instead, I need what my roommate got! A portable heater. He recommended me one for about 50 with a theromstat built in and filled with oil that heats and circulates so it has no weird emissions and such, but I figured I'd check with the internet and see if they had anything I should look for or avoid. My room is carpeted, and the kitchen (directly outside my room) is tiled, so if I can roll it out there in the mornings that'd be great too.
Suggestions?
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That said, those oil-filled heaters are good for base heat, just make sure you get something with a decent thermostat and something with a tilt sensor (so if it falls over it doesn't start a fire). Also make sure you know the current load on your various outlets; nothing like having a breaker trip every time you turn on your coffee maker (our kitchen and living room share a wall, and the heater and coffeemaker were on the same circuit).
I mention "base" heat because, in my experience, those large radiators take a little time to really get up to temp and start heating the room. For this reason, I might also recommend backing it up with (or just opting for) a fan-based heater like this one. I have basically that same model, it works well, and the remote is quite nice when you're in bed and don't want to get out of bed until such a task no longer resembles an Arctic expedition.
That model also has your choice of thermostat control, timer control, or both (maintain temp for X hours). However, one big difference with a model like that is noise; oil-filled radiators are mostly silent, that model has a fan.
And again, a tilt sensor is a good thing...not sure if that one has it, now that I think about it.
But really, if you've got access to central heating, get that working because there's nothing cheaper or better at heating than a good central system. Beg and borrow to get that $300, because it will definitely save you in the long run (and once you do get it, put every other heater you have in storage, as it's generally cheaper to run the central - even if it's heating the whole house and you just need one room warm).
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Yeah. That's pretty weird. I'd also make sure that it's kosher for them to do that even if it's in the lease to, so, local renter's association and all that.
Where I live (Iowa) it's not weird at all. The rental company I currently have is nice enough to remind people to keep the heat at a certain minimum to avoid pipe freezes, but they aren't required to provide anything and we aren't required to listen to the advice (at our own risk).
My roommate and I typically run the heat pretty low and then use oil heaters in the bedrooms and/or sweaters/blankets/etc. You definitely want to maintain a minimum heat level to avoid pipes freezing.
If you can't make the gas deposit, get out and make some money. Sell plasma, pick up cans, look around the papers and school for short term or day jobs, get a loan from the parents, whatever you need to do. Yea, it'll suck but it's better than freezing and much better than losing your deposit for letting your pipes freeze.
Hm. That seems out of the ordinary but I have heard of that in the past. Usually to turn them on. It's odd that the heat would be separate. Though I can see why if it was a rental house, turning off the gas when no one's there. It should've been included in the utility deposit though.
Are you sure it's less "not weird" and more "I can get away with this because people don't challenge me?" Obviously if heat is not included in your rent I would assume that heat must be "turned on" meaning, being functioning, and then the renter pays for the bill. Like electric. Essentially, the utilities deposit that some places charge. Why heat would be excluded from that? Places not Florida, California, and Texas it is especially strange, for lack of a better word.
Slow moving water can freeze too. Just has to be colder to do it.
If they don't provide heat in the rent then yes, they have to make sure the equipment to heat the place functions. They don't have to make sure we can afford to run the heat or afford to pay the utility company a deposit is what I meant. Obviously it's in their best interest to make sure the income is enough to pay rent along with other bills to avoid damage issues, but that still doesn't obligate them to make sure we save money for heat instead of buying other stuff.
Perhaps I misunderstood Thanatos. It sounded like he was implying that the landlord is required to provide heat regardless of if the renter has money or not. Which may well be depending on local laws, but I don't know of any requirements like that anywhere I've lived and rented a place.
http://www.acehardware.com/family/index.jsp?categoryId=1259828
can really help your house retain heat if it's otherwise leaky or single-paned windows.
As has been mentioned, plug-in heaters can easily run you a larger bill than gas heaters, which is something to consider.
Also, how high are the ceilings? It sucks to pay just to heat the space you don't use, so having a fan on can help distribute heat faster in large or lofty rooms.
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It probably falls under utilities, in that the renter needs to establish an account with the respective agency. Seeing as how this is a college town and college housing, the deposit is there to ensure deadbeat students don't skip town without paying their bill. My local electric company does the same thing with all new accounts (500 dollar deposit), but if you have any credit history at all, call up the gas company and tell them. I did and I had the deposit waived because I have good credit.
Also, Sniper, are your windows single or double pane? If they're the cheap single pain, I'd recommend going to Home Depot and picking up some plastic sheeting to tape over the windows. It's ugly as hell, but it does a decent job of reducing heat loss through the windows.
Heavy fabric curtain. It will do wonders, and may look nice to boot. If you can afford it, go for it.
If the seal around the door isn't very good, there is weather proofing strip stuff you can buy. It's pretty much foam with sticky stuff on one side, but it works rather well. It's easy to find with the other weather proofing materials in stores.
A blanket can also work if you don't have or don't want to buy curtains as long as you don't mind that you are hanging a blanket over your door. If you don't have a spare blanket, check around at local hotels if they have any unusable blankets they might be willing to get rid of. I work in hotels and employees take home "ruined" blankets all the time, stuff like a small hole = unusable for a guest room, but still a perfectly serviceable blanket otherwise.
Even non-permanent caulk could make it so the door cannot be opened. Be sure this isn't a fire hazard.
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