Sometimes, your home's natural heater just doesn't quite reach certain rooms like the basement or the bathroom. Even a bedroom can get too chilly due to a window or poor circulation. That's where portable baseboard heaters come into play.
They're usually lightweight and slim enough that you can tuck it near the wall of a room without it being too noticeable. If you are in need of one, be sure to consider certain important features such as how simple it is to use. Another thing to factor in is the noise level. We understand that not everyone can tolerate such an obvious, continuous sound, so many heaters are designed with low-noise functionality.
If you're in the market for one of these, then check out our reviews below. We address everything about the heaters from how they work to any concerns you should keep a look out for.
Here are the best portable baseboard heater options...
Top 5: Portable Baseboard Heaters Review
Product Image & Rating (Out Of 10) | Product Name | Price |
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9.9 | ||
9.7 | ||
9.6 | ||
9.3 | ||
9.1 |
Recommendation #2
9.7
Beyond offering even heat, one of the most talked about qualities of the Fahrenheat Portable Hydronic Heaters is how quiet it can be. It can run in the background in your bedroom without causing any disturbance. Much of this can be attributed to the lack of a fan.
Not having a fan doesn't just keep this heater's noise level down, but it prevents the circulation of allergens and other particles. This way, you may not have to worry about the heater blowing anything around the room. Also, you don't have to purchase a thermostat separately as this is features one built-in.
It also has a few safety features, which can be a much-needed quality if there are children in the home. For starters, the design features a welded bar grille. It prevents any foreign objects from entering the heater without limiting the airflow from it.
In addition, it uses liquid-element technology to push out gentle heat at a low surface temperature, preventing it from becoming hot to the touch. Lastly, it has an overheat protection system in place that automatically stops the heater anytime its air intake is blocked.
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This Baseboard Hardwire Electric Zone Heater from Cadet is an inexpensive option, to heat up a small to medium-sized room. It's UL listed, and it features a durable build as it's made from 25 gauge steel. The 20 gauge junction box is all metal as well as being powder coated.
When it comes to installing it, it's generally simple. You can wire this from either side. Although it's listed as 120V, it still manages to push out a good deal of heat. The stream of heat it creates is uninterrupted as well so that you can keep your room warm as long as you need it.
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The Optimus H-3603 provides you with two heat settings: 750 watt and 1500 watt. It is also designed with an automatic thermostat control system although some users say you may need to read over the manual extensively in order to properly use the it and all of its functions.
For easy placement anywhere you need it, it has a slim design. There's even a built-in carrying handle so you can move it with ease anytime you need to. There's little worry about the heater breaking on the outside thanks to it being made with a durable, heavy-gauge sheet metal cabinet.
When it comes to safety, the Optimus H-3603 is built with an internal heating limiting thermostat. This has an overheat alert as well so that it can prevent the machine from getting too hot and failing. When you set the temperature, it manages to stay the same or close as well. You shouldn't worry about it falling over either. This is made with a tip-over switch, so it cuts off if someone were to bump it and knock it over accidently.
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The Dayton 3UG01 Heater is an easy-to-use baseboard heater. It can plug directly into a standard 2-prong outlet so you can start warming up your room right away. This features the typical 120V similar to most options like it, so it can warm up a small to medium-sized room.
For its portability, it weighs just over 10lbs, so transporting it around on an as-needed basis should be simple enough. When it comes to adjusting its heat, it doesn't exactly feature the usual thermostat. Instead, there's a knob that you turn from low to high to adjust the heat settings.
It does offer good safety protocols as there's an auto-overheat shutoff command. This is triggered by the linear limiting switch inside the unit. This unit is built reliable and meant to last for a good deal of time.
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The Lasko 5624 Space Heater can be an ideal choice in terms of décor as it features a low-profile design. This design helps it blend effortlessly into just about any room you place it in. You can move it about with ease as well as it has carrying handles and maintains a lightweight quality.
To make the experience more user-friendly, it offers a digital display for the controls. You can change the temperature from 39-degrees to 90-degrees as well as set the auto-off timer between 1-8 hours. The unit features overheat protection no matter what you set it to as well as having a tip-over switch.
When it is operating, it runs near silently. This is due to the natural convention method the heater utilizes in order to warm the air.
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best portable baseboard heater
Finding the right portable baseboard heater for your needs can take some time, but our list should make things clearer for you. All of the units feature an ease of transportation in case you need to move the heater around as well as emitting little noise or no noticeable noise at all. They're even slim or low-profile in design so that they blend into the décor around.
If we're to settle on choosing only one of the heaters above as the top choice pick, then we have to go with the Fahrenheat FHP1500TA Portable Electric Hydronic Heater. It may be one of the more expensive options, but its quality is undeniable. It has numerous of safety features, and it offers a quiet operation as well as a built-in thermostat. The heater is rather easy to use as well.
Baseboard Heater FAQ
What is a baseboard heater?
Baseboard heaters are heaters that can be installed over your baseboards. Unlike other heating solutions, they do not require any ductwork, making them a more affordable and easy-to-install option.
Some baseboards can be hardwired into your electrical system, while other options are portable and can be moved from room to room and simply plugged into an outlet.
How do baseboard heaters work?
Unlike forced air heating, baseboard heaters are used to heat up individual zones in a house. They are controlled by thermostats in each room where they are placed. Most times, baseboard heaters get installed under a window to provide a balance from the cool air entering the room through the window.
Most baseboard heaters use convection to pull in cooler air from the base of the heater. The air is then warmed up inside the heater and released back into the room through the top of the heater. For this reason, you will want to place a portable baseboard heater beneath a window for best results.
What are the different types of baseboard heaters?
Baseboard heaters can either be electric or hydronic. Electric heaters are powered exclusively by electricity. While you can find some options that are portable and can be plugged into an outlet, having your baseboard heaters hardwired to your system is the most effective and efficient option.
Electric baseboard heaters are less expensive than hydronic baseboard heaters, however they are not very efficient. This will typically lead to making them more costly to operate for extended periods of time and not being the best option if you're looking for a product to heat your whole home.
While hydronic baseboard heaters still require electricity to operate, the electricity is only indirectly responsible for the heat they produce. This type of heater uses electricity to warm up water or oil. The hot water or oil is then able to disperse into the room, warming it up.
The method used by hydronic heaters makes them more efficient than electric heaters. Once the electricity has heated the water or oil, it will stay hot for a while, allowing the electricity to stop working. However, hydronic heaters take longer to warm up a room, so you'll need to plan ahead or dress in layers.
Portable baseboard heaters can be either electric or hydronic.
What are the benefits of using baseboard heating over forced-air?
Whether you are installing baseboard heating because it is your only option based on your home design, you don't currently have the budget to redo your duct works for HVAC unit, or for some other reasons, there are a number of reasons many people prefer baseboard heating over forced-air.
- Cheap and easy to install: Baseboard heaters are pretty simple to install along your baseboards. Unlike forced-air systems, they don't require any duct work, which also makes them significantly cheaper to install. In older homes where it is impossible or impractical to add air ducts, baseboard heaters provide a favorable alternative.
- Minimal maintenance: Once they're installed, you won't need to do much maintenance on your baseboard heaters. This contrasts with the yearly maintenance that is needed to keep forced-air systems operating properly and efficiently.
- Quiet: One reason many people do not like forced-air systems is because they are so loud. Baseboard heaters are quieter and much less intrusive on your daily life.
- More even heat expulsion: Forced air heaters seem to turn on at random intervals and let out big bursts of heat, then shut off again. With baseboard heaters, the heat comes out much more evenly.
Are baseboard heaters safe?
When installed and used properly, baseboard heaters should not pose a fire risk. Most also include a safety thermal cutout switch to shut the heater off in the event it overheats. Still, there are a few safety tips you will want to keep in mind to make sure you don't create a fire hazard.
- Don't place furniture pieces too close to your heater. You also want to make sure that any curtains that are hanging from windows above the heater do not get to close. These could pose a potential fire hazard due to the heat produced by the heaters. It will also block the flow of air and impact the heater's ability to do its job.
- Only use one thermostat to control all of the heaters in a room. This will prevent individual heaters from turning on and off more unpredictably as the air around them gets too hot or cool based on the actions of the other heaters.
- Also, don't set the thermostat at a high setting to heat the room up faster. This doesn't actually make the space warm up faster, is inefficient, and could pose a potential safety hazard.
- Try to vacuum dust off of your heaters regularly. While this may not lead to a fire, it will give off an unpleasant odor when the heaters are running.
- Baseboard heaters can get hot to the touch, so you'll want to make sure young children stay away from them. Also make sure your children know not to place toys or anything else in or on the unit, since it could pose a fire risk.
Final Verdict On Portable baseboard heaters
When you're shopping for a portable baseboard heater, factor in the overall size of it to ensure that it both fits well in the room you need it to go in and is simple to carry if need-be. It should also offer safety protocols such as auto-off features in the event of overheating.
A quality heater should perform well when it comes to warming the air in the room. Do pay close attention, however, to the area a heater is intended to warm up. Not every unit will work in every room as some are more inclined to manage smaller areas.
If you understand what to look out for when it comes to portable baseboard heaters, what do you think about the top five in our list? Talk to us in the comment section below about what unit you'd choose to add some heat to your home.
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