Is there a safe way to use an oven for heating?

just a bit?
Like: run it for awhile, shut it off; keep an eye on it?
No judgements, please. Yes, I am being very careful. Anyone have any advice?

preheat the oven to a high temperature.

turn the oven off.

open the oven door.



note: I wouldn't mess with a gas oven or keep the oven on continually.

it's not gas ( I wouldn't dare!) and I was already turning it off for periods of time.
Hate this.
Thanks...

Years ago, one of my neighbors used his oven to heat his home. It was electric. It caught fire. Luckily, the fire department was just down the road, and the fire only consumed his kitchen and he wasn't hurt.

So, if you are using it, philosophie_en_rose's advice is good. Heat it, turn it off, open door. However, that being said, you really should read about using the oven as heating unit at this safety site:
http://www.cdc.gov/nasd/docs/d001401-d001500/d001480/d001480.html
Staying Warm in an Unheated House: Coping With A Power Outage In Winter

<snip>
Do not use a gas or electric oven or surface units for heating. A gas oven may go out or burn inefficiently, leading to carbon monoxide poisoning. An electric oven was not designed for space heating.

And, you can get heating assistance from your local energy people:
http://www.bizjournals.com/triad/stories/2005/11/14/daily29.html
N.C. power companies pledge energy assistance
Good article with links to help you out, if you need them. :hi: :hug:

and I was already thinking about assistance,but there's one problem with the Duke Power thing-I have oil and propane. Oil furnace, propane logs. That's it.
SO I called to see how much the oil would be to fill up the tank.
Ha.
$700
I might be able to afford 50 gal. worth, but the propane seems to last longer. Problem with that is that I owe them $200.
I have a little under 18 gal left in the propane tank, so am rationing as I can.

I'm gonna read futher on the first link. Thank you again, so much.:hug:

:hug:

Just waiting for you-know-what to happen. It wouldn't be so bad except it was 16 degrees here last night. Eek.
Thanks, billy.:hug:

What the heck is the danger of using an oven for heating?

Not what it was meant for, of course. :shrug:

I guess the memo never reached my neck of the woods. ;)

No way you can stop those from heating your kitchen. :D

they love it in the winter. I see it as something of an ecological disaster unless it was in a commercial kitchen or a public venue like a ski lodge or a guest house - a three person house in California could never justify the cost of running one of those suckers.

I agree an Aga must be wasteful, but at least that waste heat spills into your home, so it isn't entirely wasted.

We experience about three months of triple digit temperatures (Fahrenheit) in California, and the last thing I want is heat spilling into our unairconditioned house.

I love our huge Americans trucks that actually do heavy work they were designed for. My problem is with the 'Soccer Moms' using the beasts to run errands to the market and the urban wannabe cowboys that have a need to compensate for their small penises.

:)

;)

An Aga is 1300 pounds of cast iron. Once you get it heated up, it doesn't cool off quickly so you don't have to dump a ton of money into maintaining temperature.

If the door is left open while the oven is on and being used to heat, it makes the heating element work very hard, and can result in a short, overheat, and fire.

I carry mine around from room to room, got it last year, and it works very nicely. I'd imagine it would take less energy to run then the stove.

Do you have any baking you could do? Maybe make use of the stove and enjoy the warmth associated with it? I know my stove heats up the kitchen pretty good while I'm baking and such.

Here's the heater that I use: n/m can't get the link to work. It's a Lasko from Home Depot, 64 buck and free shipping.

Basically it's a situation where I have to wait to see if we're gonna have enough money come Mon. What sucks is that I have this HUGE check coming,but probably not until the end of next week or even the beginning of the following; so I have no idea how long we have to "survive" on what we have. I really need to pay a different bill with the money that's coming in this weekend. We're gonna have a pow-wow about it when husband wakes up and make a decison-money on propane,oil, or other bill and see if we can get a space heater.I'm just paranoid about those things.

when it hits a certain temp in the room it will shut off or back on when it gets colder in the room. You can also set it to run for a certain amount of time. I've really used the heck out of it for 2 years now and have slept with it running in our bedroom all that time. It's not going to heat your whole house or anything, but it will warm up a smaller room quite nicely. Keep an eye out for coupons, Home Depot usually has 10% off coupons or Lowe's. I believe if you go to the Post Office, you can get those coupons in their movers pack. Or if you have a Linen's and Things, you can use the 20% coupons they put in the paper or at the front of the store. They have a whole bunch of those space heaters there.


I found another listing for the same space heater at lowes, for almost 20 bucks cheaper:

http://www.lowes.com/lowes/lkn?action=productDetail&productId=34137-39646-5132&lpage=none

or bread


leave the door open after you're done.

and never leave the house with it on...always keep an eye on it. In winter of 97 we had to use our oven to heat a part of the house. Our furnace went out, and started kicking soot through all the vents...I woke up, and went to the bathroom, and I turned on the light and looked in the mirror, and I looked like Dick Van Dyke from Mary Poppins(when they did the chimney sweeper bit)...

It was 8 degree's outside, and it took three days for the landlord to fix the furnace...and we used the oven to keep warm...it worked, but we always kept an eye on it...

on edit:spelling

in one apartment that I had lived. I didn't know there were any safety concerns surrounding it...:blush:

I also had an electric fan heater in the bedroom.

Sorry, lildreamer, it sounds like tough times. :hug:

for that stuff I mentioned to come in.It's gonna be another week or so,and it was 16 degrees here last night.
We'll get there, it's just the stretch between now and then that's the problem.
Thanks.:hug:

Congrats!! :bounce:

16 degrees - that's quite cold for your neck of the woods, isn't it? And to be without heat! :scared:

Lots of layers of clothing help, too. It won't be long now! :-)

a space heater. Mount socket to a largish board (you want to make sure it won't turn over - and that your socket is rated to your bulb). Install bulb (incandescent, not flourescent). Cover with one gallon tin can (punch holes in it to allow heat to escape). It would be a good idea to attach can to mounting board. Plug into wall. Instant space heater ... that you can also cook on. A 200 watt incandescent produces a lot of heat.

OR... go to a thrift store and buy a space heater for cheap (usually $5-15).

Now THAT's interesting info to know. I'm assuming one needs to be careful in case of bad wiring (in the house of course).
Thanks for the tip-I'm bookmarking just in case.

or rather, Warm!

Do not boil but have a large thermal mass.

while it warms.

and am going to add it to my big pan of water I do have on the stove already.
Thanks:hug:

Put a bunch of bricks in your oven, heat it up good. Turn the oven off and open the door. The thermal mass of the brisks will last quite a while.

if you put in a 'wanted' add. My grandmother had one of those in her kitchen and it totally rocked. You'd have to vent it, of course, but it was toasty.

I feel for your dilemna, having gone through a couple of winters without heat myself. My cabin gets cold at night too, since I don't have central heat and have to use a space heater.

LORDY, do I LOVE me those stoves!
It's a brick house and I have to get approval from my uncle for any additions and renovations,since it's in trust for me.
I was thinking about capping off the propane line, taking out the logs and starting a real fire, but I don't know how to do that and it could be very very dangerous, so I'm just gonna leave it alone.
Thanks:hug:

something about fireplaces look at it first - however if it is an old converted wood burner, make sure any damper is closed when you are not burning so you aren't losing whatever heat you do have.

Got a couple of ideas......
Thanks:hug:

I would be worried about burning out the element. Otherwise "cook" stuff like a big roasting pan of water, or even do that on top, then you would have 4 burners and if one buned out you could still cook.

DO NOT LEAVE UNATTENDED! and I would be sure to ket everything cool off ever few hours.

I'm not going anywhere. I'm here all weekend.
The oven is separate from the cooktop. I've been running them both at intervals, the cooktop with water like the other poster said.
Thanks, I will keep all your good advice in mind.:hug:

They make them much better than they used to, and they really don't cost that much, you can get a small milk house heater for about ten bucks new. That will keep your bedroom warm anyway, constant use will shorten the life of your element, if you have too I'd set it at the lowest setting possible to eliminate over heating the element.
I had a landlord a few years ago whose idea of heat was to turn off the gas furnace and install electric window units that heated and cooled, they overloaded my circuit breaker and had to use a space heater for a couple of days until they changed the breaker, it kept me warm, but, I was uncomfotable sleeping at night.

I'm going to send husband out to hunt a cheap one like you mentioned. We really can't be spending $50 or so, that would defeat the whole purpose,since I only need just a bit more to pay both bills.
We'll be ok by end of next week,I've got a big check coming. Just have to make it till then
Thanks for your advice.:hug:

people might have one they are trying to get rid of.

I will definately check that.

calling a local store and explaining your situation to the manager. He might sell you a space heater and hold payment until you can bring him the money. Our local K-Mart gives away lots of stuff during the holidays (they have a donation fund) for people in need. Our local Winn Dixie does this with food. Or you could even call your local fire department and ask them for advice about the oven, explaining your situation. I think they would probably find a good space heater for you.

Good Luck. Sending you balmy breezes from the Keys!

I may try that if the money is not here soon.........
:hug:

During the cold months: November (or maybe even October) through April or so. Even when it wasn't one of those months, we got warning letters if we were late on a payment. Some people say that it is better to call them and explain that you will be late, but it depends on the person who receives your call.
I wish you luck with your situation.

and explain your situation. I bet they will find you a good safe space heater until you are able to purchase your own. Good luck, and sending you warm breezes from the Keys!

problems tonight)...

if you bought a space heater today, you could pay the charge off next week.

I'd be nervous about turning the oven on for heating. From my understanding the coils will keep heating up and can cause a short. Use the stove top with a pot of water if you have to, or do some serious baking or roasting!

I'm sure you're already doing some serious snuggling! :evilgrin:

If you can bake all afternoon, that would work, but you don't want to even crack the oven door, because it can play havoc with your oven thermostat-temp indicator (if you have an electronic control on your oven).

My first oven had an electronic oven control. When we first moved in to the cabin, we only had one space heater. I heated the house with the oven over night on a very cold February night. It burned out the electronic oven control on my oven. To replace it and the thermostat would have cost $250 for the part and $150 for installation.

The problem is, the heating element will say on for hours, because it will never get to the temp to turn off. Somehow, that screws with the EOC.

I bought a new oven instead of replacing the EOC and thermostat.

I wouldn't suggest doing this if you have an electronic control on your oven.

...but maybe appliances were better made in the fifties.

heat, and good smells.

The percentage of oven deaths are pretty low. Electric heaters are higher. Keep it low or medium. Put some rocks in the oven to hold heat. Get up evry two hours and cook things. Be frugal.