Just Wondering asked the question; Do the Heat Surge Fireless Flame heaters that the Amish sell really work?

Question

It is being advertised in the local paper (The Herald-Dispatch,Huntingto n , WV ). That it is a Miracle Heater. Saves Money: uses less energy than a coffee maker. Stay really warm and slash your heating bill all at the same time. It uses 1500 watts. It is 5119 btu. My question is. Is this really a Miracle Heater? Should I buy one for every room in my house and turn off the heat pump?

Answer 1

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The ads (which are all over the country) are very misleading.

1. A coffee maker uses a large amount of electricity for about a minute. It's true that the so-called "miracle" heater uses less electricity than a coffee maker DURING THAT ONE MINUTE. But you're going to have the heater running for a lot longer than one minute a day. So it's going to cost you a lot more to operate than a coffee maker does.

The heater will cost you around 12 cents per hour to operate. The average cost of electricity in the U.S. is 8 cents per 1,000 watts per hour, so 1,500 watts costs 12 cents per hour on average. This is true for ANY 1,500 watt electric heater.

2. The ads say that the heater produces an "amazing" 5,119 BTU (a measure of heat energy), but ALL 1,500 watt electric heaters produce 5,119 BTU. If an electric heater was 100% efficient, it would convert 1,500 watts of electricity into 5,120 BTU of heat. All electric heaters are nearly 100% efficient, and this has been true for decades. The "miracle" heater is no more efficient than any other electric heater.

3. The website of the heater's manufacturer (Heat Surge, a company in Ohio that has nothing to do with the Amish) is much more honest than the ads. It states clearly that the way the heater saves you money is if you turn off your central heat, buy one heater, use it to heat one room at a time, and move the heater from room to room as you move around. This is called "zone heating." See the Saves Money section of the website (www.heatsurge.com).

This is true, but it's also true for ANY electric heater. The problem is that a lot of people don't like to have just one room of their house warm while all the others are cold.

You DON'T want to heat your entire house by putting an electric heater in each room. That would cost you far more than central heat. Gas central heat, for example, would cost around half as much as having an electric heater in each room. (The exact amount varies depending on what part of the country you live in.)

If you want to get one heater and move it around with you, that would be cheaper than central heat, but you can get a lightweight 1,500 watt / 5,119 BTU electric heater with a fan for under $100 at your local hardware store, while the "miracle" heater costs $350 including shipping. The heater at your local hardware store won't have the Amish-made mantle and the fake flames, but it will work just as well. Make sure to get one with a fan, since it will warm up the room faster, although fans can be noisy.

Asker's Rating:

Asker's Comment:

One could not ask for a better answer...John,Thank You very much for caring enough to taking the time to explain it so thorough. I always thought Amish was God fearing people. It looks like they will scam you just like the News Papers and the Internet. It's sad. I hope the good prevails.

Answer 2

I don't what's up with this, but these Amish heaters have been all over the place.


The Amish do not use modern technology - period.

If it uses electricity - it ain't Amish!

Answer 3

the so called Amish miracle heaters are not made by the Amish. the Amish only make the mantels which cost about 300 bucks with shipping it comes to about 350. if you order the mantel, they give you a free heater. the same type of heater can be purchased without the mantel for a little bit less. the miracle with this has something to do with copper which holds the heat longer and is supposedly a more efficient way to transfer the heat.