Has anyone every used a stove oven as a heater?

Question

My owner is currently in the process of installing a heater, but my house is freezing cold. I am thinking of trying to heat it up with an oven. Does anyone know if that's possible and would it be dangerous?

Answer 1

I heard that using an oven to heat is dangerous (even though our grandmothers used to heat the one gathering room with a stove that had firewood and coal in it and had a pipe to the outside, still it threw sparks and caught things on fire), probably dangerous because it isn't made to be on for an extended period of time. But even small room heaters are dangerous.

I just bought myself an electric blanket and also a sleeping bag (for very low temperatures), and I work during the hours 3-6 AM so I'm moving around and breathing during the coldest hours, but also I have the lights and the computer going at that time and both generate heat (in fact my pc melted the scanner lid last year from the heat it gives off). Could you stock up on wool socks and sweatshirts and such till that job gets done?

Answer 2

The oven would only heat up the one room maybe two. If it is a gas stove it can be dangerous and if it is electric it will run your light bill up. I would reccomend tht you either get an electric heater t use when you are at home or get a kerosene heater to use when you are at home.

Answer 3

If it is a VERY SMALL house, AND an electric oven it is possible, but NOT practical.
Buy an electric heater and use it in the room you are in, moving it as necessary.

Do NOT use ANY type of UNVENTED "open flame" heater in an enclosed area.
This includes gas, kerosene, propane, wood.
It could be the LAST flame you ever light, because the carbon monoxide they generate burning could kill you. (Newer homes are much more "airtight" than older homes.)
(In MANY states it is illegal to use an unvented heater in a bedroom and/or to leave one on while sleeping for this very reason!!)

Answer 4

Must be young. Most older people grew up in homes where the oven helped to heat the room. Modern ovens are a problem though--if your knobs are on the front of the range, the heat rising from the open door may damage them. Electric ovens would be very expensive to use; I grew up in a house where we would crack open the gas oven door if it was really really cold. Of course if your house is too tight, then you can get carbon monoxide poisoning.

Answer 5

I did it years ago and would wait for the temp to be as high as possible, once the light went off I would open it half way and let the heat come out that way, it was enough to take the chill out of the air after 20 minutes, and we spent many a cold day semi warm. it deals with the chill, and thats about it.

give it a go if its electric, or buy a cheap gas heater, they do the most awesome job.

Answer 6

Been there - Done that! Get a box fan or such and sit near the oven and have it blow towards another room. This will move the heat to other areas. It's better than nothing, that's for sure.

Answer 7

long before central heat, there was the oven. My mother and dad raised five kids in a house without vented stoves (it was common 50 years ago) in the night they would leave the oven on .

Answer 8

If it is a gas stove you could very well die. Get a portable electric heater and keep it away from any combustibles.

Answer 9

If you have an electric stove, use it. Put it on 450-500, and only open it half way. We don't have heat, but our stove heats up half the house. It's great, and it doesn't run up our electric bill at all.

-Amanda

Answer 10

Please don't do this, the stove will produce carbon monoxide and rob the oxygen from the air. Get a couple sleeping bags and electric, oil filled or ceramic heaters with auto-shutoff. P.S. The new heaters are not that complicated. what's the holdup?