Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

This review is for the Wave 3 but can be applied to the Wave 8 as well. I bought my first Wave heater 10 years ago and never had a problem, in fact I still use it to this day. The reason my wave 8 is still running is because of a few things which I will explain now. The first thing to consider for long life is your environment which varies from person to person. You have to ask yourself are you a good fit for this type of heater? If your living area is full of dog and cat hair and dusty or if you cook a lot of greasy foods or smoke inside a lot, then expect this type of heater to not be the best choice for you, this is why. The heating pad is not solid ceramic it is comprised of metal frame and grate, possibly high heat fiberglass or other material that is used in high temperature applications and platinum dust which holds heat for the catalytic process to occur. This pad allows for oxygen and propane to mix safely and quietly without a pilot light which is only used for the first minute and then turns off and is unlike other heaters which require a fulltime pilot light to be on. This pad in the Wave heaters needs to be kept free of contaminants for it to work properly so that is why you need to consider your environment and where the heater will be located. The kitchen is a bad location because of greasy smoke that travels through the air and clings to all surfaces but there are work arounds to this. First, place heater as far from the stove as possible. Make sure that you vent cooking fumes with cook top hood if possible. This is important, turn off heater and cover when cool before cooking if possible. The reason my Wave 8 has lasted so long long was because I followed the directions and covered my heater always when not in use. The heater cover they sell for their heaters is worth every penny but only good if it is used. The other reason my heater lasted is because I don’t smoke nor do I have pets or live in dusty area. I have used about every type of heater there is and none compare to the efficiency of these heaters which are 99.9% efficient. Also the quality of the heat is one of the joys of this type of system, it is infrared and like a wood burning fireplace you feel good when the rays touch your skin and warm it. Another strong point is the absence of odors through most of the process. Only when you first light it will you detect any odor from unburnt propane, but this dissipates quickly since it is so small an amount and is never a problem. Once the pad is run for around 10 minutes at high and reaches max temperature all traces of unburnt gases cease to exist because the heater is 99.9% efficient at that time. Other heaters can’t compare to this and waste fuel in way of unburnt gas throughout the process, since their efficiency rating is much lower and because of this you can smell unburnt fuel which can even give you a headache if not vented. Unburnt fuel equates to carbon monoxide buildup but because the Wave heaters are so efficient their only discharge is water and carbon dioxide which is harmless and your plants will love it. Lets look at lighting the heater for first time users. Since this is a catalytic heater you have to use a flame for the first minute to start the process. There is a safty device built into this heater that prevents the flow of propane unles there is adequate temperature, it is the same type used in house heaters and water heaters. Once the temperture is reached you can turn off the pilot light and the heater continues to burn the propane as it mixes with oxygen in the pad. When you first light the heater it is normal to see some excessive unburnt propane that excapes from the pad to ignite and this might startle you but there is no reason to fear for your safty. The pilot light is doing its job and burning this small amount of discharge and once the heater has reached operating temperature of around one minute the pilot light is no longer necessary. I have measured the pad surface temperature and when working correctly it will reach a temperature of 900 degrees which will burn all gases cleanly and safely. Now the manufacture states that the temperature will stay below flash point, lower than 400 degrees and they are correct because if you take temperature samples just a inch from the pad they are much lower then the pad itself. When I compare the two heaters when lighting, the Wave 3 and Wave 8, there is a slight difference in how they behave when lighting and this is because of pad size or area. The much larger pad of the Wave 8 gives you a small light show as small pockets of unburnt gases dance upwards when ignited. The Wave 3 can sometimes startle you because its pad is much smaller so its lightshow is more concentrated and bluer in color, but it only does it once and not always on every lighting of the heater. I have found a workaround for this. Before you light the pilot light press in the temperature knob for three seconds and then release it for two seconds. Now light the pilot light as you normally do and blow some gentle puff’s of air towards the pilot light (Don’t put you face close to the heater when doing this). You are trying to ignite any unburnt propane that escapes the pad. Since you primed the pad with a few seconds of gas in the beginning this is what escapes first and it is much smaller. Once this gas ignites the heater can burn all the gas being injected into the pad better and there are no other discharges. So with practice you get better and lighting will be a simple process that amuses you more over time. I have run my Wave 8 for months at a time and use the Wave 3 for smaller jobs. One thing you should consider is BTU output and realize that these heater are not meant to solve all your heating needs. Let’s compare an oil filled electric heater that uses 1500 watts to these heaters. When converting watts to BTU you will find the oil filled heater producing 5,118 BTU’s. Now when you look at the Wave 8 at 8000 BTU’s and the Wave 3 at 3000 BTU’s you can get a better understanding of heating capacity. If given a choice of what kind of heater I would rather use then the winner for me would be the Wave heaters because the quality of heat is better and more consistant and they work when power isn’t available and they are totally quiet. I hate the RV heating systems which are loud and expensive to run. Other heaters like that Buddy type are far more dangerous because of their excessive use of plastics and constant flame and are better suited for outdoor use and not something I would consider for inside home use. Don’t misunderstand me when I mentioned cats and dogs as a possible problem, this heater will still work but the life span of the pad might decrease but you can get a replacement installed by the manufacturer. If your conditions are better suited for a long term heating solution like mine are then you will get more value for your investment. My first Wave heater paid for itself the first year by saving me alot of money on my heating bill. I would recommend this heater for most people but there are other heaters better suited for the scary cats who are afraid of gas and should stick to electric. I never regreated a day of owning one of these Wave heaters and all my family agree that they are far superior when it comes to comfort. Some other things to consider. The manufacturer has guidelines concerning proper ventilation and I mostly agree with them but have seen people exceed them in their reviews. One person stated they open two windows, two inches and from my point of view this is excessive. I even think one window at two inches is because these heaters are so efficient they require less oxygen to function. Your living conditions will determine the correct amount. Most living structures have outside air leakage migrating inside through poor door and window seals. I have found little need to panic and go to extremes when using these heaters. You would be amazed how little an opening you really need to run these. When using these heaters long term and not as intended if I may say from the manufacturer you should consider what type of propane supply you use. If using for a few hours and never at night then the rubber hoses should be fine but if using long term or mounting on wall you should consider copper or metal for plumbing and when using copper always use flare fittings and not water compression types. Always bubble check for leaks. Regulators are not created equal and invest more here as well. This manufacturer sells a non-hose regulator that has two domes on it,(one large and the other is smaller). I have been using this type for ten years now when using 20 pound propane tanks. You might wonder if the heater needs its own regulator when connected to a larger outside tank. The heater always needs a regulator but can use a whole house system regulator like your stove and dryer and hot water uses as long as itis propane and not Natural gas. For instance, if you have an RV with two outside tanks that connect to a central regulator then you don’t need another regulator for the Wave heater and the same is true for a home as well, but when connecting to a portable gas source like a 20 pound tank, you do. I should also bring up that the manufacturer recommends replacing the pad after six years but I see no difference in performance of my 10 year old Wave 8 and will continue using it until I do. For those people experiencing problems with Carbon Monoxide sensors you might want to consider moving them higher and get them off the floor. When these types of sensors are placed in homes as required by code for homes that have those wasteful gas-log fireplaces, they are never that low and why RV manufactures put them so low makes little sense to me. It’s as through they are doing it to make them respond to every thing and not really considering what is safe and what isn’t. How many people sleep on the floor of their RV or trailer and that is why for homes they are put at bed height since Carbon Monoxide settles to the floor first and accumulates upward. Since the build quality of the Wave 3 appears the same for the Wave 8, all metal, except for the temperature knob I would expect this latest addition to our family to last like its older brother. Did I mention how cute the Wave 3 is, it really is! Good Luck with yours.