Well, I’m kinda OT! Anyway:
I have 3 of those too. (Well, one is already at Mom’s.) They do not seem to suffer the safety-thermostat-breaker problems of other types. And, being large and not getting so hot, they are inherently safer.
However, I still prefer the fan-less quartz element heaters (tower type) better for spot heating. They are much easier to move around even when running. (Handle on back.) They radiate very little heat to the back and sides, basically putting the heat right where you want it. And, they feel nice - like a campfire, but the heat carries better due to it’s directionality / being less affected by “inverse square” drop-off with distance. Mom likes to stay in her powered recliner in the middle of a large, open kitchen-dining-living room area. One quartz tower positioned several feet away & running at it’s lower setting (about 800 watts) keeps her happy most of the time.* She even sleeps there, to the dismay of her Doctor. If she moves to the dining room table, we move the heater over near there. (I did make up an “industrial” extension cord to facilitate that move without unplugging / replugging in the heater. But I have a little more background in wiring, up to 10-20 KW, than the average Joe or Josey, too.)
*On days so cold the heat pump / main heat doesn’t really keep up in that area, a small “heater-fan” that’s literally almost under her recliner headrest kicks in @ 1/2 power occasionally. There’s just no place for anything larger, near her. I once saw a “mini” oil filled heater, which would be better (quieter) for that spot, but I have not seen it in stores, recently. (I always buy this stuff on clearance in the spring, anyway.)
The oil filled heaters would be better if we wanted to heat the entire space, but, it takes all 3 of them, they are big, and Mom’s still not as warm. (We tried.) At that point, it’s actually no more expensive to crank up the thermostat on the main HVAC, which usually just runs the heat pump.
In the bathroom (Mom’s other “most lived in spot”), space is so tight that the only option is a small heater-fan that only goes on when Mom’s in there.
As far as the virus reduction goes, the more I think about it, we are past the really cold weather anyway, so turning up the main heat, staying with what’s downstairs for “supplemental” (if even needed), and closing off vents upstairs should be ok even with the fan exhausting out the upstairs window. We can spot heat upstairs if needed when up there.
BTW, I’m not gonna do this @ Mom’s, but I added a wall / ceiling mount quartz heater in my wife’s and my bedroom @ our home. (It’s like a tower heater turned sideways and up near the ceiling, pointing at about a 30 deg. angle at the bed.) (There’s NO room for an oil filled heater or any other significant floor footprint.) It catches my upper torso if I’m at my computer desk, and “floods” the bed. It’s 750 watt setting is almost too warm on all but the very coldest nights. I wake up sweaty, sometimes. (Ok, my wife has the warmest skin on the planet, I think. And we have a nice comforter too - amazingly warm for the weight. $30 on clearance @ Big Lots, some years back...)
In my shop I actually have one of those ancient dual “ceramic heater coil” units for “directed” heat. Bought it off eBay ~ 15 years ago. It still works and is great!
Basically, point is, I have ‘em all: Each type heater has it’s applications, depending also on one’s preferences / needs. Gotta be VERY careful with those heater fans, though.
