Cheap DorkFood DSV Temperature Controller for Sous-vide

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List Price: $110.00
Sale Price: $99.00
Today's Bonus: 10% Off

For several years I've been hankering for an immersion circulator to try sous vide cooking at home. I didn't have the $2000 plus for a complete PolyScience unit, or even the $900 or so for a pro quality circulator head. So without expecting too much, I bought the oddly, sweetly named DorkFod DSV Temperature Controller and teamed it up with a 7 quart manual crock pot I found on sale at a local discount store for $19.

Much to my surprise, the combination totally rocks. The DorkFood unit is solidly built, easy to use, and holds the temperature I set within about 0.2 degrees Fahrenheit. The natural bottom to top convection of the crock pot, even without an additional circulator, has provided even heat for my sous vide creations. If you've never had leg of lamb cooked under vacuum for 36 hours you don't know what you're missing: a mild, non-gamy flavor with the buttery texture of filet mignon. Lobster tails cooked with garlic butter unbelievably tender and sweet. Restaurant quality duck confit becomes child's play! Cure duck legs (with thigh) overnight with salt, thyme and crushed juniper berries rinse and pat dry the next day seal under vacuum with 1 tablespoon of rendered duck fat per leg and cook at 167 degrees for 30 hours or more for the most succulent duck you've ever tasted. After cooking I cut off the skin and fry it under a cast iron weight (affectionately known as a "pig") and top the duck leg with a crispy duck bacon "cracker."

There are so many free resources on-line and great books at Amazon for sous vide coooking it's easy to get started. And for a total of $118 including the crock pot DorkFood exceeded my expectations. Although I have a good vacuum sealer (VacMaster VP112) many sous vide dishes can be prepared using carefully sealed freezer quality ZipLoc bags. This product really lowers the bar for getting into the wonderful world of sous vide. Nature may abhor a vacuum, but adventurous chefs love it!

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I am so happy that there is finally an affordable solution out there for the rest of us. We frequently have dinner parties and sous vide is a super easy way to cook an amazing meal for many people. I use it a lot to cook fish and steak, but we have also used it for chicken, lamb, and even veggies. There are a lot of good cookbooks out there too, but I think experimenting with your own recipes is part of the fun.

Small hint: Whole Foods and some other stores will vacuum seal your meats if you ask nicely with a smile :)

The device may look a little intimidating at first, but its actually very simple to use. It also comes with a small handout that has instructions and pictures for setting it up. The unit is a little industrial looking so I'm happy that its small enough to put away out of sight after I'm done cooking. I hope the company makes a "prettier" version of the device soon.

But my absolute FAVORITE part about the DSV is that it allows you to transform your existing kitchen devices... those that have been sitting unused in the kitchen cabinets gathering a thick layer of dust... into a fancy state-of-the-art sous vide machine that is just as good as the $500+ models.

I would highly recommend this product to any of my friends and I'm getting my parents one for Christmas this year. It would also make a very unique wedding present or a cool gift for the aspiring chef in the family.

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Very simple tool to cook via the Sous Vide method. Did four filets with butter and salt in the bag. 135 degrees for 2 hours, a very quick sear at the end. Amazing results, may be the one of the best steaks I've ever had.

The unit is very easy to setup, make sure your Crock Pot has a mechanical temperature switch, not electronic. Kept the water at the perfect temperature for the entire cooking time. Preheated the water for 1 hour before to let the unit calibrate. Would highly recommend.

Honest reviews on DorkFood DSV Temperature Controller for Sous-vide

Thank you, Dorks. This is the small scale, clutter free, set-and-forget appliance I was waiting for.

I snare spiny lobster and spear a lot of fish, and have been wanting sous vide capability for a long time. But my tiny kitchen will not fit any more gadgets; not one more pot. I didn't want a barn rigged mess of DIY components. I can't cope with longer cords or circulators or racks or vacuum sealers or any more stuff. Now with my $15 crockpot and the DSV, I'm good to go.

First try out of the box, I made the best pork tenderloin of my life. Seafood is like something from a very moist alien world. I will NEVER cook my lobsters any other way. I use regular zip bags or roll softer proteins into cling wrap cylinders. As I learn better techniques, I may just wrap. It's faster and cheaper and there is no movement to disturb it. Worries about uniform food thickness are unfounded for home cooking. That's for chefs who must produce many meals in a limited time. No part of the food can ever be overheated. Texture differences in thin areas from a few more minutes at target temperature are imperceptible. Flavors are intensified. Use less spice and seasoning.

Despite a few overwrought reviews, my Dork works perfectly. Unless you sleep in the kitchen, concerns about the clicking are ridiculous. Put on some music in the living room and it's unnoticeable. It holds 1º over the displayed temperature according to a reliable stick probe. I normally preheat the water in a fast electric kettle. Then the Dork powers the crock heater for a few seconds 3 or 4 times/minute. It doesn't heat up the kitchen and that's a big deal in Florida. Like running a 20 watt bulb, the power costs a penny for 3 hours of cooking.

The only valid issue with this approach to sous vide is the use of low-power heaters. The cooking water should be up to target temperature before introducing the food, which will cool it. This can be a long wait with a 100 200 watt crockpot like mine. So preheat the water quickly in a pot or kettle, much hotter than cooking temperature. The crock has to be heated too. Then adjust with a little tap water to the target temperature and off you go. With a few tries, you will hit target temperature in 5 minutes with very little fuss. The Dork helps by constantly displaying the actual water temperature.

The general problem with sous vide is long cooking times. With a nice controller like the Dork, it doesn't have to be your time. Go outside for some sun, fresh air, and exercise. Dinner will be perfect whenever you get back.

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The DSV is a fantastic way to get into sous-vide cooking without spending a ton of money. I looked at several DIY options, but I don't think they are very cost effective, nor safe unless you really know what you're doing (and I don't).

I have tried this with a 4QT slow cooker/crock pot and with a Oster 14 cup rice cooker. Either works fine.

It takes a long time to "settle" on your selected temprature, even if you pre-heat the water. For example, if I set the temp to 140F, often it will hold at about 145F after about 30 min and takes quite a while to come back down. The temprature on the unit and the temp as read on a separate thermometer are exactly same, generally about 5 degrees too high. Odd, but after a couple of hours it will generally "settle" at the selected temp. I can work around this by either intentionally setting the temp lower than desired or just wait however long it takes for it to settle at the selected temp.

They claim the device can maintain the temp at +/.25F once the unit settles on the selected temp. I have found that to be spot on, once settled it never deviates.

Overall, I am very happy with this purchase. I hope it lasts a long time!

Discount Tuscan Walnut Comfort Furnace Infrared Heater UV

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List Price: $579.99
Sale Price: Price Unavailable
Today's Bonus: 54% Off

I got mine from tracter supply during a sales push with a rep. from comfort there.I have been a HVAC repair person for years. Their Rep. answered all my questions and I bought one Thinking I had 30 days and would return it if I did not like it. Before I pluged it in I read my meter. I ran it about 12hrs a day for a month read my meter again and was very happy to see after doing the math it cost me $36.00 more on my electric bill for heat for the month. Happy because if I ran my propane it cost me on a average of $9.00 per day. this little furnace cost $1.20 day. I use 600 gal. of propane a heating season times $2.89 a gal. this year = $1734.00 for the season. And the room is in is 72 not 68. This month is colder and I still have not turned my propane furnaceIt has been heating the whole house.I live in michigan. I will up date after my next meter reading . My house is a 1167 sq.ft. ranch.

Im back to update you after a full winter and into the middle of feb. this winter. I will still say get one . I changed propane supplyers this summer and started with a full tank 500 gal. 90% full. as of 15 feb. I am at 45%. any year befor I would have filled some time in jan. and well into my second tank of propane. At night I turn my gas furnace down to 64 and my litter heater off in the morning I turn them both on set my stat at 68 the gas furnace will run and heat up the whole house and the comfort furnace takes over after a hour or so the main furnace will not run again unless its around 0 deg. My electric bill has gone up about $30 to $35 a month. Thats way cheaper than propane. I have had No issues or problems with this unit .

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This heater is quiet and performs as advertised. Remote function is a bit of a challenge for the non-electronically minded, but overall, I would highly recommend it.

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We have this heater installed in a 14 x 16 sun/family room with cathedral ceiling that connects openly to the adjacent kitchen. It's a very nice room setup with one caveat, the sun/family room has an atrium door with side lights that opens onto our side deck....and the DOGS, oh my gosh, in and out All Day. The manufacturers instructions specifically state that you should Not place the heater by an exterior door but I find it works Very well behind the couch, between the couch and the exterior door. We don't have a cold chill running across the floor anymore and when the sun starts to go down and the room begins to cool off, the heater cranks up like it was made for the room. Why we waited 14 years to put a heater in this area is beyond me.

The advertised 'timer' and HVAC sync are useless in our application. Actually, the 'timer' function is not a 24 hour timer and Does Not allow you to set the the heater to turn on and off on a scheduled basis. I believe it's only function is to stay on for a single period of time and turn itself off when that period of time has elapsed. Worse, the controls are electronic which defeats the idea of plugging the heater into a wall timer. So, you must turn it on when you need and remember to turn it off when you don't, like when your leaving the room for extended periods.

The HVAC sync might be useful if the heater were placed in the same area as the thermostat but where we have it placed, the air temp flucuates more widely because of all the window area. But that's why we bought it..to control a local area, not heat the house.

I whole heartedly endorse the UV lamp feature. We use them in my hospital because they work. The fan is noticable only if you are attentive to such things. Otherwise it's something you can easily tune out. And the case is really finished very nicely. It's not furniture so don't expect perfect woodworking but the Tuscan Walnut has a real wood look to it and the color is rich, not fake in appearance.

Finally, this unit will pull some current when in operation. If you have it plugged into a circuit with an old 15 amp breaker, it'll trip..especially if you have any other high current draw appliance plugged into the same circuit and in operation. We have it plugged into a circuit with a couple of floor lamps and the TV. The lamps dim when the heater starts up, but the breaker does not trip.

In our specific application, I rate this unit a 5 without reservations for basic functionality and a 4.5 overall for the addition of advertised 'features' that don't really work well imho, but for which I am most assuredly paying extra. Note: We have only had it two weeks so I can not attest to the units longevity. I will post an update after the winter is over.

The Seller: must have shipped it rush, it came in two days! Thanks golfstorehomecom!

**UPDATE**

28 Oct 2013: Back in service and going strong! No complaints.

Honest reviews on Tuscan Walnut Comfort Furnace Infrared Heater UV

We bought this unit from Tractor Supply during a Black Friday sale ($299). Figured I would give it a try. The first couple of days/evenings it worked great. However, upon further use and closer inspection, this unit is only average. The heater does good job maintaing a level of heat in our living room/dining room. The two are connected through a large open doorway and the two rooms combined are about 500 square feet and there are open doorways to other rooms off them.

I have tried using just the heater to heat our rooms, and the unit is only able to raise the house temp up to 62 degrees despite being set to 70-75. However, if I turn the furnace on and let it warm the house to say 64 and then turn the heater on when the furnace is finished; the heater is usually able to keep the house at 66. Bottom line, it is a different type of heat. If you think it will heat like a small pellet stove, it won't. Will it heat your house? doubtful. Will it heat a single room. Sure.

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Works well, no problems and I've had it on solidly for about a month now. Not sure what impact it will have on my electric bill but I'm sure it'll balance out with the lower oil heating bill since the furnace has rarely had to come on. Tip: Use it with a nearby humidifier for best results.

21st Century Model 116 Fiberglass Kerosene Heater Wick Reviews

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List Price: $15.99
Sale Price: $14.33
Today's Bonus: 10% Off

The wicks were the wrong type for my heater. I did not attempt to send them back for an exchange of refund so it was my laziness and loss. Nothing to do with the wick itself.

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Discount Simply Automated DKIT-01 Pre-Configured Dimmer Starter Kit, White

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List Price: $199.95
Sale Price: $159.86
Today's Bonus: 20% Off

I've been using this starter kit for years now and love it. I am a long time X10 user and these are much more reliable. Programing was easy. I did purchase a programmer right from the start. Lots of features. If you like X10, you'll love these. They are what X10 should have been. I have had one 'noise' problem though. I have a 12v halogen track fixture who's electronic transformer started to generate so much noise that even these signals couldn't get through. They were on the same breaker. The Electronic transform finally failed all-together and the new one doesn't cause the problem. Just in case, though, I installed a noise block on the transformer when I replaced it. To put this in perspective, had I been using X10, the entire system would have stopped working when the transformer started generating noise, instead of just one circuit. These are easy to use, very noise immune, have a high quality look and feel. I recommend them.

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So I started with the basic plug-in starter package (Dkit-02) and it works great for my living room. I decided to change out more switches in my home so I picked up a basic starter package.

First, this wasn't as easy to install as the plug-in package but it still wasn't too bad. You have to know how to install a wall switch. Using the existing wiring from the old switch, you just use a wire nut to put these in. Pretty easy to learn if you haven't done so but remember to turn off the breaker first. If you know nothing about electrical wiring read up on it or have a friend/electrician do this for you.

So after the install, these were pre-configured to work with my four button switch that came with my plug-in package. It worked fine but I wanted to customize my installation.

I ended up having to get a programmer because I wanted to change some things (The buttons on the controllers have a lot of functions that can be used). Once I had them up and running, they work great.

I also picked up the timer module that simply automated sells. The front porch switch is controlled by the timer module. It comes on at dusk and goes off at dawn every day (it also accounts for daylight savings and calculates dawn and dusk depending on the time of the year for my location). I don't even have to touch it anymore. I can turn my living room and dining room lights on or off from any room in the house. I can also shut the upstairs lights off. On vacation mode I have a few of the lights come on and off at random.

It's pretty cool stuff!

I had to call tech support a few times to ask questions but there was no wait, they knew what they were doing, and they were very friendly. My type of support!

I can't say enough good things about these products. I definitely recommend them.

Reviews of Russell Hobbs RH13552 Ellora 1-2/3-Liter Stainless-Steel Electric

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List Price: $59.99
Sale Price: $44.83
Today's Bonus: 25% Off

This is a great kettle. I've used plastic electric kettles for years but with concern about plastics in the food chain, I purchased this kettle. The design makes the kettle very stable on the counter. Wiping the kettle down with a microfiber cloth will keep the brushed stainless finish looking fine. Instructions say not to use vinegar to remove scale that builds up in the kettle. I do it anyway as I have done in all kettles I've owned. Boil 1 part vinegar and 5 parts water in the kettle, let it rest for awhile, pour it off and boil a pot of plain water to get rid of vinegar and scale residue and kettle will run quietly and efficiently. Enjoy!

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I had one for 15 years by this manufacturer. That one was durable and worked

every time. It still works but is suffering from wear. The new one is better engineered: no port in the lid to emit burning hot vapor; the handle is positioned out of way of the steam.

update 4-19-2013 on and off switch failure under light use loss of quality from last one seeking alternative.

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Severe disappointment. This is the second of this model in less than 12 months on which the on/off switch has gone faulty. It's not true 'Russell Hobbs' like the old British days -that name was sold off. If you boil water only two or three times a day, this might serve. I use it an average of once every hour to 90 minutes, and the switch is not up to the job.

It's a relatively quiet, fast boiler, and is a handsome brushed steel finish. Be aware that the lid is a bit too snug, so you may need to adjust the tangs that hold the thing on (use needlenose pliers). It's attractive enough and stable on the base. To keep the inside clean, empty out the unit and stand it upside down with the lid off, overnight.

The fact that it's made in China is not itself a negative. It seems that most electric kettles, cordless or otherwise, do not live up to the reputation of their predecessors.

Honest reviews on Russell Hobbs RH13552 Ellora 1-2/3-Liter Stainless-Steel Electric

I wanted a kettle that would have no plastic parts touching the water. This one did. I returned it.

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I had purchased a tea kettle 7 years ago, had a larger base and heated alot faster. The newer model is sleeker looking but I prefer the heat time for the older model.

Optimus H-4438 14-Inch Energy-Saving Oscillating Dish Heater Reviews

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List Price: $79.99
Sale Price: $67.24
Today's Bonus: 16% Off

Extremely quiet and heats objects/people well by radiant heat. Used in a large, open great room where heating the room's air is impractical. Replaced a small fan/ceramic heater which we would huddle around. This heater keeps us warm while sitting on couches a few feet away. Very happy with this purchase.

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I love this heater! It takes about 20s to heat up, but it's a great heater for a small room. I turn it on at 1200W when I get home and in about 20 minutes, my room is noticeably warmer than the rest of the house. Our house is huge so a central heater would be inefficient, so we use space heaters. Ceramic heaters that blow out air warm up rooms the fastest, but use 1800W vs. 1200W or 800W from this heater. It does oscillate and allows you to tilt the heater as well as change the direction of the heat manually, without having to turn oscillation on. Have not tried the remote yet as I keep it within an arm's length away.

I've hung a shirt over this heater before & took a bit too long in getting it off, so the alarm light came on because it was overheating. I was nearby and watching it, but it seems if you did something stupid like went away while you left your shirt on the heater, then it might burn out or cause a fire (or it might turn itself off). When you lift it up, the safety function comes on and it does shut itself off.

I bought a Soleus 14" as well (400W & 800W) and to compare with the soleus which is a bulb, I think the Soleus is more instant & has the 400W option, for those who want to keep the heater close by and not looking to warm the whole room. The Soleus is a lot brighter because it uses a bulb, whereas this one uses coils. I feel like the Soleus is a bit warmer at 800W than this one at 800W, but the Optimus will probably be better at warming up a room at the same 800W. The soleus, when you lift it, will momentarily turn itself off, but will come on again by itself (whereas this one will stay off & you need to turn it on again).

This one does make a bit of noise while it's starting up, but becomes quiet after. I'd highly recommend both the Soleus & the Optimus. Just have to decide whether you want 400W & 800W (Soleus) or 800W & 1200W (Optimus). I've been keeping the optimus in the bedroom to warm up the bedroom and the Soleus in the bathroom to warm myself instantly & for only a short while.

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Instead of buying the Presto heater from Costco AGAIN, I bought this one because of the new features:

* Very simple 800 or 1200 watt settings (Costco's Presto is 1500 watts, manually adjustable with the knob)

* Timer (3 settings~ save energy!)

* Remote (comes with a snap-in bracket that can be mounted on the arm of the heater) works well IF you point it right at the sensor (located at the base of the heater). I thought it didn't work in the beginning and almost wanted to return it. Finally I figured it out. IT WORKS!

* Up-down manual tilting

* Tip-over (or if you want to move the unit) Auto shutoff (Presto will make a beeping sound if you move it. This one simply shut it off.)

Overall, the quality is good with the additional features that WORKS. I just don't wanna spend the same money buying the same old stuff from Costco. This one is a keeper. The only possible concern is the warranty. I cannot found the company's contact phone number (they only provide an AOL email). :P

If you are looking for up to 1200 watts (not the highest power), additional features such as timer, remote and up/down tilt, this is a good buy! :D

Honest reviews on Optimus H-4438 14-Inch Energy-Saving Oscillating Dish Heater

This heater is everything I hoped it would be. It puts out great heat at little cost from my electric company.

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The Optimus H-4438 14-inch energy saving oscillating dish heater that I purchased at Amazon.com, is a great little heater. I recommend it to anyone who's interested in owning a small heater because it works great and heats a pretty big area. I received my heater in a week, shipping was very quick.

Discount Brew Belt Fermentation Heating Belt, 1-Count Belt

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One of the main problems home/kit winemakers have is driving off the CO2 from our wines. One thing it's easy to miss if you're not familiar with the process is that CO2 becomes much LESS soluble in wine above 75 degrees Fahrenheit, making degassing enormously easier. If your house is cool like mine, then a brew belt heater is exactly the solution.

I've used mine with both my 6 gallon Better Bottles and glass carboys with no trouble. So long as you put the belt below the liquid level on the carboy the heat spreads evenly through the vessel.

Elegant and reliable. Highly recommended.

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This is an excellent product for maintaining minimum heat during wine fermentation. I have used it on three batches of wine and have never been disappointed. Outstanding product and easy to use.

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The belt worked as I had hoped. Keeps the product at the temperature that it is supposed to be in house that I let get down to 62 degrees at night. Just measured the belt temp with the temperature gun and it is 100 degrees +/-. The liquid is around 82 to 85. Try it you'll like it.

Honest reviews on Brew Belt Fermentation Heating Belt, 1-Count Belt

I initially had some reservations about the effectiveness of this belt but decided to give a try anyway. I am pleasantly surprised that it has worked really well maintaining a temp of 78 degrees in my mash while the room temp is at a steady 68 degrees. I have a stainless steel pot with the upper half insullated from the ambient temp. and there is no indication that liquid has been overheated at any point. I experimented with the placement of the belt on the pot and have found that it works best on my equipment at abt 6 inches from the bottom. It doesn't look as if it would be effective but I can't argue with the results.

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In my cool basement this heat belt heats my must up to 75 F and the little grey cells just cook the sugar to alcohol.

Cheap Lasko 6251 Electronic Fan-Forced Heater with Warm Air Motion

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List Price: $46.99
Sale Price: $33.93
Today's Bonus: 28% Off

This space heater is by far the best I have owned. My office is in the basement in a 17' x 11' room. There is no heat in the room, and it gets very cold. Over the past 20 years, I have owned an assortment of space heaters, but none have come close to this one. To test the space heaters, I time how long it takes to heat the room using an atomic clock that also includes the room temperature. It was 48 degrees in the office this morning. It is now 65 degrees after an hour and ten minutes. This fan-forced heater increased the temperature dramatically. To test it further, we brought the heater to our master bedroom, which is 24' x 24'. The temperature was 58 degrees when we started it here at 8:00 last night. By 10:00 it was 65 degrees in the room. We couldn't believe it. We also own Lasko oscillating fans that absolutely blow away the competition. They have a wider blade span and produce what feels like twice the breeze. We are going to purchase a couple more of these space heaters. My opinion you're not going to find a better space heater than this one.

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I bought this about four months ago to keep me warm while I work in my home office. It worked great for the first two months. Then, about once in every 6 or 8 hours, it would suddenly turn off. Following the instructions that are printed on the back, I would reset it by unplugging it, waiting 10 minutes, and then turning it back on. Then it would run for another 6 or 8 hours.

However, about a month ago the time between resets became shorter and shorter, until finally it reached the point where it would only run for 10 minutes before needing another 10-minute reset. That's such a hassle that I've pretty much quit using it.

It's not completely dead. When it's plugged in, the red power light is glowing. And, as noted, it will run -and heat -for about 10 minutes before shutting off.

I see where a couple of reviewers had units that went completely dead. But I'm wondering if anyone else has had the problem I'm having, and if there is any solution (short of returning it).

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I found the Lasko 6251 while looking for a small space heater. The idea was to heat the area around by more immediate work area while turning down the thermostat for the rest of the shop. I didn't want an oscillating heater, just a small and more focused unit. The Lasco is small and stays out of the way. It has a clean appearance and it is quiet. There is control of temperature and fan speed and a timer can be set for folks like me who leave and forget to turn the heater off.

The unit puts out a lot of heated air volume, even when the unit is set to low speed fan. Air flow direction is set with a small lever that controls louvers positioned in front of the heated air outlet. I have my heater in my Maine workshop set to the lowest setting and lowest fan speed and that is enough for me to work in short sleeves. Finally, great price.

Honest reviews on Lasko 6251 Electronic Fan-Forced Heater with Warm Air Motion

This is truly a cool-touch heater. The outside of the unit never gets hot, and since I bought it for my 18mo daughter's bedroom, that is very important. Also, the tip-over sensor works great. Would be 5 stars, but it draws a lot of power, enough that it sometimes trips the breaker. However, I live in a very old house with very old breakers (the kind that are just a panel of switches on the wall) and I'm pretty sure the breakers are a bit weak. Would probably not have the same problem in a newer house.

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This product meets most of the space heater needs I have been looking for: I'm using it primarily in my motorhome to reduce LP gas furnace use, and the heat outlet is at the top so I don't have to worry about my cat getting burned by a heat spot--he is shorter than the exhaust grill. The fan is pretty quiet and temp setponts are a nice advantage, but those thermostat setpoints only work on high heat "for my convenience." After my room/moho is warm I prefer to use the lower wattage setting--it is safer--but then I can't use the thermo-temperature setpoint. What were they thinking? My guess is: NOT thinking. If this is not an issue then I highly recommend this unit, especially for the price.

Cheap Bon Home DDR100WH Heat & Dry Dish Rack

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List Price: $99.95
Sale Price: $74.95
Today's Bonus: 25% Off

I love this Heat and Dish Dry Rack. I thought I would take it out and put it away but I leave it up all the time. I do not have a dishwasher or room for one so I thought I would try this. It's wonderful! I wash my dishes and put them into the rack and when it is full I push the button and keep on washing. In ten minutes the dishes are dry and I put them away. Then I load up the rest (if I have more). Or while I am waiting for the dishes to dry I have time to wash up the kitchen counters and put this and that away and then I turn around and put the dry dishes away. Done. All done. You do have to learn how to put the dishes in so they have access to the heated air coming up. But honestly that has not been a problem as I am motivated to make it work. All my plastic containers are dry in 10 minutes and I can just put them away. The lids may have a hidden drop of water on them here and there but that is no problem. There is a very small drip tray that slides under the rack and I slide it out when I remember and pour the excess water into the sink. But it is very small and only about a 1/2 inch tall. You can move around the metal racks that come with it. So if you don't need any of them you can just remove them and use them later when needed. My son said he hates drying the dishes they don't put into the dishwasher as he feels he never gets done with all of it. So I am getting one for him and my daughter in law. It is perfect for drying all the bottles and cups and plates she uses with the kids as well as her plastic containers.

Update June 4, 2011: Last week the light started to blink on and off and the motor would come on and then stop over and over. Last night it was doing that while we were not home. And today it won't work at all. It's dead.

I am so disappointed! This was my favorite thing in the kitchen. And we have only used it for the months of Feb, March, Apr, and May. I sent an email to the company and am waiting to see what the warranty is and if there is anything I can do about this. But $100 for 4 months is not very good. I will update if I hear back from the company.

Update June 9, 2011: They are great! I have a new one sitting in my living room right now. It was just delivered and I only sent the broken one back yesterday. They were so quick to reply to my emails and so helpful and honest. I got personal attention and a new dish rack!

Update December 4, 2011: THE SECOND ONE IS BROKEN. IT LASTED 6 MONTHS. We were not even using it. Same as before. We came home and the light was blinking on and off and I unplugged it and then plugged it in and now it is dead. I don't understand it. I make sure there is plenty of room around it for air flow. I use it about 5-6 times a week. I do not overload it. So I will send the company another email and see what they can do. I will update when I know more.

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After months of use my wife started telling me that this rack was not working correctly, exactly as described in other reviews submitted on Amazon. Then one day it would no longer start at all. What I found is that the small momentary switch that starts the drying cycle sticks in after a few months of usage. The design is so that the switch itself is used as the return spring of the plastic ON/OFF button in the front and after time has passed either the switch spring loses its spring tension or the sliding actuator gets material under it which hinders its ability to slide forward then back, therefore not allowing the switch to pop open again when pushed. (This is the reason for the delayed starting customers have been experiencing. That happens when the switch finally pops back out.) For ours I replaced the old switch with one I purchased, but if I had to do over again I'd simply do the following first and save myself the soldering hassle:

(1) Unplug the power cord. (2) Remove the top snap-in dish rack drain plate. (3) Remove the four small screws over the front switch compartment and take the cover off. (3) Pull the small switch printed circuit board up by removing the one clamp screw on the power wire going into this small compartment. (4) Push in and pull out the front plastic button that actuates the switch. (4) Put a small amount of grease or WD40 on the two small slides at the bottom of this actuator. (5) Reverse the process and reinstall everything. The whole job should take about 30 minutes.

Since I've replaced the switch instead of oiling the slides I don't have any idea how long this lubing "fix" will work, but if you do it once it won't take long to do again and again and keep on air drying for a long time. Good luck. Bon Home DDR100WH Heat & Dry Dish Rack

Best Deals for Bon Home DDR100WH Heat & Dry Dish Rack

It was my husband's job to dry the dishes so he is extremely pleased with this great invention! I love it because our new high-efficiency dishwasher does not dry plastic. This drying rack is perfect for doing that job. I also use it for drying my fine china and glasses.

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What's wrong with this dish drainer? Let me list the ways:

1. Blower failure after 2 1/2 to 3 weeks of use the blower would suddenly, on its own, start up and fail to stop. Or it wouldn't start when the button was pushed. Totally erratic. At times, completely unresponsive.

2. Blower failure aside, even if that worked perfectly, there are other issues with the design. Due to having to direct the air up through the dishes, the bottom area is a closed "box" with a small, shallow drawer that the water from the wet dishes drains into. The capacity of this drawer is about 2 teaspoons. When that is exceeded, you will have a drainer that "piddles" all over your counter top. Expect to empty this drawer numerous times throughout the course of a meal's worth of dishes. Apparently designing something that would actually DRAIN the water into the sink was too much of a challenge for Bon Home's design team.

3. The warm air works beautifully to dry the dishes when the blower is actually working; it also works beautifully to heat up the kitchen...which could be an advantage if it's in the single digits outside and supplements to heat are appreciated. Not so much in South Texas, where the more likely scenario is triple digits outside, and an air conditioner running darn near full time to combat the heat. This unit will be a major set-back to utility bills in warmer climes. If it had been designed with some sort of cover/closure method to contain both heat and dishes, it might be a viable design. One review mentioned both heated and non-heated air...there was no such control on my drainer, nor any mention of such in the owner's manual.

4. Customer service: this is the big question mark...I've called Bon Home and a young man took my name and number, telling me someone would get back to me. I've asked for the unit to be replaced and for them to send me a shipping label for the defective unit...I've yet to get a commitment for that from Bon Home.

So there you have it...too much money for a shoddy product. Buyer beware.

1-4-2012 update:

Bon Home customer service stinks. They finally got back to me, told me they have discontinued the item and turfed me back to woot.com since that was where I purchased the item. Told me I would have to get credit for THEIR defective product from woot. Great business model...make crappy products, then refuse to stand behind them when they fail. That attitude would make me wary of purchasing ANY product by Bon Home. Once again, let me say it: Buyer beware.

2-22-12 update:

Woot.com did replace the unit in January, 2012 without hassle. Kudos to woot's customer service. However, desperate for a drainer while all this went on, I broke down and ordered a Simple Human bamboo drainer (works very well, by the way), so when the replacement Bon Home arrived, it stayed in the box, as I scratched my head wondering whether I trusted a second unit enough to try it (having recently read a Consumer Reports article on fires started by malfunctioning household electrical appliances, I was understandably dubious about any appliance with a propensity to start up spontaneously). On 2/17/2012, Bon Home followed up on my original customer service contact (December, 2011); they are now offering to refund my money. I replied this morning and will take them up on their offer.

Additional comment 6-18-12:

In response to one of the comments, below, no, the refund was not in addition to receiving a replacement unit the unit that Woot sent was returned to Bon Home, after receipt of which, Bon Home mailed a refund.

Find helpful customer reviews and review ratings for Bon Home DDR100WH Heat & Dry Dish Rack

I got this heat and dry dish rack and completely fell in love with it! It's very convenient and it dries the dishes that I can't put in the dishwasher very quickly. I also liked the fact that I didn't have to assemble it once I received it. The drier is quiet and overall very easy to use. I would definitely recommend this product to my friends and family!

Best Mug Warmer Mini Hot Plate Keeps Drink Perfect Temp Deals

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List Price: $9.98
Sale Price: $8.75
Today's Bonus: 12% Off

A lot of reviewers have stated that this hot plate does not get warm enough to keep your coffee hot. I disagree, but also think I know why they are having that experience. How well this warmer works is extremely sensitive to the shape of your coffee mug, in particular the way that the bottom is. I did some controlled experiments to determine how much heat this warmer puts into a liquid in a cup and found as much as 30 degrees of variation between different mugs of the same or similar material.

The bottom line, is that any hotplate style coffee warmer depends on maximum surface area contact with the bottom of your mug. If you have a mug that is broad and flat at the bottom, filling the heating surface of the warmer, it will work great. If you mug is very narrow at the bottom or arches up so that only the edge is touching, the heater cannot be as effective.

You should either buy a different mug, or forego this energy wasting method altogether, in favor of a well insulated stainless steel vacuum mug like the ones from Contigo. Personally, I like the taste of coffee best out of a real mug, so I continue to use this warmer, just with a broad based mug.

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I have used it for about a week and it does a nice job of keeping coffee warm at pretty much the same temperature.

Update 11/21/2010: Several times now, the power light has gone off but if I jiggle it a tad bit it comes back on. It only does this once in a while but I am downgrading it to 3 stars. It still heats really well but if I have further problems I will let you know.

11/25/2010: It is becoming more sensitive to staying on and I am not sure how much longer it's gonna last!! Down grading to 2 stars instead of 1 because when it works, it does a good job.

12/17/2010: Becoming even more difficult to get it to stay on. This is a piece junk....don't buy!

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This little device has been satisfactory for my uses. I place my ceramic cup of coffee on it and the coffee remains warm but does not get hot and lose its taste. My only dislike is the switch because I don't like roller switches and I thought, from the illustrations, that what turned out to be a red light, was the on/off switch. Overall, recommended by this buyer/user.

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I love these mug warmers......no longer do I make numerous trips to the microwave to reheat coffee that has gotten cold. It will even keep a drink hot while I go take a shower and come back to it,

I have purchased several for gifts.....great item!

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I've petty well worn out my cup warmer and I got this one mainly because it looked compact and also because of the price. It's ok but the on/off switch is in the cord and I just don't like that. I can't use it for work because I don't have a way to place the cord to get to the switch so I now have a cup warmer at home to use by my chair. That's pretty handy, keeps my coffe nice and hot and the cord can dangle down and be reached with no problem. It worked out well after all, but I wouldn't buy it again. It arrived in good condition and within the specified time so I have no problem with the seller.

Review of Honeywell MM14CCS 14,000 BTU Portable Air Conditioner with Remote

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List Price: $599.99
Sale Price: $549.00
Today's Bonus: 8% Off

Customer review from the Amazon Vine Program We moved into an older home that has no air conditioning, high ceilings, no insulation, and louvered windows. This is in the eastern edges of LA county, in a valley, where it gets pretty hot during the summer and occasionally other times of the year (it was 103 yesterday, for instance, a record high).

When we moved here I got a Whynter 14,000 BTU Dual Hose Portable Air Conditioner with Heater (ARC-14SH) for my office, which is at one end of this ranch style home.

I'm a big fan of the Whynter. It worked fine in the heat, never quite cooling the whole room, but certainly giving a blast of cold air where I needed it. The room was at fault, so I don't blame the unit. In fact, later in the summer we moved it in the bedroom to supplement a far too small window unit. The room got downright chilly. It started cooling down and I moved the unit into our babies room, with the heater function keeping the room at a steady temperature throughout the relatively cool winter months. Now that its getting hot again, I was torn about moving the unit out of her room. She needs it cool in hot weather for the sake of all our sanity.

So, I was looking for an addition. The goofiness of our windows and lack of ability to do home repair projects tends to cancel out window units. This one looked like a good choice so I went for it.

Which do I recommend, this Honeywell or the Whynter? Well, both have 14000 BTU cooling, with equivalent cooling power, I look at other issues. And there's no clear stand out. The Honeywell is a bit smaller, and I the vent is more variable. Though, you can't quite enjoy the full force of it hitting you. Both units prefer to vent upwards. The vent on the Whynter just closes off, never getting a horizontal direction worth noting. The Honeywell does allow for more horizontal flow, but when you close the vent to focus it horizontal, it opens a gap in the back of the vent, with about half the power or more still directed upwards.

The big difference is in the air flow in and out. Both units have a standard sized intake and exhaust, but the Honeywell, for some reason, only comes with one hose and a window adapter with one slot. This creates a possible vacuum situation, where air is being sucked in from inside the room and sent outside, which means that air has to come in from somewhere else, a crack in the window or something like that. My office is old enough this isn't an issue, but it might create a problem for other situations, and some people highly recommend always using a dual hose setup. The Honeywell, again, allows for this, but doesn't come with the attachments for it. And the attachments are surprisingly expensive unless you're able and willing to patch together your own. The Whynter comes with two hoses and a window adapter with two slots, and caps in case you're not using one, leaving a one or two hose situation optional.

The window attachment on the Honeywall is fairly shorter. I only have to take off one of my louvered window panels, while the Whynter requires me taking off two. However, the Honeywell adapter uses pegs and slots to tighten in length. Unfortunately for those with nonstandard windows, like me, the pegs don't match up, and I have to jerry rig a way to keep the adapter secure in the window.

The remote works fine, and the display and buttons on the unit are pretty much the same for both units.

Which would I recommend. Well, again, the Honeywell is a bit smaller and that might be an issue. It also seems to handle water a bit better. The Whynter has a water tray and plug that's terribly inconvenient. Too low to put a bowl by, too high to really drain the inside pan. Have to tip it and finagle it. Fortunately, we live in a generally low humidity environment, but on those rainy days in winter I was having to empty the Whynter every couple of days, taking and lifting it into the shower.

But the Whynter does have that heater. So, there's a bit more bang for the price.

I like both and am happy I don't have to pick between them for my own use.

ADDED: Got pretty hot here the other day, had the air conditioner on. Was quite dismayed to see a trail of water coming from this Honeywell unit, leaving a puddle on my hard floor. Have no idea what was happening, as it wasn't leaking from any of the plugs, just coming from the bottom of the unit itself. I live in SoCal, so humidity isn't an issue, and if it's leaking because of that here, then I have to worry about how it will leak in higher humidity areas.

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Two problems.

1) the unit had evidently been jarred significantly during shipping, as the metal grate below the top vent had come loose and was rubbing on the main fan, causing it to sound like a blender. I removed the grate entirely and things are much quieter.

2) Be careful and measure your window before committing. The window assembly will only expand so far, and it lacked a good 18 inches of coverage on our window. Luckily I had some leftover stuff from a previously failed air conditioner and was able to hack together something that worked. The little plastic screw thing is really not sufficient the old unit had sturdy wing nuts. Poor design here.

All that being said, the thing seems to be cooling the room well, which is the primary purpose. Too bad they couldn't avoid dropping it off of the loading dock or whatever happened.

Best Deals for Honeywell MM14CCS 14,000 BTU Portable Air Conditioner with Remote

Unit appears well-made compared to the other junk out there. Interface is slick, and remote is somewhat useful. Three problems:

Unit is LOUD, even on lowest fan setting. It is a bit louder than most window-mounted units, and is about the same volume as those fan coil units installed in cheap motels. I have to use earplugs, and others have refused to sleep in the room with it on.

Unit works, but no way it is 14k BTUs! Cools more like a 6-8k unit. I have a 480sf bedroom and on a hot day (80's) it takes hours to cool down the room. Granted I have high ceilings though.

Remote control works to turn unit on & off, and to set timer (a neat feature although very coarsely-implemented). I have yet to reliably use it for anything else. Basically in middle of ight when you can't take the noise anymore you can shut it off without getting out of bed.

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In preparation for forcasted hot weather, I purchased the portable AC to cool our living room where the family gathers in the evenings. The instructions for set up were easy to follow, and the actual set up took less than 15 minutes. When my husband plugged the unit in and turned it on, cool air came out for maybe 5 seconds and then the compressor shut down with a resounding thud. Now the unit blows cool air for 15 20 seconds every 5 minutes or so.

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I bought this AC mostly because I am tired of struggling to install a window AC in one of my bedroom's high up casement windows that is 4"8" from the floor. I do not miss taking out the window, climbing a ladder outside, fooling with plywood and hefting it up, etc..

I bought this unit with 14,000 BTUs so I could roll it into larger rooms if we wanted to. But it primarily replaces a 5200 BTU unit for a bedroom.

My impression after 3 uses on hot/humid days:

it installs effortlessly. FYI, you have to screw the hose on at both ends or it pulls right out. Once you do this, the window kit fits easily in a rectangle casement window (slides left or right to open) or a standard up-down open window. Awesome.

the exhaust hose is only good for about 34" extension. So if the unit is on the floor next to a window that starts about 3 feet off the flooryou are all set. BUT if the window is high up like my casement window (4'8" from floor to bottom of frame) plan on having something to raise this unit upin my case a small table. I wasn't pleased about this as it looks odd and it makes it a little less portable as you need 2 people to lift or lowerthe AC is kind of awkward to grip alone, I tried. I don't want to drop a $500+ item. Its weighs about 70 lbs too.

It cools well. NOT super icy cold like the 5200 BTU window unit. But enough. Not thrilled but it's okay.

And make sure you vent this unit properly...i.e. make sure the air exhaust is completely clear of obstructions and it is not venting into the plastic window frame (I have replacement windows). It actually makes the frame quite hot. And the machine does not cool as well. There was a notable difference when I moved the exhaust more towards the center of the casement window. Keep it away from the edge.

Noise of operation is about average, just the same as a window unit more or less. It quiets if you turn the fan speed down but so far I have only run it on high speed

-No customer service. Not so far. I wrote to Honeywell asking about how I could get a couple extra of the plastic screws that come with the window kit because its a matter of time before I lose one. Their response was to contact:

AirTek International Corporation Limited

(JMATEK INT'L GROUP OF COMPANIES)

Suite 806-807A, West Wing,

Tsim Sha Tsui Centre,

66 Mody Road,

Tsim Sha Tsui East,

Kowloon, Hong Kong

Tel: +852-2559-5522

Fax: +852-2559-0699

Email: info@honeywellaircoolers.com

So I emailed. Three weeks ago. Nothing yet. Not counting on hearing from Hong Kong. I wasn't pleased Honeywell's US branch doesn't step up here.

Overallwe will get by with this unit. I would have considered another US based brand if I knew the customer service was not US based and they fail to respond to email.

The cooling is ok, I expected better for 14000 BTUs but honesty, my old Kenmore window unit from Sears got it colder in less time. The relief of not having to struggle with installation is my prime reason for keeping this unit. Otherwise, not sure I would go for it.

Discount Broan Model 178 Wall Heater, 1000/2000 Watt 240 VAC, White Painted

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List Price: $165.58
Sale Price: $107.33
Today's Bonus: 35% Off

This heater is replacing a 20 year old model. Everything is exactly the same right down to the model number. Great heater for the bathroom.

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Went to a lot of work installing heater just to turn around and rip it out. Heater is very noisy. I phoned company and explained situation. They stated "they never advertised unit as being quiet" So much for that.

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The unit arrived with a damaged electrical connection to the heating element. Northside Service Co. promptly sent a replacement element which was great. After a few months of use the white metal grill (looks like baked enamel or equivalent) started cracking and flaking off at the point where the most heat comes out. I emailed Northside about this and they kindly made it clear that they warranted the product for only 60 days that I needed to talk to Broan 1-800-637-1453. Broan (Trish) said that the sellers uphold the warrantee and not Broan. They added that Northside were not authorized sellers, and that as they serviced it previously they had taken on the responsibility of servicing the warrantee, and that I should go back to them. Fortunately before I needed to take this further Broan said they would go ahead and send me a replacement grill, but they would do this only the one time.

As the unit does a great job of quickly heating the two rooms that make up our main bathroom and shower I highly recommend it. I think Broan has been around long to know how to formulate and apply an appropriate paint finish and that there is going to be odd bad unit or bad batch. So I would buy it again.

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Broan Model 178 Wall Heater, 1000/2000 Watt 240 VAC, White Painted Grille

To comply with local electrical codes (long story), I had to install one of these units in each BR. I probably should have spent more money to get a low decibel model. Yes, it has a thermostat, but when that triggers the heater to come on, it is noisy since there is no speed setting. It's on or it's off!! Oh well, you get what you pay for, eh?

Buy Intermatic EI220W 1/2/4/8 Hour SPST 1800-Watt In-Wall Countdown

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I bought one for an air cleaner control in my woodshop. It worked great. I originally had one from Wood which promptly quit working, and the company would not respond. This one is a few bucks more, but it works!

One year later and this unit quit working too. Too dusty in the shop? I'm switching to a spring operated unit.

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I now have a couple of these auto-off timers in my house. One on my bathroom fan, and the other on a bedroom ceiling fan. They come in different time countdowns. This one is for 1-2-4-8 hour increments, and my other is 10-20-30-60 minute increments. They are perfect because you just tap the button one to four times and then you can forget about it. No longer do you need to worry about turning off the fan or light.

Installation was fairly simple, especially if you have previously installed light switches or interrupters.

Normally $22 to $25 at the home improvement centers, slightly more to buy here, but worth the convenience.

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This timer works extremely well on the lighting as well as for the ceiling fans. I bought 10 originally and will be soon buying 10 more. I highly recommend them.

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This unit is the exact same unit that Quiet Cool sells on their website, but for half the price. It's a timer, it works. Not much to say about it except that it does exactly what I expected it to do, and I have had no issues with it since I installed it (about 2 months ago).

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Using this on a 30" diameter whole house fan. Installed it into a double gang deep box along with the 2-speed switch supplied by the fan mfg'r. Works great!