# How warm is an electric blanket supposed to be? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [December 8, 2013, 2:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-warm-is-an-electric-blanket-supposed-to-be/675793 "2013-12-08T02:42:26Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 12\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Mdcastle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/958977/32.png) [@Mdcastle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mdcastle)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2013, 2:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-warm-is-an-electric-blanket-supposed-to-be/675793/1 "2013-12-08T02:42:26Z")
Even thought I don’t turn down my thermostat at night I tend to get cold, so I went and bought an electric mattress pad. It’s 180 watts for a full sized bed. I remember my mom’s electric blanked decades ago was noticeably warm to the touch, but the new mattress pad, even on high. Only feels warm if I’ve been laying on it a while so he heat gets trapped by my body. Obviously this is OK, but I’m wondering if it’s normal. There’s 4 wires going from the control to the pad. Are 2 for a thermistor or something, and would it use PWM to control the setting or just cycle the element on or off? Also it says to only tumble dry it for 5 minutes??? What happens if I put it in for 10, 20, or until it’s actually dry? ---
**Author:** ![SimonMoon5](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9f8e36/32.png) [@SimonMoon5](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SimonMoon5)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2013, 2:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-warm-is-an-electric-blanket-supposed-to-be/675793/2 "2013-12-08T02:49:48Z")
I think there’s been a dramatic change in electric blankets over the years. As a kid, I had a super-warm electric blanket. But a modern one simply generates a mild warmness. So, what you’re experiencing is normal from my experience. I imagine it’s a safety issue, but I don’t know for sure. ---
**Author:** ![aceplace57](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aceplace57/32/3500_2.png) [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2013, 3:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-warm-is-an-electric-blanket-supposed-to-be/675793/3 "2013-12-08T03:03:16Z")
Ebay should hve vintage electric blankets that actually get nice and toasty. [http://www.electricblanketinstitute.com/general-information/todays-level-of-heat.html](http://www.electricblanketinstitute.com/general-information/todays-level-of-heat.html) > [@](#): > > We are constantly asked why today’s blankets are not as hot as older ones. The answer is that since the late 1980’s, electric bedding in the USA has been designed to be used all night long at a low wattage, i.e. a low level of heat. ---
**Author:** ![Duke\_of\_York](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/f6c823/32.png) [@Duke\_of\_York](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Duke_of_York)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2013, 8:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-warm-is-an-electric-blanket-supposed-to-be/675793/4 "2013-12-08T08:22:11Z")
I have my ducted heating set to 20c overnight so there is no need to have electric blankets. Sorry, just bragging:D ---
**Author:** ![don\_t\_ask](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e68b1a/32.png) [@don\_t\_ask](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/don_t_ask)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2013, 10:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-warm-is-an-electric-blanket-supposed-to-be/675793/5 "2013-12-08T10:29:50Z")
I think the way it works is, if you are a women it should be warmer than it is, if you are a man it is too hot. ---
**Author:** ![Marion\_Wormer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d07c76/32.png) [@Marion\_Wormer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marion_Wormer)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2013, 1:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-warm-is-an-electric-blanket-supposed-to-be/675793/6 "2013-12-08T13:34:33Z")
> [@](#): > > Even thought I don’t turn down my thermostat at night I tend to get cold, so I went and bought an electric mattress pad. It’s 180 watts for a full sized bed. I remember my mom’s electric blanked decades ago was noticeably warm to the touch, but the new mattress pad, even on high. Only feels warm if I’ve been laying on it a while so he heat gets trapped by my body. Obviously this is OK, but I’m wondering if it’s normal. You will probably find that if you turn the bed warmer on an hour before you go to bed that the bed is nice and toasty when you get in as the heat will have gone up into the blankets. If the bed warmer has not had time to heat up the surrounding volume then when you get into bed the cold mattress and blankets pull the heat from your body, until the mattress warmer and your body have had time to put heat into the system. Yes how your blanket works is normal. It probably has a timer on it too, which the old ones didn’t. (And I remember the older electric blankets, it was rare but people were occasionally burned by them) ---
**Author:** ![Magicicada](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/c67d28/32.png) [@Magicicada](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Magicicada)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2013, 3:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-warm-is-an-electric-blanket-supposed-to-be/675793/7 "2013-12-08T15:13:33Z")
As I always told people who expressed trepidation over electric blankets, we had them when I was growing up, and we always caught them before the flames got very far… Damn house was full of quilts with holes burned into them… ---
**Author:** ![Mdcastle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/958977/32.png) [@Mdcastle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mdcastle)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2013, 2:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-warm-is-an-electric-blanket-supposed-to-be/675793/8 "2013-12-17T14:09:27Z")
I’d have to go on eBay for halogen torchiere lamps too, so I guess an electric blanket that’s actually warm is the same way. Most of the time it’s fine, although I wish it didn’t have an off timer and occasionally when I’m just sitting on my bed on my computer on a cold night I wish it could go warmer. Did consumers decide they didn’t want warm blankets or is this another product wrecked by lawyers and environmentalists? ---
**Author:** ![Dogzilla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e480ec/32.png) [@Dogzilla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dogzilla)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2013, 4:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-warm-is-an-electric-blanket-supposed-to-be/675793/9 "2013-12-17T16:44:25Z")
Unfortunately, because the OP mentioned electric blankets, the actual question isn’t being answered. The thread title is also a tad misleading. There is a difference between an electric blanket and an electric mattress pad. (One goes over you and one goes under you.) I have one of each. The mattress pad is so hot, that I keep it on the lowest setting. Seriously, turning it from L to 2 and I am burning up. (It is never warm enough for me in the bed. I am, apparently, a “women.”) I have never felt that mattress pad turned up to 10 – I doubt I could take it. The electric blanket, however, does not seem as warm as the mattress pad. I think a lot of heat gets lost floating about the room, while the mattress pad heat is trapped around me by all the blankets. So first, I would suggest you check the connections to the mattress pad. I can’t tell you what kind or brand I have, but I’m thinking all electric mattress pads are not alike. Mine will burn right through your skin on the higher settings. ---
**Author:** ![dolphinboy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dolphinboy/32/330_2.png) [@dolphinboy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dolphinboy)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2013, 5:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-warm-is-an-electric-blanket-supposed-to-be/675793/10 "2013-12-17T17:54:23Z")
> [@SimonMoon5](#): > > I think there’s been a dramatic change in electric blankets over the years. > > As a kid, I had a super-warm electric blanket. But a modern one simply generates a mild warmness. So, what you’re experiencing is normal from my experience. > > I imagine it’s a safety issue, but I don’t know for sure. My heated mattress pad gets so warm I have to turn it down to low even on the coldest winter nights, and I don’t run my house heater at night. Perhaps yours is defective. I would take it back to the store and ask them for a replacement. ---
**Author:** ![Senegoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/senegoid/32/6606_2.png) [@Senegoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Senegoid)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2013, 8:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-warm-is-an-electric-blanket-supposed-to-be/675793/11 "2013-12-18T08:17:24Z")
> [@dolphinboy](#): > > My heated mattress pad gets so warm I have to turn it down to low even on the coldest winter nights, **and I don’t run my house heater at night.** Perhaps yours is defective. I would take it back to the store and ask them for a replacement. Can we take a moment to discuss the economics of this? What are the relative costs of heating an entire apartment (say, 800 sq. ft.) with natural-gas-powered forced air heating, versus NOT heading the whole place at night but using an electric heating pad? Electric heating is generally much more expensive than gas heating, but here, it’s heating just one small limited area versus the whole apartment. How do the costs compare? If one is living on a tight budget, which is the better buy? ---
**Author:** ![MathGenios](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/90ced4/32.png) [@MathGenios](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MathGenios)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2013, 4:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-warm-is-an-electric-blanket-supposed-to-be/675793/12 "2013-12-19T04:35:45Z")
I have looked through various reviews and offers for electric blankets (not mats, sorry about going off topic) and it looks like a lot of the cheaper ones (I was looking at the under 40 dollar ones because I’m small and only need a twin) break down fairly quickly. Can anyone recommend any in that price range that I should consider that are less likely to fail?