During the cold season, people turn on their heaters to warm up their home. However, these could be a bit wasteful when only a certain area of your house is occupied. Space heaters are the answer to that. They are designed to warm up selected areas of your house or to supplement your current heater when it could not distribute warmth equally around your house.
There are two space heater technologies, the convection and radiant space heaters. Convection works by flowing warm air around the room while the radiant type works by direct radiation from hot exteriors. The former is advisable for use in well insulated areas with average ceiling height while the latter is better suited for areas with higher ceilings.
Several types of conventional fuel – based space heaters, depending on what fuel they use, are available in the market. One type uses kerosene as its fuel source. The greatest advantage it brings is that it works even without electricity. Another type makes use of wood burning, and this is very similar to built in fireplace but is more energy efficient. The third type uses propane as its source and the last one makes use of natural gas. Natural gas space heaters are the most inexpensive among the other types, and produce the least amount of carbon dioxide wood heaters when used.If you are planning to buy gas space heaters, here are some things you must consider:
- For kerosene heaters:
- When refueling, bring it outside your house and away from any combustible materials. Remember to turn off the heater and let it cool down before being moved.
- Do not exceed the “full” mark when refueling to avoid leakage.
- Proper ventilation is very important to avoid fumes from building up and harming your family, carbon monoxide poisoning, or explosion. Allow fresh air to go inside the area to reduce the pollutants present in the room.
- Store the fuel outside your home in a safe container, and label it clearly with KEROSENE to avoid any fuel confusion.
- For wood burning space heaters:
- Buy heaters that are approved by the EPA emission standards.
- Check and clean creosote buildup.
- Only use the proper fuel, wood, and do not burn other things such as paper.
- To remove ashes, it is best if you use a metal container.
- For gas space heaters that uses propane or natural gas:
- Install carbon monoxide detectors in your house that will alarm you if carbon monoxide inside your house has reached dangerous levels.
- Look for a model that has oxygen depletion sensors. This will determine if the oxygen present in the air has dropped drastically and will automatically turn off the heater.
- Inspect your heater regularly to see if there are no damages in any of its parts. It is also recommended to check if the connection devices are properly positioned and if they are compatible to avoid any leakages.
- If being used indoor, again, proper ventilation is of utmost importance.
