Buying Guide
Do you have a hard-to-heat area in your home? If so, a gas space heater can meet your heating needs. We carry a wide variety of space heaters.
The most common type of gas space heater is a vented model. The vent exhausts the products of combustion to the outside, just like a gas furnace or water heater. When replacing a vented space heater, an important rule of thumb is to replace it with the same size and type.
The size, or heating capacity of your space heater is listed in Btu's. There are two Btu ratings to keep in mind when you purchase a space heater. The first is the input Btu's. Input Btu's equates to how much gas the unit burns in an hour. Output Btu's is what you really want from a space heater--the amount of heat it produces. There are other rules for sizing space heaters based on the size of your room. About 50 Btu's per square foot, or 7 Btu's per cubic foot are two numbers we use to provide the appropriate amount of heating needed. Rooms can have completely different heating profiles based on the amount of insulation, number of windows, number of walls exposed to the outside, etc. Our representatives can walk through your situation and help pick the best unit for your needs.
Recently, vent-free space heaters have become popular. Here the Btu input and output are the same, simplifying the selection process. Again, selecting the correct size is not guaranteed using this method, but three Btu's per cubic foot of room size is a good starting point. Vent-free is not appropriate for every situation and is even prohibited in certain rooms. For example, using a vent-free unit in a workshop where you are going to paint, or strip furniture is going to result in unacceptable odors. Let us know what your need are and we will find the best unit for your situation. |
