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Propane space heaters
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CON's |
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BUY |
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running cost
heat output
fuel availability
keep things tidy
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installation
100lb tanks
altitude
moisture
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Buy here
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Cost of running propane space heaters.
Typically propane space heaters cost a little more to run than a natural gas space heater but they cost much less to run than the equivalent electric space heater.
Heat output of propane space heaters.
Propane space heaters heat much faster than electric space heaters.
A small unit (10,000 BTU) is twice as fast as a 1500W electric model. A large unit (30,000 BTU) is 6 times as fast.
Propane availability.
Propane is much more widely available around the country than natural gas, diesel or kerosene, as such propane space heaters sell extraordinarily well year round.
Propane space heaters keep things tidy.
Even the smallest propane space heater you can buy heats twice as fast as a standard electric space heater. By the time you purchase more than one electric unit to keep up with yout heating requirements, your house looks untidy and because of all the new obstacles pets, young children and less active people have to spend the entire winter season dodging them. A nicely installed propane space heater gives you the warmth you need and keeps your home looking tidy.
Installing propane space heaters.
Get a professional to install it. Yes it costs you some up front money, but it's worth the peace of mind. If things are tight, save yourself some money by purchasing the installation kit yourself but get a certified installer to do the rest (your local gas company will have a list of certified installers).
100lb propane tanks.
Most vent free propane space heaters require a 100lb (or larger) propane tank. If you try to use them with a smaller tank (e.g. your 20lb BBQ tank) they will cut off, you can restart it after a while, but it will just cut off again a little while later. If you keep doing this you will in time damage the heater. 100lb tanks are available from your local gas company as are 300lb tanks. Typically you have to buy a 100lb tank but you can rent a 300lb tank. There are some 10,000 BTU propane space heaters that will run safely off of a 20lb tank but the are designed for hunting and fishing shacks and are not usually as attractive as the ones designed for your home.
Propane space heaters and high altitude.
Unvented propane space heaters are an incredibly efficient form of heating. But... if they detect that the air is running low in the room they are heating, they shut down suspecting a problem. This is exactly what you'd want them to do, but the thinning of the air experienced at high altitudes means that the heater gets continually confused into shutting down for safety reasons and no matter how many times you restart it, it will keep going out - if you live higher than 4,500 feet you wont be happy until the safety mechanisms catch up with the reality that it gets cold up mountains - it would be nice if they could figure out for themselves that they are not operating at sea level and determine a new safe level for your home, but as good as modern equipment is, they only cater for the mass market at the moment (less than 4,500 feet above sea level).
Moisture from propane space heaters.
One of the by-products of burning propane is moisture. Most people wont have a problem with this as their homes have tiny drafts around windows and doors. Some homes built in the last 5 years are getting better sealed and sometimes experience a problem with moisture build-up. For people in less humid environments, however, this can sometimes be a blessing (also people in normally humid environments experiencing their less humid winter season e.g. Florida).
If propane is not for you, click on the buttons on the left for the pros and cons of other fuels, or to go back to our home page for an overview of space heaters in general.
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