Do You Know what a Propane Heater is?

Many times during the winter months, people have a real problem paying their heating bills. With the high cost of heating oil, that seems to get larger and larger with each passing year, many people, especially the disabled and older folks are finding it difficult to pay the bills. Many times it is either they eat, or they stay warm. Neglecting either of these in the winter can cause an array of added health problems, and in some cases even death.

A low cost solution to this is to purchase a propane heater. Propane heaters use widely available and relatively cheap ways to heat up your home, basement, garage, and many other applications. There are many to choose from, small units that mount directly onto pressurized tanks, to heating units that mount directly on the wall and need a building permit to install. Many need no ventilation, and depending on your needs, you can simply attach them directly to a small tank, or you could even cut a small hole in a wall to the outside and connect it to a larger tank by a hose and connectors.

Propane heaters are rated by BTUs, or British Thermal Units, and the energy output and consumption is measured by this. In order to heat 100 square feet, it takes about a 10,000 BTUs to adequately heat the area. Something as large as a commercial building, like a tire shop may require as much as 200,000 BTUs. Portable propane heaters are the easiest and most common, and can be used almost anywhere without venting or electricity.

The benefits of using a propane heater is that propane is cleaner burning, longer lasting and easy to purchase. A portable heater can be moved to different parts of the house, where ever you need extra heat. While there are fears of carbon monoxide poisoning, usually this is relatively small compared to the carcinogens put out by wood stoves, and the amount of electricity it takes to heat up a room. One important thing to note is that like all combustion heating sources, they do use up oxygen, so a good idea is to crack open a window for some fresh air. If you are really that worried about carbon monoxide poisoning, you can pick a detector at any hardware store for around twenty bucks.

You can find good propane heaters in a variety of different retailers, both locally and online. If you want to get the best deal it is a good idea to check around first. Many local hardware stores have a variety of propane heaters available, many under $100, and can easily be attached to a disposable tank or a larger refillable unit. There are models that point the heat in one direction, and other radiant styles that are omnidirectional. If you have concerns about tank safety, connect it to a tank outside on the porch with hoses and a regulator. These too can be purchased at hardware stores or home improvement outlets.

There are a couple of things to note when using propane heaters, whether you use a disposable tank or a larger refillable models. Connectors are reversed, meaning that you turn left to tighten, instead of to the right. You can can for leakage on you connectors fittings and regulators with a spray bottle filled with mild soapy water. If you have any leaks bubbles will form when pressurized.