When it comes to warming hard-to-heat rooms in your eastern Tennessee and southern Virginia home, few options can top a propane space heater.
A compact, high-efficiency space heater will keep your basement, garage, covered porch, hobby room, or any other problem area warm in any weather. But how do you choose a propane space heater from among the many options available?
A good place to start is to choose between vented and vent-free models. Let’s take a closer look at each option.
Direct vent space heaters are basically sealed heating boxes that direct exhaust fumes outside your home via a small pipe through an exterior wall. Typically wall mounted, direct vent space heaters offer:
A direct-vent space heater is more expensive to install than a vent-free option and is generally less efficient; however, it can produce as much as double the Btu output of a vent-free model—a big consideration, especially if you need to heat a larger space.
Vent-free propane heaters are less expensive to install than direct vent heaters and offer greater installation flexibility, since they don’t require access to an external wall for venting. They can be wall mounted or freestanding.
Vent-free heaters produce a fair amount of heat, but not as much as direct vent heaters. This is by design: because they don’t vent exhaust outside your home, vent-free space heaters can only burn a certain amount of fuel per hour to operate safely. In fact, it is not legal to install vent-free heaters in rooms where people sleep, and some local building codes do no allow them to be installed at all. Do your research if you are considering one!
Whatever choice you make, a propane space heater can recover a “lost,” hard-to-heat room with ease; they are a cost-efficient choice for any home with a heating challenge, and a great way to deliver quick, easy heat!
Not sure what kind of space heater to choose for your eastern Tennessee and southern Virginia home? We can help. Contact Admiral Propane today to discuss your options and get FREE, no obligation estimates on space heater installations in TN and VA!