Portable Propane Heaters (Pros and Cons | Safety Tips)

If you are looking for a heater that can be economical, safe and welcome idea for clean-burning fuel solution (especially if compared to kerosene heaters) then portable propane heaters are one of the popular options. Although there are some people who have perception that this kind of heating unit can lead to several possible threats but as far as safety procedures is concerned then we can use them as safe as electric heating appliances. And we can get a lot of advantages (pros) from them, but there are also some disadvantages (cons- particularly about the safety issues) that we should consider before deciding to use them! Understanding pros and cons of portable propane heater before purchasing is not only helpful to make sure this kind of heater will be able to accommodate your requirements as well but also so important to make sure you will use it safely and properly.

Pros of portable propane heaters

With their portable design, they are typically smaller in size in order to make them can be moved more practically. The cost of propane fuel is usually relatively cheaper than the electricity so thus you can save your money on paying more friendly utility bills in the heating season. Moreover, they come in smaller size BTUs of power heating capacity that can be helpful and nice idea to complement your central heating system in your house. Most of them have a special feature to direct the heat energy to heat a certain space of your house (or we can call this mechanism as spot heating), which can be powerful enough to heat a specific spot space or object more quickly and efficient. The powerful performance of spot heating is closely associated to the heating design of the unit itself. The spot heating will be powerful enough if you choose some of them that are designed with radiant heating principle.

Once again, the practical point is the concern for the design of portable propane heating units! Yes, like other regular mobile heating appliances, they can be installed and re-installed easier, ever for anyone who does not have any experience to use them before! The propane fuel is usually stored into the replaceable pressurized tank, and this tank is also free-standing in design so thus can be moved easily with the unit. With their portability feature, they are not only popular for indoor use but also one of the most popular choices for outdoor heating, like for camping or for heating a outdoor patio area.

Cons of portable propane heaters

Although there are a lot of advantages or benefits that we can get but there are also some drawbacks that we should concern! When the propane fuel is burned to produce the heat energy, an amount of carbon monoxide is also produced as one of byproducts of combustion process. Therefore, you need more extra concern to consider this issue carefully! Otherwise there is a serious potential risk that can be so dangerous (poison risk)!

You may think to choose one of them that come with vent-less in design. With the advance design, this type is claimed able to work properly without needing the venting mechanism and even can work more efficient! But unfortunately, this type is not as ventless as portable electric heaters, and it is too risk to be used for indoor because basically all combustion heating appliances must be well vented to guarantee the safety. Even there are several States that don’t allow using ventless units for indoor use. So, for better safety it is much more recommended to vent your portable propane heaters properly instead of using ventless models.

Below are more safety tips:

1. Today, you can find a portable propane heater that is already equipped with O2 depletion sensor. But for better safety, it is more recommended to also use a stand-alone O2 depletion sensor that we can install in the room where the unit is installed (for back-up sensor if the one sensor of the unit fails to work). In addition, the sensor is usually powered by a battery, therefore check regularly the battery and make sure it is still powerful enough to supply the energy for the sensor, or replace the battery regularly if necessary!
2. If you have a plan to purchase one of them, prioritize to choose one that has more safety features, particularly the automatic safety features to shut down the heater automatically if it gets accidentally overheating or tripped-over!
3. Always follow and obey the manufacture instructions on how to operate and maintain your unit properly!
4. Always turn off completely your unit while not in use!
5. Although they can be used for spot heating, but it is better to also consider carefully between the size of power heating capacity of the unit and the large square feet of the room that will be heated. Make sure it is not too over size or lower size!
6. Once again, like mentioned before, avoid choosing to buy & use unvented model (especially for indoor use) l! But it’s better to choose vented model if you seriously concern to the safety issue! And make sure your vented-unit is properly vented!
7. Before turning on your unit, make sure there is no a leak of propane in your room! Naturally, propane is odorless but the propane fuel for residential use is usually already modified with a mixture of chemical properties in order to make it can be smelled! If you smell a leak of propane, don’t ever try to turn on your heater before this problem completely solved! Turn off all electrical appliances in your house immediately, completely cut off the electric power supply in your house for better safety! Open all windows and doors of your room or house, and don’t use any phones! And then disconnect the tank from the heater properly, then take out the tank to the outside (open area)! If you in doubt to do this, call the utility gas supply company or fire department in your local area, but remember use your phone in the outside of your house!
8. Keep far away any combustible materials or flammable materials from portable propane heaters (particularly when they are running)!
9. Do the maintenance regularly and properly! Follow the owner’s manual guidelines of your unit! The maintenance is not only important to keep the efficiency performance but also important to make sure all components of your portable propane heater work well, especially for all safety features and the O2 depletion sensor!

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