The Proper and Safe Use of Portable Space Heaters

For proper and safe use of portable space heaters, never use the unit in wet or even in moist places such as bathrooms unless the type of portable space heater is designed and certified mainly for that purpose. You should also not hide the cords of your portable space heaters under carpets or rugs, because there is a risk for fire in case the cord of the portable space heater overheats. This should also be done whenever your portable space heater should be plugged into an outlet protected by a GFCI or a ground fault circuit interrupter. If the portable space heater trips the GFCI repeatedly, you should have a qualified service center check it before you place it back in use.

The Proper Location of your Portable Space Heaters

Portable space heaters are often approved for use by the property management. The portable space heater should be fully equipped with safety features including element guards, safety cut off switches, as well as on/off indicator lights. The portable space heater should be placed at least 3 feet from the combustibles present in the space. It should be placed on the floor and must not be placed on any furniture where it may fall, causing possible breakage or damage to the components of the portable space heater. It is better to follow and adhere strictly to the manufacturer’s instructions and operator’s manual when placing and locating a portable space heater into service. You should not try to replace the parts or even repair the portable electric space heater.

The Proper and Safe Use of Portable Space Heaters

Users must adhere strictly to all the manufacturer’s instructions for proper and safe use of portable space heaters along with the required preventative and operational maintenance. Users must read these instructions fully and must become completely familiar with the instruction booklet to acquire the necessary knowledge of how to use portable space heaters properly and safely.

Extension cords must never be used with portable space heaters. Moreover, for portable space heaters utilizing electricity to operate should be plugged into the electrical outlet directly. If the extension cord must be utilized for the portable space heater, it is better to consult first the operator’s manual or the manufacturer’s instructions to ensure that the size and wire gauge for the portable space heater is correct.

The Efficiency of Portable Space Heaters

In many places, fossil fuels are often burned in order to produce heat, which in turn is utilized to boil water or create steam to turn turbines that turn generators to produce electricity. The efficiency of this process ranges from 20 to 60% while the other 5 to 15% is wasted due to transmission, depending mainly on how far the user is from the power plant. Portable space heaters on the other hand use the heat produced from combustion to heat the space directly through convection, which is way more efficient and cheaper than electric heating. In combined CHP (combined heat and power) plants, the energy lost in power plants driven by turbine is used for district heating. According to some research, the total energy efficiency of portable space heaters approaches 100%.

The Two Types of Portable Space Heaters

Portable space heaters generally belong to one of the two types of space heaters: infrared or radiant portable space heaters or circulation type portable space heaters. Infrared or radiant portable space heaters function mainly to heat objects, which will in turn heat the surrounding air. The circulation type portable space heaters on the other hand directly heat the air using convection or fan. Moreover, portable space heaters may either be vented or unvented. Unvented portable space heaters are described as low-capacity space heaters used to heat only the living areas but they are not allowed to heat bathrooms, bedrooms, or other confined spaces because of the risk of fire and accumulation of the flue gases at high degrees or levels.

Comparison of the Different Types of Portable Space Heaters

Modern portable space heaters operated by electricity are usually made up of ceramic heating elements instead of the nichrome wires. They are also fan-forced with a squirrel-cage fan or a blower. These enable the even distribution of much more heat thereby allowing them to be enclosed in plastic to nearly eliminate the risks of fires or burns. Wall or window units, often utilized by hotels, are permanent space heaters. Unlike portable space heaters, this type of space heaters uses heat pumps, which utilize reverse-cycle air conditioning unit to transfer heat from outside to the inside. However, portable space heaters have domestic incandescent bulb that contributes a small but very significant amount of heat to domestic spaces. Portable space heaters are also more important in well-insulated spaces, where the bulbs may be left for quite a period of time to extend the life of the portable space heater.

Understanding The Types of Portable Space Heaters

While central boilers are known to heat houses and buildings, the term space heater is typically used for relatively small heaters, especially those that are wall-mounted and portable. Portable space heaters and other types of space heaters may use propane or natural gas; however, most of them commonly use electricity. Portable space heaters using electricity are safer simply because the user is out of the danger of carbon monoxide and other pollutants’ poisoning. Electric portable space heaters are cheaper but are more expensive to operate since electricity is usually more expensive for heat energy produced compared to propane or gas. However, a ground source for a portable space heater operating under a coefficient of performance that more than 3 is usually cheaper than a portable space heater operated by gas.

What is a Portable Space Heater?

A portable space heater is used mainly to heat a space, usually enclosed, like a room or a house. It keeps the surroundings and air of a particular enclosed space at a comfortable temperature for its occupants. In fact, with the latest technology used in plants and animals, a portable space heater may also be used in barns for animals and in a greenhouse for places. This is because a space heater generally warms only a small space, as opposed to the function of a central heating system, which usually functions to warm different connected spaces simultaneously. However, one should remember that a space heater should not be used in heating water, unless it is specifically designed to be used in hydronic heating.