The great thing about electric space heaters, as stated, is that they are small and inexpensive to purchase. But the bad thing is that they are the number one cause of residential fires in the homes, so consumers should always read all the instructions and safety tips prior to using one.
Some consumers have chosen to limit the risk of fires by choosing different portable heaters that do specific jobs. Two of the more popular heaters that have multiple functions are the forced air and convection heater. Dave Tuplin is the technical director at Contractor's Depot, which sells heating equipment. Tuplin said that the forced air heater and the convection heater have two totally different functions that consumers should be aware of before considering to purchase one.
"Some people have those forced air heaters, because the air gets forced around the house," he said. "Those are typically very expensive heaters, and they are used as part of major home improvements."
"There is another type of forced air heater, which looks a little bit like a cannon," he added. "They have a fan illuminate and they literally run only with Propane. Some run on Natural Gas. They have fans in them which are typically powered by electricity. You turn them on and there is a flame. It gets very, very hot and the air that is surrounding that pushes the hot air out."
While forced air heaters provide a solid heat source, experts advise consumers to always check to make sure the heater they are using is being used in the right atmosphere. For example, the forced air heater designed like the cannon is not for inside use.
"They are not designed for use inside of the house," Tuplin said. "They are always used in construction sites. Some people use it in very drafty areas. If you are taking your car into the mechanic, they always have a big shop there. Those shops are open; there is nothing that you can do, because heat always keeps escaping. So these heaters work well there."
Convection heaters are just the opposite of forced air heaters. According to Tuplin, a convection heater sends the heat in one direction. Consumers that choose to purchase a convection heater should be sure that they are using the heater properly.
"There are really 3 different types of heat," Tuplin said. "There is heat that you feel only when you touch it. There is heat that fires up. There is something that gets hot because of the heat and that goes up in the sky, and then this heat moves outwards. The convection heat is the one where the heat just goes up."
"They have indoor and outdoor convection heaters," he added. "They don't really have fans and they don't try and distribute the heat around the room. They just send the heat straight up, which is perfect for leaky windows and things like that."
