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Are Indoor Propane Space Heaters Safe?
Are Indoor Propane Space Heaters Safe?
Propane heaters serve a lot of purposes. They can provide heating to spaces where your home’s HVAC system doesn’t reach. Indoor propane heaters are ideal for today’s trendy tiny homes. Propane indoor heaters heat a space faster and more efficiently with lower energy costs than an electric indoor heater.
You have a choice when it comes to propane indoor heaters for your Iowa home. There are portable indoor propane heaters, wall-mounted propane indoor heaters, forced air propane indoor heaters and radiant indoor propane heaters.
Using a heater in your garage and other spaces
With an indoor propane heater, you can work on your car in the garage, do projects in a workshop, turn your back yard shed into a man-cave or a she-shed, or enjoy the view from your sunporch year-round.
Suppose you have dedicated part of your garage to a woodworking shop or other type of hobby center. You’ll want to keep it warm and cozy without going through the expense of insulating the entire garage and adding piping from your home’s central heating system.
The solution, of course, is a propane space heater. Propane heaters for the garage are the best option because they’re much less expensive to operate than electric garage heaters.
Vented propane space heaters are easy to install, incredible efficient and extremely safe. They also burn cleaner, with fewer emissions created compared to electric and fuel oil space heaters. Before deciding which propane gas heater to buy, do a comparison in terms of heat capacity, efficiency, installation and operating costs.
Indoor propane space heater safety
The main point is, when used properly, indoor propane heaters are very safe. Here’s a quick review to help to make sure you are using your propane indoor heater safely:
Choose a propane heater that’s the right size for your room or space, and carries the Underwriter’s Laboratory (UL) label.
Carefully read manufacturer’s instructions before using your propane indoor space heater.
Your indoor propane heater should have features such as a low oxygen sensor, high-temperature coated safety guard on the front, overheat protection and automatic shutoff if it tips over.
Make sure your propane indoor space heater is installed on a non-combustible surface away from where people walk and that it is positioned safely away from combustible materials such as furniture, curtains, doors, bedding and towels. If you use a wall-mounted room heater, make sure your wall material is non-combustible.
Never place anything on top of an indoor propane space heater.
Install carbon monoxide detectors in your home, or the space where you use your indoor propane space heater.
Never leave an indoor propane heater unattended. Turn the heater off when you leave the room. And make sure your propane indoor space heater is turned off before you go to bed.
If your propane indoor heater has a yellow or orange flame instead of a blue one, stop using it immediately because the gas is not burning properly. Contact your Iowa propane service provider to fix the problem.
Use your vacuum cleaner’s hose attachment to carefully vacuum up any dust on the outside of the propane indoor space heater and on the grills.
Never spray air fresheners, deodorants, aerosol spray cleaners or hair spray near an indoor propane space heater.
Have your vented propane indoor space heater inspected annually.
Make sure pathways to all of a space’s exits are clear when you’re using your indoor propane space heater.