Keeping your home warm in the event of a power failure can be a major headache. With a natural gas space heater you can heat one room or the entire house without using any electricity. Space heaters are also great for adding warmth to hard-to-heat areas or areas that get limited use like workrooms or garages. You can also save money by using space heaters to heat only the occupied areas of your home only when needed.
Be careful when choosing. Some natural gas space heaters have electronic ignitions to light the gas heater. These won’t do you much good in a power outage. Other types have pilot lights which have a continuous flame burning with a thermocouple that requires no power to light the heater. The drawback to these is the constantly burning pilot.
There is another type called a free standing pilot. It needs to be lit manually. When you want to use the heater you simply turn the gas valve to pilot, push the knob down and light the pilot light. Most can also be lit with a match or a simple propane BBQ lighter. Then just turn the gas valve to the “ON” position and the main burner will light.
The pilot assembly must be constructed so that the gas flow automatically shuts off in the event that the pilot is extinguished. It should also have a built-in oxygen depletion sensor to turn off the unit should oxygen levels drop below A.N.S.I. standards.
Unlike electric space heaters, a major concern with using gas as a heating source is being sure you have good ventilation. Gas gives off dangerous carbon monoxide fumes that you don’t’ want to breathe in.
Be sure to choose a safe location for your natural gas space heater. Be sure that nothing flammable is around it. This is critical because a heater can easily become a fire hazard if precautions are not taken to keep the area clear around the heater.
Keep children away from any type of space heater, not just gas. Small children and heaters don’t mix real well. Be sure to thoroughly explain the dangers of space heaters to your kids. It could prevent an accident from happening in the future.
For homes without natural gas, or if you just want a portable heater, propane gas heaters are also available. Some manufacturers make units which will run on either fuel by simply changing the orifice.