Ventless Plaque Heaters

[camarojoe]

I posted this in another heater thread but thought it may get more response as a separate topic... My question is about the Vent-Free natural gas wall mount plaque and/or "blue flame" heaters I see advertised everywhere for 250.00 or less... I read about the risk of carbon monoxide, but I was thinking of using one set on low to just keep the garage above freezing when I am not out there.....They are actually designed for use inside the home, so i can't see how they could be as dangerous as some people have said they are... Are they safe to use from a fire-risk standpoint? I'm much more concerned about burning down my new garage than I am about carbon monoxide. What are the major downfalls? I have also heard without a vent they will create moisture... just HOW MUCH moisure are we talking about? If i use a dehumidifier in conjunction with the vent free plaque heater can I avoid any condensation/dampness problems? I am very seriously considering installing one of these to keep the chill off my garage over the winter months... I won't be doing much if any work out there, just trying to keep it above freezing. Because i don't plan to do much out there in the winter, i cant justify the expense, labor, and hassles of putting in a big vented heater/furnace to simply keep my cars from freezing. I plan to install a shut off for the natural gas, right at the vent-free heater, so if it proves to be any problem or hassle, i can just shut it down and use the heater as a wall decoration... any opinions?

 

[camarojoe]

Well, opinions or not, its installed. Here are some pics...

 

[Luckydevil]

I don't know the answers to your questions, but it looks good.

 

[Ken Greene]

well I lived in an apartment that used one to heat a section of the apartment. it worked great. I have since bought a place that has an attached apartment and installed one there after doing ALOt of research on them. CAn't use them anywhere that is a confined space... bedroom, bathroom and such. but in larger rooms that do not get shut off fromthe rest of the space they are great.

I see the one you have hase a plug. must be fanned. the one I have don't have a fan. been running tehm now for 3 years and no problem.

 

[camarojoe]

Yes, it has a blower, which can be turned to automatic, constant, or off. There is also a digital temp readout on the top that lets you know how warm or cold the room is... I've found that its not a real good indicator of the actual room temp, but rather the temp of the room where the heater is... I'm a little nervous about that pilot light burning constantly, but if you've used them in your apartment, I guess its safe enough in my garage as well... I'm still messing around with the temp setting, to determine the best postion of the 5 heat range knob... it seems that even on 1 it kicks on at about 55 degrees and doesnt kick off til the temp readout on the heater says 68-70... Thats warmer than i wanted to keep the garage over the winter, and am wondering if the heater will ever kick on when i postion the knob between the "pilot" mark and 1... theres a big gap between these 2 positions, and I'm thinking maybe this area is actually a "less than 1" setting... So far I havent seen it kick on unless its set on at least 1, but it hasnt gotten below about 50 degrees in the garage yet... does anyone else have one of these?

 

[AndrewZ]

My father is in love with those heaters..

He has used them in his home and garage for over 10 years..No problems..

They are very efficient and heat well.. He just always kept a carbon monoxide detector nearby as a safety measure.. As long as it is a installed correctly you should have no worries..

I am getting ready to install one in my garage as well..