There are several factors that propel portable heaters that use propane as their fuel supply to the top of the pile when it comes to the best way to keep warm on those cold, winter days. These points will be true whether you are in need of a viable solution for indoors in your own home, outdoors on the patio, heating the garage or workshop or camping either in an RV or a tent!
Why Propane Makes the Best Heat!
Maybe I'm a little biased sine I personally use propane heaters both at home and in the workshop or garage, but nevertheless it's tough to outdo the sheer versatility and application of these small yet powerful units for providing necessary heat in places that need it. Here are some salient points for you to digest:
- Instant Heat: Propane heaters provide you with instant heat from the moment you fire them up and keep delivering it until the gas cylinder runs empty, which can take a pretty long time depending on the size of heating unit you're using and the size of gas cylinder is attached to it.
- Long Cheap Burn: A small portable unit attached to a similarly small gas cylinder (for example a compact one pound bottle) can provide useful heat for up to 10 hours at a crazy low cost. Attach a heater to a full size propane cylinder and you're enjoying heat for several days. Try getting that length of heating time from an alternative heater for the same cost.
- Efficient: It's surprising just how efficiently modern propane heaters are able to burn the gas to produce the maximum heat with the minimum of wasted unburned fuel (as was a problem for older units). That also means negligible dangerous carbon monoxide produced on unvented units which is a great safety bonus.
- Safe: As just mentioned, modern propane units are very safe to use as long as you don't get silly and try draping some flammable material over them!
- Cost: Did I already mention the low cost of this fuel when compared to other portable fueled units? Propane heaters are economical because they work out a lot cheaper than electric heaters (which of course are not exactly portable in the true sense of the word, are they?) and also cheaper than kerosene now that petrochemical prices are rising so sharply.
- Availability: Being readily available in hardware stores in every town, you are always going to be able to get a supply for your unit and because it stores well, you can keep a reserve in your garage for any emergency.
Perfect for Off Grid Homes
There are a growing number of families that are moving off grid to live more environmentally friendly lives without being slaves to the power companies. By generating their own electricity using solar voltaic panels, wind power or other innovative solutions such as hydro where possible, families are saying goodbye to power bills forever!
One side of the equation that still needs balancing up is that of heating during winter. Electricity is still a highly inefficient way to produce heat especially when every watt produced by an off grid's system is needed to run the rest of the household's energy needs, so other alternatives need to be explored.
Depending on where you are settled, you may have access to good supplies of wood, which means you have no problems creating heat using a wood burning stove or furnace. But for those extra degrees of heat to bring a house up to comfort levels a portable propane heater can step up and fill the void perfectly at low cost.
Off-grid'ers still need to use a workshop if they do a lot of home repairs or have a cottage craft industry business to run out of their homes. Heating the additional building is often not possible using the main house's furnace. One of these amazingly useful off grid portable heaters that run off propane is a great choice of heat production on those colder winter days.
For Campers
Don't forget the amazing versatility of a portable propane heater for camping whether you like to get back to nature and do it in a tent or go up the comfort scale some and have an RV or trailer. You simply carry your fuel and its transportable heat machine with you and enjoy warm nights snug in your sleeping bag without worrying about waking up in the morning with icicles hanging off your nose!
Getting off the beaten track and spending a vacation in the wild is great fun but getting cold and damp is not. Avoid that particular unpleasantness by ensuring you stay warm and dry with your own convenient heat source powered by propane from a handy canister that's easy and relatively lightweight to carry with you.
Are you still unsure about the convenience, usability and value of these little yet powerful heating units? I hope this article has at least laid the foundations for getting your to see the value in propane as one of the best fuels for heating there is coupled with modern, highly efficient heating units that make the best use of that fuel that is currently possible with existing technology and hardware.
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