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4 mistakes to avoid while buying a heater

22 Apr, 2024 | Residential LPG Blogs

In this article:

Four most common heater buying - choosing the wrong fuel, wrong type, wrong size and paying too much for a heater on sale.
Portable LPG heater
Gas heating is a wonderful way to heat your home. Gas heaters for sale are energy efficient and a great way to heat your home. Gas heating is fast and provides real warmth to every corner of your home with a choice of LPG or natural gas heating. The gas heaters for sale may not be the right ones to buy. When it’s time to buy a new LPG gas heater for your home, you want to make the right choice, like a Rinnai gas heater.
There are some common mistakes that many people make, when they buy a gas heater that’s for sale.
You can side step these slip-ups by being informed.

Gas Heating

Gas heating is the heating of a room or outdoor area using a gas space heater fuelled by natural gas, LPG (propane or butane) or biogas. Indoor gas heater sub-types include unflued portable gas heaters, flued gas heaters, radiant gas heaters, convector gas heaters, radiant-convectors, and gas fireplaces.

Gas heating is an energy efficient way to heat your home. Fast heating and real warmth are the hallmarks of gas heating. Gas heating works well in large spaces so there’s no better way to provide cozy warmth to every corner of your home than with LPG gas heaters.

Gas heating sub-types include radiant portable LPG heaters, convectors, radiant-convectors, flued radiant, freestanding fireplaces, fireplace inserts, inbuilt fireplace gas heaters and power flued gas heaters for sale.

With a wide range of gas heating appliances to choose from, there is a LPG gas heater for sale that is just right for your home.

Gas Heater

A gas heater is a space heater used for room heating or outdoor area heating fuelled by natural gas (including CNG and LNG) or LPG (propane, butane or a mixture of the two). The two general types of home gas heaters are flued gas heaters (vented) and unflued gas heaters (unvented).

Natural Gas Heating & LPG Gas Heaters

Natural gas heating can deliver a warm and comfortable home without an uncomfortable energy bill. Gas heaters are fuel efficient, economical, and durable, as well as the perfect way to stay snug and warm during the cold winter months.

LPG gas heaters and natural gas heating are both energy efficient and a wonderful way to heat your home. LPG gas heaters and natural gas heating is rapid and provides true warmth. Both natural gas heating and LPG gas heaters for sale are well suited for open floor plans and a Rinnai gas heater provides toasty warmth to all parts of your home.

 

LPG Gas Heaters & Natural Gas Heating – How to Find the Best Gas Heaters for Sale

Avoid these four typical mistakes when looking for the best LPG gas heaters for sale and you should end up with a brilliant gas heating buy that impeccably suits your home, like a Rinnai gas heater:

1. Choosing the wrong fuel
2. Selecting the wrong type of gas heater
3. Getting the wrong size gas heater
4. Paying too much when you buy a cheap gas heater for sale

1. Gas Heater for Sale Uses Wrong Fuel Type – LPG Gas Heaters vs Natural Gas Heating

There are two types of gas heaters for sale, natural gas heating & LPG gas heaters. Gas heaters are manufactured for use with only one gas type and will not work safely with other gaseous fuels.

You need to make sure you buy a gas heater model that is made for the type of gas you have at your home. Always double check that the gas heater for sale is the right fuel type.

But why?

There are two main differences in the way that LPG (Propane) gas heaters and natural gas (Methane) heating work.

The first difference is in the energy content.

LPG has a higher calorific value, or energy content, so less gas is required to produce the same amount of heat.

The second difference is in the oxygen to gas ratio required for proper combustion.

LPG gas heaters requires an oxygen to gas ratio of approximately 25 to 1.

Natural gas heating requires a ratio of around 10 to 1.

To achieve this difference, LPG is typically provided in a smaller quantity but at a higher pressure, drawing more oxygen with it into the burner.

Never attempt to connect a gas appliance to the wrong type of gas, as it can be extremely hazardous.

Buying a new or used heater with the intention of converting it can be very expensive, assuming conversion is even possible for the model in question.

This option is best avoided.

3. Gas Heater for Sale is the Wrong Size Natural Gas Heating or LPG Gas Heater

Once you pick your best natural gas heating or LPG gas heater for sale, you will also need to decide what size unit you need, as each type comes in various heat output models.

If you buy too small a gas heater, it will not be able to adequately heat the intended area.

If you buy a gas heater that is too large will cost you extra money and oversizing can be unsafe.

Remember, the heat output of the gas heater is measured in kW, not to be confused with the gas input, expressed in Mj. See Rinnai gas heaters as an example.

Read the in-depth explanation of sizing below.

4. Cheap Natural Gas Heating or LPG Gas Heaters for Sale May Not be a Good Buy

Just because a gas heater for sale has a low price, it doesn’t necessarily make it the right gas heater to buy. The gas heater for sale may be the wrong size, wrong fuel type, wrong type of heater for the space to be heated or the gas heater for sale may not actually be a good buy.

Many people buy cheap gas heaters for sale through the closest retailer, without comparison shopping. While this may end up being a good deal, it may not be the most cost effective way to buy a gas heater.

The good news is that you can now compare gas heater sale prices online for all the major brands including Rinnai gas heater, Braemar, Paloma gas heaters and Cannon.

Compare Indoor Natural Gas Heating or LPG Gas Heater for Sale Prices

Click on your category of interest to compare prices:
Portable Natural Gas Heating of LPG Gas Heater Sale Prices
Flued Natural Gas Heating of LPG Gas Heater Sale Prices
Gas Fireplace and Gas Log Fire Heater Prices

What Size Natural Gas Heating or LPG Gas Heater Do I Need?

What to Consider with Gas Heating

If you buy too small a gas heater, it will not be able to adequately heat the intended area. Buy a LPG gas heater for sale that is too large and it will cost you extra money and oversizing can be unsafe.

A number of things need to be considered when determining your heater sizing:

♦  The volume of the area to be heated including consideration of ceiling height.

♦  The climate zone that you live in.

♦  The physical features of your home including wall & ceiling insulation, window coverings and carpeting.

♦  The kW output of the gas heater, not to be confused with the gas Mj input.

Heating Area Volume & Climate Zone

The required kW output required is primarily dependent upon the area to be heated and the climate zone in which you live. What you want is the best LPG gas heater for sale that meets this heat output.
The following rough guide assumes your ceilings are no higher than 2.4M:
Very Cold Zone: 1kW output required for each 8.5m²
Cold Zone: 1 kW output required for each 10m²
Cool Zone: 1kW output required for each 13 m²
Mild Zone: 1kW output required for each 16m²

Gas Heating Adjustment Factors

The indicated heating areas would be adjusted down by 5% for each of the following conditions: house built on pillars (non-slab), no carpets on floors, no drapes on windows or a ceiling height exceeding 2.4m. This also needs to be factored in when selecting the best LPG gas heater for sale that meets this adjusted heat output.
Deduct an additional 10% if the area does not have ceiling insulation.
Please note that this is only a guide and individual home designs and situations may vary.

Gas Heater Sizing for sale Example #1:

You live in the Cold Zone and you want to heat an area 5m X 10m, which equals 50m².
Because 1kW will heat 10m², you should need a heater with a 5kW output.

Gas Heater Sizing for sale Example #2:

Same as the previous example but in this case your ceilings are over 2.4m and you have wood flooring instead of carpeting.
You would need to deduct 5% for each of these two items.
So, instead of 1 kW heating 10m², it would heat 9m² (10% total reduction).
This means you would need a heater with 5.6 kW of output (50 ÷ 9).

Use kW not MJ for Natural Gas or LPG Gas Heater

Megajoules per Hour (MJ/hr) ratings on appliances actually indicate the gas consumption of the appliance, not the heat output.  Many LPG gas heaters for sale are advertised using MJ ratings. You need to enquire as to the kW heat output rating.
It is often expressed as just MJ.
Kilowatt Hour (kWh or just kW) is how gas heater output is measured.

Energy Efficiency Matters – Star Ratings for Natural Gas or LPG Gas Heater

So, remember to use kW as a comparison and not MJ. The efficiency of the gas heater for sale, in converting gas energy to heat, is a key factor. For example, a 25MJ LPG gas heater for sale with a 5.8 Star rating has an output of 6.2kW.

A 25MJ heater with a 2.8 Star rating only has an output of 5.0kW.

As a result, in a Cold Zone climate, they would heat 62m² and 50m², respectively.

This means that the 5.8 Star heater will heat an area 24% larger while using the same amount of gas.

Please refer to the manufacturers’ specifications to determine the exact kW output for each heater you are considering.

Minimum Room Sizing

Portable gas heaters for sale should not be used in bedrooms, bathrooms or hallways. Some States specifiy the minimum room sizing (volume of room in M³)  and minimum ventilation requirements for unflued heaters. Minimum room sizing also varies between thermostatically controlled and manually controlled heaters.

All installations must comply with Australian Standard AS5601 – Gas Installations.

Your gas fitter will be able to guide you on many of these points.

Manufacturer Sizing Charts for Natural Gas or LPG Gas Heaters

To make it even easier, most manufacturers, like Rinnai gas heaters, have sizing charts for their heaters based on climate zone maps. Take the time to measure the area you wish to heat and use these charts and maps to buy the correctly sized LPG gas heater for sale.
It is always wise to follow the manufacturers’ advice.

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