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Best Indoor Natural Gas Space Heaters in 2023

Space heaters come in a variety of different options. You can choose either electric or gas, and even gas space heaters have different fuel sources. In this article, we will be focusing on natural gas space heater, a type of space heater that uses natural gas as its fuel source. The indoor natural gas space heater also has flues, which is used to channel all the fumes produced outside the room.

Indoor Natural Gas Space Heaters
Indoor Natural Gas Space Heaters

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Indoor Natural Gas Space Heater | Recommended

Our Pick
Mr. Heater 30,000 BTU Vent Free Blue Flame...
Mr. Heater 30,000 BTU Vent Free Blue Flame...
30,000 BTU Natural Gas heater to heat spaces up to 1000 square feet; Automatic low oxygen...

Indoor Natural Gas Space Heater Buying Guide

Have you recently moved into a new house? Have you not purchased a space heater, and now you have just realized that winter is around the corner? Well, we got you covered. Read the following buying guide to help you make up your mind, for your next indoor natural gas space heater purchase!

Best Indoor Natural Gas Space Heaters

Why natural gas space heater?

As mentioned before, other than gas space heaters, electric space heaters also exist. So why should you pick a gas space heater? Here are the benefits of choosing natural gas space heater, compared to electric space heaters;

Reliability

Even during a long electrical outage, you needn’t worry about not getting cold in the middle of the night. Since it does not rely on electrical power whatsoever, a gas space heater is your best shot if you’re worried about being stuck in a zombie apocalypse without access to electrical power.

Almost Instantaneous Heat

There’s hardly any waiting time with this device. You can feel the warmth flowing into the air inside your room the exact moment you turned the heater on.

Less Mess

Unlike a conventional fireplace that uses coal or wood, using a gas space heater won’t leave any trails of smoke, ashes, or even odors. On top of that, natural gas also produces significantly lower carbon emission, with studies showing that it produces 70% less carbon emission than coal.

Natural Gas Heater
Natural Gas Heater

Cheaper

In most locations, using natural gas is also significantly cheaper than using electric space heaters. Gone are the days of crying over your monthly electric bills.

Hint. The upfront cost of a natural gas heater is cheap, but the installation process by a professional technician might not be. After all, you’ll need to reroute your home’s gas line to the device to supply it with fuel—a process that can cost hundreds of dollars depending on where you live.

Why Use a Natural Gas Heater?

Natural gas space heaters come in two categories. Flued, and unflued. A flue is a pipe or channel that exhaust gases (carbon monoxide) to the outdoors. Naturally, flued heaters have this flue, and unflued ones doesn’t. An unflued gas heater is generally cheaper and portable. However, it has many health risks if used indoor (since it shoots exhaust fumes back to the same area it is located), hence only recommended for outdoor use.

For indoor use, flued gas heaters are the recommended option. Though it is a more expensive purchase, and requires professional installation, in the long run, it is more reliable, eco-friendly, and cost-efficient compared to electric heaters. They are also notably safer for indoor usage compared to unflued/unvented gas heaters.

Pro Tip. Do not let heat escape needlessly. Make sure that all cracks and openings to the outdoors are sealed shut. A simple towel placed under a door can help immensely in keeping heat inside and cool air out. Whenever chilled air enters, your natural gas heater will have to use more gas to heat a room back to a comfortable temperature.

indoor natural gas heater
Indoor Natural Gas Heater

Radiant or Blue flame?

This will hugely relate to the size of the room in which you’re looking to install a space heater. The main difference between the two is that blue flame heaters work by heating the air inside the room, and infrared heaters heat the object around it.

Infrared heaters are best suitable for small spaces, as it is great at quickly heating objects within their immediate spaces. However, keep in mind that objects such as furniture and clothing, and also children, should be kept in a reasonable distance within the unit.

Blue flame heater on the other hand may take a minute or two before completely heating the room. However, it is more effective and efficient than infrared heaters. Since it heats the air instead of objects in the room, it can be great even for a moderate-sized room.

Pro Tip. The ideal way to determine whether a natural gas heater will adequately heat up a certain room is by looking at the BTU rating and range. A higher BTU rating signifies a farther reach and more time needed to heat up a room as opposed to a heater with a lower BTU number. This handy BTU calculator can help you find how much power you need to supply your home or a specific room with heat. Link: https://www.calculator.net/btu-calculator.html

Features to look for in a Natural Gas Heater

Now you’ve got a clearer picture of which product to buy. One other thing you should consider, though, is the included features. This is crucial since space heaters will be used for a long period of time, so make sure that you purchased a product that satisfies all your needs.

The Best Gas Heaters for Homes

Oxygen Sensor

If oxygen is depleted, the heating element will automatically shut off so as to limit carbon monoxide production. Also, please note that oxygen sensors and auto-shutoff triggers are not 100 percent foolproof. Your nose—or better yet, a carbon monoxide detector—should be your go-to tool to see whether anything goes awry.

FYI. If your natural gas heater comes with a venting kit, make sure to install it to help remove more carbon monoxide and odors from your home while the gas indoor gas heater is in use. If the oxygen sensor auto-shutoff never triggers, then you know the venting kit is doing a good job.

Mounting Brackets

Keeping your natural gas heater mounted on a wall will prevent curious pets and children from playing with the settings or getting burned. Legs are good for adding stability to the unit while placed on the ground, but they might not be able to withstand significant bumps from passersby.

Thermostat

This will give you full control over how much heat the device produces. A wider temperature range is ideal if you’re unsure of how hot you like it.

Fan Add-on

A fan add-on (sold separately in most cases) will extend the natural gas heater’s reach by up to several hundred square feet, offering more value per BTU in the long run.

4 Best Ventless Natural Gas Heaters

Other tips

Natural gas heaters are subject to various safety and health risks. For instance, it produces carbon monoxide which is a very poisonous gas. Make sure that the installation of your space heater is done by professionals.

It is costly, but it guarantees safety and may prevent unwanted accidents. You also want to do proper maintenance. Purchasing a carbon monoxide detector is recommended, to help prevent undetected leaks.

Whenever you detect or suspect a potential problem, call a professional to fix the problem and refrain from attempting to do it yourself. Also, make sure to schedule a professional inspection annually to detect unwanted issues early-on.

Caution. DON’T SKIP THE ANNUAL CHECKUP! There might be a leak in the gas line you weren’t aware of. Even if the excess fumes and gas leaves through the vent, you’ll want to catch it pretty early on. Unless you’re a certified technician and have all of the correct tools and equipment on hand, hire a pro.

Best Indoor Gas Heater

FAQ

1. How is natural gas space heater cheaper than an electric space heater?

While the upfront cost is much higher, including the unit purchase and installation cost, utilizing natural gas as opposed to electricity results in a marginally cost-effective operation when compared to an electric space heater. Since these units are often used for a very long period of time, you will be saving money gradually.

2. How is natural gas more efficient and eco-friendly than an electric space heater?

Most electric space heaters aren’t energy efficient, unless it has an ENERGY STAR label or some sort of energy-saving feature. In fact, a natural gas space heater is 99.9% more efficient compared to the electric space heater units. On top of that, coal is the primary source of fuel to produce electricity, which is harmful to the environment due to mining and emissions.

3. Do I need a chimney as the exhaust?

Not exactly. While most indoor natural gas space heater units can certainly utilize an existing chimney as the exhaust channel. However, in the event that you don’t have one, you can use a firebox and place the unit wherever you desire, though you have to incorporate a flue as the exhaust.

Indoor Gas Space Heaters

4. When should I consider upgrading to a new system?

The average life-span for a natural gas space heater is 15-25 years, depending on how well-maintained they are. Again, ensure to do routine maintenance, and schedule professional inspection to prevent issues and damages. However, upgrading sooner rather than later is recommended, as it is generally cost-effective to upgrade to a newer system after a certain period of time.

Indoor Natural Gas Space Heater | Recommended

Our Pick
Mr. Heater 30,000 BTU Vent Free Blue Flame...
Mr. Heater 30,000 BTU Vent Free Blue Flame...
30,000 BTU Natural Gas heater to heat spaces up to 1000 square feet; Automatic low oxygen...


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Last Update: 2024-03-29 | Affiliate links/Images from Amazon Product Advertising API

About the author

Hi I’m Alex, founder of HouseholdMe.com and I’d like to say thank you for dropping by. Like most of you, the first thing I look at before buying something online is reviews or buying guides. By reading what other people say will help me gauge whether or not a product is good or not.  I am trying to help people find answers, solve problems, and get inspired.

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