According to a report from the National Fire Protection Association, they found that over 50,000 structure fires in 2011 alone were due to heating equipment. Unfortunately, winters seem to be getting even colder than before, which forces us to use heaters. Wall heaters are very common in most households in such climates, but are wall heaters safe?
There is an overriding concern when heating a home and that is safety. There are some obvious heating solutions that come with concrete and inherent safety concerns.
Primarily, propane and natural gas-based heating solutions tend to have a high risk of carbon monoxide poisoning. For this very reason, people are drawn towards wall heaters as they are safer than those.
What Is a Wall Heater?
Wall heaters are basically heating units, which can either be attached or installed directly into a wall. You will typically find these heating units in compact living spaces, studio apartments, and even small offices as they are able to generate a substantial amount of heat that keep these small areas sufficiently warm. They don’t even occupy much of the valuable floor space.
Back in the early 1950s, wall-mounted heaters were a common alternative to portable and baseboard space heaters in several home designs and apartment buildings. We have obviously come a long way since then, which raises its safety concerns. So, let’s talk at length about whether these wall heaters are actually safe to use even in this day and age.
Are Wall Heaters Safe?
Wall heaters are great as they offer more space along with optimal heat. That said, there are quite a few and justifiable safety concerns when it comes to these convenient and affordable heating units.
Electric wall heaters do not use chemicals, gasses, or flames; the main risk is present in the heated coils. That being said, there are things to consider when using these products to ensure the safety of the property and the people.
Things to Keep in Mind
It is important to note that you must keep optimal space around the area where you have placed the wall heater. You must also keep that area free from all types of combustible objects such as paper products or curtains and even flammable liquids such as cleaning products and air fresheners.
In addition, you must also avoid physical contact with the heating unit when you have switched it on to minimize any risk of injury or accidental burns.
What’s also important about wall heater safety is the placement of the furniture. If you have upholstered couches or chairs in your home and are placed exactly in the line of the wall heater, the risk of it catching fire is very high. This is mainly because of the outflow of the heat getting trapped in a small area and this heat then builds up, leading to the upholstery sparking and then catching fire.
Over and above the risk of fire, you would also not want to place your wall heater right in front of a wall unit as this could also limit the space that is receiving the heat. On the basis of this same principle, you will also need to ensure that your heating unit is not mounted anywhere near your curtains.
A Great Safety Rule
We believe that everyone should follow a general rule of thumb when it comes to wall heater safety. This is basically the three-foot rule.
You must ensure that nothing is placed within three feet of the wall heater. This rule applies to any and every type of heater, not just the one that you can mount on the wall.
Following this rule to the T will ensure that the risk of fire is reduced substantially. That said, proper training, supervision, and most important of all, common sense is all recommended when you use any kind of heater.
What Are the Benefits of Electric Wall Heaters?
While there are some obvious safety concerns of wall heaters, it also comes with a ton of benefits such as:
- Quick Operation
When a wall heater is used as directed with all the correct safety precautions, it will take no more than a minute or two to fully heat up the room. This provides you with quick and efficient heating when you require it the most.
- Ideal for Supplemental Heating
Wall heaters are a brilliant tool to use for supplemental heating too. This strategy will consist of the use of a more affordable heating device that will use minimal electricity to heat the area where you exactly are instead of heating up the entire house.
There are some obvious benefits to this. For starters, this is more energy efficient, so you end up paying significantly lesser when you get your heating bill. Overall, this is the best way to cut down energy bills during cold weather.
- Temperature Control
A majority of the wall heaters come with features like temperature control. This is a brilliant feature and one that you should look out for when buying a wall heater. Having control over the temperature will always help you have the ideal heat temperature for your room.
- Saves Space
In addition to being convenient and cost-effective, one of the major benefits of wall heaters is the space it saves. Since these units are attached directly to the wall, your floor space is not affected at all.
- Stays Warm for Hours
Another brilliant benefit of wall heater is that the heat it generates will last in the room for hours even after the unit has been switched off. If this does not happen, then you must check how much insulation is present in your home and whether there are any drafty doors or windows.
- Easy Installation and Maintenance
Wall heaters can be installed and/or replaced by you. Even repairing it is quite easy and minimal. Also, cleaning this unit requires virtually no effort. At most, you will need to dust it a couple of times in the year.
Conclusion
Are wall heaters safe? Indeed, they are. Of course, there are certain precautions you need to take, but these are not difficult.
Wall heaters have a ton of benefits. If you are considering fitting one in your home, then we highly recommend you get one while following all the suggested precautions.
