Would it be a good idea to put a 30,000 btu heater in the 1st floor
dining room to cut back on the huge heating bill of about $300 ,instead
of using the furnace with a total of 3 rooms on the 1st floor about
12x12,and 3 rooms upstairs about 9x9,the only other gas is the water
heater,the basement will have heat from the apt next door,its a double
house,also whats better the 3 brick units or the blue flame units?Would
this save on the heating bill?thanks for any advice,dan.

"Dan" wrote in message
...
Would it be a good idea to put a 30,000 btu heater in the 1st floor
dining room to cut back on the huge heating bill of about $300 ,instead
of using the furnace with a total of 3 rooms on the 1st floor about
12x12,and 3 rooms upstairs about 9x9,the only other gas is the water
heater,the basement will have heat from the apt next door,its a double
house,also whats better the 3 brick units or the blue flame units?Would
this save on the heating bill?thanks for any advice,dan.


Depends on how you run it. Buying electricity for space heaters and propane
for room heaters is usually more expensive than buying bulk oil or natural
gas. If you attempt to heat the house to the same temperature as usual, it
will cost more to do it that way. If you are going to heat just one room and
leave the main heat off for the rest of the house, it may be possible to
save.

Dan wrote:
Would it be a good idea to put a 30,000 btu heater in the 1st floor
dining room to cut back on the huge heating bill of about $300 ,instead
of using the furnace with a total of 3 rooms on the 1st floor about
12x12,and 3 rooms upstairs about 9x9,the only other gas is the water
heater,the basement will have heat from the apt next door,its a double
house,also whats better the 3 brick units or the blue flame units?Would
this save on the heating bill?thanks for any advice,dan.


No matter how "clean" the ad says it is there are always combustion
byproducts present when you burn fuels. I have never been in a house
with an unvented unit where I didn't feel right or get a headache. Do
yourself and family a favor a look into the high efficiency vented units
that are available.

To answer your question can you address the heat loss issue by adding
better insulation, more efficient windows etc ?

Dan wrote:
Would it be a good idea to put a 30,000 btu heater in the 1st floor
dining room to cut back on the huge heating bill of about $300 ,instead
of using the furnace with a total of 3 rooms on the 1st floor about
12x12,and 3 rooms upstairs about 9x9,the only other gas is the water
heater,the basement will have heat from the apt next door,its a double
house,also whats better the 3 brick units or the blue flame units?Would
this save on the heating bill?thanks for any advice,dan.

we had a unvented gas heater and hated it. it will cause some soot, and
if use paint and use mineral spirits for example, the fumes are
terrible. i went with a direct vent heater. it takes in outside are for
combustion and exits the fumes. in my opinion much better. good luck.

The problem with unvented heaters is that they use up the oxygen in the
room. When the oxygen becomes scarce enough, they start generating carbon
monoxide unless they have some sort of sensor so they shut themselves off.

Wayne in Ottawa

Dan wrote:
Would it be a good idea to put a 30,000 btu heater in the 1st floor to cut back on the huge heating bill of about $300?
Here are the steps I should take in order to reduce my $300 bill:
I should 1st insulate (even super insulate) the ceiling, then the walls
& then the floor. The return on investment is substantial & most
rewarding.

If your area permits air exchange, ie, there are drafts or areas
between doors & between windows, & cracks through which air flows into
the area, then an unvented heater would be a good idea as the oxygen
used in combustion would be replaced by the air that is entering
through the points of ingress mentioned above. Furthermore the moisture
from the unvented heater released into the area will also dissipate
through the same points of egress. The other advantage of consequence
that will cause you to realize savings is that the usual 30 to 60%
"stack & transmission" loss you currently incurr in getting the heat
from your furnace to the area that you are actually in, will be
eliminated.

whats better the 3 brick units or the blue flame units?
All said & done, the brick or infra red units are desirable rather than
better. In real terms the 2 types of heaters serve different functions.
The blue flame units heat the air, which in turn heats you. If you are
moving around the area that you are heating, then the blue flame unit
is indicated, because no matter where you are in the area heated, you
shall be warmed by the heated air. But if you are like me & sit in
front of a computer, then the the brick infra reds that heat people &
objects in front of them as well as the air, are desirable. If the
heater is pointed at the person who might be sewing, cooking at the
cooking range or sitting in front of the computer or standing in front
of & operating a machine, then the infra red heats that person as well
as the air. So that is the difference between the infra red & the blue
flame. Your use will dictate which one to obtain.

Now, if your area being heated is of 'tight' (permitting no air
exchange) construction, then you may not use an unvented heater. You
shall now need to turn your attention to vented, or sealed combustion
or direct vented units. You may go to heating.products.bz/vented.html
for detailed explanations of these types of heaters. Hope this helps.
Ashoke.