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Prolonging The Life Of Your Gas Heater
Are you worried about your gas heater’s longevity? As it is, purchasing a gas heater can be pretty expensive, which makes it a valuable investment that needs to be taken care of. You probably do not have any current plans to change it, necessitating some effort on your end in caring for your gas heater.
Despite the fact that the cost of installing and purchasing gas heaters is higher than that of electric heaters, their running costs are considerably lower than their counterparts. This appealing factor makes them more prevalent in most households. In addition, gas heaters are more environmentally friendly and healthier.
To get the best services from it for a long time, you have to know the proper methods to apply to take care of and maintain your gas heater. Have a look at the following information and use it as a guide to making your gas heater last longer.
What Is A Gas Heater?
A gas heater is a valuable appliance used to warm up a home or outdoor area. It disseminates heat throughout the targeted area by burning natural gas, LPG gas, propane, or butane. As a result, gas heaters have been very popular for their superheat production capacity.
It formerly followed the principle of a bunsen burner; however, it has now been upgraded to apply modern radiant heat technology. As a result, gas heaters are more convenient nowadays for both outdoor and indoor heating purposes. A gas hot water system operated by natural gas is not a gas heater as it does not produce heat for any home or place.
How Does A Gas Heater Work?
Heaters have been an inevitable part of our daily life, with gas heaters holding the utmost popularity and utility. Usually, most gas heating systems follow almost the same functionality. There are also variations as per their objective, design, and targeted area of heating. In general, a gas heater has a series of burners in the combustion chamber that produces a spark and lights to produce heat. Afterwards, it transfers the heat to the exchanging chamber to push the air and raise the temperature. Finally, it distributes the hot air into different rooms and ducts.
Ducted heating is included in gas heaters as it provides warmth to the entire house. Gas ducted heating uses a core central heating unit to produce hot air. After that, the hot air is pumped by using a network of heavily insulated ducts located under the floor or in the ceiling. On the other hand, there are also some types of gas heaters that heat the objects instead of heating the space in general.
Types Of Gas Heaters
Basically, the types of gas heaters vary based on the fuel source. However, there are also categorisations based on multiple requirements like design, size, longevity, or other factors. Some popular kinds of gas heaters are:
Vented Heaters
Vented heaters are primarily applicable for homes having an area of about 300 to 3000 square feet. This particular kind of indoor gas heater produces heat by burning natural gas or liquid propane gas.
Perfectly designed for use in homes, there are a lot of applications available for vented gas heaters that include gas space heaters, B-vents, direct vent wall furnaces. Usually, direct vent heaters are installed on the outside wall to easily draw air from the outside. B-vents heaters are also installed outside above the roofline.
Wall Furnaces
If you live in a house with a small space, a wall furnace can be a good option for you. It is also perfect for home additions or apartments and compact offices. To get the best use of this type of heater, you have to locate a stud to use it as a form of support for the heater then install it in or on your room’s drywall.
The primary function of wall furnaces is to draw the cool air from the bottom of a room and expel it from the top after heating that properly. They can be considered as the subset of vented heaters.
Vent-Free Gas Heaters
Vent-free heaters are an excellent choice for a single room or a small space. If you have a sunroom or a distanced study room, you can go for vent-free heaters as an auxiliary heat source. This type of heater renders its best performance at an area of about 200 to 1200 square feet. Vent-free heaters produce heat by burning natural gas or liquid propane.
Blue Flame Gas Heaters
If you want to utilise the maximum energy while bringing calming warmth to your space, you should install a blue flame gas heater for your home or office. This gas heater has a tremendous efficiency which may extend to 99.9%.
Though it takes more time to heat up than its counterpart, an infrared space heater, it will provide you with the best performance and efficiency in the long run. It takes more time to heat a room as it heats the air in your entire space rather than the objects in the area within which it is installed.
Radiant or Infrared Space Heaters
Infrared or radiant space heaters function exactly opposite to blue flame heaters. It mainly heats the objects in a space by using particular electromagnetic radiation. Consequently, it works quicker than other gas appliances. It is an excellent heating option if you want instant heating considering the extreme cold of Australia. However, you have to observe some special safety measures for your sensitive items, furniture, children, and pets.
Useful Tips To Make Your Gas Heater Last Longer
A gas heater is a reliable gas appliance that can last longer than its electric counterpart if well taken care of. Typically, the lifespan of gas heaters fluctuates from about 10 to 20 years. Proper care and maintenance, good servicing process, and applying a few tips can help you increase the longevity of your gas heater. Here are some highly beneficial tips to make your gas heater last longer:
Change the Filters Regularly
Some basic gas heater filters need regular changing to ensure that your appliance maintains its normal functioning. To figure out just how often you need to change your gas heater’s filter, check the guidebook provided by your heating company. You might need to change it either monthly or quarterly. Changing the filter is very necessary, and the failure to do so may hamper multiple components and cause overheating of the appliance or frustrate airflow. The accumulation of dirt in the filters can also lessen the longevity of your gas heaters.
Create a Service Schedule
Decide on a gas heater service schedule. You may hire a professional to check whether there are any errors inside your heater that need to be fixed. Doing so is considered a preventive measure that can save you from any costly reparation or accidents that can result from faulty gas heaters. Regular check-up will cost you a little but guarantee the safety of you and your family as you use your gas heater.
Check the Humidity Levels
As mentioned earlier, multiple burners in a gas heater keep the heating function alive and the air passage movable. Suppose the humidity level arises due to excess air absorption; it will cause disturbance to your gas heaters. Moreover, it will result in your heater producing deadly combustion gases, which can cause carbon monoxide poisoning.
Carbon monoxide is very harmful to your health. Therefore, regularly checking humidity levels in your house will not only protect you but also guarantee the longevity of your gas heaters.
Weatherproof Your House
Weatherproofing is another good step that, if done, can keep you healthy and increase your gas heater’s lifespan. To achieve this, you can add insulation and air sealing. Doing so will keep the drafty areas safe and comfortable by exchanging the heated and cool air. These devices will lessen the pressure of gas heaters and thus prolong their longevity.
Get High-Efficiency Equipment
You have to choose some high-efficiency natural gas equipment while buying a new one or replacing any old parts. Generally, all gas heaters have minimum longevity, after which they may need replacement. You should always guarantee that you are doing your replacement with the guide or help of professionals. In addition, buy a quality and efficient appliance so that it can last long. Sometimes, this may cost you a little bit more but bless you with a long-term benefit in return.
Use a Boiler Reset Control
A boiler reset control is a fantastic device that you can use in addition to your gas heater. This will adjust the gas boiler’s temperature keeping good conformity with the outside temperature. Consequently, your heaters will not face any instant and unexpected thermal changes due to hazardous weather. This small step will reduce your heating cost up to 10% and advance longevity.
Have Heat Recovery Ventilation
One of the best ways to increase the efficiency of your gas heater is to use heat recovery ventilation. Usually, you cannot use the entire heat that is produced by your gas heaters. Therefore, the ventilation system of your home consumes the wasted heat. You can get up to about 70% of your wasted energy back and spread it inside your home using recovery ventilation. As a result, it increases your gas heater’s energy efficiency and, in turn, its longevity.
Utilise a Wi-Fi Thermostat
A Wi-Fi thermostat is a recent addition to various gas heater appliances. The primary function of this device is to record the energy-saving potential of the heater through a well-maintained program and add a host of features thereon. It eases the temperature management of your gas heaters.
It works as a remote control that your smartphone or tablet can maintain. You can modify the temperature as per your comfort and requirements. There is a type of Wi-Fi thermostat that works with a built-in program and automatically changes the temperature with the changes occurring outside. As a result, your gas heater can work without facing any trouble and last longer for a satisfactory period.
Precautions To Observe While Using A Gas Heater
Using a gas heater is a wise decision. However, some risk factors are involved while installing and maintaining a gas heater properly. You have to follow some gas safety measures to save yourself and your family from unavoidable troubles. These are also necessary to keep your heaters safe and ensure that they last longer. Here are some necessary precautions to observe:
- Choose the proper gas heaters for your home and outdoors separately. Do not use a heater used indoors outdoors, and vice versa.
- Read through the required precautions and directions written by the company in their manual. Clear every point if it seems ambiguous for you.
- Install your gas heater with the help of the servicemen provided by your seller company or a professional plumbing company. Proper installation is necessary for both you and your appliance.
- Never store a gas cylinder or use it for indoor purposes.
- Do not apply an industrial-type heater in your domestic setting.
- Do not install a cabinet heater as it is not usually safe for the home.
- Check regularly whether your patio heater is stable or fixed. Make sure that you are exclusively using it outdoors.
- Follow all guidelines provided by the local gas and electrical authority regulations.
- Never buy any unlicensed or unauthorised gas heaters.
- Do not use a gas heater to dry your clothes, shoes, or other articles.
You Can Always Seek Help From Professionals
Australia is a country of extreme weather where gas heaters are a mandatory part of survival. Since gas heating is less expensive and provides excellent perpetuity if properly maintained, whose demand increases gradually. From gas heater installation to replacing any component in the appliance, you need the help of professionals. Gas heaters also need servicing due to any functional or mechanical issues that may arise.
Whatever the problem is, you should always call a professional to fix it. There are multiple companies available throughout Australia that can provide your required services to solve any of your gas heater problems. The best plumbing companies have satisfactory customer reviews thanks to providing the most reliable gas heater services. Their plumbers are trained and licensed to install and repair any type of gas heater.
The best way to deal with those problems is to get help from the company where you have bought it. However, in the event that they are unable to provide you with the necessary services, you can check the websites of your nearby plumbing company. You have to keep in mind that not all general plumbers fix gas heaters.
To fix any issues related to the gas heating system, you need licensed plumbers specially authorised to deal with the issue. It is important to remember that nothing lasts forever. Similarly, your gas heater will not last forever. Perhaps a little bit of care and caution may increase its longevity and reduce the risks associated with gas heaters. So, whenever you buy any gas heater, get yourself updated with the proper maintenance procedures and any useful tips that can make your gas heater last longer.
