4 Things About Portable Gas Heaters That You Want to Know

As the scorching Australian summer approaches, many of us are eagerly preparing for outdoor gatherings, barbecues, and pool parties. However, one aspect of preparation that often gets overlooked is gas appliance servicing for homeowners.

There are two kinds of gas heaters in Victoria – flued gas heaters and open flued gas heaters. While flued gas heaters are a cost-effective, environmentally-friendly way to heat your Hampton home, open flued gas heaters are considered quite unsafe nowadays as they rely on natural draft or existing chimneys to expel unburnt products of combustion. 

Flued Gas Heaters

Flued gas heaters use solid piping to terminate unburnt flue gases Flued gas heaters are a great way to warm your Hampton home or business. With many gas heaters options on the market, there are a variety of ways you can use them in your home. For instance, update your old fireplace by installing a gas log fire or have a gas ducted heater installed for an energy-efficient way to heat up your entire Sandringham home.

Open Flued Gas Heaters

Also called flueless gas heaters or portable gas heaters, open flued gas heaters have no flue; therefore, they discharge gases directly into the room they are located in. Open flued gas heaters burn gas to make heat which releases pollutants into the air. According to the World Health Organisation, if there is no fresh air coming into the room or if the portable gas heater is faulty, the pollutants from the heater may reach dangerous levels.

Checking Your Portable Gas Heaters

Care should be taken using open flue gas heaters around young children, pregnant women, the elderly or individuals with medical conditions. In addition, Energy Safe Victoria has banned some open flue gas heaters in Victoria, so it is essential to have your portable gas heaters checked to make sure it is not banned. Furthermore, if you plan to continue using an open flue gas heater, make sure it is serviced by a qualified gas fitter every two years to make sure it is in proper working order. People have died using faulty gas heaters in Victoria – don’t let it happen to you. 

Using a Flueless Gas Heater Safely

One of our gasfitting golden rules are—if it doesn’t have a flue connected to the appliance, it’s not 100% safe. Therefore, when using a flueless or portable gas heater, you should:

• Have fresh air coming into the room where the flueless heater is located
• Service your flueless or portable heater every two years by an experienced gasfitter
• Turn off the open flue gas heater if you are cooking with a gas cook-top or gas oven
• Never use a flueless heater in a room where people are sleeping
  

Gas Heating Questions Answered

As experienced gasfitters local to the Bayside area, we know that gas heating is confusing, which is why you should call the gasfitting experts—Almac Plumbing to check your gas appliances are safe. Servicing Brighton, Sandringham, Hampton and Bayside, we are only a phone call away on 1300 125 622 if you need us for gas servicing, gas installation or gas conversions.