A wall fan heater is a type of forced air heating system that operates by pushing heated air outward. This type of heating system is ideal for heating both small residential spaces and large commercial buildings, as well as hallways, and lobbies.
Our smaller heaters have four installation options including: recessed, surface-mounted, horizontal, and vertical. Our larger heaters can be either wall or surface-mounted.
These heaters are able to take in cool air and heat it up with a heated coil. The hot air is then able to rise and heat the room or space. It operates quietly and has a lower chance of having any ignition hazards when compared to other types of heaters.
Unlike fan-forced wall heaters, convection heaters do not use a fan to move air but instead rely on natural convection principles.
For the most efficient heating of a single room up to 1,000 sq. ft, an infrared heater or radiant heater provides even and efficient radiant warmth. For heating an entire home or spaces larger than 1,000 sq. ft, convection heaters are more energy efficient.
When you're considering gas or electric wall heaters for a given space, you should examine how many BTUs the heater can produce. You’ll need 20 BTUs per square foot, so for a 400 sq. ft room, that means you would need a wall-mounted heater with an 8,000-BTU capacity. Also, consider the features you need, such as:
In regards to safety, electric wall heaters are inherently safer than natural gas wall heaters. Propane and other natural gases can be extremely dangerous, so qualified installers must handle the installation and regular maintenance.
In order to avoid a buildup of harmful gases, most gas wall heaters come with a direct vent to the outside. Ventless gas heaters are on the market, but they require oxygen sensors to detect when oxygen levels are too low.
Electric wall heaters are inherently vent-free because they rely on a heating element to create warmth rather than burning gas.
The best choices when it comes to safety are electric wall heaters that come with a built-in thermostat control and an overheat shut-off feature. Homeowners who require silent operation will prefer convection heaters over fan-forced wall heaters. Even though most fan-forced heaters are very quiet, convection wall heaters are completely silent.
However, if wall space is a concern, fan-forced heaters can sit in a greater variety of locations because they physically push air around the space with an internal blower.
For areas that require hidden or inconspicuous heating options, electric kickspace heaters fit into tiny, narrow spaces that would be too small for even baseboard heaters.
Thanks to built-in thermostats, especially programmable thermostats, wall heaters can bring a room or basement to the desired temperature and then turn themselves off. Running on a 120-volt power source and consuming 1,500 watts per hour, a typical convection wall heater may cost around five cents for every hour of use.
Pic-a-watt heaters offer fine-tuning that lets owners adjust the wattage for the optimal heat, increasing efficiency and driving down electricity use even further.
Not all electric wall heaters are efficient, however, especially if they’ve been installed in the wrong place, don’t have enough insulation, or have too many or too few BTUs for the space. Correct installation of your electric wall heater is essential.
Homeowners who want to heat large spaces will find wall heaters inefficient and underpowered. For large single rooms and offices, a well-suited HVAC system with enough power to maintain a consistent temperature would be a preferable option.
Wall heaters are excellent at warming up small spaces, but they put out comparatively little heat. Even an extremely powerful wall heater with a 36,000-BTU rating is only putting out as many BTUs as many wood fireplaces.
Electric wall-mounted heaters can be left unattended for long periods of time due to their built-in safety features. Portable heaters cannot be left running unattended and should be unplugged when not in use.
It depends on the type of heater. Most electric heaters, whether they’re convection or forced fan units, rely on a heating element to warm up the surrounding air. If the heater is a forced-fan type, it will use a blower to circulate the air. As for radiant heaters or infrared heaters, electricity runs through metal coils to heat them up, which then disperses heat to the room.
Wall heaters are meant for direct wall installation as a permanent heating solution. All wires are mounted inside the wall directly to the circuit panel. Space heaters, or portable heaters, are standalone devices that plug into a wall outlet. Portable heaters are not permanent. Instead, once they are no longer needed, they are usually put back in storage.
Space heaters can be extremely dangerous because they sit out in the open, and rooms are not built with them in mind. Wall heaters require careful installation away from flammable objects to ensure long-term safe operation.
There are other types of heaters available should a homeowner not want to install a wall heater. For example, baseboard heaters operate on much the same principle, using a heating element to warm the surrounding air. Baseboard heaters, however, take up much less space and are not as invasive as wall heaters since they mount low to the baseboards of a room.
Also available are kickspace heaters, which take up even less space than baseboard heaters. Kickspace heaters do require cutting a hole in a wall or cabinetry, but they are an excellent space-saving option since they are generally small enough to be hidden by a piece of furniture or the outcropping of a cabinet or drawers.
While some kickspace heaters require connections to an HVAC system, many work through heating elements and function via convection or fan-forced operation.
HomElectrical carries a great variety of wall heaters from trusted brands such as Dimplex and Cadet. Whether you prefer infrared heaters, convection heaters, or forced-fan heaters, we carry the exact wall heater you’re looking for.
Check out our full inventory and find the heater that’s perfect for you. Our customer service is happy to answer any questions you have and help you make the right choice.
To make your online shopping even better, register for a HomeElectrical account right away. You’ll get special features and a more streamlined shopping experience.