The Benefits of Portable Radiant Heaters

SunFire and torpedo-style heaters, being direct fired heaters, are not meant to be used in household residential environments. Instead, they are primarily used in either indoor applications such us shops, garages, pole bars, and warehouses, or in some outdoor applications. These applications often require higher BTUs than a small electric portable heater can produce and also allow periodic ventilation to replenish oxygen used to burn the flame in fuel-fired heaters.

Difference in Methods of Heating Between Forced Air Radiant Heaters

The method of heating between forced air and radiant heaters are quite different, even though they are both direct-fired heaters. With torpedo and salamander heaters, outside air is sucked into the same chamber as the fire. This provides both oxygen to the flame at a high velocity for a proper burn associated with the amount of fuel sprayed through the nozzle to achieve the amount of BTU’s the forced air heater is rated for. This provides some benefits and common negatives that are usually associated with torpedo/salamander heaters such as the loud  noise, a strong odor, but also lower prices.

Fuel-fired radiant heaters like SunFire radiant heaters also take in air to provide oxygen for the flame. However, for SunFire radiant heaters, the air is spun like a tornado at a highly scientifically precise method to produce an extremely clean and efficient burn that ads near to zero carbon monoxide emissions into the air. For example, the OSHA standard for indoor air emissions is 50 parts per million, the SunFire ads up to only 1 parts per million, putting our radiant heaters exceedingly well within the OSHA guidelines. This air escapes gently through various holes located on a dome in the front of the heater.

However, this isn’t the primary method of providing heat. Most of the heat is generated by the intense flame that heats the round dome in the front of the heater. This dome will typically glow bright orange or red and will radiate heat directly forward, similar to the sun. Direct heat can be felt from the sun but it is not from the sun blowing hot air upon the earth, it is literally infrared radiant waves of heat energy that warms everything upon the earth. And although this warms air upon the earth, it’s the primary reason why when we step directly into sunlight, we can feel an instant rise in temperature compared to being in the shade. Sunfire radiant heaters work very much the same.

This offers many benefits to this radiant heating method. For instance, not only is this generally a cleaner and more efficient way to burn fuel, it offers more of an odorless heating experience for its users and far less noise because not as much air is required to burn the fuel properly as in torpedo/salamander heaters. Forced air heaters are generally associated with the sound of a jet engine that make it extremely difficult to speak to others within the vicinity of the forced air heater. They also often emit have a strong odor that can even cause headaches. However, they have been a norm for many generations, especially because of the low cost of forced air heaters. But that low cost can come at a high expense of miscommunication from the loud noise, possible health issues, and sometimes low performance from those that work with these types of heaters.

Radiant heaters however, and more specifically SunFire radiant heaters, were engineered to solve these issues with a low noise and virtually odorless experience. And although radiant heaters can still warm an indoor area like a forced air heater, radiant heaters can also heat an object or individual directly like the sun without the assistance of air. Therefore, if a radiant heater were to be used near a garage door that opens frequently or is used outside on a cold windy day, it can provide a perfect spot heating experience by warming anything placed within about 7 – 10 feet within the front of the radiant heater.