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(More customer reviews)First off, I got this nat gas heater at the end of November of 2010 for a 17'x 22' finished basement room with a 7' drop ceiling. I live in the Northeast so we get pretty cold winters here. This heater was purchased for a secondary back up heating system in the event of a power failure however, I use it daily and love it. My initial concerns before the unit was installed: plumbing gas pipe, ventless emmissions, CO2, odors and function(s). I'll address all the concerns as best I can.
-Plumbing gas pipe: Don't do it yourself, hire a professional, you'll sleep a lot sounder, a small price to pay for safety (it'll pay for itself in the long run anyway)
-Ventless Emissions: I researched here and there and everywhere, this camp is split from what I can see, some say there is and some say there isn't any, I don't know. The next thing I cover may or may not be related to this.
-CO2 and odors: I installed $40 Kidde CO2 detector 12 feet away from the heater and it still reads 0 all the time (I was expecting 5-7 ppm but I got 0, that's great). Now onto, the odors, yes there are odors, I'll admit that when I first fired this unit up I was greatly impressed with the heat output but wasn't at all happy about the smell. It was a chemical smell, which after the heater stopped running the smell soon went away within a minute or two. I would masked the odor with an air freshener when the heater ran and it was fine. It has since been a month and a half now and the heater has ran frequently on a daily basis and the odor/smell is virtually gone. A relief to say the least. I do smell it briefly at start up sometimes but that's only for a second or two. I think it was the paint/parts burning off that new heater smell so to speak.
-Function(s): Although it looks like there is, there isn't a digital thermostat, It's a 1 through 5 dial type which runs the duration of how long the heater runs with some internal temp setting (ex. setting 1 = 68-72 degrees). Flame height is the same always, temp dial does not regulate height. Flame is not like pictured, it's better, it looks like what's on your stove top. Flame is a nice blue, at start up I get orange streaks, I found out that's its only dust in the air, it goes away in about 15-25 min. The fan, basically is useless, poor design, could be a lot better, I don't use it. I have a 10" Honeywell table top swivel fan blowing across the heater, left to right, it's even with the top of the unit to circulate the heat in a circle around the room. My unit is not wall mounted, it is free standing on carpet, carpet does get warm to the touch but never hot. No electric required (unless you use the fan), the spark igniter runs on a AA battery (supplied), there is no pilot when it's off.
So how well does it work? Well, Freaking Amazing!!! It's instant heat!!! To get an idea of the heat output, if you have a gas stove, turn all stove top burners on at the same time, don't run the vent, put your hands near the vent away from the flame. I have 4 burners on my stove and that is what is feels like for me. The burner is this unit is about 16" long. At setting 1, once my room is warmed up, the heater runs for a minute or two then knocks off, it'll do this 3-4 times an hour. As for energy savings, I can already see it, I used to use a electric ceramic tower heater to heat (pointed at me) the room at $50+ a month more on the electric bill, that's no more and the whole room is toasty and to boot my gas usage went down slightly compared to the previous year at this time. Win, win, win.
Pro's:
Heat, heat and more heat. Instant heat.
Energy savings (it will pay for itself)
CO2 - not an issue in my setup of a basement room
Looks - it looks nice as a unit alone and when its running.
Con's:
Blower fan, useless
Dial temp gauge - No digital temp setting (it would be a great feature and for setting lower temps too)
Odor - goes away over time with use
There ya go I hope this helps you.
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Mr. Heater 30,000 BTU Natural Gas Blue Flame Vent Free HeaterThis is a natural gas, vent free, blue flame heater that produces 30,000 BTU's of efficient, comfortable heat. This safe, clean-burning heater has a five setting heat control, low oxygen shut off sensor and burns 99.9% efficient. This unit does not require electricity and is easily installed as a wall mount unit or as a free standing unit with the included feet kit. Battery powered spark igniter (AA battery included), and blower fan for increased air circulation. This CSA certified heater will heat up to 600 square feet and comes with a limited two year warranty.
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