Heaters come in 2 types: Radiant or Forced Air. Radiant heaters heat objects, not necessarily the air around it. They are used in open areas such as patios, screened in porches, open parking lots etc. We stock 2 types of radiant heater: A propane fueled standing "Patio" Heater and a Small electric radiant heater. The Patio heater is most commonly used heater. It requires no electricity and provides a 10'-12' circle of warmth. The closer you are to the heater, the warmer you stay. It is important to note that the propane tank is located in the base of the heater and thus may not be used in an enclosed area. Doing so will violate fire codes related to the propane tank. The small electric radiant heater is designed to be installed overhead to heat a small area- up to 10' x 10'. It must have at least 6 inches of space open to the front. It should be installed under cover, out of the elements. They are great for small applications such as tents with a bar on the back deck, etc.

Forced air heaters are for spaces that are enclosed, sealing out the elements. We stock 3 forced air heaters: 30,000 BTU, 60,000 BTU and 80,000 BTU heaters. They will use electricity to run the fan and thermostats and propane to fuel the heat. All are provided with a flexible propane hose and a full propane tank. The tanks are sized to provide approximately 8 hrs of heat. When using these heaters, the tank must be located outside as fire code prohibits storage or use of propane tanks in an enclosed area. The 30,000 BTU heater is a small construction style heater and is not thermostatically controlled. It must be manually turned off and on to control the room temperature. It also has a semi open flame and therfore must be monitored carefully to avoid injury. It is best located in a spot away from high traffic. The 60,000 and 80,000 are indirect fired heaters which may be safely placed in most areas. Both include thermostats which will automaticaly turn the heater off and on based on the temperature. The 80,000 BTU may also be place just outside the tent and the heat ducted under the sidewall with a diffuser (included). The table below show how many BTU's of heat are required for a tent with the square area shown and the temperature rise desired. Simply find the square foot area of the tent you have (or next smallest) and the move out to the column for the temperature rise you wish. If the BTU requirement is greater than 80,000, then you will need multiple heaters.

                                                                   Temperature Rise

SQ FT        10 Deg     20 Deg     30 Deg    40 Deg     50 Deg     60 Deg     70 Deg    80 Deg

400            8640       18560       30000      42560     56800      72000       88480    106240

800          17280       37120       60000      85120    113600    144000     176960    212480

1200        25920       55680       90000     127680    170400    216000     265440   318720

1600        34560       74240      120000    170240    227200    288000     353920   424960

2000        43200       92800      150000    212800    284000    360000     442400   531200

2400        51840     111360      180000    255360    340800    432000     530880   637440

2800        60480     129920      210000    297920    397600    504000     619360   743680

3200        69120     148480      240000    340480    454400    576000     707840   849920 

3600        77760     167040      270000    383040    511200    648000     796320   956160

4000        86400     185600      300000    435000    568000    720000     884800  1062400