How to choose a stove or heater: power and safety

To heat workshops, garages and work areas, choose the type according to where you are and how well insulated the space is: an infrared heater warms people and objects even in open or poorly insulated spaces, while a fan heater warms the air of an enclosed room. In the collection, power ratings range from 600 to 11,000 W: the larger and the more heat-losing the space, the more power you need. For stoves and fireplaces that are already installed you will also find gaskets, pipes and maintenance tools.

Types

• Infrared heaters: they heat anyone within range directly, useful in workshops, garages and porches. For example the heater Fervi R609 or the outdoor infrared heater.
• Convector heaters and fan heaters: they heat the air of a room, such as the wall-mounted convector heater or the fan heater HF208.
• Gas heaters: portable, gas-fuelled, to be used only in ventilated areas or outdoors.
• Solid-fuel stoves: the collection also includes larger, heavier stoves, with weights of over 100 kg.
• Ash vacuums and tools: the mini ash vacuum, cordless vacuums such as the Free Vac 1.0, fireplace tool sets and braziers.
• Gaskets: made of glass fibre, such as the self-adhesive flat gasket Fibrocer NPT Sigill, for the stove door or glass.
• Pipes and bends: straight pipes and fixed or adjustable bends for connections to the flue.

How to choose by job

What to look for

• Power: in the collection 600, 800, 1,000, 1,200, 1,500, 2,000, 8,000 and 11,000 W. The most powerful models need a suitable power supply: check it on the product sheet.
• Dimensions and weight: from accessories and heaters weighing a few kilos to stoves of over 100 kg. Check that they fit through the door and that the floor can bear the weight.
• Material and finish: painted or enamelled steel, stainless steel, ceramic, wrought iron, glass fibre for the gaskets. Enamelled finishes and epoxy coating withstand heat and oxidation better.
• Pipe diameter and thickness: the diameter must match the flue outlet (the values in the collection include 80, 150 and 220 mm). Thickness makes the difference to durability against heat and corrosion.
• Colour: matt black, white and various shades of grey, for visible pipes and stoves.

Common mistakes

• Choosing the power rating "by eye": a model that is too small does not heat the space and always runs at full power.
• Using a gas heater in a closed room: it must be used only in ventilated areas or outdoors.
• Placing the heater near flammable materials or on an unstable surface.
• Buying pipes or bends without measuring the diameter of the flue outlet.
• Cleaning the stove and fireplace while hot, or vacuuming ash with an ordinary vacuum cleaner instead of an ash vacuum.

Frequently asked questions

Infrared or fan heater?

Infrared warms whoever is in front of it and suits large or open spaces. A fan heater warms the air and works better in a closed room.

Can I use a gas heater in a workshop?

Only in a well-ventilated area or outdoors, after checking the hose and fittings.

When should I replace the door gasket?

When the door no longer closes tightly.

How do I remove the ash?

When cold, with a dedicated ash vacuum, then scraping off the deposits.

You will find everything in the Stoves and accessories collection: to choose power and connections, request a quote or ask the AMES technicians for advice.