Around the world, people struggle with finding the best way to keep themselves and their families warm during the cold winter months.
When the outdoor temperatures approach freezing, those that own livestock have the added responsibility of keeping their animals warm as well. Over the years, these people find what works best for their own situations.
It is quite common for them to turn to purchase some type of space heaters to produce the level of heat in the barn that their animals need.
Here are some of the things that go into finding the best space heater for a barn…
There are many different types of space heaters available on the market and they are usually grouped by what they use as an energy source. These groups include:
- Propane space heaters
- Gas heaters
- Electric space heaters
- Ceramic
- Kerosene
The number one thing that needs to be done when preparing to purchase space heaters is to check to be sure that there are no legal restrictions on what type of space heaters can be used in a barn in that area.
People who do not check this simple aspect can receive fines and the added cost of taking out and replacing all of the restricted space heaters that they installed in the barn.
In addition, the restrictions are usually safety based. Therefore, ignoring the legal restrictions could result in a fire starting in the barn from using the restricted space heaters and some or all of the livestock could be lost.
Once the restricted types of space heaters are eliminated from the list of options, the next step is usually to measure the area or areas that need to be heated. This is done in order to get space heaters that are capable of producing the right amount of heat.
Space heaters are labeled by the area that they can sufficiently heat without causing any problems. These safety labels should not be ignored.
The area measurements will narrow down the list of possible space heaters.
If electric space heaters are still an option on the list, the wiring in the barn needs to be checked to be sure that it is capable of handling the addition of several space heaters without shorting something out or blowing a fuse.
In addition, the electrical cords for the space heaters need to be able to easily reach the outlets without posing a hazard to people or the animals. If the length of the space heater cords cannot easily and safely reach the electric outlets in the barn, extension cords can be used but they must be the heavy duty type and they must not be placed where they pose tripping hazards for people or animals. The extension cords also cannot hang low enough that animals can reach them or people accidentally run into them.
No matter which type of space heater is finally chosen for use in the barn, it is important to follow all safety guidelines that come with it.
In addition, routine inspections need to be made to be sure that the space heaters are operating properly and no problems have started to develop.
