What Is a Wall Furnace?

It's a blustery November day. You're blown by the wind into your home and want to sit in a cozy chair with a hot cup of tea and relax a bit. Or maybe it's a snowy Saturday morning. The kids have donned snowsuits and made snowmen and are back inside, dripping with icy melt and ready for hot chocolate. You can likely imagine dozens of scenarios where a toasty warm room is just the thing for the moment. But depending on your home, it may be difficult to get the right space to the right temp.

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That's where wall furnaces can help. Learn what a wall furnace is below, including how they work and whether they're a safe heating option for your space.

What Is a Wall Furnace?

A wall furnace is a small heating component that's built into the wall of a room. They're typically built into an exterior wall, making it easier to vent them to the outside of the home or structure. Depending on the structure of your home and the wall furnace type, they may be vented directly out through the wall or up through the ceiling and roof.

When you compare wall furnace vs. central furnace options, the former is more compact and generally less expensive to install. Wall furnaces are also fairly efficient at getting a single room or area in your home warm enough. The downside is that they don't heat the entire home like a central heating option does.

What Are the Different Types of Wall Furnaces?

The types of wall furnaces include:

• Electric wall heaters. These heaters rely on electrical heating components. They're either hardwired into the home or plugged into an appropriate outlet.

• Gas wall heaters. These furnaces are powered by propane or natural gas. Depending on your home, they might draw gas or propane from the same supply that appliances like your stove and water heater do. If you don't have gas appliances in your home, you may be able to install a small propane tank outside to support a wall heater.

• Hydronic wall heaters. With this option, warmth relies on water heated by a central boiler in your home.

Gas and electric wall heaters are fairly common. In many newer homes, electric wall furnaces may provide the easiest installation option.

How Do Wall Furnaces Work?

While the inner mechanics of a wall furnace depend on whether your model is gas, electric or hydronic, the overall function is similar. Air from the room is circulated through the heater. Inside the heater, electric coils, pipes with hot water or burning gas transfer warmth to the air. The warmed air is pushed back out into the room.

Wall furnaces don't require ductwork because they circulate the air immediately into the space they're warming. Most wall furnaces have a built-in thermostat, so you can set a temperature for the space and the furnace will turn off automatically when that temperature is reached. When the temperature in the room drops below that threshold, the wall furnace starts heating the air again.

Are Wall Heaters Safe?

Modern wall furnaces that are properly installed by professionals are a safe source of home heating. However, any time you have appliances with heating elements in your home, some risks are inherent. Gas wall furnaces come with risks associated with gas leaks or excessive levels of carbon monoxide. Any type of wall heater comes with some risk of fire.

Professional installation, annual inspections, proactive wall furnace repair when needed and keeping flammable items and obstructions away from the unit help reduce these risks. You should also consider installing smoke detectors and carbon monoxide detectors in the room.

Wall Furnace Pros and Cons

Wall furnaces cost less to install and run than central heating units, and they're typically energy-efficient. Homeowners often choose wall furnaces because they make it easy to set up zoned heating within a home, and the lack of ductwork cuts down on the transfer of dust throughout the house. However, they aren't the best choice for keeping large areas warm, and you do need plenty of clearance around the unit to support safety, making them less ideal for very small spaces.