What is a Monitor Heater?
A monitor heater is an oil-fueled, forced-air home heating system that capitalizes on the principle that hot air rises. A monitor heater is usually situated in the basement or the downstairs level of a home, but not because it is unsightly; the monitor is actually a very attractive appliance. It resembles a large space heater, but the top houses a control panel on which one can find digital temperature settings, a clock, and of course, the on and off switch. There is also a feature that allows users to set the monitor heater to different temperatures for different times of the day or night. The monitor heater should be placed against an outer wall, allowing a hose at the back to draw in outside air for combustion. It heats the cold air on its way in through the hose. This is the most efficient means of home heating because the monitor heater does not re-use warm air in the home. The only ventilation hole is the small opening (about 2 inches or 5 cm in diameter) where air is sucked in.
Monitor heaters manufactured by Monitor Products, Incorporated operate on a gravity flow system eliminating the need for a pump to operate the fuel supply. Designed to use K1, these wall mounted heaters claim to use only 1 gallon of fuel a day to heat a 2000 square foot area, making them extremely economical to operate. Safety features eliminate the concerns of carbon monoxide emissions or accidental explosions that can occur with propane or natural gas heaters.
