Home Depot sells a large selection of natural gas wall furnaces but I was surprised to see that they also sell an electric wall furnace. By definition, a wall furnace is a furnace that is mounted into the wall. It stands upright and, generally, is about 5 to 7 feet tall. They are designed to stand flush with the wall. This means that the wall must be cut so that the furnace can fit snugly inside. However, there is also the option of allowing the heaters to free stand next to the surface of the wall if special hardware is purchased.
Home Depot only sells the Williams brand of wall mounted furnaces. I reviewed the natural gas Williams Forsaire 50,000 BTU, the natural gas Williams Top Vent 25,000 BTU and the electric William Forsaire 31,4000 BTU.
Let’s start with the Williams Forsaire 50,000 BTU. This heating unit is rated to heat over 1,200 square feet and runs on natural gas. It is possible to convert this unit to run on propane with a conversion kit. This is important for those whose homes run on propane and are not hooked up to natural gas. It also does not require electricity to run. Instead, it has a pilot light. It does have a thermostat that is attached to the wall furnace. Online some models, the thermostat cannot be mounted elsewhere in the room and it is not removable from the furnace itself. This furnace is on the larger side and is nearly 7 feet tall, just over a foot wide, and nearly a foot deep. It works by convention heat. This means that there is no fan of any kind. Instead, the heat simply emanates from the furnace. This type of heating has worked well for centuries now and relies on the fact that hot air rises and cold air sinks. Like other gas burning furnaces, this wall furnace needs to be ventilation. This means that there is a small vent that must go through the roof. This, combined with the fact that the furnace must be hooked up to natural gas, means that this wall furnace MUST be installed by a professional. This 50,000 BTU unit only has two reviews but they both give this unit 5 out of 5 stars. This furnace costs just over $1,600. That is only for the unit itself and does not include installation fees or the costs of any adaptations one might need to make.
Next is the Williams Top Vent 25,000 BTU wall furnace. This furnace also runs on natural gas and can also be converted to run on propane, with the purchase of an additional kit. Smaller BTUs means that this furnace is designed to heat a smaller area. In this case, it is rated to heat 540 square feet. This furnace measures nearly 5 and a half feet tall. It is over a foot wide and only half a foot deep. Like the stronger furnace, this furnace will run without electricity and it has a pilot light. Unlike the other furnace, this top vent furnace has a thermostat that can be separated from the unit itself. In fact, the thermostat can be mounted to the wall. This furnace works much the same at the larger model in that it has no fan and works with convection heat. It also is attached to the gas lines and requires outdoor ventilation so it must be installed by a professional. The price of this furnace is much lower and it costs just over $560. However, the reviews are less promising for this model. It rates at only 3.5 stars with mixed reviews. Some say that it works great. Others complain about certain parts not working right or fitting right.
Finally there is the electric wall furnace with 31,400 BTUs. This furnace does not use natural gas or propane but must have electricity to work. This would be ideal for anyone who would not be able to vent a standard gas furnace or who does not have a gas hookup in their home. It looks much the same way that the gas furnaces do in that it fits into a wall, or can be placed up against the wall. This unit is 6 feet tall, just over a foot wide, and is just over 6 inches deep. This means that it is roughly the same size as the 25,000 BTU gas furnace. However, with 31,400 BTUs, this furnace will heat the larger area of at least 1,000 square feet. It has a wall mounted thermostat. Although this furnace does not need to vent to the outside, nor does it connect to the gas line, it still must be installed by a professional in order to assure home safety. As an added bonus, this furnace has an automatic safety shut off and will turn off if it gets too hot. The gas furnaces do not offer this safety amenity. This electric wall furnace has not yet been rated by other customers so it is unclear how well it performs at this time. It costs just over $640 dollars.
The size and power source of the furnace that is right for an individual’s home will depend on the size of his or her home as well as on the amenities of said home. No one furnace is right for every home. Homes with gas and proper ventilation opportunities may find that a gas wall furnace is less expensive to operate, in the long run. The size of the furnace will depend on the size of the home, along with other factors such as how well the home is sealed and the outdoor temperatures. Homes, or places, with no access to roof ventilation will have no choice but to select an electric furnace if they wish to install a wall furnace. Things such as where the thermostat is located and safety shut offs all come down to personal preference. One thing is true of every wall furnace and that is that it must be installed professionally. The occupants of the home’s very lives depend on this. Carbon dioxide poisoning, gas leaks, and electrical fires are all real possibilities if any one of these wall furnaces are not installed correctly.