Options for heating an unheated porch

loyalfriend

This 90 yr old brick house needs heat to the porch that has all brick walls and concrete floor but no heat source. The furnace is gas forced air located in the basement. The electric panel is all updated but probably has no available space as is. Are there new heat options like baseboard or single units that don't require a 220 line or are very expensive to run besides a portable heater?

jesmed1

One option is a direct vent gas stove. I installed a Jotul Lillehammer in our back porch. If you're moderately handy you can drill through the brick wall with a hammer drill and install the vent pipe yourself. It's just a short horizontal run from the back of the stove, through the wall, with a cap on the outside. (The vent pipe does need to be pitched slightly per the installation instructions.) Get a plumber to run the gas line, wire in a simple thermostat and you're done.

This is a nice option for ambiance if you want to use the porch as a sitting room during winter. Jotuls are high quality and expensive new, bu I found a good used one for $500 on Craigslist. Installed it 10 years ago and never had to fix a thing. We use it all winter and it's great.

Larry Weingarten

Hi, If the porch is wide open, you might want to consider some sort of radiant heater, so you're heating the people rather than the space. If electricity isn't an option, that a portable propane heater could do. If you search "propane radiant heater outdoor", you'll see a wide variety.

Yours, Larry