How to Use Construction Site Heaters Effectively

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If you oversee the running of a building site, it is your responsibility to ensure that this working environment remains safe and comfortable for tradespeople to finish tasks effectively and efficiently. 

Understanding the different types of construction site heaters available

You will have a variety of heaters to choose from when looking to bring this equipment into your construction sites, with each of them serving different working situations.

Decide which of the following systems will be best suited to your site’s setup and requirements:

Direct-Fired Heaters

Direct-fired heaters can produce a lot of warm air rapidly using a naked flame, with the heat generated being very efficient and powerful. 

This means that these heating systems should only be set up in well-ventilated spaces around a construction site, such as exposed environments or places which are only semi-enclosed.

Indirect-Fired Heaters

While indirect-fired heaters produce warm air that is comparable to direct-fired heaters, a key difference is that these systems will do so by using a flame that is designed within a sealed combustion chamber.

By not using a naked flame and so producing fume-free heat, indirect-fired heaters can be used just as safely within indoor facilities around a construction site as they can around outdoor environments.

Electric Heaters

So long as you have a three-phase power supply in place around your construction site, you will be able to get electric heaters in operation.

A cleaner option than oil-fired heaters, the pollutant-free hot air generated by electric heaters can be used to dry walls wet from plaster and paint inside buildings as much as they can be set up to keep tradespeople warm and comfortable.

Infrared Heaters

Radiant heat can be produced quickly from infrared heaters. This is usually delivered through heaters powered by electricity, especially when they are portable. However, there are also some infrared heaters available which use combustible fuels.

Because the systems do not move air to radiate this heat, they are a fantastic solution for keeping both your construction site workers and building equipment warm as the temperatures drop.

How to set up a heater correctly on your construction site

Whichever construction site heater you feel is best for the needs of your colleagues, make sure they are installed correctly and safely by abiding to these crucial steps:

1. Make sure that any construction site heater has been PAT tested before they are used around your facilities.
 

2. Only ever follow the instructions manual that comes with a heater when setting them up around your construction site.
 

3. Install a heater on level ground and with a dedicated boundary in place around the equipment.
 

4. Ensure that the area around a heater has proper ventilation, especially when direct-fired heaters are being used.
 

5. Construction site heaters also need to be placed at a safe distance away from desks, clothes and other combustible materials.
 

6. Always keep the hoses and cables of a heater as short as possible and never join extension leads together.

Once in place, educate everyone that will be using your construction site to always switch off the heaters at the end of each day before a facility is empty. 

They should also be told not to use the heaters to carelessly dry clothes by covering the systems in the garments, or placing the likes of drying racks and coat stands too close to the equipment.

Hoping to make use of construction site heaters but only for a temporary period? We can provide you with an excellent heating, drying and cooling hire service, with the price of using the equipment built around your needs. 

Receive peace of mind that every product hired from us is serviced and maintained in accordance with the manufacturer’s instructions too. Our friendly and knowledgeable tool hire team will always be on hand to provide you with advice, safety training and product familiarisation to support you at every stage of your job as well.

If you regularly work and oversee operations at construction sites, make sure you also read our helpful guides on preparing the environment for building work and achieving construction site safety.