A gas heater warms a room without electricity, which makes it a winter standby in many South African homes, especially on the Highveld and in the Karoo. Most indoor models are portable cabinets that hold a 9 kg cylinder in the back, either the familiar three panel type or a radiant heater. They are simple to use, but they burn gas in the room you are sitting in, so ventilation and the right habits matter. Tell us what you need and local suppliers will send free gas heater quotes, with no obligation.
Three panel and radiant gas heaters
The three panel heater has ceramic panels that glow when lit, and you choose one, two or all three panels to set the heat. It is the most common indoor gas heater in South Africa. Radiant heaters throw heat forward from a single face and suit a spot where people sit in one place. Both are portable, sit on wheels or feet and take a cylinder in the back. Small gas heaters exist for smaller rooms; check that any heater you buy is made for indoor use.
Room size and ventilation
A gas heater uses oxygen from the room and releases its combustion gases into it, including moisture that can fog windows. That is why every indoor gas heater needs a ventilated room:
- use it in a lounge or open living area, not a small closed room
- keep a window or door slightly open while it runs
- never use it in a bedroom at night, and never sleep with it on
- never use it in a bathroom, a caravan or a tent
Match the heater to the room. A big heater in a small room gets stuffy fast; a small one in a large open plan space struggles.
Safety sensors and checks
Many indoor gas heaters carry an oxygen depletion sensor, which shuts the heater off when the air in the room gets too poor, and a tip over switch. Look for both, but treat them as a backup, not a reason to close up the room. Check the regulator and hose each winter, test joints with soapy water, never a flame, and get a practitioner to look at a heater that burns yellow, smells or keeps going out.
Cylinders, and outdoor heaters
Indoor heaters take a 9 kg cylinder in the back. Change it outside or near an open door, with the heater off and cool, and store spare cylinders outside. Outdoor heaters are a different appliance: tall mushroom and pyramid heaters are made for open air only. For those, see patio heaters, and never bring one indoors.
What to include in your request
- Three panel or radiant heater
- Size of the room you want to heat
- Whether you need a cylinder with it
- Ask about the oxygen depletion sensor
- Number of heaters you want
Gas Heaters for different clients
- Homeowners: a three panel heater warming the lounge on cold Highveld winter evenings
- Complexes, estates and body corporates: portable heaters in townhouses where gas cylinders indoors are kept to a minimum
- Restaurants, takeaways and bakeries: heaters for restaurant interiors with good ventilation during cold months
- Guest houses, lodges and venues: lounge and dining room heaters in guest houses during winter
- Farms and smallholdings: farmhouse living rooms kept warm when the power is off
- Factories, warehouses and workshops: offices and reception areas heated on gas in ventilated spaces
- Campers, caravanners and event hosts: holiday cottages in the Drakensberg or Karoo heated in winter
- Gas installers, plumbers and dealers: appliance dealers stocking heaters and 9 kg cylinders before winter
Frequently asked questions
What is the price of a gas heater?
Is it safe to use a gas heater indoors?
Can I sleep with a gas heater on?
Where can I find a gas heater for sale near me?
Gas Heaters by province and city
- Johannesburg
- Pretoria
- Centurion
- Midrand
- Sandton
- Randburg
- Roodepoort
- Krugersdorp
- Randfontein
- Germiston
- Boksburg
- Benoni
- Kempton Park
- Alberton
- Vanderbijlpark
- Vereeniging
- Durban
- Pinetown
- Pietermaritzburg
- Richards Bay
- Newcastle
- Ladysmith
- Gqeberha (Port Elizabeth)
- East London
- Kariega (Uitenhage)
- Mthatha
- Cape Town
- Bellville
- Paarl
- Stellenbosch
- George
- Worcester
- eMalahleni (Witbank)
- Middelburg
- Secunda
- Mbombela (Nelspruit)
- Rustenburg
- Brits
- Klerksdorp
- Potchefstroom
- Mahikeng
- Polokwane
- Tzaneen
- Kimberley
- Upington
- Bloemfontein
- Welkom
- Sasolburg