Many people turn to space heaters to help heat rooms they use most often. The heaters help take the chill out of the air, while allowing the furnace to take a rest. Most space heaters can be safely used indoors, albeit with some caution. The size of the heater and how much heat it can produce will determine in what size room it will work best. Kerosene heaters have gotten less than favorable press since their introduction.
Fires caused by kerosene heaters seem to reappear in the headlines during winter months.
However, all space heaters can have problems. He said the switch that turns off the heating process when the coolant reaches its boiling point, can fail, causing the heater to explode. The problem is not always the heaters but the owners. Not in Ridgefield, but across Connecticut, Mr. Lathrop said, there have been problems with owners attempting to refill their kerosene heaters. People have left the heater running when refilling it, thus splitting the kerosene and causing major fires.