Dining room with Cadet Apex 72 heater

What Can I Put In Front Of My Electric Heater?

3 min read

We get a lot of questions from people who want to know if they can put furniture in front of their heaters. Simple answer, you should not place anything in front of your heater as it is not safe; this includes any kind of furniture, drapes, paper, bedding, and people. But why?

When there is something in front of your heater, air flow is restricted and prevents the heater from doing its job, which can damage the heater or cause its safety feature to trip. 

Note: If the safety features trips, you will need to manually reset the heater. 

What are the Clearance Requirements?

As a rule of thumb, you should allow for 3-feet of clearance in front of the heater and 6 inches to either side and above the heater. We always recommend consulting the heaters owner's manual as specific requirements may vary from product to product.

What Do I Do if I Have Limited Space?

If you have limited space in your room or don't want your heater to get in the way of furniture layout, we have a solution for you!

Our Apex 72 wall heater works like our other wall heaters, yet it’s mounted 72-90 inches from the ground on your wall instead of being close to the floor. This heater is perfect for homes with limited space, children or pets because the heating element is up and out of reach, which means you can put furniture anywhere you like and you gain more square footage of living space. 

living room with Cadet Apex 72 heater

What Should I Do if My Heater Is Not Running the Way It Should?

There can be various reasons as to why your heater is not running the way it should. Start by double checking to make sure all clearance recommendations are met and then look at your specific products’ owner's manual and go through the troubleshooting steps. 

If your heater is still not functioning properly, please contact us and we will be able to assist you.

For more information on choosing what type of heater would work best for your space, check out baseboards and wall heaters.