What Is a Wall Furnace? How It Works and What It Does

Whether you need to retrofit a heating source into an older home or install a furnace unit in a smaller space, a wall furnace is an energy-efficient option. Offering some compelling benefits like low maintenance and relatively easy installation steps, a wall furnace can easily replace older units with no problem. Read on to learn more about what wall furnaces are and how they can work for your home.

What Is a Wall Furnace and How Does It Work?

A wall furnace is a compact unit that attaches to an interior wall of your home, distributing heat through a vent. Heat is generated by circulating air around a chamber. Because of this recirculation, wall furnaces are more effective heaters in smaller units and homes. They also don’t require ductwork to distribute the heated air.

Wall furnaces are powered by natural gas or electricity and need to be hardwired into your home’s electrical system. You’ll want to have a wall heater repair specialist near you or an electrician handle the installation and hookups to run the wall furnace.

Wall Furnace Costs and Considerations

A standard new furnace costs between $2,820 and $6,810. Wall furnaces cost slightly less than this average, and the cost of a wall furnace is impacted by the furnace’s BTU (British Thermal Unit) capacity. BTUs measure heat energy. A furnace with more BTUs can heat up a larger space more efficiently. However, higher-BTU furnaces will also cost more.

For example, a 14,000-BTU wall furnace may run you around $1,100 to $1,300, while a more powerful unit that produces around 38,400 BTU per hour averages $2,500.

Wall Furnace Repair and Maintenance

Like most furnaces, wall furnaces benefit from an annual furnace maintenance appointment that includes cleaning and an inspection. This can keep your unit running properly. A heating technician can identify if any repairs are needed to keep everything safe, leak-free, and properly sealed. 

In addition, your wall furnace will run better if the burner compartment is cleaned out once a month to prevent lint from building up. You can also wipe down the vents with a damp cloth to remove excess lint and dust. If the furnace needs repairs, the average cost to fix a furnace is around $320.

Pros and Cons of Wall Furnaces

Wall furnaces can be a great deal in the right circumstances, but they also may be too small to properly heat a space. Here’s a rundown of wall furnace pros and cons.

Wall Furnace Pros

• Size: Its smaller profile and footprint can free up wall space and fit into smaller homes and spaces. This makes it an ideal option for ADU builds and retrofitting older spaces.

• Installation: Because it doesn’t need to be hooked up to ductwork, a wall furnace is an easy installation for an electrician or furnace technician.

• Air quality: Gasses like carbon monoxide are significantly reduced with a non-combustion heat generator. Plus, it keeps the dirt and dust to a minimum.

Wall Furnace Cons

• Less powerful: Even a unit that can handle 25,000 BTU/hour isn’t going to put out the same amount of heat as a traditional furnace system (around 80,000 to 100,000 BTU/hour).

• Longer time to heat a room: A smaller, less powerful unit means that it takes more time to get the room temperature up. You’ll likely have to run the wall furnace for longer to achieve the desired results.