u/Coffeeanytime100

Hey everyone,
I'm looking for some advice on adding a VENTED natural gas wall heater to my house. It’s an older home and the insulation isn't amazing—specifically, the floors get absolutely freezing in the winter. Right now, my only source of heat is mini-splits, and they just can't keep the house warm enough when the temperatures really drop.
My original dream was to put in a wood stove, but I got quoted around $15k between purchasing the stove, relining the chimney, and venting it through the roof. That is way out of budget right now.
I’m already planning to beef up the insulation in my encapsulated crawlspace to help with the floors, but I definitely need a reliable supplemental heat source for the main living area.
I have a few specific questions before I pull the trigger on a wall heater:
1. BTU Sizing:
The heater will go in a 1,000 sq ft open floor plan (living room and kitchen combined). I’m located in the western Virginia area, so we get some solid mountain-town (east coast) winter weather. For a space this size with below average insulation and drafty windows (I know, working on it), what BTU sizing is considered the bare minimum, adequate, and overkill?
2. Heater Type (Blue Flame vs. Convection vs. Radiant):
What do you recommend for an open space like this?
3. DIY Gas Line Feasibility:
I’m planning on splitting the gas line from my water heater supply, which is less than 5 feet away from where the wall heater will be mounted. I'm pretty handy and do most home Reno projects myself but haven’t done gas lines. I fully plan on pulling the necessary permits and getting it inspected, also for safety. How feasible is it to DIY this gas line split? Are there any major "gotchas" that I should know about for a short run like this? I don’t know what I don’t know and hope you can help!
Any insights, brand recommendations, or warnings are hugely appreciated. Thanks in advance!

Hey everyone,
I'm looking for some advice on adding a VENTED natural gas wall heater to my house. It’s an older home and the insulation isn't amazing—specifically, the floors get absolutely freezing in the winter. Right now, my only source of heat is mini-splits, and they just can't keep the house warm enough when the temperatures really drop.
My original dream was to put in a wood stove, but I got quoted around $15k between purchasing the stove, relining the chimney, and venting it through the roof. That is way out of budget right now.
I’m already planning to beef up the insulation in my encapsulated crawlspace to help with the floors, but I definitely need a reliable supplemental heat source for the main living area.
I have a few specific questions before I pull the trigger on a wall heater:
1. BTU Sizing:
The heater will go in a 1,000 sq ft open floor plan (living room and kitchen combined). I’m located in the western Virginia area, so we get some solid mountain-town (east coast) winter weather. For a space this size with below average insulation and drafty windows (I know, working on it), what BTU sizing is considered the bare minimum, adequate, and overkill?
2. Heater Type (Blue Flame vs. Convection vs. Radiant):
What do you recommend for an open space like this?
3. DIY Gas Line Feasibility:
I’m planning on splitting the gas line from my water heater supply, which is less than 5 feet away from where the wall heater will be mounted. I'm pretty handy and do most home Reno projects myself but haven’t done gas lines. I fully plan on pulling the necessary permits and getting it inspected, also for safety. How feasible is it to DIY this gas line split? Are there any major "gotchas" that I should know about for a short run like this? I don’t know what I don’t know and hope you can help!
Any insights, brand recommendations, or warnings are hugely appreciated. Thanks in advance!