DeWalt 45,000 BTU/hr Portable Radiant Heater

What it is and who it’s for

The 45,000-BTU DeWalt radiant heater is a propane-fired, wheeled space heater designed to warm people and objects directly rather than blowing hot air around a room. It requires no electricity, which makes it particularly useful on jobsites, in power outages, and in outbuildings without service. If you need quick, quiet warmth in a well-ventilated shop, garage, barn, or slab pour, this style of heater makes a lot of sense. If you’re trying to fine‑tune the temperature of a small enclosed room, it’s not the right tool.

I used it over several weeks in a drafty two-car workshop, under a covered patio during a cold snap, and in a partially framed space where I wanted to keep the crew’s hands warm without running a generator.

Build, mobility, and setup

The frame is classic jobsite DeWalt: 1-inch tubular steel roll-cage with folding handles and 10-inch flat-free wheels. The heater feels stable when you tip it back and roll it, even over cracked concrete and gravel. The footprint is compact, and the folding handles make it easy to stash against a wall. You’ll still move a separate propane cylinder, but the included 20-foot hose gives you flexibility to park the tank outside a doorway or on the leeward side of a building—exactly what you want for ventilation and safety.

Fit and finish are solid. Welds are clean, the mesh burner is well supported, and the powder coat shrugged off scuffs from loading in and out of a truck. The hose and regulator threaded on smoothly, and the long hose length helps keep the hot end away from traffic.

Ignition and controls

Lighting is straightforward but not instant: open the tank valve, purge air from the hose, then press and hold the safety button to light and let the thermocouple heat. On my sample, I needed a firm, steady hold for 30–45 seconds before the safety valve would stay open. Early on, I had a couple of false starts where it went out as soon as I released the button. After a few uses (and making sure the flame was fully bathing the sensor), it became more consistent. If you’re used to plug-and-play electric heaters, the press-and-hold ritual takes a bit of patience.

A key limitation: there’s no heat adjustment. It’s either off or 45,000 BTU. In practice, I found myself cycling it—running until the space and tools were up to temperature, then shutting it off and relighting when the chill crept back. That’s normal for single-output radiant heaters but worth emphasizing if you’re sensitive to temperature swings or don’t want to fuss with an on/off routine.

Heat performance and coverage

Radiant heat excels at targeted warmth. Pointed at a workbench from 10–15 feet, the DeWalt delivers immediate, face-and-hands heat. You feel it through light wind and across open space because it warms surfaces directly. In my two-car workshop (roughly 600 square feet with 10-foot ceilings), it took the bite off the air within a few minutes and made the work area comfortable in under 10. In a larger, draftier bay around 1,000 square feet, it kept the immediate area toasty while the far corners stayed cool—exactly what you’d expect from a radiant panel.

The 20-by-5-inch steel mesh burner throws an even “sheet” of heat across its face. Aiming matters: slightly tilting and angling toward the work zone made a noticeable difference. If you’re pouring concrete or thawing a specific area, it’s good at concentrating heat where you need it. If you want to uniformly condition an entire space, a forced-air unit will do a better job of mixing air—though you’ll give up the quiet operation this heater enjoys.

Noise, smell, and comfort

One of the biggest perks here is the quiet. There’s a faint hiss of propane when it’s running, but no fan and no torpedo roar. That made it easy to hold conversations on site and to hear tools and diagnostics without shouting.

When the heater is operating correctly, there’s little to no propane odor. On initial hookups or after tank changes, you may catch a whiff as the hose purges. I always leak-check the connections with soapy water before lighting; it’s quick and beats chasing mysterious smells later. If you smell raw propane during operation, shut it down and investigate immediately—don’t assume it’s “normal.”

Runtime and fuel

DeWalt lists roughly 10 hours on a 20-pound cylinder. My numbers varied with ambient temperature and cylinder fill, but in the low 30s Fahrenheit I saw roughly 7.5–9 hours per tank. Propane pressure drops as the cylinder chills; a 30- or 40-pound tank maintains flow better in the cold and reduces regulator frosting. The 20-foot hose lets you place the cylinder where it has better ventilation and less radiant heat feedback.

Because there’s no low setting, fuel consumption is binary—full or nothing. For small spaces, that can feel wasteful. On the flip side, if you’re spot-heating crews or thawing materials, the full output is welcome.

Safety and ventilation

This unit has a thermoelectric safety valve that shuts off gas if the flame goes out or the sensor cools. It’s a critical feature and works as intended, but it does demand a proper lighting routine: keep the flame squarely on the sensor, and hold the button long enough for it to stabilize. Don’t try to defeat the safety mechanism—ever. If it won’t stay lit after several careful attempts, stop and troubleshoot rather than improvising.

Like all propane heaters, this one consumes oxygen and produces water vapor and carbon monoxide. Only use it in well-ventilated spaces, follow clearance requirements to combustibles, and keep a CO detector in the area. The quiet operation can lull you into forgetting it’s running; I got into the habit of setting a timer check when using it indoors.

Reliability and quirks

A few practical notes from extended use:

• The control/safety button spring is stiff. Expect a longer first light on cold mornings. Gloves help.
• If the flame is unstable, check for wind and drafts. Radiant panels are more wind-sensitive than enclosed burners. A temporary wind baffle made a big difference under a patio roof.
• Regulator icing cropped up once during sustained use on a nearly empty tank in freezing temps. Swapping to a fuller cylinder solved it.
• Keep the burner mesh clean. Dust and overspray can create hot spots and reduce performance. A soft brush and compressed air go a long way.

My sample did have one mid-session shutdown early on that traced back to a partially kinked hose behind a pallet—operator error, but a reminder to route the hose thoughtfully. After that, performance was consistent.

Maintenance and storage

There’s not much to maintain, which is a draw. Inspect the hose for cracks, keep threads clean, snug the connections, and give the burner face an occasional cleaning. The folding handles are worth using—tucking them down makes it less likely you’ll snag or bend the control hardware in a crowded van. I store the heater indoors and the hose ends capped to keep debris out of the regulator.

Where it shines—and where it doesn’t

• Best for: Open or semi-open job sites, garages and shops with good ventilation, spot heating crews and work surfaces, power outages where you want heat without electricity, and users who value quiet operation.
• Not ideal for: Small enclosed rooms, spaces where you need fine control of temperature, or windy outdoor conditions without a baffle.

The bottom line

The DeWalt radiant heater is a rugged, quiet, high-output option for jobsite and shop heat when you don’t have or don’t want electrical power. The wheeled chassis and long hose make it easy to position the heat where you need it and the tank where it’s safest. Heat delivery is fast and effective in the line of fire, and build quality feels up to daily use.

The trade-offs are real: a single 45,000-BTU setting that requires on/off cycling, a lighting routine that takes a little patience, and the usual propane caveats about ventilation and tank management. If you can live with those constraints, it’s an efficient way to stay productive in the cold without the noise and power draw of a forced-air unit.

Recommendation: I recommend it for pros and serious DIYers who need reliable, no-electric radiant heat in well-ventilated spaces and can tolerate a simple on/off control scheme. If you want adjustable output, set-and-forget operation, or plan to heat small enclosed rooms, look elsewhere or consider a variable-output forced-air alternative.