Hired heaters ‘deliver’ for postal staff

Portable heaters, floodlights and generators, supplied by Kennards Hire Penrith, helped avert delays to postal services during a 36-hour blackout in the Blue Mountains, west of Sydney.

Frank Ferraivolo, manager of the Katoomba mail delivery centre, said two 240V, diesel-powered, infrared heaters were particularly appreciated by staff, who started work in the early hours during a period of very low temperatures.

“They gave out an amazing amount of heat, and were at least as good, if not better, than the normal air conditioning,” he said.

“The floodlights did a good job illuminating the centre and, of the two generators we hired, the 6.5kVA silenced, inverter unit was particularly good.

“We are in a built up area, so its quietness was an important feature, as was the fact that being an inverter it could run our computers. It was also very easy on fuel.”

Large infrared heaters have proved very popular for heating and drying since Kennards introduced them two years ago.

They have an output of 111,000btu per hour and broadcast heat over a wide area, but do not have the smell of kerosene-powered models.

The radiation disc can be tilted up to 20 degrees to direct heat more efficiently. They are easy to move around and a 35 litre tank allows continuous operation for up to 13 hours.