Radiant Tube vs Warm Air Heaters: Which Suits a Cold Preston Warehouse?

Choosing radiant tube vs warm air heaters in Preston is not a brochure exercise. It is a winter decision. A warehouse that feels acceptable in October can be unworkable by January if heaters are fighting high doors, night setback and a Lancashire wind.

This is a practical comparison for facilities managers on Walton Summit, Bamber Bridge and Leyland estates who need the building usable on Monday morning — and need to know which kit to book first.

How a Preston winter changes the calculation

Warm air heaters heat the air. Radiant tube heaters heat people, floors and stock first; the air follows. That difference barely matters on a still autumn afternoon. It matters a great deal when:

• Dock doors open every few minutes
• Night setback drops the space to 8–10°C
• Racking is high and the roof is a heat sink
• Staff work in defined zones, not the whole cube

If the building leaks air, warm air is constantly replaced by cold. If the building is reasonably sealed and people work under the heaters, radiant tubes often win on comfort and gas use.

When radiant tube heaters win in winter

Radiant tubes suit Preston warehouses where:

• Doors open often, so heated air would leave immediately
• Operatives work at floor level in aisles or picking faces
• You want faster perceived warmth without waiting for the whole volume
• Destratification fans would otherwise run all day to pull warm air down

On a freezing morning, serviced and correctly aimed tubes take the edge off the floor within minutes. Staff feel heat even if a high-level thermometer still looks low.

The winter catch: one failed tube on a long run leaves a cold stripe. Neighbouring tubes then work harder. Book tubes as a system, not “the noisy one at the far end.”

When warm air is the better winter choice

Warm air (cabinet, unit or suspended heaters) still makes sense where:

• The building is relatively airtight, with doors closed most of the shift
• You need a uniform air temperature for stored goods, not just people
• Offices or mezzanines share the same heated volume
• You already have a working warm-air plant and the issue is service, not type

Warm air also recovers a closed warehouse overnight more evenly. If your Chorley or Leyland site shuts from Friday to Monday and you need the whole cube back to 16°C before picking starts, a correctly sized warm-air system with a sensible time clock often beats tubes that only “feel” warm in occupied spots.

The winter catch: dirty heat exchangers, failed fans and summer time-clock settings. Warm air that limped through November will not lift a warehouse after a weekend freeze.

Mixed systems on the same warehouse

Many Preston sites already have both: tubes over the picking floor, warm air in packing, a door heater on the dock. That is fine — as long as each system is treated as winter-critical kit, not leftover extras.

A useful rule: heat the occupied zone first, then stop the open-door losses, then worry about the unoccupied cube. Without a plan, the wrong heater often runs at 100% while the right one sits in lockout.

Winter decision checklist

1. Map the winter job. Picking, packing, forklift routes, offices, empty racking. Who actually needs heat at 7am?
2. Time the doors. If docks are open more than they are closed, lean radiant (or add door heaters) rather than throwing more warm air at the roof.
3. Check night setback. If Monday recovery is the pain, the issue may be clocks and frost stat, not heater type.

FAQ: radiant tube vs warm air in Preston warehouses

Which is cheaper to run in a Lancashire winter?

In a leaky, open-door warehouse, radiant tubes usually waste less gas because they are not heating air that immediately leaves. In a tight building that must hold a set air temperature, well-serviced warm air can be comparable. Running cost follows building use more than brand.

Can I mix radiant tubes and warm air on one site?

Yes. Many Walton Summit and Bamber Bridge warehouses already do. Service both before the freeze, and make sure time clocks and thermostats are not fighting each other.

We have tubes and the warehouse is still cold. Does that mean we need warm air?

Not necessarily. Tubes that are sooted, misaligned, under-gassed or in lockout will not heat the floor. Get them diagnosed before specifying a second system.

Who services both types in Preston?

AAC Gas — Gas Safe 562186, based in Higher Walton — service commercial radiant tube and warm air heaters across Preston and Lancashire. For heavier industrial process plant, sister company SMR Gas Maintenance can assist.

Book the right warehouse heaters before the freeze

If your Preston warehouse is already feeling the cold, do not wait for a heating redesign. Get existing radiant tube and warm air plant checked, aimed and running — then decide whether the mix is wrong.

Call 01772 382971 or 07592 333187 (24/7 emergency), or email info@aacgas.co.uk.

Covering Preston, Higher Walton, Walton Summit, Bamber Bridge, Leyland and Chorley.