THE CHALLENGE
Why Aircraft Hangars Are Hard to Heat
Aircraft hangars are among the most challenging buildings to heat effectively. Their cavernous interiors, extremely high ceilings, and massive door openings create conditions where conventional heating methods struggle to perform. Warm air rises to the roof and is lost every time the hangar doors open, while the sheer volume of space makes it difficult to maintain comfortable working temperatures at floor level where maintenance crews operate.
Massive Volume
Extremely high ceilings and vast floor areas create enormous volumes of air to heat, requiring powerful and efficient systems.
Giant Door Openings
Hangar doors are among the largest in any building type. Each opening allows massive volumes of cold air to rush in and warm air to escape.
Heat Stratification
Warm air rises to roof level, leaving cold air at floor level where maintenance crews work. The taller the building, the worse the problem.
Energy Costs
The combination of volume, door openings, and stratification means energy is easily wasted heating air that escapes or rises out of reach.
RECOMMENDED SOLUTIONS
How We Heat Aircraft Hangars
The most effective approach for aircraft hangars typically combines radiant heating (which heats people and surfaces directly without heating the air), warm air or air rotation systems (for larger hangars requiring full-space heating), and air curtains (to protect against heat loss through the massive door openings).
Radiant Heating
Gas radiant tube heaters are the ideal primary heating solution for aircraft hangars. They heat people and surfaces directly using infrared radiation, just like sunlight, without needing to heat the entire volume of air. This means warmth reaches the working area at floor level even in the tallest hangars, with no energy wasted heating air that rises to the roof.
Warm Air & Air Rotation
For the largest hangars or where full-space heating is required, warm air heaters and air rotation units deliver high-output heating across the entire floor area. The Hadar Cyclone can deliver up to 600 kW from a single unit without ductwork or destratification fans, making it particularly well suited to the vast volumes found in aviation buildings.
Air Curtains
Air curtains create an invisible barrier of air across the hangar door openings, preventing cold air from rushing in and warm air from escaping every time the doors are opened. This dramatically reduces heat loss and the energy needed to bring the hangar back to temperature after each door opening, protecting your investment in heating.
Destratification
In hangars using warm air heating, destratification fans recirculate the warm air that has risen to roof level back down to the occupied zone at floor level. This recovers heat that would otherwise be wasted and ensures even temperatures from floor to ceiling, significantly improving heating efficiency and reducing running costs.
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