best electric garage htr - Lateral-g Forums

vstol · #1 11-25-2009, 09:18 AM

Looking for an electric heating option for 800 square ft garage, any of you using one now??

**GregWeld** · #2 11-25-2009, 10:06 AM

I have a 1500 sq ft shop with 21 foot ceiling peak... and use my fluorescent lights for heating... but if it really drops in temp like down to 30 degrees or so I will add a rather smallish 220V electric heater I bought at Grainger.

It wasn't "cheap" as in Taiwan built stuff they sell at Home Depot etc - so is more "industrial" - but I didn't want to risk burning my shed down either...

Here's a link to the one I bought.

http://www.grainger.com/Grainger/items/3VU36?Pid=search

**GregWeld** · #3 11-25-2009, 10:07 AM

Of course after I posted this I went back to Grainger to read the specs on the heater I have -- and where is it made?? CHINA

Damn I hate that!! But it is a well built heater and has worked for 5 years now!

youthpastor · #4 11-25-2009, 10:16 AM

i use a cadet made for the garage, works great- called the Hot One

69MyWay · #5 11-25-2009, 12:12 PM

Hey...going through this now. Moved to Illinois in March from Florida and this will be my first full winter here. I have a detached workshop (24x30) that is now insulated and drywalled with insulated doors. We added a half bath and I want to make sure an protect the plumbing - as well as keep the edge off when I'm working out there.

I have R13 in the walls and R19 in the ceiling.

Anyway - my electric panel is FULL - and no room to add another 220. Yes...I can, but I would have to be very careful to make sure the lift and compressor isn't going when the heat is on...etc.

I also do NOT have LP or natural gas...so that leaves me looking electric.

I just bought a Iheater - Quartz Infrared. It plugs into 110 and has a digital T-stat. I read good and bad about these things - this one has a 30 day money back (less shipping) return policy if not satisfied. I am hoping I can set it a the low setting to keep it above freezing. I have a portable propane daisy bud heater that I can light up and bring it up to temp fast - but this will keep it regulated. Per my UPS tracking - it should be here today - so I'll know soon. Also - they do this for $350 including shipping if you call them for a discount code.

http://www.discounthomefurnishings.c...oducts_id=1112

rwhite692 · #6 11-26-2009, 11:44 AM

Unless you will only be heating occasionally, I would seriously look into getting an LP tank outside your shop and going with a gas heater. The operating cost for electric heater could be outrageously high, depending on the $/KWh where you live.

69MyWay · #7 11-26-2009, 01:54 PM

I am running the first full overnight test tonight.

Had it out in the shop today and supplemented it with the propane portable to boost it up.

It is running alone now, and the temp is falling a bit from where it was with the supplemental heat - but the temp outside is falling too.

Will be about 29 tonight - will take measurements tonight and in the morning.

The claim to fame of these things is they don't draw the kind of current other electric heaters do - but running the lamp heating the coils...then blowing air over them, it is a steady gentle heat - not good for heating a room up quick.

My goal is to avoid frozen pipes - so we'll see.

**GregWeld** · #8 11-26-2009, 02:59 PM

Hope it works out for you... but it is a law of "something" - like physics - that it simply takes "X" amount of BTU's to heat "X" space to "X" temp and hold it there... and electric heaters are generally rated in WATTS -- and Electricity is all about voltage and amperage which can only create so many watts - regardless of the style of "heater". Most of the 115V electrics are only about 1500 watts... and that's just not very much "heat".

The reason I said to leave the lights on 24/7 - is in order to get the surrounding equipment - tool boxes - cars etc warmed up - then they act like heat sinks. If all that stuff is cold - then it will take a huge amount of heat/wattage etc to get them to not be like ice in a drink.

If you're all electric - it will cost you "X" amount to heat your shop - regardless of whether it's one heater - or a heater and lights - or your heater and your welder running... WHAT runs up the bill - is heating it to a certain temperature and not being able to keep that heat "in".

I have a couple of "infrared" heaters outside under the covered patio... infrared works by heating OBJECTS rather than blowing warm air etc... They work well on people because we're objects and therefore "FEEL" the heat they put out. The ones I have are 10 amp 120V - but then are rated at 1200 watts (amps times voltage ='s wattage). This would work really well in a shop situation because the infrared heat could then be directed at larger metal objects which would then try to hold the heat... but even that won't "work" if you have too much heat loss in the building. It might, however, keep your pipes from freezing if you aimed the light/heater at them?

The fluorescent lights I use in the shed are High Output T12 versions rated at 110W per bulb - and use two bulbs per fixture. So each fixture is 220 watts - but I'm running 16 of these in the shed... so have 3520 WATTS OF HEAT running 24/7 in the winter. I also leave a big stereo amp running - and that's a little more heat even if it's a 100W's... every little bit helps.

My walls are 6" thick - and have high density R19 bats - and then I covered that with 5/8" plywood... so more "r" value... and the whole thing never has gotten cold - so the tool boxes and all that are nice and toasty (mid 60's at least)... and the doors are insulated as well.

**GregWeld** · #9 11-26-2009, 03:23 PM

I just went out to the shed and thought I'd measure the toolbox temps with my handy dandy little infrared - they're all 71 degrees! I was shocked... I figured they'd be low to mid 60's. The big 1/2" metal table from hell was higher at 74 degrees - but that is because it's closer to the overhead lights in that lowered ceiling area (the boys room is above it so that machine area has an 8' ceiling whereas the rest of the shop is 20+).

What I've found out about having everything "warm" in the winter - and not having any heat source except the lights - is that when I open the big doors - the air temp drops - but once I close 'em back up everything is toasty again in a hurry. The doors get opened if I'm moving a car in or out - or something else that needs to come in through the big doors... but I don't leave them open any more than required!

69MyWay · #10 11-27-2009, 07:27 AM

I believe I am satisfied.

It was in the mid 20s here last night - ice on the ground this morning. I put a thermometer on the sink counter top next to the largest window in the shop. It is reading 55.9 degrees right now. The heater is over 20' from this location.

Of course, we'll have to see the electric bill. It is a 1500 watt appliance.

The cord, plug, and housing are all cool to the touch, so I am also satisfied it isn't pulling very much current through either.

When we get into the super cold stuff, I'll move it closer to the sink and toilet area and let it radiate off them.

Right now it is facing the car on the lift - and like Greg was stating - the surface temp on the facing side of the car is noticeable to the touch warmer - so it then acts as a radiant too. Pretty cool.