I'm finally tired of not using my gar**** shop in the winter and wanted to ask the wreck about shop heater opinions. It's a typical 2 car structure, attached to the house, and with a '67 Mustang taking up 1/2 of the space.
My first thought was 1 or 2 ceiling mounted electric heaters such as this one:
handle 26 amps or so of current on top of whatever tools you might be running. My garage/shop is a 2.5 car detached, and I went with an overhead gas heater. Also keep in mind that these heaters will heat you when you're in the line of fire, but won't effectvely heat the whole space. So, if you want to be warm while sitting at the bench, it would probably work for you. If you're trying to warm up the whole garage, I don't think it will be adequate.
todd
I'm not at home so I can't run out into the garage to see what brand my heater is, but I use one of those torpedo shaped yellow kerosene blowers. My shop situation is identical to yours, except I move my car out when I woodwork.
The heater can raise the inside temp from 40 to 70 in about 20 minutes. Then I run it for a few minutes at a time as the temperature drops down again. In the meanwhile, it's Tee Shirt City in the garage.
and then looked at the photo of 2 guys hanging the thing. After all, it's
11' long, while I suppose the smaller unit may be 6'.
I have a Reznor 44kBTU unit that works very well. It does require that you have gas in your shop. If your shop is not insulated, do that first. Saves big $ on heating bills. j4
imho, radiant heaters to a decent job of maintaining a temp. if you plan to make it hot and leave it hot, its a good idea. if you are only going to heat it as needed, they likely wont be good enough. it will take too long to get warm.
randy
On Mon, 21 Jun 2004 12:46:18 -0600, "Jeremy" vaguely proposed a theory ......and in reply I say!:
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You _might_ get warn sitting right under it.
"Quartz elements provide high heat output in radiant form. This means the closer you are to the unit the hotter you are and that it is perfect for heating small sections of a large open area (e.g. a workshop, basement or a garage)"
Unless we are one up on you guys, $59 is a high price for a floor heater with a bracket.
Try a couple of little box fan heaters for about US$15 from XMart.
750-1000w of simple radient heat will not do anything IMO. I says "targeted heating" and is therefore not a very good space heater. I find fan heaters to be far more effective for either local or space heating.I know safety is an issue, but putting a heater up high does not make sense. Again, a fan heater would be better, if you need to put it up high, as the fan can blow the hot air down.
Other thoughts.
- Heating a 'typical 2-car structure" is going to take some doing. They are usually draughty and poorly insulated.
- Move the car. It's going to soak up heat. - Or maybe take it out for a drive for 15-20 minutes each time before you work, and put it back in!
I have one of these exact ones in my 12x16 shop. It works nice but mostly for the vicinity, like within say 6' or so of it. I can sit in a chair on my modeling bench side and its comfy as can be. For me this works just fine. Two would probably work if placed near both ends of the one garage since thats where you'll be working, but no way will they make a double garage comfortable, IMO anyway.
Grandpa (PS-bought 2 for $25ea > I'm finally tired of not using my gar**** shop in the winter and wanted to
5,000 Btu, don't expect a big temperature rise. It will be nice right were you work though. Each heater will need a circuit in addition to the ones you have now.
FWIW, I have a 30k Btu propane and on really cold days (below 20) it is not enough in my detached garage. That is 6 times the power of one of these. Ed.
It isn't adequate. I found it made no more than 5-8 degrees difference in the ambient temperature of my shop and that's with another heater running. Unless you are standing right in front of it (it points at my back while I'm at the bench) the effects are largely lost. At the bench it will make my back feel warm. Overall my experience has been to think larger and more expensive that you initially want to. And the point others make about insulation is very valid. For more information about the insulation and climate conditions in my shop you can visit the link below:
The least expensive solution I could find that did a decent job was this unit:
PJ
On Mon, 21 Jun 2004 12:46:18 -0600, "Jeremy" vaguely proposed a theory ......and in reply I say!:
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RANT! RANT! RANT! RANT!
It's just occurred to me! You guys are used to central heating and are not past the "bar heater" stage of local heating?
This is not _just_ being rude.
I do have an issue with central heating in the same way I have an issue with ducted aircon to cool. It makes rooms nice just for those odd occasions when you duck in there. And that is wasteful.
I suppose that watching Munroe's panties justifies piping heat to whole areas of a town...
....sorry.... Auzzies are doing their bit to Roger the planet too....
However....
In Oz, we simply have not caught up with central heating. Nowhere is it cold enough to warrant the idea. Most people do not even bother with reverse cycle aircon for winter! We get to -5 Deg C overnight, and that's about it. 20 days a year. In some small areas.
What's double glazing? We may use it to keep out 40+ deg C heat in summer. But shade is easier.
We probably carried a bit more of the spartan stuff into the 20th Century (class snobbery), and are only now softening.
But most of it is cooling, not heating.
BUT..... we do learn low-end, non-installed heating. Because a wet day at 10 - 12 deg C is a miserable bastard. And we are learning insulation and sealing, because of heat. insulation of course cuts both ways....
Learn this.
Bar heaters S U C K! They heat right in front of them and give you burnt feet and chillblains. They are not called radiant heaters for nothing. They are NOT space heaters, at all.
Use gas, fuel, or as I said, fan-forced, if you want to do anything other than toast 3' square.
These alternatives take time (although sitting in front of a fan heater gets you warm very quick), and if inadequate, will fail to keep you warm.
You need to suss out the BTU needed to warm your shop to the temp you can work in.........it may scare you a bit. Insulation and sealing may be a good investment.
I studied (and applied to some extent) minimalist living. As I said, we do not suffer from _real_ cold. But if you do, then I remember reading, in an English book, about the fact that a fireplace that uses combustion should have a pipe feeding it air, direct to the firebox, because otherwise the cold air is sucked under doors and past windows, and that means cold into the room. That shows you how much insulation, design and sealing can help.
But regardless, Volt-amp for Volt-amp, $ for $, bar heaters S U C K, compared to just about anything else, except for drying your shoes.
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