Beyond preferred garage heater install?

[raceman6135]

Originally posted by S-FLY


How do you like that model heater? Who installed it and do you have any regrets with it?

I like it quite a bit. My garage walls and ceiling have insulation and vapour barrier, so it brings the temperature up quickly and holds it there without running too often.

It's obviously more noisy than a radiant style of heater, but it doesn't bother me as I work in my garage, so there is often some mechanical noise anyway.

Shift Air Mechanical did the installation for me and I'm very happy with Brent McQuade's work. They were all done within 3 to 4 hours and there have been zero problems with the heater and installation.

My uncle had a Calcana-style radiant heater in his garage but I didn't like it very much. Since I don't work in my garage every day, I only turn on the heater when I need it. With the radiant in my uncle's garage, until the garage warmed up, I was feeling a lot of heat on my head but my feet were cold.

Those are just my impressions, of course, and there are a lot of guys that like the radiant heaters more than forced air.

[S-FLY]

On a day like today, do you think you could get your garage up to +15c with your heater? Thanks for all the info!

[schurchill39]

I had a 35,000 BTU Lennox heater installed in my 24x26 detached garage and I am really happy with how warm its kept it when we just park the vehicles in there and when I go to work in there it heats up really nice.

I paid $2,250 (minus trenching) which included install and permit. The guy I used does commercial work as his regular job but residential on nights and weekends so for cash and a little patience I saved myself ~ $500.

That being said I wouldn't recommend the dude I used because his work was pretty sloppy and he just didn't take his time to do it right. He was a nice enough guy but I'm kicking myself in the ass for not ponying up the extra few hundred for something that would have been clean. He came recommended from a guy I work with so I was a little surprised with the outcome.

[Iqoair]

I have a Calcana heater in my garage, 15' and love it. Our attached garage is 36'x24' and works well enough for me. Very cheap to use as well! If you don't let the garage get too cold, it won't take long to heat things up. They work much better with a fresh air intake, if you just install it and have the air intake from within the garage they don't work as well. Keep them at least 4' away from painted surfaces.

[Jeff TYPE R]

I was planning on buying and mounting this up myself:

http://www.costco.ca/Dimplex-4%2c000....10360411.html

My garage is very well insulated and I don't need it that warm, and only the odd time I'd crank it to work in the garage. It seems perfect for what I need and at a good price. Install seems straightforward too.

The only issue is that the power cord is only 6' long, won't reach an outlet if I hang it off the ceiling, and it says to not use an extension cord. Any electricians want to chime in? Will I need someone to come and install an extra outlet?

[Yuubah]

Originally posted by Jeff TYPE R
I was planning on buying and mounting this up myself:

http://www.costco.ca/Dimplex-4%2c000....10360411.html

My garage is very well insulated and I don't need it that warm, and only the odd time I'd crank it to work in the garage. It seems perfect for what I need and at a good price. Install seems straightforward too.

The only issue is that the power cord is only 6' long, won't reach an outlet if I hang it off the ceiling, and it says to not use an extension cord. Any electricians want to chime in? Will I need someone to come and install an extra outlet?

Looks like you need a 240v outlet, so I would guess you would need to have that installed by an electrician first.

[GTS Jeff]

Originally posted by Yuubah


Looks like you need a 240v outlet, so I would guess you would need to have that installed by an electrician first.

Actually my question was about the extension cord...I already have a 240V outlet.

[Darell_n]

Just go to Home Depot and buy whatever length you need of 10/3 wire and 1 male 1 female plug.

[raceman6135]

Originally posted by S-FLY
On a day like today, do you think you could get your garage up to +15c with your heater? Thanks for all the info!

Absolutely, no problem. I regularly work comfortably in my +15C garage when it's -20C outside (or even colder), and it doesn't take long to get to that temp. It isn't as quick to warm up as some of the radiant heater users claim with their 5 to 15 minutes observances, but I'm not complaining.

[max_boost]

lol Jeff Type R & GTS Jeff in the same thread lol

[blownz]

Originally posted by S-FLY
Can anyone with a typical 40,000 btu gas forced air heater in a double garage comment on how warm it gets and if they like it?

I have a 45,000 btu Lenox and my garage is 22x22 with half the ceiling at 8' and half at 9'.

I have had it for 9 years with no issues. I keep the garage around 14-15 and it has no problem with that and even if I have the door open for an hour in 20 below and then want to heat it up to 20 above to work on a vehicle, it has no problem with it.

[HiTempguy1]

Wow, it blows my mind how much people are spending on gas heater installs... why doesn't everyone just run electric heat?

A 4000W heater is more than sufficient to heat a 24x24 garage to room temperature (20*C). If you just had it on a thermostat and your garage was insulated, I bet it would cost $50/month to keep the garage at 10*C in the winter. The only issue is it would take a bit to heat up after the door had opened.

[S-FLY]

Originally posted by HiTempguy1
The only issue is it would take a bit to heat up after the door had opened.

And most of those require 220v. Gas heater > electric heater.

[raceman6135]

Originally posted by S-FLY


And most of those require 220v. Gas heater > electric heater.

In my situation, the sub panel in my garage is only a 60 amp panel, and since I already have dedicated circuits for a 220v air compressor and a 220v welder, and a couple of 15 amp circuits for lights and plugs, I didn't have the space to have a 220v heater circuit as well.

[TomcoPDR]

Originally posted by raceman6135


In my situation, the sub panel in my garage is only a 60 amp panel, and since I already have dedicated circuits for a 220v air compressor and a 220v welder, and a couple of 15 amp circuits for lights and plugs, I didn't have the space to have a 220v heater circuit as well.

Do you find 60amp sub panel is enough? Like it's not like everything is going to be running all at the same time kinda thing.

What power service is going into the main house if u don't mind telling.

[blownz]

Originally posted by HiTempguy1
Wow, it blows my mind how much people are spending on gas heater installs... why doesn't everyone just run electric heat?

A 4000W heater is more than sufficient to heat a 24x24 garage to room temperature (20*C). If you just had it on a thermostat and your garage was insulated, I bet it would cost $50/month to keep the garage at 10*C in the winter. The only issue is it would take a bit to heat up after the door had opened.

First garage I had I installed a 220v electric heater that I got free from work. It was one of those small ones you often see in the breezeway of a building.

Anyway, I set the temp to around 12-15 (can't remember exactly anymore) and the first month my electricity bill increased something like $50-60. I thought it wasn't bad and left it. Next month I had a $500 electricity bill. I was pretty sure the cops were going to show up looking for a grow op.

Bottom line, gas is way more efficient than electricity for heating your garage. Keeping my garage at about 15 now costs maybe $40 a month. And the electric heater was way slower at heating things up.

[raceman6135]

Originally posted by TomcoPDR
Do you find 60amp sub panel is enough? Like it's not like everything is going to be running all at the same time kinda thing.

That's true that not everything in the garage will be running at the same time, so 60 amperes will feed all that I can do. After all, I can't run the plasma cutter (which needs the air compressor to operate) and the welder at the same time

I'm not positive what the electrical code states, but I believe the welder has to be on its own circuit, but the air compressor could be on another 240 volt circuit if I had other 240 volt loads (properly sized, of course).

I would like to put a 30 amp 125 volt receptacle on the side of my garage (fed from the garage's sub-panel) where my travel trailer is parked for those times when I want maximum power available for it. As it is, I have a 15 amp GFCI outlet there that will run most of the things on the travel trailer, which is sufficient 95% of the time.

Originally posted by TomcoPDR
What power service is going into the main house if u don't mind telling.

100 amp service.

[Darkane]

Bump this up.

Gonna check out some installers. Want to go gas for a 32x22 triple attached. 40-50k btu should cut it.

Don't want above 5 and about 15 deg when I'm working in there. With a hoody and coveralls, and gorilla gloves 12deg is no problem too. Think a 40 or 50 would do?

[roopi]

Originally posted by Darkane
Bump this up.

Gonna check out some installers. Want to go gas for a 32x22 triple attached. 40-50k btu should cut it.

Don't want above 5 and about 15 deg when I'm working in there. With a hoody and coveralls, and gorilla gloves 12deg is no problem too. Think a 40 or 50 would do?

Had Shift Air Mechanical install a Reznor 45,000 BTU unit a couple of weeks ago (they were doing my A/C so just had it done all at once).

The heater install was a different day then the A/C and I wasn't around to watch so not sure how long it took them. As for the install I already had a gas line in the garage so they just needed to extend it, venting, and hang. Overall no complaints with the install. Clean install and didn't leave a mess around. I'd recommend. Owner's name is Brent.

[BerserkerCatSplat]

Originally posted by Darkane
Bump this up.

Gonna check out some installers. Want to go gas for a 32x22 triple attached. 40-50k btu should cut it.

Don't want above 5 and about 15 deg when I'm working in there. With a hoody and coveralls, and gorilla gloves 12deg is no problem too. Think a 40 or 50 would do?

~40K is fine. My 33x25 is heated by a 30K (a Reznor I got for free), and while it takes a while to get up to temp, it does the trick. I usually hold at ~9 degrees and work at ~17.

As far as installers go, all I can say is that my experience with Josh the Gasfitter was less than stellar.