The studs are wood, right?This quote is hidden because you are ignoring this member. Show Quote
The studs are wood, right?This quote is hidden because you are ignoring this member. Show Quote
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I don't think you'd want to burn those...I'd suggest using other wood sources.This quote is hidden because you are ignoring this member. Show Quote
Out of curiosity why electric heater? Gas is cheap as fuck, cheaper than electric heating.
Originally posted by SEANBANERJEE
I have gone above and beyond what I should rightfully have to do to protect my good name
Yep, that's a 100A 240V subpanel so you are absolutely golden. The rough-in for EV appears to be a 50A/240 (can't really read the breaker, it's the 240V double breaker at the bottom left. It also is turned on for some reason.) so if it's in a convenient location, you could likely just install a 240V plug for your heater in that silver outlet box. I bet there's just some capped wires behind the faceplate. Shut off the bottom-left breaker labeled "sub-panel" (or even the main breaker at the top for extra safety) before removing the faceplate.This quote is hidden because you are ignoring this member. Show Quote
To do that, you can either:
1. Install a wall plug in the box that matches the breaker amperage into the box and change your heater's male plug to match that plug, or,
2. Install a wall plug in the box that matches the one already on whatever heater you buy, and replace the breaker with one that matches the amperage rating of that plug.
Up front cost?This quote is hidden because you are ignoring this member. Show Quote
Depending on usage it could take a lot of time to pay out running a gas line to the garage and the install and venting issues with a gas heater.
Electric is plug & play.
Originally posted by Thales of Miletus
If you think I have been trying to present myself as intellectually superior, then you truly are a dimwit.
Originally posted by Toma
fact.This quote is hidden because you are ignoring this member. Show Quote
Until you need 240V service haha.This quote is hidden because you are ignoring this member. Show Quote
Originally posted by SEANBANERJEE
I have gone above and beyond what I should rightfully have to do to protect my good name
He's got 100A/240V garage service already, so if he's only periodically heating, electric is likely the path of least resistance.This quote is hidden because you are ignoring this member. Show Quote
Nah, burn em today.This quote is hidden because you are ignoring this member. Show Quote
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I'm leaning that way because:This quote is hidden because you are ignoring this member. Show Quote
- Looks like electric is around $150 for the heater itself vs $500+ for gas. I don't really care about the cost as both seem pretty cheap for the units themselves, but it would still probably be 5+ years before I recovered any cost savings with occasional use.
- I'd have to run a gas line from the house to the garage (not sure what that costs), but I already have 240V in the garage (I think I just need an outlet from what I'm learning here)
- Gas makes me more nervous from a safety perspective (flames, venting, CO, etc.)
- The cost of electricity is so low that I probably won't even notice it on my bill, even though it might be more than gas. Running a 5000W heater occasionally is not even going to be $100/year if the power calculator I used is correct.
I'm not completely opposed to gas, but electric just seems to suit my situation better. If I wanted to run it 24/7 in the winter months, gas might make more sense, but I plan to use it only on the really cold weeks, and then only as needed for a few hours at a time while I'm working out there. I'm also undecided if I want a roof mounted one, or if I should just go buy a $150 portable one from Princess Auto and be done with it.
Perfect. I'm glad this is turning out to be much less of an ordeal than I originally thought. Thank you for all the info.This quote is hidden because you are ignoring this member. Show Quote
Here are close ups of the panel, sorry I just cropped the smartphone pic so its pretty bad:
Top set:
Bottom Set:
Wait, that's a 100A outgoing feed? Is there a second subpanel in the garage somewhere? That silver box may just be a junction leading that 100A somewhere else, instead of being a rough-in.
That is the only box in the garage (other than the little metal box to the left). The top and bottom both have those dual-pole 100A breakers. It is wired through my house panel, which is also 100A from what I was told.This quote is hidden because you are ignoring this member. Show Quote
I thought maybe the top 100A breakers were for the panel itself, and the bottom 100A breaker was for the little metal box that I assume is the rough in for the EV charger, but I really have no idea.
I've already got a gas line in my garage... previous owner had a heater/furnace out there at some point.
Given that's the case, I'm assuming I should be strongly considering gas heater? Anyone factor in maintenance and reliability? afaik nothing to really go wrong with an electric heater, whereas gas has more components that can break.
If gas line is in garage, use gas heat. Used household furnace, or whatever. Gas is MUCH cheaper per BTUThis quote is hidden because you are ignoring this member. Show Quote
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Turn off the breaker, open up the junction box, and take a look.This quote is hidden because you are ignoring this member. Show Quote
Yeah, the top 100A breaker is incoming power for the panel, the bottom 100A is a feed to somewhere else. It certainly looks like that 100A feed is going to the silver utility box, perhaps the EV rough-in was more intended for a big hard-wired unit (eg Clipper Creek CS-100) than the installation of a traditional 50A wall plug. As mentioned above, shut the breaker off and take a look in the box to see what's what.This quote is hidden because you are ignoring this member. Show Quote
The garage is feeding the house.
I wondered about that, but I figured 100A was a bit low for main feed in a newer build - aren't they usually 200A these days?This quote is hidden because you are ignoring this member. Show Quote
At any rate, if the entire power in his house goes off when he flips that breaker, he'll know for sure haha.
Probably did the calculations wrong again.
For the 40F rise, it should take the 5.9KW heater from Princess Auto 4.7 hours to heat. The loaded electric rate of $0.18 KWh gives you $5 of electricity. The same 40F rise would cost $0.60 for the loaded $7 rate per GJ of nat gas.
It would be interesting to calculate the heat loss of a garage when it is -30 out to see how much it costs to maintain the temp.... but I am not that interested. haha
My Tesla referral link: https://ts.la/moon14483
Tesla new owner FAQ: https://forums.beyond.ca/threads/411...37#post4928237
In 15 years with the calcana unit, I’ve had it serviced once. The control board went on it. $125 parts and labor last year. I leave my garage door open when I’m out snow blowing or kids playing out front so the garage gets cold. 15 mins and it’s back to room temperature. Intake is inside the garage so when car melts it’s taking out all that moisture. No humidity problems in the garage.This quote is hidden because you are ignoring this member. Show Quote
I leave my garage at 22C throughout the winter. I’ve turned it off when we’ve travelled and no difference on the bill so I don’t even bother turning it down ever. Cold summer night? It’s going. Honestly it’s been so maintenance free I don’t even notice it till it broke last year.
Sorry Greta.
Originally posted by SEANBANERJEE
I have gone above and beyond what I should rightfully have to do to protect my good name
no experience personally but i'm looking into one for next winter. If you already have the gas line, i would think you could get a good Lennox/other top brand for about $1500-1800 installed. My guy quoted $2099 for a Lennox but he needs to run a new gas line.This quote is hidden because you are ignoring this member. Show Quote
Curious about reliability on these things as well. Hope it's not the same deal as high efficiency home furnaces where they break all the time.