Single Bay 220v Garage Heater <$500

[Philpug]

I need to heat a *single bay garage for the winter. I will be running a 220v to the area and using a ceiling heater. I have been shopping Amazon and I am overly confused by the options. So, if someone can take a look on Amazon (I like the free shipping) for suggestions, I would greatly appreciate it. Climate is Reno, so it is not Michigan UP cold.

*garage is a three bay but I will be putting up a plastic curtain to seperate the single bay.

 

[like2wheel]

I don’t understand how, but this electric heater ($179) has easily kept my 1400 square-foot Pole Barn between 55-60° the last two winters in the Northeast.

10 foot walls with a flat ceiling in the front half, 12 foot walls with scissor trussed ceiling in the back half. Two 9 x 9 doors in one 8 x 8 door, one man door and two windows.

It’s pretty well insulated and sealed, and I’m not sure how cold it would get without any heat. With the temp dial about 1/3 throttle, the coldest days of winter (single-digit), it would run a little more than 50% of the time. The rest of the winter about 25-33%.

Hope this helps.

 

[Philpug]

Any other Amazon suggestions?

 

[Shiftless]

How well insulated is that garage? How warm do you want? How quickly do you want it to warm up? A plastic sheet won’t block very much heat loss from your work area into the unheated position of your garage.

Maybe somebody with first hand experience with similar circumstances will chime in soon. I don’t have heat in my uninsulated garage. It rarely falls below 60.

 

[u3b3rg33k]

I'm gonna suggest you skip the fancy fan powered head banger, get a UL listed baseboard heater and control it with a real thermostat.

 

[Philpug]

How well insulated is that garage? How warm do you want? How quickly do you want it to warm up? A plastic sheet won’t block very much heat loss from your work area into the unheated position of your garage.

Well insulated inc door. I don't expect down-comforter warm but comfortable for long sleeves and pants. As far as how fast to heat? 10-15 minutes would be fine.

I'm gonna suggest you skip the fancy fan powered head banger, get a UL listed baseboard heater and control it with a real thermostat.

I really don't have the wall space, there are racks and tables blocking it. No head banging unless there is someone 7'6" plus.

 

[PoorUB]

Well insulated inc door. I don't expect down-comforter warm but comfortable for long sleeves and pants. As far as how fast to heat? 10-15 minutes would be fine.


I really don't have the wall space, there are racks and tables blocking it. No head banging unless there is someone 7'6" plus.

No heater will heat the area to a reasonable comfort level in 10-15 minutes. The reason? All the **** in the garage is cold and has to be heated up too. If you can warm it to a comfortable level in a couple hours I would be happy.

A plastic divider curtain will do very little in helping heat the area. Even if you seal all the edges to the floor, walls and ceiling. I swear plastic has a negative R rating! All plastic will do is cause a cold draft across the floor when the cold air in the unheated side pours out under the plastic.

Real walls and insulation are what is needed.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01DUZZE9S/?tag=atomicindus08-20

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09L4X59VT/?tag=atomicindus08-20

 

[PoorUB]

I'm gonna suggest you skip the fancy fan powered head banger, get a UL listed baseboard heater and control it with a real thermostat.

How many people have garages where there is room to install electric baseboard heat??

 

[Philpug]

No heater will heat the area to a reasonable comfort level in 10-15 minutes. The reason? All the **** in the garage is cold and has to be heated up too. If you can warm it to a comfortable level in a couple hours I would be happy.

The garage is attached to the house, so it's not like it is is getting sub freezing but I hear what you are saying.

A plastic divider curtain will do very little in helping heat the area. Even if you seal all the edges to the floor, walls and ceiling. I swear plastic has a negative R rating! All plastic will do is cause a cold draft across the floor when the cold air in the unheated side pours out under the plastic.

Real walls and insulation are what is needed.

A real wall is not going to happen, I need to beable to open the car door.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09L4X59VT/?tag=atomicindus08-20

At the bottom of the page was Amazon's suggestion, this 7500

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0BN7ZG8VZ/?tag=atomicindus08-20

Would going to 10,000 Watt make enough of a difference?

 

[PoorUB]

At the bottom of the page was Amazon's suggestion, this 7500

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0BN7ZG8VZ/?tag=atomicindus08-20
Would going to 10,000 Watt make enough of a difference?

You shouldn't need more than 5,000 watts in your climate. We can heat an insulated two car with a 5K in North Dakota except in the most extreme cold, like -20F. Your average winter lows are something like 30F.

 

[Philpug]

You shouldn't need more than 5,000 watts in your climate. We can heat an insulated two car with a 5K in North Dakota except in the most extreme cold, like -20F. Your average winter lows are something like 30F.

Will 7,500 or 10,000 heat faster and also not work as hard to heat/keep warm?

 

[PoorUB]

Will 7,500 or 10,000 heat faster and also not work as hard to heat/keep warm?

They will heat faster, but the objects in the space will not heat faster. You really do not want to oversize heating equipment. Also, do you realize what size circuit 10K needs? Off the top of my head it will need a 60 amp circuit and 4 gauge wire.

 

[Philpug]

Also, do you realize what size circuit 10K needs? Off the top of my head it will need a 60 amp circuit and 4 gauge wire.

I will be running a dedicated line from the box. The electrician will not order the wires until I get the heater.

 

[PoorUB]

I will be running a dedicated line from the box. The electrician will not order the wires until I get the heater.

Sure, but a 5K heater will run on a 30 amp circuit with 10 gauge wire. Labor and supplies will be quite a bit lower priced.

I am fairly confident the 5K heater will do fine for you, disregarding any weird extreme cold.

 

[Philpug]

Sure, but a 5K heater will run on a 30 amp circuit with 10 gauge wire. Labor and supplies will be quite a bit lower priced.

I am fairly confident the 5K heater will do fine for you, disregarding any weird extreme cold.

I am a firm beleiver of "If you can't afford to do it once, you can't afford to do it twice". While the materials might be more, the labor will still be the same, so I might split the difference and go 7,500K .. now which brand to buy? Most have 4-4.5 stars.

 

[nadogail]

IMHO, The appropriate size of heater needed will depend on many variables, too many to address here.

 

[PoorUB]

I am a firm beleiver of "If you can't afford to do it once, you can't afford to do it twice". While the materials might be more, the labor will still be the same, so I might split the difference and go 7,500K .. now which brand to buy? Most have 4-4.5 stars.

Well, hell, why not buy a 20K heater?

Twenty years in the heating and air conditioning industry and you know better than me.

I'm done.

 

[Philpug]

Twenty years in the heating and air conditioning industry and you know better than me.

I'm done.

You were actually a big help, this is very confusing with all of the choices, but no where did you say this was your field.

 

[u3b3rg33k]

I'm also a proponent of the smallest power heater you can manage. i've got a 3/5kW in my garage and most of the time it's on 3kW. I recommend the baseboard heater because it eliminates a bunch of operational limit switches (not the safeties) and gets the cold air that's on the floor.

 

[BillK]

Ill just add to the 5K watt bunch. I am in the Washington DC area and my 5K unit will easily heat my attached 2 car garage on the coldest winter day we have. Walls are insulated but not the attic. Door is insulated and sealed very well. I can come home at 5PM on a 20 degree day, come in through the garage, turn the heat on and go in and eat dinner. By the time I am done I can go back out into the garage and it will be 65 degrees. This is the heater I have:

Qmark Heater 3333W/5000W 240V Garage Unit Heater Gray (Qmark Heater MUH35) | HomElectrical.com

Buy Qmark Heater MUH35 3333W/5000W 240V Garage Unit Heater Gray on HomElectrical.com. Take advantage of FREE SHIPPING.

www.homelectrical.com

 

[P0234]

Spend a little more and get a 7k btu wall unit heat pump. Heating will be about 70% cheaper than coils for most of the cold months. And when it gets hot you have AC.

 

[nadogail]

The heat pump will probably be most efficient for a moderate climate, living where I do I opted for a 5KW heater attached to the ceiling joists with the fan directed towards the Work Bench and Sink.
I have not yet needed cooling in the Shop, yes I do open doors and windows and sometimes run a floor fan. If the heat in the Shop gets unbearable, i just retreat into the Air Conditioned house.

 

[Philpug]

A heat pump like this...

LG LMN079HVT 7k BTU Wall Mounted Unit - For Multi-Zone

Buy LG LMN079HVT Today. Free Shipping. Check the LG 7k BTU Wall Mounted Unit - For Multi-Zone ratings before checking out.

www.ecomfort.com

 

[WisJim]

I have a 24x40 building that is in NW Wisconsin, where it actually gets cold in the winter, and insulation and sealing are most important. The OP hasn't said what his insulation is, just "well insulated", which is an opinion, not an insulation value. My building has spray foam walls and ceiling and foam under and around the slab, and it barely gets down to freezing without any heat at all, in the coldest weeks of winter. I can warm it up to 60 degrees running a 1500 watt plug in portable heater. In Nevada, a well insulated shop/garage shouldn't need much, if any, heat.

 

[Philpug]

I have a 24x40 building that is in NW Wisconsin, where it actually gets cold in the winter, and insulation and sealing are most important. The OP hasn't said what his insulation is, just "well insulated", which is an opinion, not an insulation value. My building has spray foam walls and ceiling and foam under and around the slab, and it barely gets down to freezing without any heat at all, in the coldest weeks of winter. I can warm it up to 60 degrees running a 1500 watt plug in portable heater. In Nevada, a well insulated shop/garage shouldn't need much, if any, heat.

While it is not Wisconsin, Reno is not Vegas and does get winter and it gets cold. We have had enough snow where I can ski my back yard. Door is insulated as are the walls. I have been using a 1500w heater that is enough to take the edge off but not enough to get the temp to where I need if I have a bootfitting customer or in am in there tuning/waxing a dozen pairs of skis.