Radiant Tube Heaters

[amrrenos]

Hey garage lovers....I am entering your world finally. I am building a 24x36 garage, 10ft walls, cathedral ceiling for added interior height. That was the simple stuff, now I'm stuck on a good heating system for it.
I am interested in a radiant tube heater. I hear they are efficient and give off a comfortable heat. Can someone who has one of these share their thoughts on it.
If this is not a good system to go with, please let me know my best route?

I am self employed so I will be spending lots of time in there in the winter months. The worst mistake I make is afterwards when I say to myself.."I wish I would of...". I would like to finally avoid this.

Also, is this set up insurance friendly?

Thanks to all out there that can help.

AMRRENO

 

[Notch1988]

Do it, you'll love it. I've got an 80K unit in my 24X40 and love it.

 

[trythis]

I have one, and love it. I keep my place pretty cool in high 40s, but dressed right, I hardly notice. The heater will hold much higher, but with the radiant, I can open a 12x 12 door for a minute or two, close it and it doesnt feel like I am starting from scratch trying to reheat.
Get a dual stage, it wont run at full heat all the time, They save a little but can play catchup quick if you need it.

 

[Fueler]

2 thumbs up for my tube heater. Insulate the heck out of the build and the tube heater won't cost spit to run.

 

[Fueler]

1 thing about my tube heater and perhaps every heater that uses a glowing igniter. Buy a spare because they never die/wear out in the Summer. You likely won't find one local. Easy 5 minute swap out.

 

[samsgarage]

I have a 50,000 BTU natural gas fired radiant heater made by SpaceRay of Charlotte, NC. My garage is 24'x26' with R-13 insulation in the walls and R-19 insulation in the ceiling. The garage door is insulated and the windows are thermal pane. The heater had no problem keeping my garage warm during our recent run of temperatures in the teens. It heats the hard surfaces (floor, walls, work benches etc.) instead of the air like a forced air heater does. It is very economical to operate and I would recommend it to anyone looking to heat their garage. Go to www.spaceray.com for more information.
Sam

 

[jdaallen]

Do these type heaters give off a slight emmision of soot (unburned fuel)? Seems any commercial shop I've been in with this type of heat had soot on everything.

 

[samsgarage]

No soot and the only noise is from a small fan used to pull air through the tube.
Sam

 

[samsgarage]

No soot and the only noise is from a small fan used to pull air through the tube. Go to your local WalMart garder center to see one at work. Just look up when you go in the door.
Sam

 

[woolybugger141]

The tube heaters from spaceray look very nice. I am in the process of building a new garage finally. I was looking at the single stage 20,000 btu model. I am not working in the garage all day. On average i will be heating 10hrs a week would a 100lb propane tank supply be sufficient for this unit? The garage is going to be 24x26 9ft. ceiling.

 

[70 chevelle]

I'm also looking at this type of heater for my 30x40x12 insulated garage. how efficient are they

 

[Mike007]

The tube heaters from spaceray look very nice. I am in the process of building a new garage finally. I was looking at the single stage 20,000 btu model. I am not working in the garage all day. On average i will be heating 10hrs a week would a 100lb propane tank supply be sufficient for this unit? The garage is going to be 24x26 9ft. ceiling.

As far as the size, it will depend on where you are located. I'm in NJ, I put a 25K BTU in my 24 x 24 x 10 garage. I leave it on, it works perfectly even when it's in the low 20's. From your post I would say you might be better off with a forced air type heater and just turn it on when you are in the garage. It will heat the air up quickly and you will be comfortable. A 20K BTU radiant tube heater will take hours and hours to bring the air temp up. So you will need to leave it on or turn it on hours in advance if you want to be warm while you are in the garage. I really like my tube heater, but I probably would have been better off with force air.

 

[tatra]

dunno why , but the ones in my shops at work i find very uncomfortable to work directly underneath for any length of time.............these are at least 20 plus feet in the air so it's not like they are close or anything..........

 

[Mike007]

dunno why , but the ones in my shops at work i find very uncomfortable to work directly underneath for any length of time.............these are at least 20 plus feet in the air so it's not like they are close or anything..........

They are probably large in the BTU department. Having only a 10' ceiling, that was one of the factors in my decision to go with the smallest unit possible. I can work under mine no problem.

 

[samsgarage]

As far as the size, it will depend on where you are located. I'm in NJ, I put a 25K BTU in my 24 x 24 x 10 garage. I leave it on, it works perfectly even when it's in the low 20's. From your post I would say you might be better off with a forced air type heater and just turn it on when you are in the garage. It will heat the air up quickly and you will be comfortable. A 20K BTU radiant tube heater will take hours and hours to bring the air temp up. So you will need to leave it on or turn it on hours in advance if you want to be warm while you are in the garage. I really like my tube heater, but I probably would have been better off with force air.

The 50,000 BTU Space Ray natural gas fired radiant heater with the necessary accessories runs around $900. As for efficiency I see very little increase in my gas bill and leave the thermostat no lower that 45 degrees F. My unit brings the temperature up very quickly and does not take hours to do it. Maybe because of the insulation and thermal pane windows.
Sam

 

[Mike007]

The 50,000 BTU Space Ray natural gas fired radiant heater with the necessary accessories runs around $900. As for efficiency I see very little increase in my gas bill and leave the thermostat no lower that 45 degrees F. My unit brings the temperature up very quickly and does not take hours to do it. Maybe because of the insulation and thermal pane windows.
Sam

Sam, you have a 50K BTU unit. The poster I was responding to is looking at a 20K BTU.

 

[Rick98Z]

I have a 40'x40' section of garage I am looking to heat. Ceilings are just shy of 12' and the walls will have r-19 and the ceilings will probably be an even higher value. My hvac guy was repairing the house gas furnace the other day(cracked heat exchanger on 9yr old unit due to improper installation of unit) and he said I should look into a ceiling hanging unit like the reznor of modine...he said if I open up the garage doors much the radiant tube heat really gets sucked out and takes longer to heat things back up. Does that make sense or will I be fine with a radiant tube?

 

[Dragster Racer]

I have a 40'x40' section of garage I am looking to heat. Ceilings are just shy of 12' and the walls will have r-19 and the ceilings will probably be an even higher value. My hvac guy was repairing the house gas furnace the other day(cracked heat exchanger on 9yr old unit due to improper installation of unit) and he said I should look into a ceiling hanging unit like the reznor of modine...he said if I open up the garage doors much the radiant tube heat really gets sucked out and takes longer to heat things back up. Does that make sense or will I be fine with a radiant tube?

My understanding is just the oppisite. The items stay warm, and will continue to radiate heat during and after the door opening. A friend of mine has this in his auto repair shop, and this is a major advantage for him.

 

[Stuart in MN]

Yes, generally radiant heat systems are going to recover faster after opening the garage door. One thing to remember when looking at overhead radiant tube heaters is to get one that's designed for the lower ceilings in a residential garage - industrial ones are generally used with high ceilings (15 or 20 feet or more) and will be too hot in a garage with an 8 or 10 foot ceiling.

 

[Mattlt]

dunno why , but the ones in my shops at work i find very uncomfortable to work directly underneath for any length of time.............these are at least 20 plus feet in the air so it's not like they are close or anything..........

I second this. We have them in our fire station. If we're up on top of a truck packing hose or something we have to shut the heat off! At floor level it's fine.

 

[rwhite692]

In my 24x36, I used a 50K BTU SunStar. 20' long.

Its overkill for my local climate / application, but, I love it.

 

[70 chevelle]

Rwhite,
I have been looking at these I would be useing propane, do you know how much gas you use a year.
Thanks
Larry

 

[Notch1988]

In my 24x36, I used a 50K BTU SunStar. 20' long.

Its overkill for my local climate / application, but, I love it.

Did your manufacturer allow you to anchor the heater like that? I had to hang mine from chain at all mounts to allow for expansion.

 

[rwhite692]

Did your manufacturer allow you to anchor the heater like that? I had to hang mine from chain at all mounts to allow for expansion.

The heater comes with, and hangs in, these chrome "loops" which are made from round stock...The heater and reflector can freely move within these loops when it expands/contracts...I welded angle stock to the loop pieces and mounted them up to the trusses because I wanted something a little better than chain, but that certainly could be done as well.

 

[rwhite692]

Rwhite,
I have been looking at these I would be useing propane, do you know how much gas you use a year.
Thanks
Larry

Hi Larry - No idea....I am on Nat Gas...It has only been one full winter of running, but I haven't noticed an increase in my gas bill...But, again, climate here is pretty mild in the winter as well.

 

[amrrenos]

This seemed to be a very "hot" topic since I posted it. Everyone seems to be happy with their tube heaters and that is what I want to see. Some more question folks, has anyone heard about some possible fire hazzards? I heard that in a shop where woodworking would be done, the sawdust eventually builds up on the top sheild which may eventually ignite. Also, it takes longer to thaw out a vehicle in the winter. Is this correct?

Building a 24x36 garage with parallel scissor trusses for added ceiling height. I am thinking about putting the tube heater in the centre of the room at the peak with of course, the manufacturers clearances. Is this a good location, being central in the room?

Thanks for all the great responses!!

 

[Ohio Auto]

Not trying to be a debbie downer at all but.....check with people who use propane to fuel them if that's what you're using.

Everyone's got an opinion for sure..but the guys I talked to in my area said theirs were little propane hogs. That scared me enough to get a forced air top of the line lennox furnace. I love my choice..it is 98% efficient. My number one concern was fuel consumption..not comfort. So..I guess you have to determine what's the most important requirement for your application.

Guys will argue one way or another, all I know is that my furnace guy told me no way will a radiant tube cost less than a 98% efficient furnace to operate. And yes...he installs furnaces and radiant tubes.

 

[38D]

I have a propane radiant tube heater. My garage (24x26 with 20' ceiling) is still pretty much uninsulated (astro foil stuff which is only ~R5). My heater uses about 1/2 gal of propane per hour if its 30 degrees out. If its say 15 degrees out, it uses a full gal per hour.

 

[trythis]

I have a 40'x40' section of garage I am looking to heat. Ceilings are just shy of 12' and the walls will have r-19 and the ceilings will probably be an even higher value. My hvac guy was repairing the house gas furnace the other day(cracked heat exchanger on 9yr old unit due to improper installation of unit) and he said I should look into a ceiling hanging unit like the reznor of modine...he said if I open up the garage doors much the radiant tube heat really gets sucked out and takes longer to heat things back up. Does that make sense or will I be fine with a radiant tube?

I will 4th or third the opposite opinion as well. Everything in your shop is the same temp with radiant. Blast all that cold air in and it the air ***** heat out of everything, meaning that everything supplies heat and it doesnt take long to equalize. The blowers heat air first and that's what blows out when you open the door. The blower must reheat all the lost warm air which is floating on your ceiling until the entire the heat reaches your thermostat. Radiant heat affect the floor, walls, and everything else, so the heat isnt stuck up high.

No wind, easy fresh air supply, instead of dirty shop air

 

[joey d]

Unless you have overhead doors on two different sides of the garage, open at the same time, with a good amount of wind, your not gonna loose a ton of heat with either type of heater. I have a 45k forced air hanging off the ceiling and when I pull in a car it only takes about 10 minutes to get it back to 68*.