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Occasional use...NG versus Electric question

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das_V8

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Oct 29, 2012
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Location
Columbus, OH
Just for reference datum point, going thru similar setup/layout, but no tankless water heater (NG tank heater 75k). I found a local plumber thru Thumbtack do the gas, it was $350 labor and $200 material to tap into main line and run 20' of 3/4" then 20' of 1/2", drill through a concrete wall, sleeve and cap into the garage. Then pressure tested. I hung myself with a buddy and will do final vent/electrical connections. For the gas, I did my own capacity calculations to confirm install and code compliance. $1400 sounds pretty reasonable, but if the minisplit offers AC as well.... hmmm....
 
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fmzip

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Jan 17, 2017
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das_V8 said:
Just for reference datum point, going thru similar setup/layout, but no tankless water heater (NG tank heater 75k). I found a local plumber thru Thumbtack do the gas, it was $350 labor and $200 material to tap into main line and run 20' of 3/4" then 20' of 1/2", drill through a concrete wall, sleeve and cap into the garage. Then pressure tested. I hung myself with a buddy and will do final vent/electrical connections. For the gas, I did my own capacity calculations to confirm install and code compliance. $1400 sounds pretty reasonable, but if the minisplit offers AC as well.... hmmm....
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Thanks for the info, that was a great price!

I know, as much as I desire heat, I recall dying in that garage in the middle of summer. I think I can live with reasonable heat and good AC versus awesome heat and no AC. Once I get swinging the club it will likely get warm in there anyway
 
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couch67

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Mar 18, 2016
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Location
Ontario Canada
Showkey said:
Sorry calculations fall apart in the size and function of small heater in large space............but 5kw electric heater is not going to raise the 35* garage to comfortable temp in two hours.
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Showkey very good point - while I have a similar setup (5k baseboards, 500 sq ft), I keep my insulated garage around 45 F on standby, and move the tstat up when I'm planning to spend time in there. Taking it from dead nuts cold to t-shirt would take a bit more notice (and $)
 
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rust in the eye

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Chicagoland
fmzip said:
Man, this gas heater may be more of a PITA than it's worth. Most recent installer thinks I may need a new gas meter and a bigger main line. Reason being:

Tankless hot water heater 180K BTU's
Furnace 80K
Cooktop 60K
Outdoor grill 50K
Fireplace 30K
Garage heater 50K

He said he has to prove out the calculation to town hall that the existing setup will support it. Really, I would never be running everything at the same time. Cooking dinner with all 5 burners on, cooking outside too, running a shower, sitting in front of the fireplace and working out in the garage. I get it but seems like BS to me.

For what it's worth, it's best to do your home work before buying a heater. Looks like I may be going down the electrical road shortly! Anyone looking for a 50K heater in CT send me a message :)

Looking for suggestions on electric heaters, do most work with a separate thermostat? How can you turn the the thing on with it being 8 ft off the floor? Ladder all the time? What are some quality units that I should be considering? Is 5000watts enough?
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You will never be running all those devices at once.
"Honey, while we take a long hot shower let's turn on all the stove burners and oven, start the grill going full blast and make sure the house and garage are at 80*. Just to be sure turn on the fireplace too."
New meter? that's just nuts.
How far away is the nearest gas pipe? Pipe and fittings are cheap and given a fairly clear path you ought to be able to DIY this.
 
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fmzip

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33
Here's my progress, fabricated a kitty corner wall mount for the mini split, hope to have that installed next week

sim1.jpg
 
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fmzip

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Jan 17, 2017
Messages
33
rust in the eye said:
You will never be running all those devices at once.
"Honey, while we take a long hot shower let's turn on all the stove burners and oven, start the grill going full blast and make sure the house and garage are at 80*. Just to be sure turn on the fireplace too."
New meter? that's just nuts.
How far away is the nearest gas pipe? Pipe and fittings are cheap and given a fairly clear path you ought to be able to DIY this.
Click to expand...

I agree. However, the 80K furnace and the 180K tankless already exceed the meter. Went with a min-split instead
 
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Pay2play

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Jun 20, 2015
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Looking good. Great to have a/c too.


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