10watts per sq ft

[krisway]

Is 10 watts per sq ft a good rule of thumb for when adding heat to an insulated garage? I was planning on using base board heaters, but what's everyones thoughts on a 4800watt heater with fan? I'm looking to heat a 16x36 garage at 10 degrees for the winter months to keep away the dampness.

 

[jvitez]

HVAC pros will always say do a load calc which is the proper answer. The rule of thumb of 10 w/ft2 has been used for a long time in residential heat (electric baseboards predominately).

Where are you located? How much insulation? Insulated garage door? How often will you be opening the door?

FWIW in my Siberian climate I had an attached 22x24 garage, R12 walls, R40 ceiling, insulated 16x7 garage door, no exterior man door, one single pane window, and it heated fine with a 4800 watt heater. That was 9.1 watts/sq ft.

 

[Falcon67]

I didn't have any problems keeping 480 sq/ft cozy (R13 all sides) with a 5kW electric. And it's managing quite well in the new 960 sq/ft. But where I live, "winter" comes in days at a time. Frosty is hanging out with the kids one day and not even a wet spot the next. We got a dusting of snow this morning and it'll be 50s then 60s for the next 7 days or so. Heater is set one step below "LO" and it's 60F in the tool room (12x24) and 54F in the work area (28x24). High today was 43, 36 right now.