Electric Heater

[rblahetka]

Hi. I have a garage that is attached to my house, and the garage is 19X20 with small 5X6 work area off to the side of it. The garage is insulated including the attic. Previous owner had ran a duct off the furnace of the house into the garage, which supplies some heat. If it is 30 outside, it usually hovers around 55-58 inside. I have a kerosene torpedo heater which will bring it up to higher temp very quickly, but I have grown to not like the smell. I have a few 20 amp outlets on a 30 amp dedicated circuit and a couple more 15 amp outlets on a 20 amp circuit. My panel is full, minus one spot for a breaker, so I don't see 220 (221, whatever it takes.) being an option. So, I am looking for something in the 1500 watt range that will supplement what is coming off the furnace. I have looked at oil filled radiator styles, but I think it will take too long to warm things up. This unit is catching my eye:
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B005MMN75G/?tag=atomicindus08-20
but I am not sure if this will be enough to raise the garage about 8 degrees in an hour. Any input would be great.
Gas is not an option, unfortunately.

 

[bzinsky]

I don't think anybody will be able to tell you. 8 degrees and hour is unlikely.

I would just buy something like this and find out, if it doesn't work, get another and run 2.


http://www.amazon.com/dp/B000TKDQ5C/?tag=atomicindus08-20

 

[Rickcnc]

Previous owner had ran a duct off the furnace of the house into the garage, which supplies some heat.

Do you park the car in the garage or any other vehicle? I would look into removing the duct and any other path that allows carbon monoxide into the house.

Where are you located.. might help in determining how much heater you really need.

 

[rblahetka]

Sorry, I am in Illinois just outside of Chicago. I do park the cars in there, but don't run them in there. There is a one way flap on the vent to prevent anything from comig into the house.

 

[Falcon67]

IMHO you are going to need a 5kW / 240v unit to maintain temp in that space. You may be able to move some breakers around to gain a slot. 1500w in that volume - might as well just run a hair dryer.

 

[jvitez]

Electric heat is 100% efficient, so it really doesn't matter which type of electric heater you buy, it's all about the watts, ie energy (heat) input.

20 amp outlets on a 30 amp dedicated circuit? Multi-wire branch circuit type of wiring? Could you explain further?

 

[rblahetka]

There are 3 20 amp outlets on a single 30 amp breaker, if that makes sense.

 

[jeff000]

There are 3 20 amp outlets on a single 30 amp breaker, if that makes sense.

I would make sure an inspector doesn't come to you house.
Lets hope that you have #10 running from that breaker at least, and if that is the case then move the breakers around and put in a two pole breaker and put a 30a plug in the garage so you can run a 5000w 240v heater.

There is a one way flap on the vent to prevent anything from coming into the house.

And before that inspector comes around remove the death hole into your house. and seal up any other holes too, I doubt you stop the car outside and push it inside. Flap or not, it will not noticeably slow down a gas leak.

 

[rblahetka]

I would make sure an inspector doesn't come to you house.
Lets hope that you have #10 running from that breaker at least, and if that is the case then move the breakers around and put in a two pole breaker and put a 30a plug in the garage so you can run a 5000w 240v heater.




And before that inspector comes around remove the death hole into your house. and seal up any other holes too, I doubt you stop the car outside and push it inside. Flap or not, it will not noticeably slow down a gas leak.

I went out and looked this morning. There are 2 15 amp GFI outlets on a 15 amp breaker. Installed when the house was built. Previous owner installed a 30 amp breaker in the panel and ran 3 20 amp GFI's off of it. Checked the wire and it is 12. That being said, should the 30 amp breaker be removed and replaced with a 20 amp?

As far as the duct in the garage, it is a 4 inch dryer vent tube coming off the furnace. No return in the garage going back. I don't push the cars in the garage when we park. There is a carbon monoxide detector in the garage as well as 2 more in the house. I had the one in the garage go off once from running my snow blower in there for a while and adjusting the carb.

In any event, the one blank spot I have in the panel is right below the 30 amp breaker in there now for the 3 outlets. There is no way for me to get 220 off the one blank, correct? The 30 amp would need to be removed I am assuming? I would have no issue having a 220 spot installed if my panel wasn't full. The other concern is, it is 100 amp service and I have an electric stove and dryer.

 

[Charles (in GA)]

The vent is a fire code issue with a penetration of the firewall between the garage and the house. Whether anyone is worried about CO or gas fumes really isn't the issue, its the opening in the firewall that is.

Yes, replace that 30 amp with a 20. If the panel is made to accept half width (tandem breakers), you could replace about four normal single pole breakers with the tandems and gain a couple of spaces for a 30 or 40 amp breaker to run a ceiling mounted electric heater. The hanging electric heaters have been discussed on here many times, and given a garage that small with insulation, it should heat it up just fine.

Charles

 

[jd_77]

I know I will get hassle from this but I have a 30x35 garage that is well insulated and drywalled. My garage is usually around 40 degrees during the winter. But when I go work out there I run two electric heaters and it brings it up to 50-60 degrees in about 2 hours which is a comfortable working temp for me. The heaters I have are the edenpure knock off you can get from menards. I paid like $60-70 for each of them. I have one on each side off the garage and it works for now. I only work in my garage on the weekends and it works for me. I would assume since your garage is already 55-58 degrees this will bring it up to 65-68 degrees no problem.

 

[dfiler2]

All else aside one thing to think about is how the duct into your garage is effecting the heating system. I've seen this done before and my question would be is there a cold air duct going back to the house? Probably not, so here's what happens, the 4 in duct blows heated air into the garage, if the garage is completely air tight then it would build pressure and either explode or air would quit moving in. It is probably not air tight so the amount of air moving into the garage is also exiting somewhere, the same amount being pushed in is escaping. Looking at the other side of the wall the air being taken out of the house is being replaced by the vacuum that is being created , cold air is being pulled in to replace the heated air being pushed into your garage.

Closing up the 4 in duct may save you enough in efficiency to pay for one of the above mentioned methods of heating your garage.