G73? wall mount ventless? or ceiling mount vented?

[Flash and Flare]

I am having a tough time deciding on which to go with.

24x24 detached shop
8ft ceilings
R13 kraft faced in all the walls
R60 blown in ceiling 18in thick
Walls and ceiling are all finished off with OSB
Single ceiling fan in center of building
2 windows that are 1ft tall 3ft wide
Steel service door
single car aluminum overhead door
I have 100amp service already in the shop
I am in Wisconsin so it gets cold and windy

Last fall when I wired and finished the inside of the shop, I was intending on putting a used Pellet stove for heat, but since then I am thinking in my small space it would be a huge overkill and I can heat the shop with other means without the huge upfront cost and cleaning maintenance of the pellet stove.

I like the G73 for its ease of install, noise free and no consumable fuel, but I am afraid to find out my first electric bill after using this winter.

I like the idea of a hanging LP for its low cost to operate per hour, vented outside so moisture won't be an issue, but don't like that I would have a 100lb cyl setting outside my shop.

I like the simplistic design of a wall mounted ventless and the low upfront cost, low cost per hour to operate but will still have to be tethered to a 100lb cyl outside my shop and will have to deal with some moisture being re-introduced into the air.

I am mainly a weekend warrior, and will potentially use the shop after work a few times a week after work and on the weekends, but I won't be out there all day and night and I will not keep it heated while I am not out there.

Previously I been using a 75,000btu Mr. Heater kerosene torpedo, I hate the noise and the poor ability to maintain a comfortable temp.

I will still keep the kerosene torpedo for a quick warm up so what ever heater doesn't have to struggle to bring it up from stone cold.

My electric rate is .0942 per kw after all fee's and tax's

Thanks for you opinions and suggestions in advance.
F&F

 

[Highbeam]

The last thing I would do is spend money on a non-vented heater when you already have a portable unit.

I have similar electrical costs and have found that propane is actually more expensive as a fuel than resistance electrical heat. Not to mention the actual heater is also more expensive.

Unless you have really cheap propane, you are likely better off with electric.

 

[Flash and Flare]

The last thing I would do is spend money on a non-vented heater when you already have a portable unit.

I have similar electrical costs and have found that propane is actually more expensive as a fuel than resistance electrical heat. Not to mention the actual heater is also more expensive.

Unless you have really cheap propane, you are likely better off with electric.

Thanks, I am gonna call tomorrow to the local propane dealer down the road and see what the current price is per lb is.

Anyone else ???

 

[Falcon67]

What he said. Unless you can get a 250G tank and buy it without fuel tax, electricity is strangly competitive. Filling little bottles - 40lb, 100lb - gets expensive. But - check witha dealer first to be sure of your local options and requirements.

With that said, my G73 kept my 20x24 at the mid 60s in the winter (temps 20s outside) and cycled on average only 4 times per hour, maybe 10 minutes run time per hour. More if really cold, which we don't get much. I had a single insulated door, R13 walls and R13 ceiling with four 16 sq/ft uninsulated attic access panels. Actually, the 4' x 20' strip in the middle didn't have any insulation at all. And no OSB or sheetrock - just the kraft paper showing.

 

[Highbeam]

Thanks, I am gonna call tomorrow to the local propane dealer down the road and see what the current price is per lb is.

Anyone else ???

Get the per gallon cost of propane which should be something like $2.50 so that you can enter this into one of the many "fuel cost calculators" out there to show how much cheaper electric may be.

 

[Flash and Flare]

Get the per gallon cost of propane which should be something like $2.50 so that you can enter this into one of the many "fuel cost calculators" out there to show how much cheaper electric may be.

Just got off the phone with Ferrelgas, $2.00 a gallon if I pre-buy now.

 

[Plump]

F&F, check with Redi Gas if you're in Wisconsin. I think Ferrel is putting a surcharge on all their gas deliveries now.

 

[Todd.Brock]

Filling up the propane tank for the grill was 4.09 gallon. The larger tanks from gas supplier would be the only way to go for LP. I have a g73 in a 20x22. It works pretty well

 

[Falcon67]

My 40 lb tank is $22 to fill without regard to how much is left in the tank. If I run that a long time with the 24K BTU Mr. Heater on top, it starts to freeze up at the tank bottom because of the volume coming out of the tank.

 

[Highbeam]

Just got off the phone with Ferrelgas, $2.00 a gallon if I pre-buy now.

Okay then, resistance electric at 9.24 cents per kwh is 27.07$ per million btus, propane at 2$ and 80% efficiency (typical) is 27.75$ per million btu.

Pretty much the same. You can increase propane efficiency to 95-97% with a fancy condensing house furnace but you can also increase electric efficiency to 300% with one of the fancy mini split heat pumps.

With costs being the same using standard equipment I would recommend you opt for the heating fuel that you already have which is electric. Equipment purchase price, maintenance price, and safety all favor resistance electric as well.

Here is the calculator so that you can mess with it too.

http://www.hearth.com/econtent/index.php/articles/fuel_cost_comparison_calculator/

 

[SiGmA_X]

Look into a minisplit - Efficient heat, and AC!

 

[Flash and Flare]

Well I realize this is resurrecting a topic from the dead, but I wanted to updated that I just picked up a Fahrenheat 5000watt heater. I hope it does as well in my shop.

Thanks for everyones help.

 

[jvitez]

I'm glad you did the actual energy cost comparison. Congrats on heat in the garage!

Our poco does a regular heating cost comparison and updates it when energy prices change significantly. The current costs show mid-efficiency propane to be 17% higher than electricity, based on 6.8 cents/kwh and 46 cents/litre for propane.

I'm using a combination of portable propane heaters, one kerosene heater, and portable 1500 watt electric heaters when it gets to -20C. I'm looking forward to NG heaters, hopefully soon!

Enjoy the clean heat!

 

[Jackfre]

Just for the heck of it, get an hour meter and plug it into your heater and keep track of your usage through the season. It will help you make other decisions going forward.

That said, who make a good easy hour meter, guys?

 

[haugy]

Well I realize this is resurrecting a topic from the dead, but I wanted to updated that I just picked up a Fahrenheat 5000watt heater. I hope it does as well in my shop.

Thanks for everyones help.

I'm thinking of picking up one this weekend as well.

 

[CT2012]

I just did as well (edit: woops I have the smaller 2k watt version) Will be running it off its own 20 amp circuit off a subpanel.

Hope it works as intended...will find out in about 2-3 months!

Well I realize this is resurrecting a topic from the dead, but I wanted to updated that I just picked up a Fahrenheat 5000watt heater. I hope it does as well in my shop.

Thanks for everyones help.