Heating solutions for 120 service

[DIY Rookie]

I have a 22x25 insulated garage. I was thinking about putting in a Mr. Heater Big Maxx which would be more than plenty, but I am going to do that at a later date. I have a little torpedo propane heater which before I even insulated would take the chill out of the garage here even in Michigan. So I can't imagine how much the insulation is going to help. I just don't like the Carbon Monoxide it puts out over time although with it being insulated I can't imagine it would take long to heat the garage to about the 60 degrees I'd like to get it at.

Now, what I'm really wanting is some info on, what recommendations do you all have for any type of electric heater that runs on 120 service that would at least heat up my garage to a decent temp and run on 120 service. I appreciate any help. Thank you.

 

[Jagmandave]

It all depends on how well your garage really is sealed and insulated.....I have a "tower" style 120V electric heater that warms me up, doesn't do much for the rest of the garage tho and mine is insulated too.

Bottom line, I would not expect a 120V electric heater to be able to get your garage up to 60* on a cold Michigan day.

 

[Showkey]

For a comparison the BIG Maxx garage hanging garage heater is likely 30-40-50k BTU and your small torpedo was 30k BTU ??

A typical 120v electric heater is 1500 watts or 5100 BTU. So it would take approximately 6 120v electric heaters to provide the same amount of heat as the torpedo.

Now up the anti to 240 volts your can start to heat things up ( at a cost $$$) Fahrenheat Ceiling-Mount 5,000 Watt Electric Heater — 17,065 BTU, 240 Volts, 21 amps, Single Phase, Model# FUH5-4

 

[evh]

I live in Michigan as well. I tried many different 120V electric heaters. I had the same results as Jagmandave. I could feel the heat if right on me, it did little to warm up the garage. I have a 30-60BTU propane Mr. Heater. That worked good in my uninsulated Michigan garage. I moved to a new construction insulated garage and it works great. I purchased a CO2 detector to make sure I was safe. I usually never run them for > 30 minutes. I am comfortable at about 55 with a sweatshirt on.

https://www.garagejournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=464634

 

[mike93lx]

Do you only have a single 120v circuit to the garage? Is it 20a?

If it is 15a,you are basically out of luck. At least on a 20a,you could run a 1500w heater and some lights, nothing else.

If you want to be warm, you need to either add fuel or more electrical service. I use a 5500w 240v heater that does decent if I don't open the doors

 

[DIY Rookie]

Do you only have a single 120v circuit to the garage? Is it 20a?

If it is 15a,you are basically out of luck. At least on a 20a,you could run a 1500w heater and some lights, nothing else.

If you want to be warm, you need to either add fuel or more electrical service. I use a 5500w 240v heater that does decent if I don't open the doors

Yes I have a 20 amp out there. The way my brother in law wired it I can run my Industrial fan, 6 LED 4 bulb ballast lights, amongst other things.

Can you send me something like the 1500 watt heater you're talking about?

 

[mike93lx]

Yes I have a 20 amp out there. The way my brother in law wired it I can run my Industrial fan, 6 LED 4 bulb ballast lights, amongst other things.

Can you send me something like the 1500 watt heater you're talking about?

Basically any 120v space heater will do 1200-1500 watts. They are what people use to warm their feet up while sitting at a desk.

If it is next to you, it might help.

A better option is likely an infrared heater. It won't heat the space, but it will warm you up, assuming it is pointed at you. Those can be further away than a regular space heater and still be effective.

 

[TuxThePenguin]

I have a hotdog propane heater too. It's rated 30-60k BTUH (it's adjustable).

It would take > 10kW to do this with electric and that's just to get ~34k BTUH which is like what my propane heater does on the lowest setting. 10kW at 240v is ~42 amps. Obviously double that at 120v.

You cannot do this with 120v reasonably if you want to compare to propane.

Can you do it well enough? Honestly, still, probably not.

You can throw in a smaller heater to take the edge off, perhaps, but I don't think a 1500w heater would do anything. I've tried 1500w heaters in 2-car garages, talking running them for a couple hours before I would go in there to work, and when given that amount of time to run beforehand, they were still only a very slight improvement. Noticeable but barely.

Edit: P.S. To get better efficiency and run on electric, you want a heat pump - typically it's a dual unit, A/C and heat pump. You can get a split or window unit. You are looking at around a grand or so for around 20k BTUH in window, probably a little more for a similar mini split. But they do use about half as much power as a resistance heater. I think you're still going to run into power supply issues even if you go for a heat pump (i.e. I'd still say you should run 240v) but you'll get further than resistance... but with additional up-front investment

 

[Shiftless]

Just to clear up a few things...

Unvented propane heaters used in a garage or any other enclosed space is not recommended unless adequate ventilation is provided. When I use mine, I leave the garage door open about 6 inches.

The danger is that carbon monoxide might be present (good idea to have a carbon monoxide CO alarm). CO2 is carbon dioxide which is not dangerous unless it builds up a lot where it smothers you by displacing breathable air. CO2 is heavier than air. Carbon Monoxide is almost exactly the same density as air.

Also, burning propane releases quite a bit of water vapor which can lead to condensation and other problems related to dampness.

Electric heat has none of these problems. But as others have already said, you have to have heavy duty wiring to be able to run heaters big enough to do the job.

 

[510ebl]

Don’t know if this would be enough to take the edge off, but it is rated to +5 deg and only requires 120v at fewer than 9A.

https://www.homedepot.com/p/Pioneer...r-System-110-120V-WYS012AMFI19RL-16/311474980

Bonus air conditioner for those warm-ish summer days!

 

[Shiftless]

Don’t know if this would be enough to take the edge off, but it is rated to +5 deg and only requires 120v at fewer than 9A.

https://www.homedepot.com/p/Pioneer...r-System-110-120V-WYS012AMFI19RL-16/311474980

Bonus air conditioner for those warm-ish summer days!

Good idea!
More expensive up front of course, but you get about 3 times as much heat for the same amount of power compared to the little plug in space heaters.

And A/C for the summer is certainly a big bonus.


.

 

[nadogail]

If your want to heat a Michigan garage, in the winter with a 120 volt heater on a 15 or 20 amp circuit IMHO you need better drugs.