IR tube heaters

[bobj49f2]

I am trying to decide which brand of IR tube heater to buy for my pole building.

The building is 30'x50' with 15' ceiling, walls will fully insulated and ceiling will have blown in insulation. I am using this building as my business shop and plan to heat it a minimum of 40 hour per week.

I have determined the size of heater I will need but now am trying to decide on the manufacturer. I have experience with Reznor, I have a set in a building I have owned for ten years. The other brands I am looking into are:

Mr. Heater (Enerco) Enerco has a better warranty but haven't checked on pricing.
SunStar
Reverberray
Other?

I have to consider availability, cost and also if I can buy as a non-contractor, I want to install this unit myself. The Mr. Heater I can buy from Menards at a decent price, especially during their 11% sale, the SunStar I can buy on eBay or direct from a local distributor at about the same price as the Mr. Heater and I have a call into the local Reverberray distributor, waiting for a call back, I might not be able to buy this without being a contractor.

 

[Done That]

You can buy Re-Verber-Ray online at H-mac, along with many other brands & products.

Beleive you have to check a box during checkout that you will have a qualified installer put it in, pretty much to cover them legally I'm sure....

 

[FFRKing]

I bought a 6 year old Re-Verber-Ray that sat for a year and it has worked without any issues for the last 2 and started last week on its 3rd year in my shop. I found a local distributor that carries parts here in town.
This is not a lot of help, but mine has been reliable.
The reason it was sold to me was that the guy installed a wood burning furnace that heated water for both his house and shop.

Chris

 

[bobj49f2]

I called the Re-Verber-Ray seller in my area to get a price for a unit for my shop, he hasn't gotten back to my yet.

Since I first posted I found out the used Reznor unit I wanted to check out but was told it was sold is now available again. The seller sent me pictures of the data tag.

View media item 87507
Looks like this unit is 20 years old, it's still in use so it works, how good I don't know. I have to take a ride to look at it. Is this unit too old? Also, so far I can't find the BTU output, I was told by another manufacturer I need a 80,000-100,000 BUT unit with a 30' tube. He's selling it for $400, about 1/4 the cost for a new unit. Should I pass on this unit because of it's age or are these units pretty dependable?

 

[bobj49f2]

Another unit I found is an Enerco 150,000 unit. The seller says it's new in the box for $785/OBO. This unit is too large for my needs but I read somewhere you can downsize a unit. Is this possible?

View media item 87510

 

[bobj49f2]

You can buy Re-Verber-Ray online at H-mac, along with many other brands & products.

Beleive you have to check a box during checkout that you will have a qualified installer put it in, pretty much to cover them legally I'm sure....

Checked out their website, I like the HL3-30-75. About $500 more than the Mr. Heater unit at Menards but it's a two stage system.

 

[ac900tc]

I bought a new Superior, started it yesterday for the 3rd season. I have been thrilled with it. Research them. My shop is 30X50x12 and I installed the recommended 125,000btu unit. Easy on the propane. I keep the shop 58 when not in there and turn it up to 66 when I come in, and it gets there in approx. 7-8 min.

 

[Bert_]

Reznor seems popular. Modine makes really nice ones, very quiet.

Had to replace the heads on two heaters in the old shop a couple years ago. They were original from when the shed was built in the 80's. I'd say 20-30 yrs is expected lifespan.

 

[bobj49f2]

I've been thinking about the used Reznor unit, 20 years old, I don't know if I want to take a chance. I have a feeling it could be like an old car, everything works fine until you replace the back brakes and the rear end starts leaking. Everything is fine as long as it's not jostled around. Taking it down, driving 30 miles back home and then sitting around until I get it install must might make whatever on the verge of breaking break, then I have a headache 15 feet in the air. I think I need to go with something new or newer.

 

[bullnerd]

I bought a superior radiant products two stage.

I have not used it yet so this is of no help to you! lol!

 

[Fueler]

Re-Verber-Ray here. About 10 years now. No major failures.
Do buy a spare igniter (easy to change) because they never fail in the summer.

2 stage is good if you open the doors a lot or too long.

 

[bobj49f2]

I just got a quote back from a local Re-Verber-Ray dealer. They did a heat loss study of my building and got back to me with a price. It's about $400 more than Menards for a Mr. Heat unit but the Re-Verber-Ray unit will be a two stage unit which I read is more energy efficient. I also like the idea that if there are any questions or problems I will be able to talk to someone other than a pimple faced kid with saggy pants with no real knowledge of his product other that what is on the display sign.

Right now we're in the process of building a mezzanine in the back of the shop to store some of our junk. This area will be unheated and walled off from the rest of the shop. Next the walls and ceiling get insulated and then the heater. It's getting colder the day.

 

[Buckgnarly]

I just got a quote back from a local Re-Verber-Ray dealer. They did a heat loss study of my building and got back to me with a price. It's about $400 more than Menards for a Mr. Heat unit but the Re-Verber-Ray unit will be a two stage unit which I read is more energy efficient. I also like the idea that if there are any questions or problems I will be able to talk to someone other than a pimple faced kid with saggy pants with no real knowledge of his product other that what is on the display sign.

Right now we're in the process of building a mezzanine in the back of the shop to store some of our junk. This area will be unheated and walled off from the rest of the shop. Next the walls and ceiling get insulated and then the heater. It's getting colder the day.

I got mine from a buddy who does commercial HVAC, good choice in going with commercial if you can over box store. Here's mine....

https://www.garagejournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=372861

I do sort of wish I had gone 2 stage, especially early in the season when it's not that cold....but we hit -30 to -40 sometimes, so I went a bit big.

 

[Rockcam]

I have a Re-Verber-Ray two stage. I love it.

As referenced above, I bought mine from Hmac and installed it myself. The only hassle was getting all the right B vent components, and even that wasn’t bad (Amazon).

I liked the fact that they have many different lengths and BTU sizes to customize it to my needs.

I’d buy another in a second, way better than a forced air unit in my opinion.

 

[bobj49f2]

I looked at the Hmac website. They have the same unit for a few bucks less but the guy I talked to is nearby so if I need help or parts I can either call or take a 15 minute drive and talk to them person. Also, so far with the little I have communicated with this local company they seem to be pretty customer oriented. I appreciate the personal help and I know it costs more to have so I don't mind paying a few bucks more.

 

[bobj49f2]

I order the Re-Verber-Ray two stage unit today, they'll deliver it in about 4 weeks.

Just a side note, I had two Reznor units in the building I just sold. One would have been enough but because the building was considered two units they put one on each side. Before I sold the building I went through both units to make sure they worked. The one I rarely used, maybe 20 at most, have a bad igniter controller. $200 later I had two working units.

 

[Bert_]

Good job supporting the local guy. He did the work doing the heat loss study and sizing the heater, not to mention he's close by if you ever need parts or service.

Too many people pinch pennies and buy off some website far far away because they can get it 5% cheaper, then ***** when the local/dealer closes up shop.

 

[bobj49f2]

That's what I think. I run my own business, which I'm using the building for, and I hate when a customer I've had for a while and I've proven to that I do a good job at a fair price and that I've gone the extra mile to help out goes to another shop because he can save 5%. I also use vendors who I know I can get help when I need it, like find that part I found I needed today and they come through because they had one in their warehouse. I know the internet places are cheaper but they don't have the support staff my local vendors have, someone has to pay for that help.

When I went to the place to place my order I talked with the salesman for a while to find out what I needed to install this unit. He also told me to buy some of the simpler parts from the local big box stores because they had better prices than he could offer. I appreciated that.

 

[Mr onetwo]

I worked for an HVAC company for many years and we installed many, many Reverberay systems in large warehouses and manufacturing facilities.If the system is designed properly they are fantastic.With the advent of infloor radiant they kind of fell out of favor, but they have many advantages.I have had a SunStar unit in my garage for 9 years and am very satisfied with it.Having a guy install yours that knows what he is doing is very important IMHO.

 

[bobj49f2]

I got my Re-Verber-Ray IR heater today. I hoping we can install this weekend. I called the LP supplier and they sent a guy out. Looks like an easy process to hook up the tank. I don't have the tank yet, I was told the factor was running behind and they weren't going to ship the heater until the 28th of this month.

View media item 89877

 

[bullnerd]

Good luck.

So far my superior is working good. Set at 60 and it feels great! No cold tools or floor!

I dont have my ceiling insulated yet so it should get even better.

 

[bobj49f2]

I bought a Honeywell 5/2 day programmable thermostat for a two stage furnace. Looks easy enough to hook although it took some research to figure out how to hook it up. The heater's instructions showed it needed two normally open contacts from the thermostat but the thermostat wasn't very clear which terminals to use. I was able to figure out, after reading through the thermostat's manual that the W and W2 were used for the Normally open contacts but it didn't really tell what terminal to use for the 24 volt coming from the heater. I found I have to use the R terminal by going on line and finding a heating contractor website that listed the terminals and their uses. I wire industrial controls for a living and have never run across an industrial controller with such incomplete information as the Honeywell thermostat.