Recommendations for a shop heater

[toolman96]

I was looking at getting something like this in my detached garage. Garage is around 20x30 and in New Jersey. The reviews of this unit are saying it shorts out and dies after a few months to a year. Looking for alternatives and recommendations for a quality unit.

 

[BillK]

I would look for a name brand like Dayton but like everything else in the world ....... you get what you pay for:

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I have a 5000 watt Q-Mark that has been running fine for at least 25 years. Similar to this Dayton one:

Pardon Our Interruption...

 

[kngelv]

I have a 5000 watt King forced air heater in my 17-6" x 19-6" garage. Solid reliable heater but too noisy for my liking. All forced air will be the same. Just built a 24' x 24' second garage and went with a mini-split. operating costs will be like 25% of forced air and much quieter.

James

 

[BillK]

I have a 5000 watt King forced air heater in my 17-6" x 19-6" garage. Solid reliable heater but too noisy for my liking. All forced air will be the same. Just built a 24' x 24' second garage and went with a mini-split. operating costs will be like 25% of forced air and much quieter.

James

But the initial investment will be 10 times as much. I wonder where the breakeven point will be ? Nice thing with the min-split is you get AC too.

 

[HoosierBuddy]

But the initial investment will be 10 times as much. I wonder where the breakeven point will be ? Nice thing with the min-split is you get AC too.

The calculation would be fairly simple. A good minisplit will have a COP of around 4. A resistance heater of any type has a COP of exactly 1.

All we'd need to know is if the OP is going to use this heater occasionally or pretty much all the time. If he's only going to run it a few hours a week to (ineffectively) keep the chill off, then the cheap heater makes some sense. If the garage is insulated and he wants to heat it for a larger percentage of the time (or all the time)....the mini-split makes sense.

That being said, for part time heat, a fuel burning heater with cheaper energy source (NG or maybe even propane) and a higher BTU output (5000 W = 17,000 BTU/Hour) would work better. That electric heater would struggle to heat up the garage on a cold day and spins the meter at an impressive rate.

 

[u3b3rg33k]

But the initial investment will be 10 times as much. I wonder where the breakeven point will be ? Nice thing with the min-split is you get AC too.

don't forget the "it's too hot/cold to work" opportunity cost. can be a LOT of the year.

 

[dscheidt]

The calculation would be fairly simple. A good minisplit will have a COP of around 4. A resistance heater of any type has a COP of exactly 1.

All we'd need to know is if the OP is going to use this heater occasionally or pretty much all the time. If he's only going to run it a few hours a week to (ineffectively) keep the chill off, then the cheap heater makes some sense. If the garage is insulated and he wants to heat it for a larger percentage of the time (or all the time)....the mini-split makes sense.

That being said, for part time heat, a fuel burning heater with cheaper energy source (NG or maybe even propane) and a higher BTU output (5000 W = 17,000 BTU/Hour) would work better. That electric heater would struggle to heat up the garage on a cold day and spins the meter at an impressive rate.

I have a similar 5kW heater. I don’t use it much, but if it is not too cold, and I am going to be in garage for a while, I will run my portable 60k btu propane heater, and then use the electric heater to maintain temperature. If it’s running too much, I go back to propane.

 

[T VETTE]

Toolman in my state anything running on electrical is very expensive so gas is best, maybe your electrical costs are better priced.

I am looking at a Big Maxx 50,000btu heater for my 1,200sf shop to pretty much keep the chill off in the winter. I plan to use with propane so with my bulk propane tank I pay about $2.00 a gal or a little more sometimes. I don't have any real insulation but here in the winter it is usually in the high 50's and low 40's at night. Any body use one of these?

I see a small dealer here in my area selling some at about $325.00 - $400.00 Any thoughts on this heater good or bad?

 

[pbon]

I have been using a Big Maxx 50k for 7 or 8 years in my 800SF garage. It is bigger than I need but was only $258 at the time. Garage is insulated and in northern new New England. I heat full time in winter

 

[toolman96]

Toolman in my state anything running on electrical is very expensive so gas is best, maybe your electrical costs are better priced.

I am looking at a Big Maxx 50,000btu heater for my 1,200sf shop to pretty much keep the chill off in the winter. I plan to use with propane so with my bulk propane tank I pay about $2.00 a gal or a little more sometimes. I don't have any real insulation but here in the winter it is usually in the high 50's and low 40's at night. Any body use one of these?

I see a small dealer here in my area selling some at about $325.00 - $400.00 Any thoughts on this heater good or bad?

I actually went with buying that exact one. Was able to get it for $400 with tax after using a coupon at lowes. I already had (2) 100# propane tanks but planning on getting a larger tank at some point. Converted the unit to propane with the supplied kit. Install was super easy with 2 people. So far i'm really impressed by it, we will see how it performs when we start to get below freezing. Just working on getting my shop properly insulated now.

 

[Steve_P]

Dunno, trying to heat my garage on resistance heat would be the equivalent of burning dollar bills LOL. And 10K watts? Do you have the power for that? Mine is partially heated from a gas furnace so it doesn't get below 50F, but I would like to add a few more vents in the future when I get a new furnace.

 

[T VETTE]

I think I will move forward with the Maxx 50k heater. Luckily I have a 500gal propane tank about 50 feet away from my shop and will tap into that.