Space heaters

[PassnThru]

I've been looking at space heaters to add a little heat to the attached garage. It has a vent to the house forced air system so it isn't unheated exactly - it just stays a little colder than the house. During my hunt I eventually asked myself - why do they make so many heaters of so many different sizes when they are all rated at 1500W? Can size really matter in this instance?
So I did a Google search. During my search I found this and I would like to share it with you.
Space heater nonsense

 

[fitter30]

Electric heat is 100% efficient. 3.3 btu's per watt resistance heat. They make so many kinds people think one is better, more efficient or have more features. No different that any other consumer goods.

Sent from my KFDOWI using Tapatalk

 

[u2slow]

My go-to's are:

- oil-radiator heaters with dual settings. (pick low mode when sharing a 120v circuit.)
- used free/cheap 240V baseboards - temporary or permanent wiring
- construction box-fan heaters (i.e. 4800W is a typical cheaper size)

 

[BobotheMonkey]

I have always found this funny as well. On a 15 amp circuit, they are limited. The only real difference is how they heat. A heater with only radiant heat and no fan, will really be better if you are close to it. The ones with fans are better in a larger room. You do essentially get the same heat output, but room size does matter. I almost got suckered into an expensive heater, but found one with a fan for 1/4 of the price.

 

[PassnThru]

My go-to's are:

- oil-radiator heaters with dual settings. (pick low mode when sharing a 120v circuit.)
- used free/cheap 240V baseboards - temporary or permanent wiring
- construction box-fan heaters (i.e. 4800W is a typical cheaper size)

I've heard a lot of good things about oil filled radiator heaters. However, after watching that video I wonder if they have a good rep because they are silent or because they work better? The oil doesn't put off any more heat - it just takes a little longer to warm up and then it holds the heat better when the element goes off. So you in effect have done nothing but buffer the heat.
It really just seems like marketing at it's finest.

 

[Don1357]

If all you are trying to do is top off the temperature (It has a vent to the house forced air system so it isn't unheated exactly) there is no need to overthink it, anything will do it efficiently enough. It is when you are trying to pump the huge amounts of BTUs that it takes to heat an unheated space where it pays to look at the BTU per dollar costs.

 

[u2slow]

I've heard a lot of good things about oil filled radiator heaters. However, after watching that video I wonder if they have a good rep because they are silent or because they work better? The oil doesn't put off any more heat - it just takes a little longer to warm up and then it holds the heat better when the element goes off. So you in effect have done nothing but buffer the heat.
It really just seems like marketing at it's finest.

No fan to fail. Multiple wattage settings. (600/900/1500 on mine)

No gimmick. Watts are watts.

 

[nadogail]

IMHO, a BTU is a BTU, a fan forced heater is probably your best friend if you are going to use electric heat.

I have a 5 KW heater in both my garage and in my workshop. They are fed from 30 Amp circuits.

 

[rlitman]

IMHO, a BTU is a BTU...

For the most part, yes. But consider this. How does the heat reach you?

If you're looking to heat up a room to a specific temperature, all electric heaters are equally efficient.

But, if you're looking to heat yourself, without heating the contents of the room or even the air, then an infrared heater (like a quartz element), will be more efficient.

For example, outdoors on my patio, I could have a 10,000w fan forced heater and barely feel it unless I'm within inches of it, but my 1500w radiant heater can be felt from across my table.

So, if you want to plug something into a thermostat and heat the room, just pick something that's inexpensive and has safety features. But if you want to save money by leaving the room cold and just feel some warmth projected into you to take the chill off, then radiant may make more sense.

 

[nadogail]

IMHO, a BTU is a BTU, a fan forced heater is probably your best friend if you are going to use electric heat.

I have a 5 KW heater in both my garage and in my workshop. They are fed from 30 Amp circuits.

Both my garage and my workshop are both stand alone two car garages. During inclement weather the doors and windows are kept closed in an attempt to get the most comfort from every BTU consumed in making the shop comfortable.

Today I warmed the workshop as I prepared to do some welding; as the welding progressed the heater was turned off.

 

[Badgerstate]

I personally just use a small space heater like you would find in an office. I have a small Honeywell ceramic heater that oscilates and does a great job heating up even a 2-car garage.