Hey guys, I have a brick garage non-insulated with dimensions 20'Lx10'wx8'h, I have been told I will need something in the vicinity of 30k BTU's so I am looking around for an electric heater with these features:
1] Quiet or very low noise
2] With on/off shut off automatic thermostat control
3] Very efficient to keep electric bill to a minimum
I have been told that the torpedo type heaters are best for this since they will heat up a room within minutes then the thermostat control will auto shutoff when room reaches desire temp and turn itself on again when temp drops so no need to manually do anything and the heater will not have to be on all the time using up too much electricity? Can anyone recommend an electric heater for this please?
No such critter in my opinion. All electric heaters are efficient but the electric costs an arm and a leg. Certainly a fan is beneficial to move the room air through the heater and a thermostat to shut it off when desired temperature is reached but there are no magic bullets just simple physics. It takes x number of BTUs to heat Y number of square feet. Insulation and effective sealing to prevent air infiltration can help.
I agree with ray-----first try to get as much insulation blown-in/installed in the walls ceiling; I would avoid torpedo heaters; they're noisy the fuel fumes will drive you right out of the garage; they're really designed for outdoor construction sites; if you have nat gas forced hot air in the house, is the garage close enough to run a gas line install a 60 btu gas furnace, without the ducts----or an overhead gas/fan Beacon-Morris unit.
Click onto Residential Products to see the garage heater.
Beacon/Morris Kickspace Heaters, Hot Water, Heat, Steam, Oil, Gas, Hydronic.
No, the garage is far away from the house and we would have to dig the concrete to run a gas line. I have using a K1 kerosene heater but at $6 per gallon [I usually spend $40 per month] plus having to walk on eggshells with that in the middle of the room is a pain so I am looking for an alternative, I am thinking propane if not electricity but don't know which propane heater to get which can run off a 20lb tank?
Very rough calculation would be to multiply your electric rate by ten and that would be the cost of heating the garage in the temperatures used to calculate that 30,000 BTU/hr. heat loss.
Example: If your electric rate is 15 cents per kilowatt hour then the cost to heat the garage would be close to $1.50 an hour in the coldest period. $1.50 an hour is $36 a day, $252 a week or $1,080 a month. Of course if the outside temperature is higher than the design temperature the costs will be less, but still most likely astronomic.
Further, 30,000 BTUs/hr. would be approximately a 10 kilowatt heater and that requires a 60 ampere 240 volt circuit.
well, sorry I should have mentioned that we don't use the heater every day, we only use it on a weekend to hang out for 8 hours at a time so what I would need to calculate is how much it would cost per 8 hours of electricity? If I were to compare this to the existing kerosene cost which cost 10-12 dollars for an 8 hour period then the electricity at 1.50 per hour would be 12 dollars per 8 hours
amounting to the same thing and I am guessing propane would end up costing around the same too? If that is the case then my thinking is why not use an electric or propane instead to get rid of the problems associated with the kerosene heat?
Here is a cost comparison calculator you can use for different fuel costs per BTU.
Warmair.com - Fuel Cost Comparisons
Substitute your costs for the kerosene and your total electrical cost (including any taxes and wheeling costs) per kilowatt hour and then you can see if electricity would be less expensive. Do the same for propane.
I'll have more to add later, I will be out for several hours.
I'm sorry, I cannot figure out what needs to be done there, for example propane per gallon? And how would I know what the efficiency of any fuel is?
What do you pay for propane, price per gallon? What do you pay for kerosene, price per gallon? What is your total cost of a kilowatt of electricity? Do you have 240 volt service to your garage with an extra 60 amperes of capacity?
Without insulating and air sealing the garage, you can forget about attempting to heat the air economically.
The best option is a radiant heater (could be electric, could be propane fired*) if you only need to work in one part of the garage.
*Must be used with some ventilation
Mini split heat pump system would work.
Efficient, yes
quiet, yes
it can cool also
remote control thermostat
OR you could do an air handler with electric strip heat.
Bulky
not so efficient
could be noisey
can be used with a thermostat
OR you can do a through the wall ptac heat pump unit
fairly efficient
fairly quiet
it can cool also
internal thermostat or remote thermostat
OR you could do an electric shop heater
kinda noisey
not efficient at all
Ugly
internal thermostat
any one of these options would still require you to insulate to gain the most efficiency.
it's ok, a friend of mine just told me to try the All pro propane heater which he has:
All-Pro 40,000 BTU Portable Forced-Air Propane Heater | eBay
He said that will definitely do it for less than what I am paying right now for K1 Fuel.
FYI, any fuel burning appliance PRODUCES CARBON MONOXIDE. You must only use those type of appliances in a VENTED SPACE.
The friend mentioned, his garage is bigger than mine, non insulated and he sometimes has the window open, he says, he runs the unit for only 5-10 minutes on the hour becuase the room gets so heated it usually stays warm for an hour or so and sometimes depending on the temp outside he has to open the window. Ventilation is never an issue for me because we are frequently opening the main door to go in and out
Ok - the only efficient electric heating option on the market for this situation is a mini-split ductless heat pump. They provide heating and cooling and are 200%+ efficient. It will cost you 50% to heat and cool the garage compared to any electric resistant heat.
You should be able to get away with a 9,000 - 12,000 BTU model that will be more than sufficient. Equipment cost runs in the $1,000-$1,500 range. Equipment is available by Mitsubishi, Fujitsu, Daikin, [link redacted] etc.
The system is super quiet, super efficient, and super comfortable.
You can look at a youtube DIY video to learn install one.
Ok, thanks, will look into this.
You should get a small 100# tank from your propane supplier. I have a 250 gallon one along with my 250 for the house. I don't even go through one fill on the shop. Propane this year is $1.69 per gallon.
I bought the all pro heater, the friend was correct, it heats up my garage inside of 5 minutes, what I would is one with a thermostat which will shut off and kick on by itself but looking on the net the only ones I am seeing with a thermostat is over 100,000BTU such as this:
http://www.wayfair.com/Mi-T-M-Propane-150-000-BTU-Forced-Air-Portable-Space-Heater-MH-0150-LM-MTM1141.html?refid=GX8096953740-MTM1141PiID[]=3473977gclid=CO6pwqfG_LICFcNM4AodfC0AWg
what would that mean in my small garage if I were to get it?
Tags: cost, efficient, heater, garage, heat pump, what would, with thermostat, been told, cool also, cost heat
