Garage Heater

SabbyNJ

SabbyNJ

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A couple of years back I installed a Fahrenheat brand garage heater. If you live in a cold weather state, let me tell you this heater is a must have. There are two sizes available. It absolutely takes any cold right out of the garage, makes working & detailing on your vehicles soooooo much better during the cold weather.

Here is the link:
Fahrenheat 5,000-Watt Unit Heater FUH54 at The Home Depot - Mobile




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Did you notice your electric bill increase much? I have gas heat in the house, thinking of cutting a vent to the garage.
 
Yes, but it varies on the temperature outside and how long I need it on. At most it would cost about $20 for a full day of use when the temps were around freezing.


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how big is your garage ? is it insulated ? I have a similar unit in my 2 car garage, which is under the house(28x24). It's ok but only near the work bench & heater unit. I should have put baseboard when I built the house but I didn't. I do use a salamander when temp's drop below 25 ish. just so the space heater can keep up. good luck.
hmardown
 
It's a two car garage, the garage door is not insulated. The garage is attached to the home.

It gets so warm if I leave this on long enough you can begin to sweat. Most of the time I use it to chase the cold away and get the cars surfaces warmer, than I turn it off or drop the temp dial down so I do not sweat. It does include a thermostat so you can adjust the temps and it will not run continuously.


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paul_g said:
Do you have it mounted to the ceiling? Did you require an electrician to run an outlet close to it? Is there a remote to control it?
Click to expand...

We did mount it to the ceiling. It required a min of 10 gauge insulated copper wire and its connected to a 30 amp breaker. Electrical codes vary per the area you live in, but you can add a switch to a wall to turn this on or off without throwing the breaker on or off (like I do). There is no remote for this. I'm short, I'm 5' 6", but I can reach the knob easily.

Here is the PDF of the manual:

http://www.northerntool.com/images/downloads/manuals/17303.pdf




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I have a similar (different manufactor) heater, but still a 5K watt model.

As to the cost of using it...my electric went WAY up! From an average of ~$75/month to ~$150/month. That is/was using it 24-7 for one month and the thermostat set about 55°.

Did/does it work? Yes. But with the cost of operation-I only use it to get the temp up and then rely on a propane heater (yes, I am careful to keep 'ventilation' going).

Just my 2¢-

Bill
 
I installed a similar heater 2 years ago also. King Electric 5700 watt. My garage is a 4 car, so it takes a while to get the temp of the entire garage raised, but it does start to take the chill away reasonably quickly. It would work great in a 2 car garage. Still does good for my needs. I don't see a big difference in my electric bill, but I only use the heater intermittently.

I wanted a natural gas forced air heater, but the cost of a heater and running gas and electric lines was more than I wanted to spend. I did have the expense of running 220 for the electric heater, but that also enabled me to upgrade my air compressor to a larger unit.
 
BillE said:
I have a similar (different manufactor) heater, but still a 5K watt model.

As to the cost of using it...my electric went WAY up! From an average of ~$75/month to ~$150/month. That is/was using it 24-7 for one month and the thermostat set about 55°.

Did/does it work? Yes. But with the cost of operation-I only use it to get the temp up and then rely on a propane heater (yes, I am careful to keep 'ventilation' going).
Click to expand...


Your garage must need better insulation. Our garage is fully insulated and nearly always stays 20 degrees higher than the outside air without any heat running so long as the temps are not artic. When temps drop below freezing the difference drops. However, keeping our garage at 60 degrees using our heater hasn't jumped the bill much at all. At night I most always kick it down to 45 degree as I make my way around and insure all the house is locked up. When I get my coffee in the morning I bump it to 60.

Makes a huge difference that IMO is well worth it. Especially when going out to leave for the day as the cars warm up so much faster when fluid aren't frozen.
 
I have a basement with ductwork and was wondering if I ran one of the ducts from the basement out to the garage if that one duct would actually make any difference in the garage temp?
 
58LesPaul said:
I have a basement with ductwork and was wondering if I ran one of the ducts from the basement out to the garage if that one duct would actually make any difference in the garage temp?
Click to expand...

From what I have read it is against code in most areas for your home to share hvac equipment with your garage. The reasons include carbon monoxide, gas, and other chemical fumes entering the house through and around ductwork, and causing an imbalance in the air in/returning through the system.

If you do a web search on the topic you will find lots of info.
 
I've just installed gas Reznor explosion proof heater for the garage for those cold Michigan Winters. Building a detail bay. Fully insulated the attic with R30 and the walls with I believe R19. We have had 1 or 2 nights below freezing. With the thermostat off the garage was about 44. Explosion proof is a must with all the buff media and or sanding particulates in the air. My mobile business has moved indoors for the winter. Just starting out Dec 10 officially.
 
Dandy98 said:
I've just installed gas Reznor explosion proof heater for the garage for those cold Michigan Winters. Building a detail bay. Fully insulated the attic with R30 and the walls with I believe R19. We have had 1 or 2 nights below freezing. With the thermostat off the garage was about 44. Explosion proof is a must with all the buff media and or sanding particulates in the air. My mobile business has moved indoors for the winter. Just starting out Dec 10 officially.
Click to expand...


Which one did you get?

Thanks
 
pdqgp said:
Your garage must need better insulation. Our garage is fully insulated and nearly always stays 20 degrees higher than the outside air without any heat running so long as the temps are not artic. When temps drop below freezing the difference drops. However, keeping our garage at 60 degrees using our heater hasn't jumped the bill much at all. At night I most always kick it down to 45 degree as I make my way around and insure all the house is locked up. When I get my coffee in the morning I bump it to 60.

Makes a huge difference that IMO is well worth it. Especially when going out to leave for the day as the cars warm up so much faster when fluid aren't frozen.
Click to expand...

I should have been more clear. This was during the dead of winter-maybe +10° for highs and -20's for overnight lows. Add to the opening garage door, the side doors (ya gotta let the dog out) ad in the wind that never seems to cease, and it really hard to maintain a constant temperature level.

I hear ya about letting the vehicle(s) warm up the garage when they 'come back home', but again the engine may be warm, the other parts are still damn cold.

As to the garage...2X6 construction (R-30ish), ceiling around R-60 (2 full 14" batts), insulated g-door, 'storm doors' on all exterior doors (2). The only thing that isn't insulated is the floor. That should have been, but somewhere in building process, never happened. Blame my B in law, he was the builder (LOL).

I have to also add-I HATE WINTER! The older I get the more I grumpy I get for these 3 months.

Bill
 
May I ask what heater you are using??


pdqgp said:
Your garage must need better insulation. Our garage is fully insulated and nearly always stays 20 degrees higher than the outside air without any heat running so long as the temps are not artic. When temps drop below freezing the difference drops. However, keeping our garage at 60 degrees using our heater hasn't jumped the bill much at all. At night I most always kick it down to 45 degree as I make my way around and insure all the house is locked up. When I get my coffee in the morning I bump it to 60.

Makes a huge difference that IMO is well worth it. Especially when going out to leave for the day as the cars warm up so much faster when fluid aren't frozen.
Click to expand...
 
I occasionally, but not often, work in my garage in the winter if the outside temp is not too low. My garage is connected, so is generally warmer than the outside temp to begin with. Then I simply open the door between the house and the garage. Takes the edge off. Only works when my wife isn't home.
 
It wouldn't take much to insulate the garage doors yourself, but you would need to get heavier duty springs installed. I used to do garage door servicing and repair so if anyone has any questions about it, feel free to ask me. I don't know much about insulation ratings and such, but anything mechanical I can assist with, especially with it being winter and springs are going to start breaking left and right.
 
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