Choosing the right permanent heater for your garage or small shop can be a daunting task, given the fact that there are so many options now available. So How do I choose just the right garage heater for my space? To help narrow down the choices, ask yourself the following questions.
Why are these heaters called "vent free"?ShadeFX Canopies Inc. specializes in monorail drive retractable canopy systems for which it has a worldwide patent pending. Contact Steve Ostrowski at 416-450-1324 or visit their website at http://www.shadefx.com, or by e-mail at steveo@shadefx.com.Most two or three car garages require between 25,000 and 35,000 BTU's. An electric heater with a rating of 10.0 KW is about right (Note: to convert watts into BTU's, multiply the total watts - in this case 10,000 watts, by 3.413). Remember, electric heaters draw a lot of amps and usally require a dedicated circuit from the electrical panel. Older, smaller homes sometimes have panels that are too small to expand and are unable to accomodate the power requirements of a high amp heater. Check with your electrician to help determine if your panel is adequate. A panel upgrade may be necessary.They are called "vent free" because they are unvented. Vent free heaters have no flue to vent the hot gases outside. All of the heat energy, including by-products of combustion, are vented inside the dwelling.Vent free heaters are 99.9% efficient! That's enough to get anyone's attention. With such a dramatic rise in fuel costs over the past decade, people are looking for solutions to lower their monthly fuel bill. What better way to reduce your heating bill than to install a nearly 100% fuel efficient heating appliance. Unlike a central furnace system, which puts heat into every room in the house (whether those rooms are occupied or not), a separate room heater, often called a zone heater, heats only the room being occupied at the time. This room is typically the family room or great room of the house where home occupants spend a vast majority of their time. With a room heater, heat energy is not being wasted in empty or unoccupied spaces. Therefore, homeowners can turn down their central furance and only heat the room they are occupying. And by using a vent free heater, virtually all (99.9%) of the heat energy is being utilized. BTU input equals BTU output because there is no flue.As for heater sizing, keep in mind that it can cost 80 to 90 percent more to heat an uninsulated garage compared to one that is well insulated. If you intend on maintaing a comfortable termperature inside the garage during the cold months, insulating is a must. Some homeowners may simply want to take the chill off when tooling around for short periods of time near a workbench or other spat within the garage. In such cases, insulation is not as critical. If insulation is poor, we recommend choosing a heater that is not forced air. In other words, choose an infra-red radiant heater, which produces no drafts and standing beneath it feels just like standing in the sun.For gas radiant heat, Enerco and Superior Radiant are two excellent brands that offer residential approved gas infra-red radiant tube heaters. Unlike forced air heaters, radiant tube heaters offer the benefit of increased creature comfort, a lot less noise and higher energy efficiency. They are a bit more expensive initially, but they can pay themselves back in a very short time. For the budget minded, Enerco offers the HeatStar H25N (Nat. Gas) or H22L (LP Gas) vent free high intensity infra-red heater. This heater is designed to heat 550 sq. feet or more, depending on insulation. It comes with wall mounting bracket, thermostat and thermostat wire and operates on a millivolt control, so it requires no electricty. Just hang the heater, connect the thermostat, run the gas line and you're done. Total installation cost can be as little as $500.00. The H25N/H22L is one of the most popular garage heaters in North America.2) If there is no gas, do I have 240V electrical power available or easily accessible?Gas forced air heaters do require 120V power, in addition to the gas line, yet the electrical draw is much, much less than with an all electric heater. What about energy consumption? Costs of gas verus electric varies all across North America. Your local utilities can help you figure out cost differences. That said, natural gas heaters have always been much cheaper to operate. Propane fired heaters can cost a bit more to run.In most areas of the united states, the cost of electricity is higher than the cost of gas. Even so, electric heaters do offer advantages. First, Electric heaters require no flue. If you are concerned about running a new flue through your roof or side wall, an electric heater suspended from the wall or ceiling may be the answer. Second, electric heaters are quieter than gas forced air heaters and produce little vibration. A common concern with forced air is that they are noisier and can transfer vibration through the structure of the house.6) What is the ceiling height?But are they safe?A little higher room humidity is the most notable difference between a vent free heater and one that is vented to the outside. Water vapor occurs through the combustion process of the gas. Most people find a little added humidty to be a valuable benefit during the heating season where the relative humidity indoors compared to outdoors is quite low. No need to add a humidfier to the space when operating a vent free heater. Installing the heater in a laundry room or any other already humid environment may produce more humidty to those rooms than is desired.Thousands of restaurants have pergola frames that define the outdoor dining space, support lighting and fans, yet don't protect from sun or rain. To add sun and rain protection to these pergola frames, ShadeFX has developed a canopy system that mounts above the pergola, allowing uninterrupted use of fans, lighting and radiant heaters that are usually mounted under the structure.7) Is there adequate clearance at the ceiling or on the wall to mount the heater?"Adding a ShadeFX canopy to any pergola will multiply the value of the space it covers tenfold, because rain or shine, the space underneath will be comfortable and used to its full potential," says Ostrowski.3) What are the energy costs of gas versus electric in my area?First, if no gas line available or there is no practical way to get gas to the garage space, your selection process just became a lot easier. That's because your only choice is an electric heater and there are only a few good options. There are several electric heater manufacturers to choose from including Chromalox, Qmark and Fostoria (TPI). These brands offer reliable forced air models suitable for residential and commercial heating. These eletcric space heaters are normally suspended from the ceiling or side wall with optional mounting brackets.A ton of information is available on the internet concerning the use of vent free heaters. Most of this information is very favorable, but you may also find some negative opinions. This is usually the result of misapplication or improper use of vent free. Here at Infra-Red Products Supply, Inc. we actively promote and sell vent free heaters because they are safe, economical to operate easy to install and affordable to purchase. We have sold and promoted vent free heaters for over 20 years and have hundreds of very happy customers. For those who simply don't want vent free, we also offer various models of direct vent wall heaters. The public can view these heaters at www.heatersunlimited.com or www.infraredinfo.com.
Whatever you do, DO NOT skiimp on safety. The above mentioned heaters are designed to mount safely from the ceiling or high up on the wall. Many homeowners choose to use portable propane or kerosene heaters located at the floor level to heat their garages. These heaters are unsafe around children and pets. In addition, gasoline and other flammables stored at ground level could be easily ignited in the presence of a spill. Spending a few dollars more for a permanent heater that is high and out of reach is worth that extra cost. Always use a residential garage approved heating appliance, especially for attached garages. Check local codes and use a qualified licensed heating professional for installation. Doing it the right way will add value to your home and give you peace of mind.
Author: Scott Workman
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