Garage heaters

[shydragon]

Wow, I was reading the user reviews, and everyone was so high on it. Maybe they were too embarrassed about the price to say anything different.

[a1gutterman]

Wow, I was reading the user reviews, and everyone was so high on it. Maybe they were too embarrassed about the price to say anything different.

I am no expert, Pat, but it has been my experience that infrared heaters heat the "things" they reflect against. Knot the air. If this heater is in a cabinet, it must be heating the inside of the cabinet. I do knot see how it can work. Maybe I am knot understanding something here, but I hope that it can be explained by someone that knows more then me.

[charlese]

Hi Tim - I don't know more than you, but I think I understand how this heater is supposed to work. The small infra red units in the box work like a fire in a furnace. There is a heat exchanger in the box and a fan. The unit is a warm air heater rather than a reflective heater.

You're right on - a reflective infra red heater warms up objects - the warm objects then warm the air. The only more effective system I know about would be hot water embedded into a floor. A warm floor will heat a room nicely. A infra red radiant heater will also heat a floor, but not as efficiently.

[reible]

How about this:

http://www.ambi-radusa.com/whatis.htm

ed

[a1gutterman]

Hi Tim - I don't know more than you, but I think I understand how this heater is supposed to work. The small infra red units in the box work like a fire in a furnace. There is a heat exchanger in the box and a fan. The unit is a warm air heater rather than a reflective heater.

You're right on - a reflective infra red heater warms up objects - the warm objects then warm the air. The only more effective system I know about would be hot water embedded into a floor. A warm floor will heat a room nicely. A infra red radiant heater will also heat a floor, but not as efficiently.

That makes a lot of sense, Chuck. I am one of those with the radiant heat in my floor. It works well and it is nice walking on warm floors, but it takes forever to get the house up to temp from a cold level. I usually do knot let it get too cold because of that. If that heater is working on the same principal, it wood be difficult, IMHO, for a heater that size to heat a very large room.

[reible]

Hi,

When I was going to school we (the wife and I) spent two years living in a rental unit with Radiant heat, it was called "Radiant Court". It was great getting up on a cold winter morning and putting your feet on warmth! We loved it there! At the time the car battery was "weak" so each night during the colder part of the winter I would bring the battery in and set it on the floor. Car never failed to start. The cat would sleep on a rug on the floor rather then on the bed... she never for gave us for moving either.

The system was in the concrete floor so the mass did make for interesting times at the beginning and ending of the cold weather. It took a while to heat up and a while to cool down and with the seasonal plus daily swings it was interesting.

Ed

That makes a lot of sense, Chuck. I am one of those with the radiant heat in my floor. It works well and it is nice walking on warm floors, but it takes forever to get the house up to temp from a cold level. I usually do knot let it get too cold because of that. If that heater is working on the same principal, it wood be difficult, IMHO, for a heater that size to heat a very large room.

[curiousgeorge]

Not difficult, Tim. It won't. Like I said, I have one. I must admit tho that, once the room is warmed by some other means, it will help keep it that way.

[wilderness1989]

I am also hoping to heat my shop (19 degrees F. in there this morning..) I have been considering the Modine Hot Dawg heater -a friend has one in his shop and has been very happy with it. Alec

I have the Hot Dawg heater from Modine in my 22'x22' attached garage shop (http://www3.modine.com/v2portal/page/po ... nt_010.htm)
We reinsulated the ceiling in the house and garage this Fall (18" blown in) and it really makes a difference in heating. The walls have 3.75" on Fiberglass bats and the garage door is new and insulated.
The Hot Dawg I selected is the 45kBtu with separated combustion. I'm very happy to say the heater does a wonderful job the thermostat is set at 60F. degrees when I'm not in the shop and and brings the temp up quickly in about 10 minutes to 68F. and does not run much after that.

[charlese]

Caught this statement from today's issue of "Woodworker's Journal eZine":

“Using an unvented propane heater in a shop has a disadvantage. The result of propane combustion is CO2 and H2O. The water vapor will condense on cold machinery and cause rust. I experienced this when my shop was in a non-insulated garage.” – Glenn & Peggy Yingling

[a1gutterman]

Caught this statement from today's issue of "Woodworker's Journal eZine":

“Using an unvented propane heater in a shop has a disadvantage. The result of propane combustion is CO2 and H2O. The water vapor will condense on cold machinery and cause rust. I experienced this when my shop was in a non-insulated garage.” – Glenn & Peggy Yingling

It does knot matter if it is insulated or knot; when using propane, you will have moisture caused by condensation, and lots of it. If you go that route, I wood recommend using a dehumidifier. I remove about 1 gallon of water from my basement per day using mine, and I do knot have any rust problems, nor have I ever had condensation form on any of my metal items.