electric heater power/wattage recommendations for my garage?

[Dan White]

I have a 520 sf attached garage. I used the heater below and it works great. Needs a 30a breaker, 220v. Ceiling mounted. Heats up the room almost instantly. OK, maybe 5 minutes.

Fahrenheat 5,000-Watt Unit Heater-FUH54 - The Home Depot

Provide 5,000 watts of heating power to up to 500 sq. ft. of a garage, basement and warehouse or construction addition using this Fahrenheat 5,000-Watt Portable Electric Heater. A high-level cut-out automatically

www.homedepot.com

 

[jshaw]

I have a King Electric heater in my garage and it does well in a cold climate. They have several options to choose from. Made in USA, eh.

 

[maha]

didnt read all the posts but you need 10 watts a square foot if its insulated decently. and an electric overhead pointing downward will be the cheapest and best for a quick heatup and shorttime use.

the bigger you go the faster it will heat up. 5000 is the minimum you can get buy.

 

[CanadianGuy]

thanks very much all,
great feedback here and much appreciated

the reason for electric is I have been seeking a local company that provides one stop shopping, so
sales, service, installation and warranty, not a ton of these guys around, neither gas nor electric

I was able to find a reputable electrical business that meets this requirement, they are a distributor for King products and have been receptive to my calls and emails unlike some of the others I reached out to

the garage has easy access to the electrical panel for the requisite electrical upgrade

cost for electric here is 8.5 cents hourly off peak hours

by my quick math, 42.5 cents hourly to run a 5000 watt unit

not sure how the above figures would scale on a 10k unit or 7.5k as it has been mentioned here the bigger units heat up faster

the 5k units still appear to be the most efficient by a significant margin within my estimated 2-3 three hour scenarios although at this point my research and the feedback here likely puts me in a good spot with any of the units

 

[Dan White]

thanks very much all,
great feedback here and much appreciated

the reason for electric is I have been seeking a local company that provides one stop shopping, so
sales, service, installation and warranty, not a ton of these guys around, neither gas nor electric

I was able to find a reputable electrical business that meets this requirement, they are a distributor for King products and have been receptive to my calls and emails unlike some of the others I reached out to

the garage has easy access to the electrical panel for the requisite electrical upgrade

cost for electric here is 8.5 cents hourly off peak hours

by my quick math, 42.5 cents hourly to run a 5000 watt unit

not sure how the above figures would scale on a 10k unit or 7.5k as it has been mentioned here the bigger units heat up faster

the 5k units still appear to be the most efficient by a significant margin within my estimated 2-3 three hour scenarios although at this point my research and the feedback here likely puts me in a good spot with any of the units

The 5000 watt is going to be more than enough, trust me. My unit barely lopes along and the room is as warm as I want in the winter.

 

[fastone371]

For new construction, wouldn't it be best to install radiant floor heating tubes in the floor? That would definitely keep the slate warm, and from what I understand, reasonable to operate. Downside.... high initial cost.

I would guess that ceiling mounted radiant would work well too. It heats up objects in the room which then heats up the air should I would think it would also warm the table nicely.

 

[fastone371]

Throw an electric blanket over the table, turn it up all the way, slate will be nice and warm, and uses less electricity too.

Great idea!!!! How long does it usually take to bring it up 5 or so degrees, maybe an hour???

 

[buckshotshoey]

Great idea!!!! How long does it usually take to bring it up 5 or so degrees, maybe an hour???

If you put actual pool table heaters under it and keep it covered with heavy nogahyde, it will be warm all the time.

 

[Nick B]

thanks very much all,
great feedback here and much appreciated

the reason for electric is I have been seeking a local company that provides one stop shopping, so
sales, service, installation and warranty, not a ton of these guys around, neither gas nor electric

I was able to find a reputable electrical business that meets this requirement, they are a distributor for King products and have been receptive to my calls and emails unlike some of the others I reached out to

the garage has easy access to the electrical panel for the requisite electrical upgrade

cost for electric here is 8.5 cents hourly off peak hours

by my quick math, 42.5 cents hourly to run a 5000 watt unit

not sure how the above figures would scale on a 10k unit or 7.5k as it has been mentioned here the bigger units heat up faster

the 5k units still appear to be the most efficient by a significant margin within my estimated 2-3 three hour scenarios although at this point my research and the feedback here likely puts me in a good spot with any of the units

Doesn't work like that. Unit is not running most of the time. When occupied I would suspect it runs maybe 20min/hour. When not in use I would probably set the room/garage to 5~10Deg C so as not have table/slate issues etc. Again 5000W is plenty.

 

[stumpie71]

Don't go below 25k btu (7500 w), 30k btu (10000w) would be ideal. It's about temp rise for heating.

 

[Dan White]

Don't go below 25k btu (7500 w), 30k btu (10000w) would be ideal. It's about temp rise for heating.

Like I said earlier I have a larger garage than his and admittedly am in NJ which is a little warmer, but my 5000w ceiling mounted heater is barely loping along in freezing temps. It's plenty.