adding second portable heater to workshop

[Mike Gager]

i have a electric heater in my garage currently that does an ok job but its not spectacular. for instance yesterday at noon it was 32° in the shop and i kicked the heater on and at 4 it was 50° and stayed there the rest of the night. the temp outside had also risen from 34° to about 45 at 4 and then back into the high 30s at 7 when i went inside. i cant really say how much the heater actually helps but it usually raises temps in the garage about 10°-20°

the shop is a 2 car garage 24x28 with r13 in walls and r19 in the 8ft ceiling. the garage door is not insulated

the heater i am using is a 1500 watt 120v model. i am thinking about getting a second similar heater, do you guys think it would make much difference? id love to get it up to the 60s on these cold days so i could do some finishing

id really like to get something larger (240v) but cant really afford anything bigger right now. gas heaters are not an option for me either

[Don Jarvie]

Can't hurt until you can afford a bigger unit.

Look for one with a fan so the hot air can circulate some.

[Harry Hagan]

I bought two of these after trying three and then four smaller heaters and they wouldn't get the job done on a really cold day/night. You have a lot of catching up to do when you start with a cold garage filled with equipment that keeps absorbing heat long after the air is warmed up. One of these heaters would do it if I was willing to be uncomfortable for a while. Fifteen minutes and I turn one off and it's time to make some sawdust.

Try borrowing something similar to what you're thinking about purchasing and see if that will get the job done.

In hindsight, it would have been less expensive for me to invest in additional ceiling insulation first, and then save until I could afford a larger unit that would meet my needs, rather than spending money on another smaller heater.


Fahrenheat / Marley Model # BRH402
6' Heavy duty cord
Portable
240 Volt
11" H x 10.5" W x 9.8" D
ATTS 4000/3000
BTU/HR 13,650/10,238
AMPS 16.7/14.4
PLUG TYPE #6-20P
UL Listed
Unit: each
Unit Weight: 6.0210 lbs

[glenn bradley]

I run 2 little 1500w (about $35 each) heaters and they do fine. I do not get the cold weather you do. 40* is really cold around here.

[David Hostetler]

Until you get some more appropriate insulation in that space, you are just pumping heat up into the atmosphere. Particularly through the ceiling (heat rises).

I live in the south, where it just doesn't get that cold, and I wouldn't consider insulating to less than R30 in the ceiling... Depending on where you live, I would suggest that as a starting point.

Move on from there and insulate your doors, block off your drafts, and THEN see if you need to add another heater... At that point, I would say probably not... But it all depends on your space.

[Augusto Orosco]

ithe shop is a 2 car garage 24x28 with r13 in walls and r19 in the 8ft ceiling. the garage door is not insulated



Your walls and ceiling are already insulated, so I wonder if you might get a better bang for your back if you insulate your garage doors and seal any openings. Probably a little more expensive than another 1,500w heater, but not by much. And then you wouldn't be adding to your electric bill with a second heater.

Another thing you might try before all that is to add a fan to help circulate the warm air. You probably have a box fan already, so it costs nothing to try.

[Bob Borzelleri]

Rather than speculate, here's a way to find out where your heat is going and it's fairly cheap.

http://www.google.com/products/catalog?hl=en&safe=off&client=firefox-a&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&hs=utR&resnum=0&q=infrared+thermometer&um=1&ie=UTF-8&cid=12955984420802696606&ei=-tYqS5mnCJLatgOSzci7BA&sa=X&oi=product_catalog_result&ct=result&resnum=2&ved=0CCQQ8wIwAQ#ps-sellers