Thread from 2016:
I'm looking for a 120V electric garage heater to take some of the winter chill out of my garage. Anyone got any recommendations? For the record, I'm in Northern Cali so it is not very cold. Just looking to take some of the chill off and keep my old bones from getting too cranky. I noticed Sears has one for $50. It looks promising. Sears electric garage heater Thanks.
That looks like any cheap electric space heater in a fancy package. If that's all you really need I would just grab any old space heater kicking around my house or $5 from a garage sale and call it a day. But I'm also cheap...
Is your garage attached? I have worked in an unattached gravel floored garaged (coldest), an attached garage under the house, but uninsulated and my current garage is next to the house but insulated and is by far the warmest. You might get your best return by sealing up the garage door and anywhere else there are large drafts. Otherwise it could take a big heater to keep up.
^ It is an attached garage. Got new doors already and insulated the walls so not drafty. Just chilly. Ceiling is still rafters. Will get to that one of these years.
I have one of these (Click). It takes a bit to get up to heat but I have had good luck with it. I toss it in the garage when it gets really cold and if keeps moderately comfy all winter. Nice thing is that it won't start a fire as it can't be much hotter than 130 degrees known the surface. Definitely recommend over what you posted.
If the ceiling is open to the attic most of the heat will just rise up and out. Closing and insulating the ceiling will go a long way to keeping the space warm.
Some 3/4" styrofoam or even a big tarp to seal rafters will do a lot to improve the heat retention in the garage without breaking the bank.
Aside from that, you are limited by the capacity of the outlets with 110v, so pretty much anything will work. I prefer to grey "millhouse" heaters with a little fan for inexpensive heat because they seem to last long longer than I expect.
I used electric heaters for years at our old house(no heat at all in the 2nd floor where our bedroom was) and found the "milkhouse" style heaters typically offered the most longevity - which was a season or two of 10-hour/night use. They're the heaters in the full-metal cases, the brand isn't reall a concern, but it seems like they're around $40 generally.
Unless you are worried about flame, why not get a torpedo? Way more efficient than electric. Even a small electric heater draws a lot of current. A $10 heater may cost ypu $30 -$40 a month in bills.
I used one of these over the weekend (attached garage, insulated, 10.5' ceilings, non-insulated and leaky doors), when the lows went down to 7 and the daily temps were around 20 degrees:
http://www.homedepot.com/p/Hampton-Bay-Legion-1-000-sq-ft-Panoramic-Infrared-Electric-Stove-EST-534T-10-Y/205109447
It kept the garage comfortable, and I actually turned it off a few times because I was getting overheated (I had a ton of layers on). Most importantly, my hands were in good shape in the HF black nitrile gloves.
As a bonus, I can bring it inside and use it there, as well.
I would have to agree with the idea of insulating first, add a heater second.
The heater I put in my garage is 240v, but I think they had a 120v version. It's made by pro fusion, sold by northern tool, 5k watts.
I've been using a couple 250W heat lamps. Lots of light and it heats you and the parts you are working with faster than convection. Bonus points for black hoodie and nitrile gloves for extra heat soak.
markwemple wrote: Unless you are worried about flame, why not get a torpedo? Way more efficient than electric. Even a small electric heater draws a lot of current. A $10 heater may cost ypu $30 -$40 a month in bills.
At a typical utility rate of 12 cents per kilowatt-hour, it costs 18 cents per hour to run a 120vac 1500 watt heater. If you figure spending maybe 4 hours in the garage, three times a week, that's $8.64 per month.
Torpedo heaters shouldn't be run in a closed space because they generate carbon monoxide (and in my experience are stinky and will make your eyes water.) Plus, everything in the garage will be coated with condensation.
paranoid_android74 wrote: I would have to agree with the idea of insulating first, add a heater second. The heater I put in my garage is 240v, but I think they had a 120v version. It's made by pro fusion, sold by northern tool, 5k watts.
I have the same or a similar heater (I think mine is 4KW). You aren't running 5000 watts off a typical 120V circuit. The one think I don't like about the one I have is the noise - the fan isn't quiet. It does work, though, and is capable of getting my poorly insulated garage warmer than my not-quite-as-poorly-insulated house.
I also have a 1500W oil-filled radiator that I use as a back-up heater. It can take the edge off the cold in my garage, but I did need to turn it on a good hour or more before I planned to start working.
The biggest electric heater you're going to find that plugs into a regular 120vac outlet is 1500 watts. As a couple others have mentioned, a little milkhouse heater is probably the best choice - they're inexpensive, usually pretty durable, and are available most anywhere.
singleslammer wrote: I have one of these (Click). It takes a bit to get up to heat but I have had good luck with it. I toss it in the garage when it gets really cold and if keeps moderately comfy all winter. Nice thing is that it won't start a fire as it can't be much hotter than 130 degrees known the surface. Definitely recommend over what you posted.
I use one of these oiled filled. They do take longer to heat the space, but then I don't have to worry about flammability when spraying carb cleaner or paint.
It should also be noted the size of the garage will affect how effective the heater will be. My 1.5 car attached garage can be warmed up to tolerable temps with a 1500W oil radiator. However, my 240V 4800W heater from NorthernTool was pissing in the wind trying to heat my ex's detached 25x28 garage with 10' ceilings and an open stairwell to an un-insulated attic.
I was going to ask what a "milkhouse" heater was then noticed that Sears lists one in related products. milkhouse heater
I'll stop in at Sears and check them both out. The milkhouse heater has the same BTU as the heater I originally posted. Northern Tool has something similar to the milkhouse heater at Sears. The one at home depot is too big, more expensive and too pretty pretty for the garage.
The garage in question is a 2 car garage. The garage is sealed off from the house's attic space so it is pretty well contained. The only thing I haven't done from a heat retention / insulation perspective is the ceiling but I won't be touching that this winter since my hoopties are not mobile at the moment.
Milkhouse heater has become sort of a generic name for those things, they were originally used in dairy barns to heat the room where they keep the milk tank.
markwemple wrote: Unless you are worried about flame, why not get a torpedo? Way more efficient than electric. Even a small electric heater draws a lot of current. A $10 heater may cost ypu $30 -$40 a month in bills.
I have one and hate it. Stinky, noisy, and you have to have fresh air inlets open (so windows or door) which means you're fighting a losing battle against the cold anyway. I have a gas heater but if I couldn't have that I would go electric long before firing up the torpedo again.
oldopelguy wrote: Some 3/4" styrofoam or even a big tarp to seal rafters will do a lot to improve the heat retention in the garage without breaking the bank. Aside from that, you are limited by the capacity of the outlets with 110v, so pretty much anything will work. I prefer to grey "millhouse" heaters with a little fan for inexpensive heat because they seem to last long longer than I expect.
We had a milk house heater we bought from probably Walmart for 8 or 10 years in our bathroom. My wife is always cold so she used it for almost ever shower, and me every shower during the winter. Likely had an average of an hour of use everyday for nearly a decade. In a humid area. But our bathroom is tiny, so I don't know how much space it would warm.
This won't answer your 120V electric heater question, but I've never found an electric heater that was very good at heating a garage space. I've always opted for propane heaters. Call a local LP gas supplier and have them drop a 100 to 250 gallon bottle and hide it behind your garage. I've had GREAT luck finding old forced hot air furnaces out of mobile homes on local CraigsList for $100 or so. Depending on where you place it, no ducting may be necessary and they produce ALOT more heat than any electric heater will.
Just a thought as units can be found cheap and the gas companies don't charge much, if anything, for the bottle since you are purchasing the gas from them.
Ian F wrote:paranoid_android74 wrote: I would have to agree with the idea of insulating first, add a heater second. The heater I put in my garage is 240v, but I think they had a 120v version. It's made by pro fusion, sold by northern tool, 5k watts.I have the same or a similar heater (I think mine is 4KW). You aren't running 5000 watts off a typical 120V circuit. The one think I don't like about the one I have is the noise - the fan isn't quiet. It does work, though, and is capable of getting my poorly insulated garage warmer than my not-quite-as-poorly-insulated house. I also have a 1500W oil-filled radiator that I use as a back-up heater. It can take the edge off the cold in my garage, but I did need to turn it on a good hour or more before I planned to start working.
Yes, thank you Ian- my fan is noisy too, I forgot to mention that.
It's mildly annoying.
In reply to lotusseven7:
Another used furnace bonus is they're much less of a fire hazard than an electric space heater (oil radiator units aside) or a torpedo.
I use a Home Depot space heater. It works.
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