Garage Heater

[wbond]

Just wanted to post some initial thoughts on the garage heater i just installed.
I bought a Fahrenheat FLCH4R. They make another model that gets really good reviews FUH54, and when reviewing it, I stumbled across the other one. After reading the reviews and seeing people adding either on/off switches and/or timers i figured i'd go with the FLCH4R. Although it has slightly less wattage (5k vs 4.8K), the features it has are well worth it. Having a remote control and a timer built in is great. I did read a review that complained about the unit short cycling and another poster mentioned that he removed the back screen and pulled the temp probe out of the back. I did this as well. i don't know why they would design a temp probe inside of the unit, doesn't seem to make much sense. Anyway, the timer works well and the unit is allowed to run the fan after it shuts off to cool off the elements. This is something that can't be done if you just cutoff power to the other model or any other unit for that matter. Plus reaching up to adjust temperature seemed like a pain. I did get lucky because my breaker panel is inside my garage so running the 220 line was very simple. The best place i've found to get the unit was from electricheaterwarehouse.com. Total cost was about $180 including the unit and the wire, breaker, electircal box, and electrical whip. It wasn't that cold this weekend, but it does push out some pretty warm air and warmed the room up quickly. The fan is a little loud although not horrible, not sure how to quantify it.

[aeroburner]

after install let me know how your electric bill goes thinking same think just do not need to add 100.00 to my bill.

[Joko]

I ended up buying a portable AC unit w/heat pump this past summer for my garage (https://www.sylvane.com/toyotomi-tad...r-reviews.html). The AC part works as good as I could hope for, it's not amazing, but it's a 2 car garage with high ceilings. It does keep the place cool enough for me to still be able to play, which was the goal. 100 degrees outside, I can get it down to 75-76 or so.

I'm looking forward to trying the heat pump this winter, the good thing is that I don't need to have the room at 71 degrees, 60 degrees in the winter is plenty warm.

Anyhow I thought I would throw that option out there, it was initially a pain in the butt figuring out what portable AC unit works the best - and don't even bother if your garage isn't insulated (at least not for the cooling - make sure the space is insulated first). I had initially gotten a window AC unit but realized how ugly it was going to look sticking out the side of the house, they typically work better, but if you are worried about any aesthetics this is an option if you can vent outside.

[Ookie]

Just remember, heat pumps become exponentially more efficient when the temperature rises. More importantly, the converse is also true.

They are great for dealing with exterior temperatures in the 40s and 50s. 20s and below? Your electric meter will be spinning, with very little heat produced.

[Sascha1818]

What do you guys think about infrared panel heaters ? From what i'm reading they should be pretty afficiant. A friend of mine has it in the office and loves it.

[Sascha1818]

I'm working on a new sim room right now with a lot more space and better setup then my excisting one and that's what i plan on using for heating.

[wbond]

I currently have a window AC unit and lucky for me it's on the side of the house and blocked from view by shrubs. It works quite well for my 2 car garage which is somewhat insulated. However the ceiling is not which will be the biggest loss and is what needs to be done next.

I was looking at the the DIY mini split and almost bought it, but as mentioned above, some of them struggle to produce heat as the temp goes down. So make sure you understand the lower operating temperature limits of these units. Some are better than others.

I will keep try and keep an eye on my electric bill, but i only plan on running this for about an hour or so when I'm playing, which makes the timer function a real bonus. Anything above 55 or so will be good enough since I also use one of those costco dish heaters. Those things are great, really focuses the heat right on you.

[Joko]

Last year my garage was not insulated, and I occasionally still went out there, but it would get COLD. This year I insulated, and yeah the heat pump may not be perfect, but I'm hopeful it works decently. Like said above, anything above 55 would be fine, maybe even lower? I don't know! We will see, either way it'll be better then nothing for now. I'm done spending money on the golf sim until something breaks.

Actually rethinking this I would probably be fine with 40-45 if I have proper attire. I'd like to be able to gear up for some colder weather rounds in the winter, I'm in Kansas City so it doesn't get too cold until Jan-Feb.