space heaters

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space heaters

Postby dwgriff1 » Tue Nov 17, 2009 1:06 am

I need to heat a small studio space of 140 sf. I live in a fairly cold winter area, but 60 degrees is a comfortable work temp. The space is well quite well insulated and is tight, though I can crack a window for ventilation if I need.

Would it make any economic difference if I used an electric space heater or a propane fired catalytic heater? Would the difference be worth the trouble?

Thanks for any suggestion

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Postby madjack » Tue Nov 17, 2009 2:12 am

Dave, a small electric heater would probably be all ya need and the simplest way to go...either a ceramic or even an oil filled radiator type...this would also eliminate any safety concerns a propane heater could cause..........
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Postby Cutterpup » Tue Nov 17, 2009 7:29 am

I would go with an electric heater, propane heater will create carbon monoxide and it will do it slowly with any signs that it happening until its to late. Of course if you open a window every time that you use it you will be okay. However think of going out there on a cold windy day and just opening a window would freeze you out and you decide to hold off a while before opening the window and then you get distracted and some time has gone by and now your really into what your doing and the heater has been working and the carbon monoxide has built up and your not thinking as will.... Boy that electric heater starts to sound much better now doesn't it.

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Postby Larwyn » Tue Nov 17, 2009 8:10 am

I usually use electric heat out in the garage shop but the woodworking shop out back only has a limited amount of power available so it is heated with propane. The woodshop has ridge vents and no ceiling and a CO detector. I also "crack" a window open.
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Postby Capt. Home Slice » Tue Nov 17, 2009 9:40 am

I usually just fire up the car in the garage, the heat from the engine warms it up nicely. :lol:

...I have a few space heaters (three oil filled and one ceramic) that I set up in my house during the winter months and kick them on whenever needed to suppliment the furnace. Some rooms that are away from the thermostat tend to get a bit chilly and I also opt not to heat other rooms that are seldomly used.
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Postby dwgriff1 » Tue Nov 17, 2009 10:24 am

Capt'n: since I can't get the car into my little studio would it work to bring in the lawn mower? lol

Thanks to the others for "real" fast answers! Electric it is!

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Postby Aaron Coffee » Tue Nov 17, 2009 5:37 pm

The only problem with the lawn mower is that it only has a single speed fan. :lol:
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Postby Darren » Tue Nov 17, 2009 7:04 pm

Dave, I use a Vornado brand electric heater and just love it. It's a little big in the teardrop, I do use it there, but works great in the garage. It runs at a constant temp so no more cycling off and on. It has a thermostat and hi, lo, and fan settings. Here is a link to the one I have.
http://www.vornado.com/ProductDetail.as ... VTH+Heater
This is my second one. Initially I had the analog one and really liked both of them. Hope this helps.
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Heater

Postby doitright » Tue Nov 17, 2009 9:12 pm

I also have a electric heater that I use all the time. It cost $19.00. Three temp settings and two heat settings high and low with just fan. It also has a tip over switch and a high limit. On High it uses 1500 watts same as one that cost lots of money. That is why I buy the cheep ones 1500 watts is 1500 watts they put off the same amount of heat at the same cost per k/h.
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Postby caseydog » Tue Nov 17, 2009 10:16 pm

My Stanley electric heater works okay in the garage, if I give it a little time to get things warm before I go out to work.

I just do not like the idea of any heater that burns fuels in a closed space. Every winter, the papers and news shows are full of stories of burned down homes and dead people related to space heaters that burn some kind of fuel.

If I had a really drafty space to heat (so there would be an inflow of fresh air), then maybe I'd use a fuel burning heater, but even then, I would not leave it unattended.

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Postby dwgriff1 » Wed Nov 18, 2009 12:58 pm

My sister sorta collects things. When she cannot find something she buys another, so I asked her if she had an extra heater she was not using.

I traded a soup/salad/sandwich meal (I cook she does not) for one!

It is one of those tall ceramic heaters. It has a timer as well as temp settings, and it oscillates.

Only used it an hour so far, but so far it works good.

Part of my question had to do with cost. My retirement budget does not have too much flex.

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Postby Capt. Home Slice » Wed Nov 18, 2009 1:58 pm

Sounds like a good trade to me! :thumbsup:
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Postby Larwyn » Wed Nov 18, 2009 2:43 pm

Besides the power requirements another factor might be just how fast and how much you want to raise the temp. I often use a small electric heater in the garage to help break the chill. But when it's really cold out there and I need to get something done, I fire up the 125,000 BTU propane salamander. It will raise the temp from freezing to the mid 80's before you know it. It's noisy, it smells of propane and is very expensive to run. It will go through a 20 pound bottle of propane in about four hours but I have no better way to heat a large area quickly. When I really need it, this works. :thumbsup:

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Postby Shadow Catcher » Wed Nov 18, 2009 10:10 pm

I am using the Iron Fireman Oil burner that heated the house 28 years ago to heat the garage.
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Postby caseydog » Wed Nov 18, 2009 11:51 pm

The best way I have found to heat my garage is to run a few errands in my car, then park it in the garage, close the door, and come back in 30 minutes. That engine block, radiator and two turbochargers do a great job of warming up that space.

If I want it even warmer, all I have to do is make those two turbos work harder while running those errands. :thumbsup:

Of course, when it is really cold outside, the two intercoolers make the two turbos all the more tempting to work harder. :twisted:

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