Garage/Shop Heater Installs?

[Dakota_male]

Miniplit is the was to go. They are more than 400% efficient down to -15 deg C/5 deg f which means when consuming 1000w of electricity they will produce 4000w of heat. My heat pump draws 2 to 4 amps at 240v when heating.

It has a fan so dust is not great.

They will bring up the temp like any other 4000w heater, but they are so inexpensive to operate, it is cheaper to leave the temp up somewhat.

I have a Daikin and I can set it as low as I want unlike most brands. I leave mine around 50. I would not go much lower, because it needs heat to do a defrost cycle on the outdoor unit.

I did the same in my 24x30, 10ft ceiling garage too, 2 9x8 ft doors. 1200btu Mini split heats my garage perfect draws 900 watts only needed 14-2 wiring. Bought the vacuum pump on amazon installed it myself total cost less than $1400 installed and I leave it set at 64F.

 

[PEJ5]

No offense but 400% efficient? Please explain. If I could get close to 100% I would be dancing.

I wrote it that way to get people's attention , but the math works.

A heat pump only uses electricity for the compressor and fan, not to "heat". The heat is extracted from the outside air (free heat)...yes, even when it is cold outside. As a result, a 13000BTUh (3900watt) heatpump produces that much heat while just consuming 500 to 1000 watts of electricity depending on the outdoor temp. It is like an air conditioner in reverse.

They are highly efficient down to -15degC, but below that temperature they drop off... 1000w may only produce 2000w of heat. Below -25C/-13F you just shut it down and use another heating method. Hopefully not too often

Heat pumps are very popular in our Canadian climate where we need heat 8 months of the year, providing huge savings over fossil fuels or electric baseboard.

It is time to stop burning propane and oil fired heat.

 

[deezler]

Heat pumps are very popular in our Canadian climate where we need heat 8 months of the year, providing huge savings over fossil fuels or electric baseboard.

It is time to stop burning propane and oil fired heat.

Amen. And LP frac'd natural gas too, while we're at it. There is still a place for gas in power generation, but I wish it wasn't plumbed around in massive pipes underneath our properties. If our houses are all electric, we can focus on upgrading the generation side to cleaner sources over time.

 

[zoedog2012]

What is LP frac'd natural gas?

 

[ericm979]

No offense but 400% efficient? Please explain. If I could get close to 100% I would be dancing.

It's an air heat pump. In heating mode it sucks heat from the outside and delivers it to the inside. In cooling mode it does the reverse. Unlike a ground heat pump there's no expensive dirt work, just an external condensor unit to mount. The one problem is that they don't work so well when it's really cold, -5 degrees F or colder. That number varies from unit to unit and they keep improving it.

Modern minisplits use inverters. The compressors are not just on and off like a cheap window AC unit. They can modulate. This makes them even more efficient and better at keeping a constant temperature.
What You Need To Know About Ductless Mini-Split Inverter Technology

There are some DIY installable units, for example the MrCool ones. Those are popular with people equipping their home shops/garages.

I did a bunch of research and this is the way I'll be going in my planned shop. The units are not expensive and I can install them myself. Even with our much higher electric prices, they're not going to be expensive to run. Where you are it'll be super cheap.

 

[deezler]

What is LP frac'd natural gas?

Oh whoops delete that LP. I just meant natural gas that comes from frac'ing. Brain fart including the LP, was thinking low pressure, not liquefied petroleum.

 

[not2old]

I wrote it that way to get people's attention , but the math works.

A heat pump only uses electricity for the compressor and fan, not to "heat". The heat is extracted from the outside air (free heat)...yes, even when it is cold outside. As a result, a 13000BTUh (3900watt) heatpump produces that much heat while just consuming 500 to 1000 watts of electricity depending on the outdoor temp. It is like an air conditioner in reverse.


I can confirm this by comparing my home electricity consumption with geo-thermal to a neighbours house with electric baseboards. I paid about $400.00 for two months and they paid more than $700.00 for one month in a house about 1/2 the size.

 

[dragoneggs]

I do have electric forced air furnance and a heat pump tied in for house heat. Also have a propane fireplace for supplemental heat/ambience in the living room. Too late to go the electric route for the garage/shop as I made the purchase Reznor purchase.

Just checked on installing an additional 250gal propane tank for the garage and learned there are 10ft set back requirements which pretty much kills that idea. Fortunately the gal at Ferrell Gas who I have been dealing with told me that I can install 120gal vertical or horizontal tanks right up against the structure and daisy chain them so now I am in the market for a couple of 120g used verticals! Trying to avoid having to buy new.

 

[dlctcg]

Yup we have the same ridiculous laws here... Set back that 250gal tank 10ft.... but go ahead & strap (2) 100 or 120gal to the building..... You know because if one blows the other will be fine.... Oh ok.... besides 10ft back on a 250 / 500 / 1000 not going to make a difference if it goes.... Lets face it you don't want to be home....

On a different note... If you know someone in the HVAC business or a licensed plumber (that can do gas work - different licence here) see if they might be willing to check pricing on refurbished tanks for you... I just checked & 420lb (basically 120gal) run under $400 here on a contractor account... new they are around $700

 

[Al 2]

I have a Reznor unit . Possibly 6500 BTU and they go for about $1000 around here plus install. Just another idea on how to hook them up . I have the thermostat just inside the main entrance door and a lighted when on, off/on wall switch beside it and when I leave it's easy to turn off if needed. I also have a small 'bullet' type LED light mounted on the outside of my shop that I can see from my house that is on when the furnace is so it's an instant reminder that the furnace is on or off. To hook this up I just installed a receptacle on the wall and powered it so that it is on when the furnace is on. Then I just used a plug in charger from a rechargeable tool and powered the LED light with a low voltage . I also have Google Home and since I'm somewhat lazy, I bought a compatible receptacle/ switch for the furnace and now I can turn my furnace on /off from my house or anywhere there is WiFI with my phone. Hope this makes sense. I also have a another building that I can't see from my house and sometimes leave the door open by mistake. I have a contact switch on the door and it powers another LED light that I can see from my house as well. I know you can buy a unit from the hardware store that does the same thing but the LED light is much brighter.
al