I finally put in something more permanent for heat...

[Jim Becker]

I've been wanting to improve my shop heating for a few years, but never got around to it until this week. This puppy went up today and and should do a nice job for when I need it. It will not eliminate the need to use my radiant units initially on a very cold day, but since it warms the air directly, it will help get things more comfortable quicker. Installation is relatively easy...run the 30 amp circuit and hang it from the included bracket. I chose to use a more flexible and protective rubber pigtail from the unit to the box on the ceiling. I don't like Romex hanging exposed which also doesn't make code, if I'm not mistaken. This is a Farentheat unit and puts out north of 17,000 btu. It also features a fan delay so it's not pushing cold air at start and moves any remaining warm air after shutoff before stopping the fan.

[Patrick Walsh]

What is it?

Looks like a HotDog but clearly it is not.

What is the Cost if you don't mind me asking..

[Rick Moyer]

That's what I have in my two-car garage (shop), Jim. If your work area is insulated fairly well, you're gonna love that heater.
edit: I also run my ambient air cleaner for better air circulation and have a centered ceiling fan which moves the air all around so the shop stays uniformly comfortable.

[Jim Becker]

Patrick, as mentioned, it's a Farenheat unit. Cost was $258 from Amazon plus a breaker and some additional 10/2 wire as I didn't have enough around to go the distance.

Rick, my walls are insulated and there's an upstairs to the shop (not insulated, but it doesn't hurt) so yea, it's likely going to work well. I'm about a hundred square feet over the ideal for this unit, but am not worried about it at this point.

[Terry Hatfield]

Nice looking unit, Jim!! I've often thought of adding something a little easier and instant than my wood stove but never have pulled the trigger. This looks very interesting though!

[Patrick Walsh]

Sorry missed the reference to the manufacturer.

How many square foot is the unit able to heat efficiently. Any idea of operating cost.

I wanted to do a HotDog and still may. My concern is the clearances need for the venting with regard to windows and openings so forth and so on. I already have a direct vent furnace and tankless hot water heater so im kinda running out of room for vents around the exterior of my small house.

My basement shop needs heat asap though! It is 1000sq ft and never drops bellow the low to mid 50's. Even then those days are rare. Most of the winter it is just around or under 60%

My only concern with the heater you are using for my application would be me only having a 100amp panel. Add the heat to me running a 5 horse dust collector and a 4 horse machine may or may not be a problem? The 30amp breaker is a non issue as i have plenty of space in my panel.

Anyway i am jealous!

That's what I have in my two-car garage (shop), Jim. If your work area is insulated fairly well, you're gonna love that heater.
edit: I also run my ambient air cleaner for better air circulation and have a centered ceiling fan which moves the air all around so the shop stays uniformly comfortable.

[Jim Becker]

Patrick, if I had a gas line out to the shop, I would have done something like the HotDawg some time ago. This unit supposedly will heat up to 600 sq feet and I suspect it will be fine given my shop is well insulated, at least horizontally, unlike many garage workshops, etc. I can't say about operating costs--it will only get used on weekends anyway. My shop panel is off a 200 amp feed, so I'm fine with multiple machines plus lighting and other aux heat running if necessary. My heaviest tools are 30 amp (J/P and slider), but my Oneida cyclone is only 20 amp. (My shop is in a separate 22x44 building with the shop size about 22x30)

I hear you on the venting thing....I was finally able to get tankless hot water in the 250 year old portion of our home a couple years ago when units that could use PVC for venting finally became available. There was no valid way to vent with SS within the rules from that particular space for a number of reasons. But now I have tankless for both ends of the house and it's wonderful.

[Don Jarvie]

The heater draws 21 amps. I have the same type of heater.

[Jim Becker]

The heater draws 21 amps. I have the same type of heater.

Correct, which is why the 30 amp circuit is required. 21 x 1.25 (permanent heat source) = 26.25a ~ 30a. They have a slightly larger unit that has higher output, but I decided not to spend the extra money, feeling this particular heater would do what I need it to do. And I can supplement with the radiant heaters I have been using for a few years until the air temp comes up at the start of a day in the shop.

[Jim Becker]

So far, I'm very pleased with this Farenheat unit. On Friday night before heading to bed, I turned it on to "low" to see what happened overnight. Outside temps were in the low 30s. Inside the shop was 40ºF when I turned the unit on. In the morning, the shop was at 60ºF and the unit wasn't running. Throughout the day as I was hanging some additional LED lights and working on a project, it turned on for a few minutes periodically with the temp hovering at about 65ºF. (Outside temp was about 48ºF) While My walls are insulated, the ceiling isn't (there is an upstairs) so this is pretty nice. And not having to run the radiant units when I first started working was likely more economical.

[cody michael]

I just installed a propane hanging heater in my shop, i love it. I run it off 100 lb propane tanks. It is is nice having a vented heater with a thermostat

[Bryan Cramer]

I had the same unit I got from Northern Tool. After 8 years the thermostat went out. You can get parts from them. This was my primary heat source in a 24' X 24' (8'ceiling) insulated shop. When the thermostat went I was forced to get a cheaper brand Northern Tool had in stock. The old one was a bit small for the space as a primary source so I got the step bigger 25000 BTU. I would have liked to get a Farenheat brand unit because the cheaper ones don't have the automatic fan control. I too would recommend these heaters. Just remember to blow them out once in a while.

[Jim Becker]

Bryan, you make a very good point about periodic cleaning. I had to do that with the radiant units from time to time, too. And the amount of "settled dust" I witnessed while moving around some lighting fixtures yesterday reinforced this view! Big time...

[Mark Blatter]

I installed something similar, a NewAir G73 unit about three years ago in my garage. It is well insulated, including the overhead door. It heats around 450 sqft and does a nice job of it. The first one I bought failed at about the 11 month point, but they replaced it free of charge under the 1 year warranty. The second one failed after about a week, so they replaced it again. That one has been running ever since.

I am guessing that it costs me about $5 - 10 per month during the winter. If I am working on a project I keep the garage at about 60 or so all the time. If I don't have a project, then I let it cool down to about 50 degrees. The forced air keeps the heat circulating pretty well, though if it is really cold outside, I will set up a large fan on the garage floor and point it towards the ceiling to better circulate the air.

[Bryan Cramer]

Reviving this thread with an update. This past week my cheaper brand heater quit putting out heat. It was 8 days over one month old. So again I was in a hurry because I had no heat and no parts yet for my old unit, but luckily another store in town had the Farenheat unit in stock so I got one again. it is the smaller 5000 watt and yes it is a bit small, but at least it's made well and reliable. I will now have to stress stay away from the cheaper units that go by many brand names made in China. (mine was a ProFusion) Luckily Northern Tool gave me a full refund.