Electric Garage Heaters – Expert Advise on Garage Heaters
When sizing an electric garage heater we made 2 sizing charts. One for insulated garage and the other for Non-insulated Garages. Full Buyers Guide.
Electric Garage Heaters
Example 1: 2 Car Garage, (700 sq. ft. room)
Insulated walls, ceiling and doors
10 ft. ceiling,
10°F outside
70°F inside
Answer: 7,500 watt electric heater
Example 2: 2 Car Garage, (700 sq. ft. room)
Non-Insulated walls, ceiling and doors
10 ft. ceiling,
10°F outside
70°F inside
Answer: 23,000 watt electric heater ( that’s 3= 7,500 kw heaters )
From this quick example you can easily see that insulating your room is very important. If your garage is has exposed 2×6 construction with a vaulted ceiling with no insulation you can quickly tell you have a problem. If the walls and ceiling is sheet rocked over DO NOT assume that the last owner insulated the walls just in case someone 30 years later may want to heat that room. If you wanted to test for insulation pick an outside wall (one with a window). Cut a small hole in the sheet rock if you dare and check for insulation. If your overhead door isn’t solid inside and out in may not have an insulated core. When I bought my overhead doors a few years ago I had to pay extra for insulted doors. And last but not least check the ceiling. Many parts of the country recommend an R-38 to R-60 in the ceiling.
3 of our Best Selling Garage Heaters Styles.
Style 1 Electric Garage Heaters
The Qmark MWUH7504 has a 7,500 watts heating element with a 240v power supply.
- When ceiling mounted the center hole allows it to rotate 360° side to side.
- Built-in front mounted thermostat knob – Temperature range 45° to 135°F.
- Best application – an insulated 2 car garage
Style 2 Electric Garage Heaters
The Stelpro RUH5T – 240v heaters with a 5,000 watt heating element is hard wired.
- It has a 2 way mounting bracket, wall or ceiling mounted. (Wall mounted shown)
- Built-in back mounted thermostat knob
- A powerful 350 cfm blower
- Best application – an insulated 1 car garage.
Style 3 Electric Garage Heaters
The Qmark MUH – 240v heaters with a 10,000 watt heating element is hard wired.
- It has a 2 way mounting bracket, wall or ceiling mounted. (Wall mounted shown)
- Optional Built-in back mounted thermostat knob – Temperature range 40° to 85°F
- Wall mounted thermostat – Temperature range 40° to 90°F
- A powerful 650 cfm blower
- Best application – an insulated 2-3 car garage.
What to “look for” or “avoid” when shop for Electric Garage Heaters.
- Mounting Brackets – Look for it – Not all garage heaters can be mounted, most of the plug-in construction heaters only come with a handle. If you want to mount it to the wall or ceiling look for a wall / ceiling bracket. This option is available on most unit heaters.
- Enclosed motor – Look for it – If you have an excessive amount of dust accumulation from cutting wood or sheetrock. This isn’t for everyone but its great feature if your garage is a winter woodshop.
- Installation Guide lines – Look for it – Most garage heaters have a minimum distance to the wall or ceiling. If you plan on placing a heater in a tight space read the users manual before purchasing.
- Wall Receptacle Amps – Look for it– Not all 240 volt wall receptacles are the same – most use the 3 prong NEMA #6-30R. Some electric clothes dryer use the 4 prong. Double check your manual and your existing receptacle before purchasing your heater.
- 120 Volt space heaters Avoid – A standard one car garage will need 4,000 to 7,500 watts. A 120 volt space heater puts out the same amount of heat as a hair dryer (1,500 to 1,600 watts). You will need 3 to 5 space heaters, and each heater will have to be on its own circuit breaker.
