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What are my space heating choices?
You can heat areas with a small 120 volt space
heater, an infrared heater, a gas heater such as a
propane heater, or a 240 volt electric heater.
Your choice will depend on your heating requirements.
Click here to read more on space heating.
What type of heater should I heat my
garage or shop with?
In general,
our electric garage heaters are perfect for insulated areas
around 400 square feet. A 240 volt garage heater is much
more efficient and powerful than a 120 volt space heater, and
is generally safer than your average fuel type heater (propane
and gas).
Click here to see our selection of
Garage Heaters.
How many watts do I need?
In general, there is a 10/1 ratio or watts to square feet
heated. Thus, a 1500 watt space heater (120 volts) will
heat an insulated area of 150 sq. ft. (with ceilings up to 10
feet). Therefore, a garage heater rated at 5,000 watts should
comfortably heat an area over 400 sq. ft.
How many feet will a normal space heater
heat?
Almost all of the 120 volt space heaters are
rated up to 1500 watts (and 12.5 amps). Therefore, they
should heat an insulated area up to 150 sq. ft. However,
in general, these space heaters are used as supplemental heat
sources which allow
you to turn your central heat down, thus conserving energy and
helping you save on your electric bill.
What are the
safety issues
associated with using a heater?
Oil-filled column heaters
are generally
safer than other types of heaters, as they have lower
surface temperatures, especially the
styles with wide or shielded fins. All styles of column heater
are tall and heavy, and can cause injury if falling on a child,
but again, the wide-finned versions are safer in this respect.
All new garage heaters have to pass
stringent safety tests to ensure that fires don't occur if the
heater overheats due to air inlets being covered, or blankets or
towels falling on the heater. However, it should be noted that these safety standards were
not in place when many of the older types of heater now
available in second-hand shops were made.
A tilt switch is also a good safety feature; it
will turn the garage heater off if it tips over.
For additional information about heater safety,
Click here. |