Stoked - what makes shade-tree mechanic smile!

[philosopheriam]

So, as an early Christmas present, my dad bought me a 240V 5000 BTU electric heater for my garage. I'm constantly working on a myriad of projects over winter, and the heater makes a welcomed addition to the Haas fully-insulated 13.48 R-value garage doors I recently had installed

Before installing the heater, I had to work out some electrical issues - I only had one space in my main panel remaining for a double-pole breaker, and I wanted the flexibility to add some additional 240V tools (welder, air compressor) down the road. So, I installed an expainsion load center next to my main panel - the expansion center is rated for 100A, 6 circuits (or x3 240V circuits)

I installed a 50A double-pole breaker in my main panel and ran 6GA wire to the expansion center. To remain in code compliance, all wires were run inside appropriate sized metallic conduit. The conduit acts as the ground, so, no need to run additional ground wires. Then, I installed a 30A double-pole breaker in the expansion center and ran 10GA wire up to the heater.

To mount the heater, I took a pice of 3/4" plywood and cut it to 18" x 6". I drilled the ends at 16" on center so I could use 4" drwywall screws to mount the piece into the ceiling joists. I drilled the center of the mounting plate and put a 3/8" carriage bolt through it - this bolt protrudes down and goes through the center of the heater mounting bracket. It allows me to swivel the heater, if desired.

With some assistance from my dad, the project took about 3hrs (this includes buying all the necessary items from Home Depot).

Overall, I tested all the wiring, all is good, and the heater works wonderfully!!!

 

[RJ2112]

Very impressive!

 

[Botch]

Keep an eye on your tools for condensation/rust. I installed a gas heater in my garage in North Dakota, and within a couple months my tablesaw was rusted. Gas heaters put out a lot of water vapor, so hopefully you won't have that problem with an electric heater.
A warm garage is a NICE thing! :thumbup:

 

[philosopheriam]

Keep an eye on your tools for condensation/rust. I installed a gas heater in my garage in North Dakota, and within a couple months my tablesaw was rusted. Gas heaters put out a lot of water vapor, so hopefully you won't have that problem with an electric heater.
A warm garage is a NICE thing! :thumbup:

Good point - I didn't use gas for a multitude of reasons, but venting and routing gas piping were the primary ones.

Also, the way my garage is situated, the only outside exposure is from the garage doors - i.e. my bedroom is above, there is another garage to one side, my kitchen is on the other, and to the rear there is another townhome unit. Thus, even without a heater, my garage never became crazy cold.

On low, my electric heater should keep the garage at a workable 65 to 68 degrees!

 

[RJ2112]

Good point - I didn't use gas for a multitude of reasons, but venting and routing gas piping were the primary ones.

Also, the way my garage is situated, the only outside exposure is from the garage doors - i.e. my bedroom is above, there is another garage to one side, my kitchen is on the other, and to the rear there is another townhome unit. Thus, even without a heater, my garage never became crazy cold.

On low, my electric heater should keep the garage at a workable 65 to 68 degrees!

Is it capable of being wired to a thermostat?

 

[philosopheriam]

There is a dial thermostat on the unit that I can reach with my hand - however, I believe it can be bypassed and I could mount a traditional-style bi-metal thermostat on the wall.

 

[RJ2112]

There is a dial thermostat on the unit that I can reach with my hand - however, I believe it can be bypassed and I could mount a traditional-style bi-metal thermostat on the wall.

If it's a single car garage unit, it's probably not that big of a deal.... heat rises, and if the thermostat is significantly above the height you're working at the room temp may not have a whole bunch to do with what the thermostat is set to.

If you can mount the thermostat at whatever height you will occupy the most, you'll get the temp you dial in where you are instead of trying to figure out what it needs to be set to, to arrive at comfort where you work.