reznor hot dawg garage heater question

medicinedog | Posted in John White on October 14, 2010 08:26am

I am considering purchasing a shop heater. Should the heater be a separated combustion heater because of the sawdust in the air? They seem to be twice as expensive. Also for woodworking shop does Reznor do a better job than hot dawg? I have a 28×28 garage with 11 ft ceilings and was thinking of getting a 45,000 Btu heater. Also do the separated combustion require 2 holes in the wall, one for intake of fresh air and one for exhaust? Thanks, Larry

Replies

Jfrostjr | Oct 14, 2010 09:46am | #1
Garage heater

Larry,

I have been using a gas fired, radiant heater (formerly propane fueled) for about 10 years. I interlocked it with a thermostat and a (very) small fan, high on the opposite wall - just in case there might be some fumes.

It has been trouble-free and extremely efficient because it heats "things", not the air. I have mine mounted 'high' and at a 45* angle to the floor. Just for additional safety, I placed a piece of Duroc (cement wall board) directly above the heater. W.W. Grainger was the source but there must be others.

Frosty
lostcreek | Oct 16, 2010 02:15pm | #2
hot dawg

I live in Northern Utah (cold, long, winters) and have a two car workshop heated by a natural gas fired Hot Dawg heater. I turn it on about 20 minutes before I begin to work and after an hour I'm down from a sweatshirt to a t-shirt. I have a thermostat and I warm it up to about 70-72 degrees. It performs great. Hope this helps...

lostcreek

Lyptus | Oct 22, 2010 02:29pm | #4
Size of your heater

What is the BTU rating for your heater? I have a 18x24 shop with a 10' ceiling and 6" walls with R-19 insulation. I live in eastern MD so typically the temp may drop into the 20's and 30's for two months or so but that's about it. I heard it is better to err on the smaller end of the BTU range for a new unit so the unit doesn't constantly cycle on and off.

- Lyptus

JohnWW | Oct 19, 2010 07:22pm | #3
Dust in the air isn't a fire hazard but it can cause problems with conventional heaters since the burners of the heater can get fouled by dust and need cleaning, heaters that use outside air avoid this problem.

Heaters that use outside air have a double walled pipe set up so that the outside air is drawn in through the same assembly that handles the exhaust so only one exterior connection is needed.

I don't have any experience with either Reznor or Hot Dawg so I don't know if one is better than the other. How big a unit you will need depends on your climate and the construction of your shop.