Heater type and sizing

Brad White_9

Try the Modine Hot Dawg direct vent heaters. They even use Ted Kennedy as their spokesman :)

These come in 30, 45, 60 and 75 MBH inputs. I have specified them for garages.

Steve_131

Heater sizing and type

I wanted to get some advice on the size and type of LP heater to install in my garage. I'm looking for a heater to maintain the temperature in the garage in the 45-50 degree range in the winter, but be able to turn it up to 55 or 60 degrees when I want to work out there. Vented or ventless? I was thinking 45000 BTU input for a vented heater or 30000 BTU input for a non-vented heater. Any thoughts on size? The garage is 24' x 30' deep, two wooden garage doors, block/brick walls, fiberboard ceiling (8') with fiberglass insulation in the attic (4"-6"). Traditional truss roof. One wall abutts the house, no other sources of heat. Western PA climate. Any advice would be appreciated. The coldest it has gotten in the garage is about 25 degrees when the outside temp was 5 below zero.

Al Letellier_9

garage heater

I agree....the HOTDAWG is a great little unit. Hangs on the ceiling, is now available with sealed combustion and is easy to install

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Unknown

come on u guys....

I can't believe u guys recommened that crap, hot dawg unit. Yes, its cheap and I've taken them out. Why as all sorched air unit, the heat STAYED up at the ceiling and customers complained about cold feet on concrete floor.... I use the direct vented wall, sealed combustion, wall heater unit. Have fan on top, sucked in the air into unit and blow the heated air across the cold floor before rising to ceiling.. Yes, more work, costs more but customers LOVE it !

JackFre

Bias noted!

I represent Rinnai, but I can tell you that while putting new floor pans in this old car I've been working on, it has been sweet, sweet, sweet while on the creeper under the car having the air coming off the DV Energysaver blowing across the floor in my garage. When it is 0deg. outside I can get up on a Sat morning, go down and turn the heat on and within 30 min I'm working in my shirtsleeves. You want a direct vent for a garage as you have to many flammables. As well, anything which outgases and is airborne goes thru the heater and if it smelled bad going in, it will smell worse coming out. Safety first, vented, sealed combustion.

jp_2

hey, rinnai guy

I've been hearing adds for rinnai "ductless heaters" for cold rooms. I thought they were talking electric heaters until the add mentions *something* ignition??? now i think they are calling it a 'ventless' heater without using the word "ventless".

whats the scoup?

brucewo1b

jp

Ductless is just that no ducts, in most the room air comes in the top and blows out the bottom, 5 are direct vent units and 2 are ventfree, the two vent free come with optional fans

brucewo1b

Steve

The HotDawgs are great if you just want to keep the car warm, but if you want comfort I agree the Rinnai are nicer with the heat blowing out down low, modulating flame should be better for gas comsumption, and quieter when you need to think.

JackFre

Rinnai is advertising

Both the vented and unvented heaters, mostly in the NE as it is the largest market. I would refer you to www.rinnai.us and www.ductlessheating.com.

While I sell a lot of vent free heaters, I am a vented heater guy by training and inclination. Vent frees are for supplemental heat and I use my direct vent units as primary heat. Rinnai vent frees are superior to anything in the market with their modulating gas valves and blowers and they make them in sizes that are appropriate (smallest is the model 229 which will fire from 2000-6000 btu)to the space they should be asked to heat.

Rinnai's are a solution type product for a contractor or homeowner. I know I will not replace a contractors furnaces or boilers but everyone here has one or two or five or ten jobs a year where these are the perfect solution. They are easy to install, high efficiency, cool to the touch, set back t-stat (on 431 & 556WTA models) and they have great venting flexibility.

For a contractor they represent a great profit center. Again, easy/fast to install, highly reliable and the customers love them and sell others for the contractor.

When you look at the energy environment today, the consumer is over the barrel. They need help and in many cases do not know whre to turn. Frequently, it does not make sense to put in an all new heating system. The numbers just don't work. The addition of a Rinnai Energysaver will afford "seasonal" efficiencies. What I mean by that is it makes no sense to fire the 100kbtu boiler to deliver a teacup worth of heat. Install and run the Rinnai in Sept/Oct/Nov and again in the late winter spring. Don't fire the oversized boiler until you have a sufficient load so the system can operate efficiently, and I am saying seasonal/system efficiency, not comb efficiency.

In my own home, my Rinnai has become my primary heat. My kids are grown and gone but we are still living in the big 4 br house. I have 3000 or so sq ft but we actually live in 750. I have a 556WTA (8,200-21,500btu) in that 750 sq ft that I have had on since early Sept. The Buderus boiler is still off. It is in the 40's at night here, but we still need heat, but I'll be damned if I'll light up the boiler yet. It doesn't make sense. Don't get me wrong. I love the big blue box in the basement but I just don't need it yet. As an experiment, I'm actually going to install another Energysaver at the opposite end of the first floor. By doing so i will have less than 1-2 deg F temperature differential anywhere on the first floor. One of the great advantages of the Energysavers is that they have a modulating burner and blower. As a result they will satisfy the comfort demand only so long as they can continue to run. Therefore, they will run on the lowest burner/fan input to continue to circulate the air. My heater will start running full time in early Nov and it likely will not shut down until sometime in April. By the way, the 556 is the only heat in that end of the house and it is over the unheated garage (well unless I'm working down there. Oh, and...I took my first drive yesterday on that car I was talking about. A four year project.)

I've been selling these heaters in New England since 1991. I thought sure back then that in 10 yrs or so I would start to see replacement unit sales. It just has not happened. They are incredibly durable.

Rinnai is the largest gas appliance manufacturer in the world. They build their own burners, hx, gas valves and they make their own pcb's. The functional reliablity is just incredible. No they are not perfect, but you put them in right and they will last and last. Rinnai have been building modulating gas valves since 1985. Rinnai taught Veissmann and Buderus how to do it. That is true and yes, they were very good students!

Didn't intend to go off qutie that long. I can go on and on as those who know me can attest...but "that is what is going on."

Steamhead (in transit)

Unvented \"vent-free\" heaters are illegal

in some areas, due to the possiblilty of oxygen depletion and carbon monoxide. Yes, I know they come with sensors but those sensors can fail. Check your local codes before installing one. I think they should be outlawed everywhere, and our company will not touch them.

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