Garages can be used for a lot of things other than storing cars or old items. Some people even choose to convert their garages into workshops and spend a lot of time working there.
As we have varying seasons in a year, you have to make sure that your garage is prepared even when the coldest season arrives.
Winter season and garages do not work well together unless you have a reliable garage heater. Spending long hours without a heater in a garage during winter can be uncomfortable and counterproductive.
So, if you are planning and contemplating whether you should get one for your workshop, read the following guidelines to help you make a decision.
A Workshop Heater Buying Guide
You will find a lot of workshop heaters sold in physical and online stores. It helps to set a budget before purchasing one. With all the options you get, it gets easier to narrow it down this way. With all the promises they make, it can be challenging to get the most suitable one for you. Here are a couple of areas to put into consideration.
Type of Heater
There are several types of heaters. You can go for radiant heaters if you want fast heating in small areas. Infrared heaters are a great way to heat workshops as you don’t need to heat the entire room so you can save power by restricting heating to your busiest workstations.
If you want to heat for the entire space, you can go for convection heaters.
Meanwhile, fan-forced heaters utilize a fan to blow across the area. You can also go for wall heaters or micathermic heaters.
Workshop electric heaters heat up a room within seconds. What’s more, low noise will not disturb your work.
The important thing in choosing the type of heater is its capacity to heat up your space area and how long it takes to do it.
Installation Process
If you want to skip complicated installation processes, it is best to go for a portable heater. If your garage has a couple of outlets available, then this can work for you. It is convenient to go for this one if you often get the need to bring it around or outside your home. However, if you plan to invest a lot of time in your workshop, getting a heater in a line.
You will have the option for your heater to hardwire it into a 220V, 110V, or 240V.
This will give you a better assurance of your electric garage heater functioning well without the risk of ruining a fuse. The only downside of this is that it necessitates the help of a professional electrician to have it installed.
Noise Production
We all enjoy peace and quiet when we work, having background noises can be distracting. Some garage heaters work efficiently and effectively, but they may have the downside of having a loud-sounding engine when they do.
If you want to enjoy premium heating from a heating unit, you can opt for those with quiet operation features. It helps to know how noisy the machine is before purchasing it because trying it out after installation may take you much work before you can have it returned or replaced.
Heating Capabilities
Garage heaters differ in terms of their heating capacity. Some can provide heating for small spaces while some for larger ones. You can find out if it can cover your area by knowing its heater wattage rating. To provide heat to every square foot of space, you will need a heating power of about 10 watts.
A good example is if you were to cover 100 square feet of space, you would need about 1000 watts for it. This general rule, along with the heating technology used by the heater, can determine whether it is enough to cover your space or not.
Safety Features
This should always be your top priority when looking for a garage heater. These can be fire hazards if not handled properly. When shopping for one, try to look for those that have cool-to-touch surfaces or those with automatic internal switches that shut off on their own in case the unit falls.
Sometimes, accidents can happen and develop into bigger ones with just a simple knock or trauma to the unit. It also helps to go with those with overheat protection that shuts out the unit in case the sensor detects overheating. It is also wise to make sure it remains far from possible gas sources, open wires, and away from the reach of kids who may accidentally knock it over.
Conclusion
As you go in the search for the best heater for your workshop, you will encounter many models with varying features. It can be overwhelming to weigh their pros and cons but using the guidelines we mentioned earlier can help. Other than getting one that fits your budget, you also have to get one that assures you functionality, safety, and flexibility. It also helps to ask about warranties and customer service in case you encounter problems in the future.