space heaters

[walker111]

Saw the other similar post but I am actually asking about space heaters for the garage. I have 2 boys aged 12 and 9 and a 12 foot garage in my 2014 Voltage with one heat vent. Have not camped with it yet but know it will get cold.
What heaters are you guys using for electric space heaters?
Thanks

[N-Trouble]

Why not just use an electric blanket?

Safer, no noise, less power draw. We just picked up a couple and the kids really like it and stay plenty warm.

[fly-boy]

I have two Vornados to augment the furnace but we are hooked up all winter. No way I would go near any open flame unit-
I should go to an oil filled unit since we are hooked up but I had the Vornados for dry camping... Very comfortable in the trailer down into the single digits with the two electric heaters.

[BigDogF250]

To the original question re: Electric heaters, I'm a big fan of the oil filled units. But you cannot run one of those from a battery, it will drain it quickly. They are also bulkier / heavier than the small ceramic style heaters.

For camping without power I won't use anything that has an open flame inside the trailer (like a Mr. Buddy). I know lots of people who use them, and most of them are alive to tell you about it, and yes, they can be used safely when there is good exchange of outside air but inside of a well sealed trailer is not safe. I have seen firsthand what happens if they are not used properly in a 23 foot trailer with 6 people. One survived the CO poisoning, 5 didn't. The Mr. Buddy does include a "Oxygen Depletion Sensor (ODS) and accidental tip-over safety shut-off" to make it safer than the other types of propane heaters that don't. But the fact that it needs an Oxygen Depletion Sensor means it can be a problem under certain circumstances.

The furnace in your trailer is a heat exchange style unit, flame venting outside heating tubes with flowing air on the inside. That generates no carbon monoxide inside the trailer. They have wall mount versions that you can add to your garage, you just have to cut a couple of holes in the wall to allow it access to outside air and get it propane. Sounds like a big deal but the walls are already cut up pretty good with windows, hatches, doors, appliances...

Just my opinion, and yes, I have kids, and yes, that impacts my comments on this post. Single guys in trailers can do whatever they want.

[Brain411]

jackxclan wrote:
http://www.mrheater.com/portable-buddy-heater.html
68 bucks at wally world will keep my whole trailer nice on low

This is what I use with a 20# tank hose and filter, keeps my trailer warm all night on low.

[dfm]

I also use a Vornado AVH. Very quiet and a thermostat that turns on /off heat element while the fan continues to run.

[roadracer]

I use a Vornado, very quit and thermostat control will easily warm more than a room very little power draw. About 75-100 depending on where you buy, can be bought on line

[walker111]

This one says restricted in Canada,

[jackxclan]

http://www.mrheater.com/portable-buddy-heater.html
68 bucks at wally world will keep my whole trailer nice on low

[rockhillmanor]

I 'was' a fan of the oil radiant until I noticed that the plug and cords of them got hot. The cords to the ceramic heaters do not. So I switched.

[walker111]

Thanks all. I have lots of time to pick one or two up. Lots of valid points for oil and some against.
I have the 5500 Onan genny onboard and 2 brand new 6 volt deep cycles. I will be using my rig in early spring and later in fall where there are some sites powered with 30 amp and some not.

[Strabo]

Our new heater is a Dyson Air Multiplier Hot-Cool. Cosco has them and they work great, amazing!!!!

Better than any other heater we have ever had, and we have had them all. Should heat your garage in under 5 minutes.

[Y-Guy]

From my Raptor days to our Class A now I have 3 small quiet space heater that I run on low or use the thermostat. In a small space like a garage they do a great job. We still use them, usually just running 1 or 2 at a time. I place these where our dogs will not knock them over and our kids are old enough to know. The Holmes pictured below is my favorite of them, its very quiet when the fan blows but the indicator light reminds me it's on. Wish I'd bought a couple more of them.

If we have hook up's I set these and don't worry, the propane system kicks on enough to bring the temp up when it's very cold, these just augment that system.

[Golden_HVAC]

Oil filled heaters take to long to warm up, do not blow out any air, but instead are 'conductive and gravity flow' where they must exceed 120F to warm the air, thin it, and it will start flowing towards the ceiling. They are also bulky, and must cool off at least 20 minutes before putting it into the closet.

I have many of them at my work, and I hate them! I had to pick one up today and return it to the maintenance storage area, and it was well over 120F. I had to have a large cart to carry 4 of them.

The fan type that I have in my RV are much more compact, the outside only reaches say 95F, air blowing out is only around 120F max, and can be directed someplace, like the bathroom shower area. It will warm your feet as you leave the shower. You can use the fan without heat in the summer to cool off.. .

I had some fan type heaters that where more flat than upright, so they would not tip over. Centrifugal fan is very quiet, but they do not make them anymore.

So you want these features. Fan, thermostat, high and low heat settings. You can run two heaters on low or one on high and one on low when you are on a 30 amp service. If the battery is full, you can run 2 on low with a 20 amp circuit. The battery charger can use 3-5 amps if the batteries are very low.

I bought mine at Wal Mart for about $25. Oil filled heaters are so bulky that they can not be stolen from my work, I think that is the main reason they have so many, and that type is never stolen. The smaller ones seem to disappear. . .

Good luck,

Fred.

[xaugievike]

Massive fan of the oil filled units. Safe and will warm the room quite well. Even in my garage, if it's not in the 30's it effectively heats my whole rig