Garage Heater
Garage heaters may be infrared heaters or electric heaters that are used to heat garages and workshops. Infrared garage heaters do not drain as much electricity as electric heaters and can be powered by natural gas or propane. Infrared heaters work like the sun, generating radiant energy that is converted to heat when it is absorbed by an object. Once people, objects, and the floor absorb energy, it is then re-radiated, heating the air.
One common application for infrared heaters is in residential and commercial garages. Garage heaters are generally ten or twenty foot BTU tube heaters with less than 40,000 BTU usage. Open flame heaters may not be used in garage heaters. If the garage is attached to a house, the garage heater must also be residentially certified.
Garage heaters are generally installed at the ceiling corner opposite the overhead door, with the reflector rotated 15-30 degrees towards the center of the space. Many garage heaters are able to heat an area as large as 500 square feet, including drafty or ventilated garages, shops, or factories. Garage heaters can be mounted on the wall or ceiling, or they can sit on the floor.
Garage heaters can prevent damage done to auto sheet metal by ice, snow, and salt that may stay frozen. They can keep engines warm so there is no damage caused by cold starts or warm up a car when the car's own heater is slow to start up. Garage heaters may also prevent any plumbing from freezing in cold weather. Most importantly, garage heaters allow work do be done all year round, even through cold winters.