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I have a 600 square foot (3-car) garage with 12 foot high ceilings, and this heater has been a great addition. My garage has insulated and finished walls, but several windows and drafty garage doors (that's my next project!), so it's not particularly easy to heat. Running for about 15 minutes per hour, this heater warms my garage by about 30 degrees which is fine for my needs. It's also possible to run just the fan, giving me some much needed air circulation, even when the temperatures aren't cold.Construction quality is about average for this type of unit. It's somewhat plain and industrial looking, but after all, it is intended for a garage. The controls are simple an on/off switch for the fan, and then a basic thermostat to regulate the temperature. If you like, you can wire it into a remote thermostat instead of using the built in temperature regulator. It can be tilted within a limited range, but the mounting isn't really all that flexible...I might have preferred one on some sort of swiveling mount so as to be able to direct the heat where I want it.
Still, it more than meets my needs. When it clicks on, it is indeed very warm in the vicinity of the heater, and in just a few minutes, my entire garage warms up. Temperatures tend to vary quite a bit with distance from the fan...in fairness, two smaller (5KW) units would have probably heated my garage more evenly, but I didn't want to give up that much ceiling space.
I didn't have the required 40A circuit nearby, so I paid a professional electrician about $300 to run the line and install the heater. The installation went smoothly and there were no issues getting it running.
I'm tempted to keep the thermostat set to about 50 degrees and to let it run continuously, although I'm afraid of the electricity cost. In my area, electricity is about 12 cents per KWH, so if the heater runs 15 minutes per hour, it can be as much as $6 per day to operate this heater. Where I live, that would probably only be an issue during the very coldest days...otherwise, I think the average cost will be more like $1 or $2 per day. Still, it's worth giving some thought to what the cost might be if you're on a tight budget, and of course, you can always simply shut it off, put it on some type of timer or spend a little more time insulating your garage.
Above my garage is living space, and until now, it's always been cold and chilly. Heating the garage has had the benefit of helping keep the room above notably warmer. I can hear it running from inside the house, which is about my only complaint. Otherwise, it's a fine unit for the price.
Definitely recommended.
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