Cheap Mr. Heater Big Maxx 45,000 BTU Natural Gas Garage Unit Heater

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List Price: $774.86
Sale Price: $519.70
Today's Bonus: 33% Off

I have had the 45,ooo btu Big Maxx heater now for about 4 years. Every winter is a new set of repairs and continued repairs to keep it working. I leave my step ladder set up next to it because I am constantly working on it to keep it heating. I have ordered my 4th circut board to be put in this time. There is a bad connection in it now so I have touch the circut board everytime I want it to start heating. The others were shorted out because there is no fuse on the circut board. I would recommend spending a little more money and getting a better, lower maintenance heater.

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I bought this unit in Nov 2007. I have had trouble with it from day one. The company has been good to work with ( they sent replacement parts) but it just stopped working again. Parts come but takes 2 weeks or so. They don't rush it. 3 times now in 4 months. It is garbage and should be recalled and taken off the market. Spend more or get a different brand but stay away from this. I put one star only because that was as low as it would go.

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We used an unvented natural gas heater in our garage for several years. With many more cold days this past winter, we began having concerns with the excess amount of moisture and condensation produced by non-venting. Having already roughed-in the electrical and thermostat wiring for a unit heater when the garage was built, we decided it was time to switch to a vented heater.

We looked at the Modine and Big Maxx heaters and selected the Big Maxx 45 when it went on sale for $399 at Northern Tool. We ordered the heater and had it shipped to a store in our area to avoid shipping charges. The heater arrived much quicker that we anticipated. Our original plan was to install the heater sometime during the summer and be ready for next winter. The next weekend was nice weather so we decided to go ahead and install the Big Maxx.

Since the heater needed to mount at a 45 degree angle to the room, we mounted unistrut channel to the ceiling joists and mounted the heater thereto. We used category I gas vent from Lowe's. Installation was simple and straight forward. Then we turned the heater on.

The induced draft motor made a LOT of noise and vibration. Then the blower fan came on and you needed hearing protection to stay in the room. In the bedroom above the garage, it actually sounded like someone was running a couple of hammer drills. Being an engineer, I inspected both blowers to see why they vibrated so badly. The induced draft blower had a nice looking squirrel cage blower but the shaft hole was drilled off center. The next day we took the heater down, boxed it up and returned it to Northern as defective.

Next we ordered a Modine heater. Installation was a little more complicated because we already had the hole in the wall for the vent. We mounted this heater slightly differently to take advantage of the existing hole. This heater required Category III venting for our installation so we ordered Z-Vent online. The Modine heater is quiet as a mouse. As they say, "you get what you pay for".

Honest reviews on Mr. Heater Big Maxx 45,000 BTU Natural Gas Garage Unit Heater

I'm writing this review because I was pricing one of these out for my buddy with a smaller garage and came across some negative reviews. Yes, the device does not come with a $10.00 thermostat you can buy either here or @ the HD. It also requires you to buy a venting kit which you can either buy here, at the HD, or custom make one ensuring you are using the correct schedule piping for your region.

I'm not sure why people are having such issues with the electronics on these heaters. I live in the depths of cold hell of Central Minnesota. I've been fortunate to have great success with my Hamilton. I've had it installed for 6 years now with no issues. Just do your homework before you slap this thing up thinking it's just a replacement dryer or stove. There are electrical, venting, and gas considerations you must make prior to plumbing and wiring this thing to your homes gas and electrical services. You're most likely adding something to your home that wasn't "stock", therefore, you have to take into consideration the below:

If you wire the appliance correctly, you probably wouldn't have boards frying on you. You need to ensure you have a direct home run right from the electrical panel to the furnace via a 14/2 AWG wire and a dedicated 15 A circuit then a GFCI to prevent surges in the electrical and basic light switch in front of the electrical circuit to the heater to turn the device off in the summer. It may sound like overkill, but all of about $25.00 in electrical protection is a heck of a lot cheaper than fried electronics. It also wouldn't hurt to turn that breaker off in the summer months to prevent surges and lightning strikes. Follow the instructions on the side panel for "summerizing" the heater prior to turning it off for the season and you're good.

I chose to install mine via 12/2 AWG wire, a 20 A circuit breaker, a GFCI and a basic light in front of the electrical circuit to the heater switch to prevent surges in the electrical and to turn it off in in the summer months. It may sound like overkill, but all of about $25.00 in electrical protection is a heck of a lot cheaper than fried electronics. I did it this way because I branched the 20 A circuit to add an outlet for my LCD TV, Stereo, shop lights, chest freezer, and an occasional box fan. Those combined don't draw more than 10 A for the combined extras, leaving me 10 A just for a heater that only draws 3 A nominal, so I figured I was safe. Again, follow the instructions on the side panel for "summerizing" the heater prior to turning it off for the season and you're good.

The second piece is to ensure you are not over-delivering Gas pressure to the unit's Smart valve. If you have too much gas from the high side of your home's gas feed without a pressure regulator @ the heater you will fry the regulator on the furnace because it's working too hard to restrict the gas and can be very dangerous to your well being. If you're running on the low side of your gas feed which is already regulated, but not enough gas, the regulator on the furnace will run low and run ineffectively. That means you have too many appliances connected to that already regulated gas branch and need to have a professional install a gas regulator dedicated just for the heater on the high side of your home's gas feed.

Your best bet for the gas is to have a professional install the gas line for you to ensure you are receiving the proper gas inlet pressure @ the heater to avoid burning out your Smart Valve. Any licensed fireplace installer would be more than willing to help you do this for a fair price. The total job will cost you around $600-$750 dollars and it'll be code and work for years to come.

Hope this review helps!!

Find helpful customer reviews and review ratings for Mr. Heater Big Maxx 45,000 BTU Natural Gas Garage Unit Heater

I got this heater for my garage office. It works as described and no problems thus far. Installation was easy and remember to bleed the lines first before attemting gas hookup.