Raymond, have you noticed the power cord or plug getting warm to the touch? One of the reviews on this unit said the 2-prong (ungrounded) cord melted on theirs. I'm thinking about getting a couple at that price but I'm concerned about leaving them on unattended in my shop if there's a real danger of a plug meltdown and possible fire.
Shop Heater
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Raymond, have you noticed the power cord or plug getting warm to the touch? One of the reviews on this unit said the 2-prong (ungrounded) cord melted on theirs. I'm thinking about getting a couple at that price but I'm concerned about leaving them on unattended in my shop if there's a real danger of a plug meltdown and possible fire.
I use a 240v shop heater in my 2 car garage. It works but it takes a long time to heat up all the equipment in the shop (given the mass of cold metal you've got). The alternative stabilizing the shop and keeping the heater on a thermostat will bankrupt you. Don't ask me how I know.
Figure out a way to get the shop insulated. I'm thinking about blowing insulation into the walls and insulating the garage door this spring.
Figure out a way to get the shop insulated. I'm thinking about blowing insulation into the walls and insulating the garage door this spring.
Jim I can’t comment specifically, but there have been issues with low quality Chinese power cords finding there way into some consumer products where the power cord is either a gauge size, or two, smaller than the cord is labeled as or where they used copper-clad aluminum or copper-clad steel for the conductor, neither of which is anywhere near as adequate a conductor as solid copper (especially the steel which is typically, at best, 6% as conductive as copper!).
Your best bet is to buy what you need, get a short length of heavy duty extension cord (e.g. 3 to 10 feet) and then set each up in your garage where you have a concrete floor and uncoil the unit’s cord so that the cord and plug rest only on concrete and then set the unit to high and let it run for 12-24 hours and see how hot it gets (the extension cord being used only to ensure the cord and plug rest only on concrete). It is common for such cords to run quite warm as they are often running at about their uppermost current limit (e.g. a 16 or 18 gauge cord running at around 13A continuously), but so long as they do not get too hot to touch then they are OK so long as they are uncoiled and in open air where they can cool.
Where I suspect they may have had real issues with meltdowns, however, is where owners left much of the cord coiled around the cord retaining spool because they were close to an outlet as then the cord may not be able to dissipate enough heat if the unit has to run on high for extended periods since the cord is tightly coiled about itself. In that case, the solution is to ensure that the cord is always fully uncoiled when running in high and in open air so that it can dissipate its heat (so don’t place items over top the cord as well). Or there is always the option to simply upgrade the power cord yourself as a 14 gauge cord should barely get warm by comparison, but that would pretty well totally eliminate the concern altogether.
I saw the same write, Jim. In fact, I just went out to check it - I turned it on this morning at 6:00 AM and it is now 8:20 AM and the cord is still cool to the touch. I don't leave mine on for more than 3-4 hours. I also do not run it at the maximum temperature of 82 degrees so it is not drawing max amps. Since I use it conservatively, it should not get hot like others do but I always check it before and after operation just to be on the safe side.
In my old 16x24 shop, I did basic insulation in walls and on ceiling. Tried heating it with a propane heater and although it really kept the place warm, the smell and noise the heater put out was unbearable after a while. I installed a electric heater that could be switched from 5000 watts to 2500 most of the time the 2500 setting with a low to medium thermostat was fine in keeping the place around 50. This was in Massachusetts though so I imagine a heater like that would work great down here in NC. Only bad part was the bill every month.
I run 2 of these in my 2-car garage and it heats the place up to about 68 degrees after running for about an hour or so. Only 1 wall of the garage is insulated.
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