Best 5 Radiant Tube Heater For Garage & Shop Reviews In 2022
Do you have a smaller garage, workshop, warehouse or any other type of space that needs quick and instant heating? If that is the case you should consider buying a radiant heater for your garage. They are a fast and easy solution to cold winter days.
I will present and review the five best radiant heaters for your garage o shop, state their specifications so it preferably makes your choice a lot easier.
Tips When Buying A Radiant Tube Heaters For Garage & Shop
Types Of Heaters
Other than dividing garage heaters by the type of fuel they use (electric, propane and natural gas heaters), we also divide into two groups by the manner in which they produce heat. These are radiant and fan-forced heaters.
What Is A Radiant Heater?
Fan-forced heaters typically use a large fan to disperse the heat through space they are placed in. Unlike them, radiant heaters do not disperse the heat through the room and do not warm the air in the room. The heat is targeted at objects and people in the room.
How Do They Operate?
As stated before, radiant heaters do not heat the air in the room like fan-forced ones. They direct their heat at the object or person that they are pointed at. Their operation is often compared to that of the sun. The sun does not heat the air, but rather the Earth. Similarly to that radiant heaters heat the objects which in turn heat the room.
Radiant Garage Floor Heating
Buying a garage heater is not your only heating option. You can decide to install a radiant heat concrete garage floor. This type of heating system emits heat from the concrete on your floor and provides warmth to every inch of your room. It is also significantly cheaper, just be sure to do your research and that you have proper insulation.
Some Warnings
Your radiant heater is going to be significantly less efficient if it isn’t directed at something that requires heat, if it is blocked by something (e.g. furniture) or if installed near a window. They also get quite hot so remember to look for a cool-to-touch feature.
The 5 Best Radiant Tube Garage & Shop Heaters
Best Electric Radiant Heater For Garage
Donyer POWER Electric Radiant Heater
Quality Exterior Construction
This radiant electric garage heater is very well-designed and is made of durable material for long-lasting use. The exterior is a strong, heavy-duty metal casing that ensures it lasts you a very long time. The overall look is simple and basic.
Quartz Heating
The Donyer radiant tube garage heater uses quartz elements to produce heat. There is a quartz tube inside the heater which does not take long to become hot. It heats up almost instantly after you open it so you don’t have to wait for your heater to start working.
Two Heat Settings
Two heat settings are available with this electric tube heater: 750 watts and 1500 watts, allowing you to choose the amount of heat you wish to have. It is great to use in basements, garages, shops etc. and it provides instant, sun-like heat.
Safety Feature
You don’t have to worry about wasting energy or getting burned with this heater as it has an overheat protection feature and is ETL certified for safety. It features a pull-switch control and on its left side has LED illuminations.
Additional Features
The Donyer heater emits a soft red light which is a perfect, aesthetically pleasing addition to any room and creates a nice ambient. It is very flexible and has the ability to rotate 90°. Just be sure not to install it on your ceiling as it isn’t waterproof.
- Quartz tube heating element
- Durable steel casing
- 750 and 1500W setting
- Overheat protection
- Light for ambient
Best Radiant Tube Heater For Garage
SunStar Heating Products Garage Tube Heater
Practical Size
This radiant tube garage heater is very practical and compact. It size is only 110 inches in length and it has a U-tube sleek design. This makes it very easy to install and it doesn’t take up a lot of space. It is best to install it 8 feet from the floor.
Energy Efficient
Sun Star radiant tube heater has a very high energy efficiency of up to 85%. This also makes it very economical and saves you money. It has a 45 000 BTU thermal output which can heat up to 2000 square feet of space quickly and efficiently. It is CSA listed.
Vacuum System
This heater features a vacuum system designed for safety. The way it operates is it pulls combustible items through a combustion chamber. This prevents the chance of any combustion or toxic gases of getting into the air.
Installation And Venting
This heater is great for residential use in garages, shops, vestibules, patios, etc. and in these situations, it is best that is vented through a wall or roof. In industrial and commercial spaces it is best to indirectly vent it through a separately sold exhaust hood.
Additional Features
This heater has an optional line volt thermostat that is sold separately. It can be controlled by a 24v thermostat relay kit that is also optional. The heater includes a 36-inch gas connector made of stainless steel and aluminum reflectors with a 97 reflectivity rating.
- Compact tube design 110 inches in length
- Suitable for residential and industrial use
- Vacuum system for safety
- 84,5 % energy efficiency
Best Radiant Natural Gas Garage Heater
Heatstar By Enerco Overhead Garage Heater
High Fuel Efficiency
This heater operates on a 99,9% fuel efficiency, meaning it utilizes almost all of the fuel produced so no heat goes to waste. This is a natural gas garage heater and has 25 000 BTUs thermal output, enough to heat garages, shops or other low-profile buildings of up to 600 square feet.
Millivolt Thermostat
The installation of this heater is quite straightforward. Simply hook up the millivolt thermostat that is included in the package with the appropriate wire which is sold separately. Afterward, mount the heater to your wall and make the gas connection.
No Electricity
A distinctive power pile thermocouple is used to control the valve and because of this, the Heatstar doesn’t require electricity to function. This saves you a lot on power bills and is great in situations that require emergency heating.
Quality Design
This heater is made out of durable, quality, non-corrosive materials. This ensures that your heater lasts a very long time. It utilizes radiant infrared heat which has the same effect as the sun – it provides heat to nearby objects, not the air.
Clean And Radiant Heat
This radiant natural gas garage heater produces clean and safe heat with very high energy efficiency. When operating, it is silent and does not produce odor. The propane cylinder tank has a 40lb capacity.
- Millivolt thermostat included
- Good in emergency power outages
- 25 000 BTU/hr heats up to 600 sq ft
- Non-corrosive materials
Best Overhead Radiant Garage Heater
Dr. Infrared Heater 1500W Carbon Garage Heater
Outdoor And Indoor
This radiant Mr. Heater model is suitable for both indoor and outdoor use. You can use it in your garage or shop, but it can also be used on your patio or garden. It comes with wall mounting and ceiling mounting brackets included.
Durable Design
Dr. Infrared is constructed with quality components for long life and service. It is covered with durable anodized aluminum that can withstand many different weather conditions. This is exactly why this heater is great for outdoor use.
Three Settings
This heater features three different heat settings: 900W, 1200W and 1500W, allowing more control and comfort. The heat that is produced by this heater is pure and does not have a strong smell.
Remote Controlled
Another great feature of this radiant garage heater is that it is remote controlled. This is very convenient and gives you much more control. It uses a regular 120V plug. It comes with a 6-inch long power cord.
Dimensions And Specifications
The DR-238 is not particularly big. Its dimensions are 35 x 47 x 4 inches and it weighs only 6.5 pounds, which is very light and makes it easy to install. It is ETL and CSA certified.
- Indoor and outdoor use
- Made with weather-proof aluminum
- Three settings: 900w, 1200w, 1500w
- Remote controlled
Best Kerosene Radiant Garage Heater
Master MH-125-OFR Kerosene Fired Radiant Heater
Thermal Output
This heater has a relatively high heat output. It ranges from 95 000 BTU/hr to 125 000 BTU/hr. This is quite a large amount of heat that can warm the largest of spaces – up to 3125 sq ft. It is used in garages, workshops, warehouses, to large farms or construction sites.
Long-Lasting Operation
This heater produces clean and safe heat using a 14-gallon tank. It is fuelled by kerosene. On a full tank, the MH-125-OFR can provide heat up to 20 hours. This is very cost-efficient and provides nice warmth throughout the entire day. It is CSA certified.
Heavy-Duty Wheels
This heater is not that light – it weighs 73 pounds. However, to ensure easy transportation the Master heater comes with a set of heavy-duty wheels for portability. This way you can relocate it easily to areas that need extra heating.
Radiant Technology
This heater combines radiant and fan-forced technology. The radiant heating operates similarly to the sun, heating nearby objects and people which then heat the surrounding air. It does not extract moisture from the air.
Silent Operation
The Master heater does not produce half the noise that regular heaters do because of the radiant technology. Also, unlike fan-forced heaters, its performance is not affected by sudden weather changes like the wind, which can blow the heat around from a fan-forced heater.
- Radiant heat unaffected by wind
- Heavy-duty wheels for portability
- Works 20 hours on a full tank
Conclusion: What Is The Best Radiant Heater For Your Garage?
All things considered, the two best radiant shop and garage heaters, in my opinion, are the SunStar Garage Tube Heater and the Donyer Electric Radiant Heater. SunStar has a very practical U-tube shape which makes it effortless to install, and the Donyer electric radiant shop heater uses quartz heating elements that provide instant warmth.
If you would like to more research about garage heater check out this review. In these reviews, you will find everything you need to know about propane garage heaters and kerosene garage heaters.