I’ve been putting a lot of thought into how to heat my shop the last couple of years. Previously I’ve used a kerosene salamander (torpedo) heater. However, there were three things I really did not like about this system, the smell, the noise and the open flame.

I spent a lot of time researching some alternatives, and had made my mind up to have a LP Hot Dawg (modine) heater installed running on a small auxilary tank. I did not like the $1500 – $1700 quotes I was getting back (considering the unit was about $500 at the local BORG).

My wife started to do a little Internet research earlier this week and found an interesting electrical shop heater
called “The Hot One”. It’s a 240 volt – 4000 watt unit measuring about 16×16x10, has a built in thermostat and high and low heat settings. It can also be used in a fan only mode to help cool the shop in the summer.

I had to run a new circuit to the shop which involved taking off some wall and ceiling panels. Installation was fairly straight forward and I was able to hang the heater by myself, as it only weighs 40 pounds or so.

The unit seems to pump out a good deal of heat, but we will see how it handles the cold Wisconsin winters. I figure I can still use the salamander to bring the temperature of the shop up quickly, but this unit should help maintain the comfort level without all of the adverse side effects.