Can anyone help with pointers for automatable garage heaters? So far my searches aren’t finding anything. My requirements are:
- remotely preheat when I want to work out
- alert if it’s left on, or automatically turn off
I’m in the US, looking for 240v maybe 5,000w electric heater. The basic item is cheap and readily available at home centers or online. I even see variations with Bluetooth remote and/or controlled by app.
I’m looking for something locally automatable. Matter/Thread would be ideal but I’m fine with Zigbee or z-wave. But I’m not finding anything like that, and getting stuck on some vendors portal is not ok. Any leads?
Or something that can use an external thermostat - I actually have an extra Ecobee - that can be locally automatable. Any leads? Any search tips that might find such a thing?
I briefly thought of automating an outlet, however even if smart outlets are available for those loads, that wouldn’t work because all these heaters have a safety feature to run the fan until the unit is cool
Get a mini split, and be done with it. Almost all of them are made from the same 3 factories and have pretty much the same parts. Buy one that fits your budget and install it yourself or hire someone to install it. No need for a heater when these exist now. They’re cheap, do both cooling and heat, and work great for stuff like this.
@AA5B @SupraMario I hear that some are coming with hoses pre-charged with gas now so you can self install?
Those are the easy way. You have to hide the excess hoses since you can’t cut to fit. They cost a lot more though to if you don’t mind the work you can save money getting the other kind (which requires an EPA certification - easy to get I’m told)
They are, yeah
Yep, they’re nearly fool proof at this point.