Does your 1500w heater have a low setting? If so that will draw around 6-7 amps instead of the 12-13 amps set at high. Look on the back of power strip it will state its amp/watt max. This is what I had to do because of my 15 amp breaker and using that also for lighting. I ended up hooking the temperature controller to a timer which I set to come on (turn the temp controller on) 15 minutes after lights out and turn off 15 minutes before lights on this way that one breaker can handle both lights and heater and they donât both need to be on at the same time and then hooked the heater up to the controller. At high power setting on my 1500w heater it draws 12.5 amps which was way too much so by setting it on low it only draws 6.5 amps! On low it does fine keeping the tent between 70 and 74 degrees during lights out. The controller keeps the heater and temps under control!
Just make sure you donât buy a heater with digital read out as it will probably not turn back on once timer (power loss - unplug it and plug it back inâŚdoes it go back to settings before unplug?) cuts power to it.
As far as the heaters having a built in thermostat they do but they suck! I ended up buying a controller for mine because the dial for temp was very very inaccurate and would range 6-8 degrees on its own so even if the tent temperature was 78 and I had it set for closer to 70 or 72 the heater would come on even at 78 degrees so until I got the controller I had to manually turn it on at night and off in morningâŚhad it hooked to another breaker at that time. Also the controller has a temp probe corded with about 6 foot long cable and allows you to put probe say inside plant near top to get real temps that the plants are experiencing and not the temp elsewhere in the tent.
The heaters have minds of their own!
I did buy a heater that had digital read out to set say 75 degrees but it would only allow specific temp set when on high only so sent it back!
Analog sometimes beats digital with heaters and fans.
And there lies the problem with the Lesko heater I have now. Have it hooked up on a timer along with my ballast, lights, etc Just to check things out before I start growing. And yes it does shut off completely. Thanks again @Skydiver
Yes I am growing in my garage and also in the desert. Been raining on and off during the week. So fighting cold temps but not bad considering elsewhere temps around the nation. Like 40âs and today low 50âs. Small heater that I can program with the Inkbird should put me were I need to be. When summer hits I donât have to worry cause I wonât be growing then.
In the house would be more ideal but the wifey is not crazy about it. To be honest I like it in the garage. Definitely more work dialing it in but with all the info I have gotten here and with 8 months that I can grow I think I will be okay. Thanks
Be careful when connecting 1500w heaters or any high watt/amp device using a power strip or an extension cord for that matter. If you donât match the correct gauge wire on extension chord or have the watts/amps covered using a power strip you could overheat, melt fire deathâŚlol
usually need minimum 14 gauge extension chord good up to about 1800 watts and 15 amps for heater on high. 12 gauge is good up to 20 amp canât remember what the watts areâŚ
When in doubt feel where the plug ends connect to wall or to power strip or to device âŚjust FYI
cheap heaters kinda suck all around.!!
most have decent thermostats tho, no where near exact, but decent.
my Eden Pure and now my Duraflame quarts heaters have kept my 16x28x9â garage regulated, stays within 2 degrees of the built in thermostat, this garage is well insulated and in, mild, zone 7 temps.
Quoted for truth. Read your warnings on your devices. Electronics warnings are not to be disregarded like you disregard a plastic bag warning stating it will kill you if you put it over your face for too long.
@Beekeeper I checked that Lesko 100 heater online and it looks like it doesnât have turn on dial. Must be me being I newbie and all but you did say you have it hooked to a Inkbire controller? Checked every place in town to no avail. But didnât want to order one if I was mistaken and it wonât work
The inkbird contoller I believe comes with either a 10 amp or 15 amp rated capacity (different modelsâŚdifferent specs) and respective watts maxâŚlook on the sticker or stamp on the device. This will tell you if you can run the heater on low 10 amps or on high 15 amps. Your heater also will show what the draw is on each setting high/low. I have a different brand and chose the 15 amp model for future options. Is both a controller for heating and cooling.
You want to buy a heater that does not have the digital on/off or digital panel but the old school click switches so that when you pull the plug and then plug it back in it comes back on with settings same as before unplugging it.
There are many heaters available like this.
This is the one I am usingâŚ
@Dutchem
Looking at the questions for the item they say yes it will if unplugged come back on when plugged back in so it has a mechanical on/off switch.
The question I have is what size area are you heating?
What temperature are you wanting to stay at and how cold does the room the tents in get?
In other words you gotta make sure the heater had enough heating power to maintain the temperature you want based on how hard it has to work.
This wouldnât be enough for me in my 4x8x7 tent in a basement in the winter as that rooms temperature is about 62 and want to maintain 70-72 degree temps in the tent.
Not sure why you would want to go with such a small heater?
I would suggest an analog (dial - click switch) heater in the 700 watt range. You can even get one thatâs 1500 watts on high and 750 watts (up to maybe 1100 watts max ( to get amp draw simply divide the watts by voltage so 1200 watts/120 volts draws 10 amps and I think the inkbirds smaller rated controller is 10 amp max. So just set whatever heater on the low click button manual setting and youâll be fine AND you have more heat if needed at times either without using controller in a pinch or if you get a higher rated amp controller in the futureâŚwin win
But yes it would work with controller just donât know if it will heat your space to temps you want?
About same price and will work for the controller and much greater heating ability! 900 watts on low (this is the setting you would use - low) and 1500 watts on high. There are many other options with different low watt draws but most on high setting will be 1500 watts
Just hope your power strip or the circuit heater will be plugged into plus other stuff on that same breaker doesnât overload the breaker!
My tent is 3x5 by 7ft and the temp I would like to stay at would be 72-75 in the tent .Right now in the garage itâs 46 degrees. Outside itâs 40 degrees and all this week we will be in 30âs at night.
I hadnât planned on such a low wattage heater but another member here was that one in 2x4 tent. My main concern was that 1500 was maybe too much for me. After plugging the heater several times and having everything shut off. Turning the power strip back on each time, I finally figured I should maybe look at a breaker. It didnât trip the breaker but it did trip whatever that outlet is called that I plug into? Sorry. But I think your right itâs no going to work that well. I jumped the gun as usual ordered that Lesko 100. Should have looked here b4. Maybe I can cancel the order. Highly medicated so I going to come back later and review everything again. But again thanks so much
there is more and more digital equipment that has âpower out resetâ,
they come back on to the settings before the power outage (unplugged)
my window a/c has 100% digital controls and was unplugged for 2 months,
plugged it in today and it came back on at the 70F, econo mode, and auto fan like it was 2 months ago.!!
Go to Walmart or Loweâs or Home Depot or places like that if you need one quickly and pick up a heater with high and low setting with manual buttons. With your temps outside and being in a garage you will need some power to maintain the 70-75 degree temps in the tent. You may even pick up some styrofoam type insulation boards and cut them down to put on top of and around your tent to retain heat.
The oil heaters are nice from what Iâve read but Iâve also read that the fins (outside radiator type metal fins) can get quite hot so be aware of that if you go oil heater route.
Seems there is run on heaters here in the desert. Went to Lowes, Walmart, Home Depot, Target, and Harbor Freight. We are experiencing rather unusual weather here. Usually in the 60"s and now in the low 50âs and in the 30âs at night. So decided to wait it out another week before I start the grow. Gives me enough time to order that 700 watt heater that @DaGoose or the one you recommend also. Decisions decisions. Thanks again for your help
@Skydiver@DaGoose Decided to do a test run on the other heater b4 I get the new one. This morning I checked temps & RH in the garage and tent. Temps 41 degrees 37% RH. Turned everything on except for heater. Manually set it at low. Am thinking it should be 700 Watts on. And after an hour will check everything. Or knowing me I will be checking every 5 minutes. LOL
