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I placed my EcoHeater® behind my drill press where it will remain unobstructed. Click image to enlarge

EcoHeater®

Silent, economical and it works!

Text & photos by Tom Hintz

Posted – 11-4-2012

The EcoHeater® is a ceramic-based plate that mounts to a wall and heats up. I know that sounds like an over simplification and it probably is to some degree but that accurately describes how this unit works. I’ve had an older version of this EcoHeater® in my shop for years and have used it a lot during the winter months. Granted winter in Charlotte, NC is way different than I grew up with in Wisconsin but it still gets plenty cold in my garage shop. The EcoHeater® that I had been using took the edge off of that cold in an hour or so. I’ll install the new version in the same place and we’ll see how it works.

The NA400S/C400S is the current model EcoHeater® and now has an improved switch on the side, though I put it on top when I installed this unit so that it is more easily accessible behind the drill press. The folks at EcoHeater® say that this is the 3rd generation and has been refined in finish and material. I have not found anything to refute any of that either.

The Basics

The EcoHeater® shown in this review (model NA400S / C400S) is a wall mounted 400 Watt ceramic Convection Heater. The manufacture claims uses less than 1/3 of the energy typical 1,500-watt space heaters use. That could represent a substantial savings over the cost of running the more conventional space heaters so many of us have been using for so many years. The EcoHeater® is UL 2021 certified by Intertek (ETL).

The EcoHeater® is less than 24" square, and is mounted 3/4" off the wall using the special mounting hardware included. You also get a correctly sized drill bit with the EcoHeater®. That air gap behind the EcoHeater® is what creates a convection heat channel. The air between the panel and the wall is heated causing it to rise which draws cooler air from below. This creates a silent, gentle circulation of the air that distributes the warmth throughout the room.

Mounting hardware (left) is included, with a drill bit no less! Part of the packaging (right) serves as a drilling template. Click images to enlarge

The EcoHeater® is made from a ceramic material that can be painted to match the wall on which it is installed. Aside from the option of painting it and then keeping it unobstructed there is no maintenance required. You do have to turn it on and shut if off unless you get the optional thermostat.

Installation

The EcoHeater® is most easily installed on a common drywall surface. Part of the foam packaging has holes in the right places to be used as a drilling template to simplify installation. The EcoHeater® uses a two-prong plug to connect to a normal house outlet.

The options on where to mount the EcoHeater® are pretty open as long as it is not placed behind anything that could trap the heat. Though most will be installed on drywall-covered walls there is no reason the EcoHeater® can’t be installed on masonry surfaces.

In the Shop

I mounted the EcoHeater® on the wall behind my standing drill press. It will remain unobstructed there and it is next to an outlet, both important considerations for virtually any shop application. The manufacturer says that the EcoHeater® will warm a 10' x 12' room using only 400 Watts which is very good. But that also means that we have to be realistic in our expectations if our shop is larger and we do not want to install another EcoHeater®.

Granted it has not been super cold this year yet but we have had outside overnight temperatures in the 30’s and the EcoHeater® took the edge off of the chill in my two-car garage shop in about an hour. I had an earlier version of the EcoHeater® in my shop and would use it in conjunction with a regular 220V space heater. I used the 220V version to get the shop sort of warmed up and then could use the EcoHeater® to maintain that. This way I could have the shop ready for work in about 20-minutes in most Charlotte winter conditions. When outside temperatures get into the 20’s and below I count on running the 220V heater more but with the EcoHeater® I am running the 220V version much less so there is still some level of cost and energy savings.

Conclusions

All that remained was screwing the EcoHeater® (left) onto it's mounts. After that, (right) I do have to remember to turn it on and off. Click images to enlarge

If your heating needs for your shop are reasonable the EcoHeater® could be a good fit. If you live in one of the major cold states such as Wisconsin or Minnesota and expect the EcoHeater® to handle all of your shop heating needs I think you will be disappointed. Being realistic and using the EcoHeater® as a supplement to more conventional heating methods in those conditions just makes more sense and still saves money.

The EcoHeater® has a street price of about $88.00 (11-4-2012) so the purchase price is as economical as its operation. It might not be right for every winter day in your area but more often than not the EcoHeater® can be saving you some energy money which is always a good thing.

Visit the EcoHeater® web page – Click Here

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