Forked out $800 on a spray booth heater that barely works

I bought one of those infrared tube heaters for my shop back in November thinking it would keep the booth warm enough for paint to flow right up here in Minnesota. Even at full blast it struggles to get above 60 degrees when it's below freezing outside, so I've had to scrap three jobs already due to fisheye and solvent pop. Has anyone found a budget-friendly heater that actually holds temp in a 20x20 booth?

3 comments

3 Comments

carter.laura29d ago

Yeah, "spot heating" makes sense now. I totally thought wrong about that.

henderson.oscar29d ago

Is it really that big of a deal though? The guy said it's a paint booth, not an open hangar. I bet that little heater can keep a small insulated space warm enough for paint to dry, even if it's not pumping out 80 degree heat everywhere. People get way too worked up about gear specs when half the time it works fine for what you need.

davis.ruby29d ago

Respectfully, $800 isn't much for a heater that's supposed to handle a Minnesota winter in a paint booth. Those infrared tubes are better for spot heating, not holding a whole room at 70 degrees when it's 20 below outside. Maybe look into a forced air propane unit instead, they move more heat around and don't cost a whole lot more than what you spent.