Garage Heaters Calgary — Gas, Radiant Tube + Electric Install

Single-car attached (~250-300 sqft): 25,000-30,000 BTU; bump to 30-35k if uninsulated. Double-car attached: 45,000-60,000 BTU. Detached double: 60,000-75,000 BTU. High-ceiling shop or triple-car: 75,000-125,000+ BTU and often radiant tube becomes the better choice over forced-air. We size based on your garage's actual construction (insulation, ceiling height, attached vs detached), not just square footage.

Forced-air gas (Modine, Reznor) for typical attached doubles — fast warm-up, lowest install cost, workhorse choice. Radiant tube (Re-Verber-Ray, SunStar) for high-ceiling shops or intermittent-use garages where you want to feel warm immediately. Electric (Cadet, King) for small garages without gas access or occasional-use scenarios. Gas operating cost is meaningfully lower than electric in Calgary; electric makes sense when running a new gas line would be expensive or when the use case is sporadic.

Gas garage heaters require an Alberta-licensed gas fitter — DIY installs without a permit fail inspection, void manufacturer warranties, and create insurance coverage issues if there's later damage. Electric heaters under 1,500W can sometimes be DIY-installed; anything 240V or hardwired needs a qualified electrician. We pull permits and schedule inspections on every install so the work is documented + legal.

Forced-air gas: 15-20 years typical, sometimes longer with annual service. Radiant tube: similar 15-20 years. Electric: 20-25 years (fewer moving parts, no combustion). Units that cycle frequently due to undersizing or poor insulation fail sooner. Annual pre-season service catches most failures before they become breakdowns and meaningfully extends lifespan.

Strongly recommended. An uninsulated detached double-car garage needs ~50% more BTU than an insulated one to reach the same temperature on cold days. Often more economical to add basic exterior-wall + ceiling insulation than to oversize the heater AND pay higher operating costs forever. We discuss the cost-benefit during the in-home assessment — sometimes insulation alone makes the existing heater adequate.

Most common causes: undersized for the actual heat loss (uninsulated garage with a heater sized for an insulated one is the classic), clogged air filter restricting airflow, gas line undersized for the heater's BTU rating (starves on peak demand), failed limit switch reading wrong temperature, or vent blockage causing intermittent shutdown. We diagnose in 30-45 minutes and quote the fix.

First-cold-snap failures are extremely common — usually one of: thermocouple failed during summer storage (pilot won't stay lit), electronic igniter cracked from thermal cycling, flame sensor oxidized + needs cleaning, gas valve sticking after long inactivity, blower capacitor failed. All common-parts-on-the-truck fixes. Annual pre-season service catches these before you need the heater in February.

For gas units, yes — annual combustion analysis catches CO risk (cracked heat exchanger) before it becomes a safety issue, flame sensor cleaning prevents nuisance shutdowns, capacitor + motor checks prevent mid-winter blower failures. For electric units, annual electrical inspection + element testing is good practice but less critical than gas service. Costs less than one emergency call and extends equipment life meaningfully.

Yes — workshops shut down when the heater quits in deep cold, so we treat winter garage-heater failures as priority dispatch. Real person on the phone, same-day in most cases. Common parts (igniters, flame sensors, thermocouples, gas valves, blower capacitors) ride on every truck — most repairs finish first visit.

Yes — we dispatch to Airdrie, Cochrane, Chestermere, Okotoks, and surrounding communities. Same crew, same install standards, same warranty support. No "out of service area" surcharge for these communities.