DR-966 240-Volt Hardwired Shop Garage Commercial Heater, 3000 Watt / 6000 Watt

First off, this is a great little unit. It kicks off a ton of heat, and if its setup right, it's super easy to use and has some great features. The first thing to know: don't use the internal thermostat. The concept is simply flawed because it's internal and the unit generally sits high in the space it's heating. It means that no matter how high you set the temp using the internal thermostat, it will likely trigger the off way before the space is actually to temp.You NEED to buy the associated Dr. Infrared thermostat - it works great when it's setup correctly - BUT YOU HAVE TO SET IT UP RIGHT. Follow the instructions, use the red and black leads on the back of the unit and run the cables properly to the wall thermostat. Locate the wall thermostat somewhere else where it's not being directly blown on by the heater. Switch the heater to "external" thermostat using the toggle on the back and boom - you're good to go. It works like a charm and is super accurate. I have my wall thermostat set to 50 degrees F and my mercury-based thermometer I keep in the same space says 50 on the money. That automatically cycles the unit on/off as needed. Just know that you still need to use the remote to turn the unit ON once even after setting up the wall thermostat. From then on you only need to use the remote if you want to turn the unit off. When using the "wall thermostat" feature, the remote cannot be used to control the temp. I leave the unit on HIGH - that gives you the full 7000+ watt experience you came for.The thing heats up my garage in like 5-10 minute cycles even when it's in the negatives in Minnesota. It's great, super reliable. The thing I really am amazed by is how well these electric heaters compare to natural gas heaters. Not only are they literally 1/10 the cost ($200 to $300 vs $2000 - $3000 for gas), they are so much smaller and don't require me to run costly gas lines into my garage - which is especially difficult for me considering my garage is detached. I have a 70 amp sub-panel in my garage so this was literally a perfect fit.Also, last thoughts. Use the appropriate gauged wiring. I got a 40 amp double pole breaker and it works great for this. It needs 2 hots and a ground to operate correctly in HIGH - which is the best situation. Some people have noticed it kicking into low randomly even when connected properly. If this is happening, it's a known manufacturing defect with a previous version - so if you have this happening just get in contact with them and they'll send you a newer model. I did not have this issue so 5 stars for me.By far the hardest part is figuring out the wall thermostat. It's a little tough to to get the black and red leads into the back of the machine. The instructions for the wall therm also suck - but that's not the unit's fault. Overall a great machine. High output, easy to install and use, and electric so very convenient and let's face it - future proof. Everything is going to be electric in 20 years. Get ahead of the curve.

Over the summer I purchased two of these units for my 40 x 40 x 16 lightly insulated workshop building located in central SC in the country. I built my own larger, hanging brackets to move the heater farther away from the wall to allow better overall operation with better temperature sensing and the ability to rotate the units ~ 100 degrees for more flexible heat flow direction. The heaters are mounted to a 6x6 post, ~ 7' off the floor. I also removed the temperature sensor tie wrap and allowed the sensor to hang down the connected ~10" wire length for more accurate temperature sensing. I wired the heaters to NEMA 6-50P outlets using 6/2 copper due to cable length and used the DR Heater DR-PS101 power cord for flexible heater use. . https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07NSV8GDG/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&th=1The unexpected cold fronts we had earlier than normal in November and December with temperatures down to the upper teens allowed a decent test of these heaters and their installations. At the beginning of this period, we rescued a stray cat (have four other rescues...) who appeared to be starving and would not have survived this unexpected weather. We fed and placed him in the workshop and turned on one heater located in his quarter of the workshop and set the temperature at its lowest setting of 50 degrees. We also provided a pet heated bed from K&H Pet Products https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000ICGJZK/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1 . With these two products, he is warm and happy. The one heater easily keeps that area at 50 degrees and does not run all of the time. I have yet to see the electric bill...The heater fan will intermittently cycle for a short period of time without the heating elements being engaged and seemed like a useless function and wasteful of electricity. I contacted DR Heater through their email link and received a same day response requesting additional information, which I supplied later that day. Overnight, I had received the following response from the OEM: "Hello, Thank you for the information. If you feel the fan blowing but no heat, it is because it samples the room temperature It will sample the room temperature every 5-10 minutes for around 60 seconds, it will keep doing it every 5-10 minutes"At this point, I am very satisfied with these heaters and support from the OEM.