When a loading dock, a stripped-out office or a cold corner of a shop needs heat for a shift or a season, the TPI 198TMC gives you that heat without touching the building system. It is the heater facility managers, restoration crews and maintenance techs reach for when the answer has to arrive today: plug it into a standard 120V outlet, point it at the cold spot, and set the thermostat.
The reason it earned the nickname "catchers mask" heater is the caged front, and that cage is doing real work. Two elements sit behind it - a radiant element that throws directional warmth at people and surfaces, and a fan-forced element that pushes warm air out into the room. You can run either one alone or both together, which is what makes one heater cover three very different jobs: 600W for taking the edge off, 900W for circulating heat through a small room, and 1500W when a space has gone genuinely cold.
Built for
- Spot-heating a work station, dock door or tool crib in an otherwise unheated building
- Holding temperature in a small office, guard shack, trailer or pump house through the winter
- Restoration and construction sites where a space has to be brought up to working temperature before crews arrive
- Warming an area up to about 150 square feet where running gas or a permanent unit heater is not practical
- Facilities that need heat on a standard 120V circuit with no new wiring
Choosing a heat setting
Radiant heat at 600W is the efficient choice when you need to warm a person at a fixed position - a bench, a desk, an inspection station - because it heats what it points at rather than the whole volume of air. The 900W fan-forced setting is the better pick for raising the temperature of a small enclosed room, since moving air distributes warmth instead of concentrating it. Running both at 1500W draws 12.5 amps, so give it a circuit that is not already loaded with other equipment.
Specifications
- Output: 5,120 Btu
- Wattage: 600W radiant / 900W fan-forced / 1500W radiant and fan-forced
- Voltage: 120V, single phase
- Amps: 12.5 / 7.5 / 5
- Controls: temperature-control thermostat, three heat settings
- Safety: tip-over switch and manual-reset limit control
- Dimensions: 15 in. H x 11 in. W x 12 in. D
- Cord: 6 ft, three-conductor
- Listings: cUL listed, US approved
- Weight: 9 lbs
Covered by the TPI Corporation product warranty.
Frequently asked questions
Will the 198TMC run on a normal wall outlet?
Yes. It is a 120V single-phase heater with a standard three-conductor cord. On the full 1500W setting it draws 12.5 amps, so put it on a circuit that is not already carrying other heavy loads to avoid nuisance trips.
How large an area will it heat?
It is sized for small commercial and industrial spaces up to roughly 150 square feet. Insulation, ceiling height and outside air infiltration all change the real-world result, so an open dock area will need more heat than an enclosed office of the same footprint.
What is the difference between the radiant and fan-forced settings?
The radiant element warms people and surfaces directly in the direction it faces, which is efficient for a fixed work position. The fan-forced element blows warm air to raise the temperature of an enclosed room. Both can run at the same time for maximum output.
What happens if the heater gets knocked over?
A tip-over switch cuts power as soon as the unit leaves its upright position. There is also a manual-reset limit control that shuts the heater down if it overheats, and it must be reset by hand before the unit will run again.
Is it safe to leave running unattended in a shop?
The tip-over switch and manual-reset limit control are there for exactly that reason, but any portable heater should be kept clear of combustibles, curtains and stored material, and used according to the instructions and your facility policy.
Discount Cleaning Products is an authorized dealer for TPI Corporation, so every unit ships as a current factory-spec item backed by the manufacturer warranty. Our US-based staff works with commercial cleaning contractors, restoration crews and facility teams every day, and we can help you confirm compatibility or source the matching consumables and replacement parts before you order.