Some Garage Heating Ideas

[ultgar]

See http://www.ultimategarage.com/heat.htm .

http://www.ultimategarage.com/thermostat-1.jpg

[gb387]

Another idea that works well for garages that are finished already is a Reznor gas heater. Work very well and look good.

=000000000005&mod_catalog[category]=000000000001&mod_catalog[mode]=detail]Reznor Heater (http://www.rezspec.com/index.php?pageid=000000000007&mod_catalog[catid)

[Hot Rod]

When we had a new unit put in our 3,000 sq ft house . I had the old unit put in my 1500 sq ft shop. Man, it heats up fast!!

It's between the roll up doors in this pic

[holland_patrick]

OK while that's great for those of us who havd a lot of money what about the little guys who have a small garage and need heat I was thinking one of those karosine heaters not one of the torpedos but the ones for heating the inside of your house I don't need it oftern and I normally can wait a hour before working. right now i have a very small elec. heater which i plug in in the mroning and i'm able to work at night tuning my skis cilled but comfortable..

[gb387]

OK while that's great for those of us who havd a lot of money what about the little guys who have a small garage and need heat I was thinking one of those karosine heaters not one of the torpedos but the ones for heating the inside of your house I don't need it oftern and I normally can wait a hour before working. right now i have a very small elec. heater which i plug in in the mroning and i'm able to work at night tuning my skis cilled but comfortable..


Now my father has the Reznor but.... For my garage I have an oil filled radiant heater. Works good, not great raises the temp 2-3 degrees per hour. I have a well insulated garage and it never get below 40-45 inside even with freezing temps outside.

http://i.walmart.com/i/p/00/09/29/26/34/0009292634044_500X500.jpg

They can be found at walmart, menards, Lowe's, home depot and so on. If you watch you can get them as low as $25.00 but they normally start at $35.00.

[dkn1997]

on those oil filled home store heaters: if possible, run a dedicated 20 amp circuit for those (use 12/2) they have the potential to be very dangerous. make your outlet one of those single recepticle ones so you are not tempted to plug anything else into that circuit while the heat is running.

[DirtyLude]

Okay, the electric heaters aren't going to cut it. It gets real cold up here, and I just don't have the forethought to go out and turn on my two heaters in the morning so I can work at night. My garage has a pretty high ceiling as well, so most of the heat is up there on the ceiling.

I was looking at the local hardware store, and they have those torpedo like heaters from Coleman with kerosene and propane. How long do those things last, and what's better? I don't want to be changing propane tanks all the time. I just have a fairly average (maybe on the largish size) two car garage.

[GearHead_1]

Okay, the electric heaters aren't going to cut it. It gets real cold up here, and I just don't have the forethought to go out and turn on my two heaters in the morning so I can work at night. My garage has a pretty high ceiling as well, so most of the heat is up there on the ceiling.

I was looking at the local hardware store, and they have those torpedo like heaters from Coleman with kerosene and propane. How long do those things last, and what's better? I don't want to be changing propane tanks all the time. I just have a fairly average (maybe on the largish size) two car garage.

My experience has shown me that the kerosen heaters are quicker to bring an area up to temperature but the propane heaters are much easier to be around long term with respect to the fumes. I've use both quite a bit and prefer the propane.

[gb387]

Jumping in here should there be a concern with either propane or kerosene heaters in a small area like a garage and carbon monoxide or any other dangerous fumes? I understand a kerosen heaters smell can get annoying to be around but is it bad?

[I-Dom-In-8]

I have a propane one as well, and i am in the same boat dont have a lot to spend but needed something decent.

well i got a lot more then decent. I bought one from homedepot for about 80bucks, I will try to get the btu tomarrow for ya.

I will say this though, it gets damm cold here in chicago and i had this thing on for about 10 min and i was in the garage in a sweater. Im very happy with mine.

You can see it under the shelf i got.

http://www.fototime.com/{56B34481-E86A-45AA-87B6-45084A6C4944}/picture.JPG

[OI812]

I also have a propane one for my garage (torpedo) and I'm very happy with it. I only wish I had a bigger one and a bigger LP tank. You may have to watch yours on that 20 lb cylinder. In cold weather you can actually burn the vapor off faster then it can be produced in the tank. Your torpedo will start to burn white instead of blue and you may notice more of a propane smell. My unit is 50,000 BTU's and I run it on a 30lb cylinder. The bigger cylinder even has trouble keeping up.

[marktheshark]

I'm running a 40k btu propane torpedo in my 28x32 garage. I'm happy with it. I don't need to be running around in a t-shirt, just don't wanna freeze my nuts off!

[weimer]

I heat my detached 2 1/2 car with a woodburner. It takes about 20-30 mins and you forget exactly how cold it is outside. My garage is insulated but the ceiling is still open...I just bought a bunch of drywall to finish off the ceiling to help with retaining the heat. Normally I get a couple loads of wood for the winter, but we just had a huuuge icestorm, so I have hauled about 30 loads of wood in this year...plenty of heat for the next couple of years :)
If the temps didn't drop down into the single digits, I would be out splitting and stacking.
Later,
WEIMER

[DirtyLude]

The current plan is to run the Natural Gas line into the garage and put up a Mr. Heater natural gas radiant heater.

[52 M37]

I bought a used horizontal oil burner from a heating contractor for $50.
I also found a used oil tank for free. I hung the heater from the rafters and added some duct work, a thermostat and two fuel filters. Probably the most work involved the chimney(which is made of flue pipe. My total expense was around $150. Some contractors who do conversions from oil to gas sometimes have these laying around.

Now when it's cold I just go out to the garage and turn on the swicth on the thermostat and go back in the house for a half hour or so and work in comfort.

I have used Kerosene heaters and wood stoves. I don't like the fact that if I open up something and have a gas spill there is an open flame close to the floor. Now if there's a mishap I just shut off the heater until I clean it up.

My garage is about 100 years old and not insulated. We did put vinyl siding and tyvek on the outside to block the wind.
I also found 1½" thick pieces of white styrofoam and attached that to the ceiling for a little heat retention and to reflect light.

When I build a new garage it will have radiant floor heat though. That is so nice when you are working on the floor. It is also a very constant heat once the slab is warm.

My 2¢
Rich

[OI812]

In floor radiant heat is the way to go--no questions asked.

[dkn1997]

I also have a propane one for my garage (torpedo) and I'm very happy with it. I only wish I had a bigger one and a bigger LP tank. You may have to watch yours on that 20 lb cylinder. In cold weather you can actually burn the vapor off faster then it can be produced in the tank. Your torpedo will start to burn white instead of blue and you may notice more of a propane smell. My unit is 50,000 BTU's and I run it on a 30lb cylinder. The bigger cylinder even has trouble keeping up.


that sounds like more of an air supply problem. I have had this happen to a couple of pool heaters in indoor filter rooms. they seemed to run "rich" ie: burning, but smell of gas out the exhaust. a better air intake solved the problem in those instances. this will be more of a problem with "induced draft" type heaters that use a fan to promote burning or draft. heaters without a combustion fan or powervent will usually just burn crappy and soot up when an air supply problem is happening.

torpedos need to have some sort of fresh air. they are really not designed to heat a closed area. they are meant for outdoor localized heating, or in a house under construction (no insulation yet)

not to say you can't use one, I use one in my garage, but I always crack the door a bit and I have an opening above the heater into the attic just below a roof vent.

[Wile1Coyote]

Next garage will have in floor radiant for sure, I have felt that and it is just sooooo nice.

For now I use a Max 200,000 BTU Radiant Construction Heater, it was $100 at Home Depot, I bought a 40 Gal Propane Tank to run it and I haven't had to refill yet, this being the second winter. I don't need to run it long either about 30 Minutes and the temp goes up 30-40 degrees. My garage is finished and well insulated.

I also have a Propane Torpedo, 60,000 BTU, I like em but not so wild about having that fan forced heat pointed at me.

I leave a small Black and Decker electric on full time to make sure the garage stays above 35 D. Just got that this year and haven't seen the electic bill yet. :eek:

Another great hint is to pile snow up around the base of your garage, Snow is a great insulator.

And remember with either a Kerosene or Propane heater to crack the door or pedestrian door to let those fumes out.

[NHCharger]

I just finished(almost) my garage/shop. The shop is 30x50 with 11' ceilings. I went with a Modine Hot Dawg forced hot air furnance that hangs from the ceiling. Runs off propane. Cost $ 1,500. installed.
I looked into radiant floor heat but once I added in all the stryofoam insulation I needed and the cost of the heating system I was looking at $ 8k. I figured with the money I'd save I could buy a lift and never lay on the concrete floor again.

[Satatic]

I also found a used oil tank for free. I hung the heater from the rafters and added some duct work, a thermostat and two fuel filters. Probably the most work involved the chimney(which is made of flue pipe. My total expense was around $150. Some contractors who do conversions from oil to gas sometimes have these laying around.

Do you just use used engine oil for that?

[Kevin54]

Check where they sell mobile homes. A lot of times they will take an older mobile home in on trade and strip it out. On some of the older ones they have wall mounted gas furnaces around 60,000 btu and are approx. 18" x 12" deep x 6'tall with one register at the bottom and a vent at the top. I picked one up for $50 a few years ago. The only thing you may have to do is change the jets for natural gas or propane.

Kevin

[Mustangsaly]

i now heat a 24 x 30 with 2 of these http://www.northerntool.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductDisplay?storeId=6970&productId=200307927&R=200307927 one heats garage at 30 & above.

[ultgar]

Here's an old picture that's been floating around for awhile....be thankful you don't have this guy's problem.

http://www.ultimategarage.com/frozencars.jpg

[jstbecauz]

Holy crap, that is they way it felt in my garage the last few days.

[Roadster]

See http://www.ultimategarage.com/heat.htm .

Dead link.

[Double Venom]

First post so bear with me. Having been in the 'garage business' for over 30years I finally got to retire. So what to do now? You build your final custom shop. :thumbup:

Having every heating device from, overhead forced air, to a 'mobile home furnace', to torpedo heaters to over head gas fired infared heaters, (awesome by the way and very cheap to run.) to the relativlely new in floor hot water heat. The first picture shows just the 'stubs' coming out of the new concrete. Two 'zones' at 1,000 feet of tubing per zone, to the actual boiler being installed. Amazing, simply amazing! No moving air, no cold spots, floor is so warm that you can walk across it in your stocking feet!

Definately pricey, but to me worth every penny! Not for the remodeling of an older garage, but if your thinking of building a new one, this is one amazing heating system. I have yet to find a single drawback to this system.

DV....for what it's worth

[Godzila]

My 40X80 car studio (pole barn) :rolleyes: has insulated walls and ceiling at 14', It has a gas fired forced air heater and A/C unit that hangs on the outside of the building. All the air comes out of a single 1x3 vent and it takes a really long time to bring the temp up, there are also 4 ceiling mounted fans to circulate the air I have used several red top Propane radient heaters to warm up spots or cars. I gave up and started looking for another solution to heating the studio

A couple of important considerations for us all, One be aware of CO poisoning when using any "Ventless" type unit be it Kerosene, Propane or even the new "Ventless gas heaters. They all burn hydrocarbons and CO is a byproduct, so I behoove(nice word, eh) all to install a CO monitor to alert you of any dangerous build up( meaning deadly!)

Secondly these types of units will also produce other by products that will be corrosive vapors which will attack your car and tools. ( Not good at all!) :willy_nil

So what I have ordered are the natural gas Radiant Tube heaters that are vented and mount high on the wall and use radient energywhich does not heat the air, but everything else like the concrete, the cars and the tools. They are purported to be 50-70% more effeicent than other types and are thermoststically controlled, two stage for rapid rise and maintain levels. The cost of a 30' unit and a 40' unit for the barn is about $2200 plus installation, which will probably be another est $400.

The best part, no CO and no corrosive vapors to settle on the toys, and warm concrete, which sholud also take care of any condensation issues. I intend to still use the ceiling fans. By heating all the solids and not the airas before, when you open the garage door, you don't lose all the "heated air"
I'll post some pix after the install.

BTW these are available in all sizes so even if you don't have a barn, they would work well in any size garage :bounce:

[ultgar]

DV.....nice choice of boilers and great heating solution. The only thing you can nitpick about about radiant heat is that it doesn't bring the room up to temperature very quickly but conversely, the slab holds temperature very well and you're not going to lose your heat every time you open the garage door.

SD

[sca037]

First post so bear with me. Having been in the 'garage business' for over 30years I finally got to retire. So what to do now? You build your final custom shop. :thumbup:
Having every heating device from, overhead forced air, to a 'mobile home furnace', to torpedo heaters to over head gas fired infared heaters, (awesome by the way and very cheap to run.) < big snip > ;-D

Welcome DV!

Great setup you have there............
Can you give some specifics on the overhead gas fired infrared heaters you've had experience with?
I've heard of the Dutch-built units by Gastec Technology, but are there other more affordable choices out there?

Thanks,
Brian

[Double Venom]

SD: Coming from you Sir, I will take that as a great compliment! By the way, Jay Herbert of Viper Fame said to say hello.


sca037-Brian: My last shop (business) I used three overhead 'Vantage' propane infrared heaters. The shop was 55'x70' and basically dividede in half. The heaters were 12' off the floor with a foot clearance to the ceiling. They too were amazing but for my uses they did have some serious drawbacks. Anything under the heaters, including the floor would get cozy warm from 0' in about 30 to 45 minutes. The drawback for me was the custom work I used to do. Fiberglass, body work, and paint work. The top of the cars would get warm, almost to the point where any type of body work, paint would dry to fast, while the sides remained to cool. With any normal shop like this we had large doors on each end, heat loss was almost instant and make up was long. Not a real problem if you planned for it.

This was the same heat I was going to use in my retirement shop, but I was then convinced that 'In floor' was the new way to go.

If I was just doing mechanical type work, I'd go back to the infrareds in a second.
DV

[Double Venom]

Tried this picture a minute ago, didn't seem to take. If it shows up twice feel freee to delete or I will. I've got to learmn how to down size these pictures!
DV

Sorry, the first pictures went through just fine. I have no idea why these didn't show up?

[Sir Loyn of Beephe]

This would be my suggestion (http://www.grainger.com/Grainger/productdetail.jsp?xi=xi&ItemId=1611763723&ccitem=)

[casaleenie]

I having a Forsaire Direct-Vent furnace put in the new garage.

Williams Company is the distributor for them.. and many others for that matter...

Uses only outside air for combustion. Burners are completely sealed within the heating chamber. Vents outdoors through the wall... Bird guard with vent...

Very safe..
Found all different prices - pays to shop it...

[JB666]

Hi.. I'm new here, too.. Great site!!!


Anyways, how are the propane heaters that mount in between the studs, and vent outdoors?? A buddy of mine has one in his shop, and it seems to work great.. A 100lb tank would go a long way if it's not getting used full time.

[tofer76]

my bro and i put in a natural gas heater that hangs on the wall it replaces the big bulky ones that hang from the ceiling you can see it in the corner
on low that thing will keep the 2 car garage at about 68-70 when its about 0 outside
it works well but it gets cool near the floor it is ventless too there is a co2 detector in the garage too

[OI812]

that sounds like more of an air supply problem. I have had this happen to a couple of pool heaters in indoor filter rooms. they seemed to run "rich" ie: burning, but smell of gas out the exhaust. a better air intake solved the problem in those instances. this will be more of a problem with "induced draft" type heaters that use a fan to promote burning or draft. heaters without a combustion fan or powervent will usually just burn crappy and soot up when an air supply problem is happening.

torpedos need to have some sort of fresh air. they are really not designed to heat a closed area. they are meant for outdoor localized heating, or in a house under construction (no insulation yet)

not to say you can't use one, I use one in my garage, but I always crack the door a bit and I have an opening above the heater into the attic just below a roof vent.


I had the LP man over and he looked at it and said the vapor was burning off to fast, and thats why the tank was freezing up :dunno:

[OI812]

I not recommending it, but I do know some people that are putting in floor heat with a regular 40 gallon heater. They say it works great. My next garage I will probably do it this way. Heaters just a lot cheaper than a boiler.

[rockford33]

Most of you guys seem to have relatively large garages. What about efficient heating for a small, townhouse garage? I bought a small electric heater, but it really doesn't do the trick. Even with keeping the garage door closed all of the time, it can get down to 30-35 degrees. I don't think it is insulated very well (living room above garage always seems cold also). Not comfortable with leaving something on all the time just so it is comfortable in the evening. I'd like a faster turn around than that. I have thought about a torpedo heater, but it is slightly cramped with my summer car in there I would have no place to safely point it. The garage is about 10' wide x 18' long x 8'-9' high. What kind of btu's should I look for to heat this space quickly (1/2 hour or so)? Thanks and great site!!

[tofer76]

i personally have a 10 by 20 and i use a mr heater that goes on a propane bottle in the corner about a half hour or so it nice in there and it doesnt take up much room

do you have nat gas down there or can it be put in or rerouted for one of these

http://www.heatershop.com/natural_gas_garage_heaters.html

[rockford33]

I do have natural gas, but since my bill for January was almost $500 (for a townhouse!!), I don't want to tap off of that. I might be able to find space for a propane tank and radiant heater. By nice, do you mean 50-60, or higher? And what is the temp outside?

[1ownerT]

Most of you guys seem to have relatively large garages. What about efficient heating for a small, townhouse garage? I bought a small electric heater, but it really doesn't do the trick. Even with keeping the garage door closed all of the time, it can get down to 30-35 degrees. I don't think it is insulated very well (living room above garage always seems cold also). Not comfortable with leaving something on all the time just so it is comfortable in the evening. I'd like a faster turn around than that. I have thought about a torpedo heater, but it is slightly cramped with my summer car in there I would have no place to safely point it. The garage is about 10' wide x 18' long x 8'-9' high. What kind of btu's should I look for to heat this space quickly (1/2 hour or so)? Thanks and great site!!
For a electric heater to be worthwhile and somewhat efficient it should be a 220v.
Something to consider, locate an existing duct and tap into it. My brother has a townhouse and we did this to his, added a register to a existing run. Now he has heat in the winter and air conditioning in the summer.
His garage was not insulated very well either, there was none in the ceiling that extends beyond the living area. We cut an access hole thru the ceiling and insulated. It cut down on the cold and it is quieter than before.

[1ownerT]

I do have natural gas, but since my bill for January was almost $500 (for a townhouse!!), I don't want to tap off of that. I might be able to find space for a propane tank and radiant heater. By nice, do you mean 50-60, or higher? And what is the temp outside?
Ouch!, What are they charging per cu. ft.? That is a high bill. I am heating approx. 1500 sq ft of my house with gas, along with a gas water heater, stove and dryer and my last bill for the gas was $ 134.

[tofer76]

By nice, do you mean 50-60, or higher? And what is the temp outside?

on low it was 65 or so and 0 outside so it works well we would heat it up and the turn it to the pilot light it would be great as long as you dont open the garage door

[rockford33]

Ouch!, What are they charging per cu. ft.? That is a high bill. I am heating approx. 1500 sq ft of my house with gas, along with a gas water heater, stove and dryer and my last bill for the gas was $ 134.

I think it runs close to $1 a cf around here (maybe $0.88 or something like that). We are heating a 4-story, 2200 sf townhouse. First floor is always cold (in the 50's). I had the gsa & electric company out and it turns out they were misreading my meter since some of the numbers were halfway rubbed off. Should get about $160 back, so $300 for one month with the wife being home everyday all day isn't too outrageous.

I did end up getting a Mr. Heater Portable buddy. I wanted the Big Buddy, but Lowes didn't have them, and I saw a recall for them on Mr. Heater's website. Plus, they were around $127. I picked up my Portable buddy for $45 at Lowes (cheapest I found it for online was $71 or so). Used it once so far and it worked pretty good. Had a little ceramic space heater going also for a while to help speed up the warming process. Now I need some tunes in there!! Kinda dreary working for an hour in the garage with only the sound of me scraping my knuckles and cursing, lol.

[armoredsaintt]

Another idea that works well for garages that are finished already is a Reznor gas heater. Work very well and look good.

=000000000005&mod_catalog[category]=000000000001&mod_catalog[mode]=detail]Reznor Heater (http://www.rezspec.com/index.php?pageid=000000000007&mod_catalog[catid)

did you know that Nine Inch Nail's Trent Reznor's father owns that company.

[spud]

Beacon Morris makes a nice low profile forced air furnace. I bought one but havent put it up yet............


SAFETY NOTE.......... If you have to go in you attic to run vent pipe, ALWAYS buy a very HIGH QUALITY face mask, dont breath in any insulation dust, a good mask will be $20 minimum. I leaned the hard way wearing only a cheapo mask.

[Grumpy350]

Ok this is for the guys who work in there garage..... I have been using for the last 25 years a Miller oil heater out of a mobile home carring 95000 BTU. My garage working space is about 30' by 50'. This heater handles even the cold winters up north. Also you can paint blast weld and make all sorts of dust ...never have to worry about a fire

[BetterDays]

Currently, I use a Mr Heater - top of the tank - heater (3 burners). Burn three to get the temp up, and then use 1 or 2 on the low setting (depending outside temp).

Normally keeps the temp around 65* in the winter (10* outside). I keep a spare tank so that I don't have to quit when the tank goes dry at 1AM.

20x20 garage, uninsulated.

How did the electric heat work and how did it affect your electric bill? I may look at that as an idea since I don't want to ruin any tools in the garage from the cold air.

[BetterDays]

Also, this past winter I laid down carpet padding on the ground. Made it nicer to walk on and helped retain the heat.

Also, it smolders and smells bad, so you know if a hot spark ignited... :wtf:

I have several extinguishers in the garage, but never had to use them.

Kevin

[krooser]

I really like my gas radiant heat...

[sberry]

I have a radiant that I use on occasion but mainly heat with wood.

[The MOX]

My solution was a little different than the other replys here. My garage is a 30' x 32' pole barn with sprayed urethane insulation. I have heated it for 3 Hoosier winters with a 30,000 BTU AmaizaBlaze corn stove. Pour a bushel of clean shelled corn in the hopper and get about 24 hours of nice heat.

The system is sealed combustion so the intake and exhaust air all come from the outside. I do woodworking in the barn so I didn't want the possibility of a sawdust fire or explosion.

Not a solution for everyone, but another way to tackle the problem.

[muddy]

I'm going with a radiant floor for sure now that I live in Michigan.....will be starting a shop soon. With the shop I had in Missouri, it was well insulated and sound proofed.....no windows at all. For heat when it got real cold I'd pull out my monster torpedo heater.....in twenty minutes it was cooking in there and I'd just fire it up occassionally as needed. Funny thing, though, I had been getting headaches quite a bit and didn't really think about why. Then one night I kept noticing that my cigarette wouldn't stay lit! Lack of oxygen.......so make sure you get ventilation of some sort with the kerosene heaters....especially the big ones.

[krooser]

here's mine.....30' gas fired radiant..

[FUNFER2]

Hot Rod- I love the Pro-Street ! I had a Pro-Street Camaro, sold it to build my 427 Shelby Cobra. I'm a painter and yours look great ! It's hard to tell from the pic, is that a turbo or just a air induction for the carb ? :thumbup:
Kev

[MN_Pete]

Another new guy here. 32x40 pole barn with 10' sides. Concrete floor with no insulation underneath.
I'm getting ready to insulate and add heat. Trying to decide between overhead radiant and hot air. I like the idea of an overhead radiant heater - but can it be used with an uninsulated concrete floor? Seems like it would be trying to heat the concrete, but all the heat would go out the bottom of the floor.

Opinions / experiences?
Thanks,
Pete

[krooser]

Another new guy here. 32x40 pole barn with 10' sides. Concrete floor with no insulation underneath.
I'm getting ready to insulate and add heat. Trying to decide between overhead radiant and hot air. I like the idea of an overhead radiant heater - but can it be used with an uninsulated concrete floor? Seems like it would be trying to heat the concrete, but all the heat would go out the bottom of the floor.

Opinions / experiences?
Thanks,
Pete
Heat Rises...the floor becomes a heat sink and stores the heat from the radiant heater and reheats the air...I have gas radiant in my shop...30X50..10' sidewalls...can you say "toasty?"...

[G M]

Anyone have any info or knowledge about using solar panels in conjunction with radiant floor heating. Free heat would be nice to have.

[number3]

Heat Rises...the floor becomes a heat sink and stores the heat from the radiant heater and reheats the air...I have gas radiant in my shop...30X50..10' sidewalls...can you say "toasty?"...


How well does this type of heater with different floor surfaces.

For example: Will it work with Race Deck tiles, Epoxy paint, and/or rubber mat type flooring? Will it damage any of them?

Also how do the cars in the garage hold up to the radiant heat beating down on them?

I love this as an idea to heat my new garage but would like to hear everyone opinions on the above questions.

Thank you,

Harry