budget heater for 20x20

[bowlofturtle]

I got a 20x20 BRICK garage. Its not insulated and has some air gaps. Using what i have now i wanted to get a small heater to make the few times i work in the garage a little better.

I currently use a 1500w electic heater that i bring and place about 2 feet behind me. It works somewhat decent when its like 20 degrees outside. But i think it cost more money to use it then what i'm getting out of it.

I have a 20g propane tank used for grilling in the summer i figure i might be able to use that for the winter. Looked at my local lowes for about a $100 heater. I came across 2 that i like the idea of.

http://www.lowes.com/pd_108038-8864...__0__s?Ns=p_product_price|0&Ntt=heater&page=7

Dual tank top heater at about $85


http://www.lowes.com/pd_245179-8864...__0__s?Ns=p_product_price|0&Ntt=heater&page=8

Convection heater for $100.

Both look like good ideas. I think the dual tank is better for me since i'm working on a car so it can be pointed at towards me so more focused heat. The Convection heater would be great if my garage was insulated so i can heat up the whole garage but its not. Anyone have either styles? Pros and cons of each?

I guess i have to open the door once in a while or take hourly breaks using one of these but the heating and $$ should be a lot less then running that 1500w electric heater all the time. Or am i wrong and i should stick with the electrical heater.

 

[Pug}{maN]

i use the tank top heater but the one with just one top in a 10x20, does a ok job at about 25 to 30 out side temp.

 

[bowlofturtle]

All i really need is something that does an OK job. Electric heater directly on me somewhat works but i think its just going to be WAY too costly. Not sure how you do the math.

But a tank of propane 20lb is about $20-30. It says should last about 14-36 hours. So hopefully thats all i need a winter. If all the cars are running right $20-30 a year to heat my garage when needed.

 

[Jeff]

I use a tank top heater as well and my shop is 20x20. I bought a Mr Heater Single Tank Top heater. Easy to store and use. I like that I can aim the heater/tank where I working.

 

[5lima30]

I just picked up a Pro-Fusion Industrial construction type heater from Northern Tool. It's 13,900 BTU uses 240V has a themostat and was on sale for about $75.00. The reviews of it on the net seem to be very good. I plan on using it in my 16x28 soon to be insulated garage. (I have not been able to try it in the garage yet due to not having power yet.) I did try it in an uninsulated 12x10 shed I have and it worked very well. It raised a 34F to about 58F in about 15 minutes. When I get my electrical hooked up and inspected I do a detailed report.

 

[Falcon67]

I have used a dual tank top heater in the past. Go get one of the cheap plastic pedestal fans at Walmart and once the heater is up to temp, put the fan behind and above the burners and turn it on. Makes a big difference in moving the heat around. If you really like it, pop for a 30 gallon tank that lasts longer. I now use a 5kW electric because I got tired of the fumes. But my place is insulated and sealed.

 

[bochnak]

I was in your shoes 2yrs ago. Notice we are both from Chicago, and both have brick garages.

I would suggest a 60k torpedo heater. I had a double tank mount and it was not enough. I had to keep them very close to stay comfortable.

The torpedo is louder, but it will keep you warmer.

FYI....I bought a 60k torpedo off ebay (was local) for $36, like new condition.

 

[bowlofturtle]

i dont have a 240V. Just a standard 110v. I'm only out in the winter if i have to. Past 2 years i think i averaged 13 hours each winter in the garage. 1st year i went solo, no heater just a lot of sweaters, hand got numb and i kept coming back inside the house. last year and this year i got the mini heater for $15 and it works to a decent degree. My hands weren't numb and i was able to keep rolling.



http://cgi.ebay.com/All-Pro-Portabl...aultDomain_0&hash=item3cb4c0445e#ht_500wt_922


you mean one of these things? How loud are these things?


thinking back and fourth i might just roll with a single now since they are like sub $50. maybe i can get one on sale come spring time. Pair that up with carbon detector.

http://cgi.ebay.com/PROTEMP-Radiant...ultDomain_0&hash=item3cb42c1edf#ht_1148wt_905

I dont want to be tempted to fix too many things in my garage in the winter.

 

[bochnak]

i dont have a 240V. Just a standard 110v. I'm only out in the winter if i have to. Past 2 years i think i averaged 13 hours each winter in the garage. 1st year i went solo, no heater just a lot of sweaters, hand got numb and i kept coming back inside the house. last year and this year i got the mini heater for $15 and it works to a decent degree. My hands weren't numb and i was able to keep rolling.



http://cgi.ebay.com/All-Pro-Portabl...aultDomain_0&hash=item3cb4c0445e#ht_500wt_922


you mean one of these things? How loud are these things?


thinking back and fourth i might just roll with a single now since they are like sub $50. maybe i can get one on sale come spring time. Pair that up with carbon detector.

http://cgi.ebay.com/PROTEMP-Radiant...ultDomain_0&hash=item3cb42c1edf#ht_1148wt_905

I dont want to be tempted to fix too many things in my garage in the winter.

The torpedo heaters are pretty loud. You can also buy the kerosene type.

If you are only spending 13hrs/winter, you probably can get buy with a tank mount.

 

[Rockerbox1]

I have one of the convection heaters like you have in the link from lowes.....
my garage is 14 by 26, and untill yesterday it had insulation in the walls but not ceiling (I put in some R23 yesterday)
that heater took my garage from 24 degrees to 70 degrees in less than half hour

 

[scootr14]

Bad thing about the convection heaters, is that they **** the propane quickly. Plus you can't really get the full benefits out of a 20# propane tank. I use a torpedo heater in my 40X60 shop and it works great to take the chill out of the air, while my wood stove tries to warm up. Yes it's loud, but so are my tools.

 

[Chrisk327]

I have been using the convection heater, pretty much identical to the one linked, but fueled by natural gas. we have 2 of them in my house which is basically a full down to studs remodel with a new second floor, about 2000 sqft plus basement.

with the 2 of them running at about 3/4s 1 in basement 1 on first floor it keeps the house at a decent temp with no insulation sheetrock etc. from 30 degrees to about 60-70

the basement gets hot, and so does the first floor if you're near the heater.

I would think it would do pretty good in a garage.

however, I have no idea the gas useage, we're running off a NG hookup, so I'm sure it would eat through propane pretty quick running full blast.

really depends on if you want spot heating or whole garage heating. the convection will definately heat the garage to a normal house temp when its 20-30 out, but you'll pay for that in gas useage.

 

[GrandmaSideways]

Subscribed.
I have a 21x21 foot garage. Luckily two walls face the house, but one wall is the doors, and the other ^may^ be insulated behind the wall but I can't count on that since the ceiling isn't.

 

[Stuart in MN]

Let's look at how much it costs to run the electric heater.

The power company charges you by the kilowatt-hour. I checked online and it appears in the Chicago area the rate is about $0.16/kw-hr. 1500 watts =1.5kw.

So, if you use it for 13 hours a year, $0.16/kw-hr x 1.5kw x 13 hours = $3.12 per year.
If you buy a propane heater for $100 the payback is going to be around 32 years, and that's not counting the cost of the propane.

Granted, the gas heater will probably put out more heat, but you're not going to save money by doing so. Also, I'm not a fan of unvented combustion heaters - too many people die each winter by using them in enclosed spaces (we just had another one here last week, some guy sitting out in his ice house) - but it sounds like your garage is pretty drafty so it will probably be safe.

 

[nmanitou]

I have used a dual tank top heater in the past. Go get one of the cheap plastic pedestal fans at Walmart and once the heater is up to temp, put the fan behind and above the burners and turn it on. Makes a big difference in moving the heat around. If you really like it, pop for a 30 gallon tank that lasts longer. I now use a 5kW electric because I got tired of the fumes. But my place is insulated and sealed.

What Falcon67 said. I am using the dual tank top burners as a temporary heat solution and it warms up my 560 sf nicely in cold northern Michigan. It will require a consent fresh air source for long burns, so if your brick garage is "leaky" that should be OK. Also, burning unvented LP produces water vapor, so over time that can be an issue. But for once in a while jobs these units really work. Especially when using a fan to keep the heat off the ceiling. Good bang for the buck.

 

[Brust]

Mr. Heater Big Buddy propane heater. Get a 20lb tank and the hose kit for it from northern tool. Costs about $120 and works like a champ. 4k, 9k, or 18k btu's. It'll heat that space up, or at least knock the edge off, and is pretty thrifty on fuel (I think it's about 26 hr burn time on 18k btu setting with a 20lb tank).

http://www.northerntool.com/shop/tools/product_200307957_200307957