best option to use for heat

[statictree83]

What is the best option to heat my garage? I only want to heat it when I'm out there maybe 6-10 times a month for anywhere from 2-8 hours. Thought maybe wood stove or a trailer furnace. I've heard the ventless kero and propane leave to much moisture on metal. Anything would be welcome. Its 24×32 two standard over head doors they are leaky the garage walls are r-11 insulation and the ceiling is insulated but the walls and ceiling aren't finished still open insulation. Thinking OSB walls and sheet rock ceiling

 

[statictree83]

Oh and I'm in upstate ny

 

[James-W]

If it is available, natural gas would probably be the least expensive.

 

[1953mercury]

Used forced air furnace. Unless you are going to keep it above freezing all the time, avoid any high efficiency (condensing) furnaces. Mike

 

[statictree83]

Why avoid the high efficiency ones I thought they would be better

 

[vartz04]

I'd go electric if you're only going to fire it up a dozen times a year. 7500 Watt at least for that size space.

 

[statictree83]

I only have enough power for a 5000 watt. Only a 50amp breaker feeding my garage thru #6 aluminum wires. If I do heat it for a half a day then let it cool will my weights and tools rust

 

[James-W]

Have you considered heating the garage full time and turning the heat down when you are not working out there? I heat my garage all Winter long, but I turn the heat down to 50 degrees when I am not working in the garage. It only takes a short while to get the temperature back up to 70 degrees once I turn the heat up.

 

[vartz04]

Yeah I keep mine at 40 degrees all the time. Doesn't cost that much. I have a 4000 Watt heater in a 22x24 garage with r13 insulation in the walls and ceiling.

 

[bottom feeder]

Have you got a wood stove or would you need to buy one? Do you want to cut a hole in your garage for the chimney? Are you willing to sacrifice the necessary floor space and deal with hauling wood in and ashes out?

If you just want to have easy, occasional heat just get an electric heater and hang it from the ceiling or up on a wall. Yes electricity is expensive, but all other types of heat have trade-offs as well. Your garage is insulated better than most, and a good 5000 watt heater will do a decent job of heating the space. My garage is about the same sq. ft. as yours, and I only have insulation on the garage doors and in the ceiling. My 5000 watt heater has been more than adequate for warming the space up for weekend projects, etc.

 

[statictree83]

Thanks for the input guys I'm going to get the 5000 watt electric and try it out. I live in a small town and wood stoves are not legal in a garage for any reason in NY but yet a salamander is. Still an open flame by the ground but oh well the electric will be cheap to install. What should I finish the walls with ply wood or should I leave the insulation open like it is to watch for condensation issues and mold problems

 

[statictree83]

I do have an old 1980 wood stove but its in kind of rough shape I already have a hole in the wall 14×14 inches there was a cheap thimble with a ghetto home job single wall pipe ran right through it and some melted siding on the back were they ran it with holes in the pipe. Not sure if its worth trying to risk my garage with single wall pipe again and I don't have the 600-700 for a chimney this year

 

[theoldwizard1]

"Best" means different things to different people.

Most comfortable. Radiant in-floor heating, your choice of heat source (see below).

Cheapest to install. Electric or gas (LP or natural gas).

Easiest to operate. Electric or gas (LP or natural gas).

Cheapest to operate ("maybe 6-10 times a month for anywhere from 2-8 hours"). Real close between natural gas, electric and wood pellet. Electric prices very quite a bit by location. Probably wood pellet, if you can purchase hardwood pellets at a good price and you have a dry place to store them. Wood would be cheaper if you can cut your own for free. (Stay away from LP)


Decent insulation is key, especially in very cold weather. Dad's garage "up north" MI had a good wood stove, but no insulation. When the temp was down below 20F (often in winter) you had to be within less than 15' from the stove. Even then, one side of you was burning hot and the other side was freezing cold.

 

[Algoma56]

Best choice is good insulation. You have some now, so just close it in with your choice. I have drywall, others I know use OSB. If you can, put some more insulation in the ceiling.

You can get by with construction type electric heater(220V), but on cold days they do take a while to get temperatures up. Any type of fan, moving air around will also help.

 

[statictree83]

Our electric rates vary monthly from 4-8 cents a kilowatt. Which type of heater I'm looking at a Fahrenheit 5000watt on home depot site

 

[James-W]

Our electric rates vary monthly from 4-8 cents a kilowatt. Which type of heater I'm looking at a Fahrenheit 5000watt on home depot site

That doesn't sound right, 4-8 cents per kilowatt hour. Where do you live where the rates are that cheap?

 

[rburke65]

He said "upstate NY."

 

[bottom feeder]

Decent insulation is key, especially in very cold weather. Dad's garage "up north" MI had a good wood stove, but no insulation. When the temp was down below 20F (often in winter) you had to be within less than 15' from the stove. Even then, one side of you was burning hot and the other side was freezing cold.

Reminds me of my dad's shop years ago. Block walls, exposed trusses, no insulation whatsoever, and a roaring coal stove in the corner that you had to be standing right next to if you wanted to warm up. Better than nothing but only barely.

 

[statictree83]

We have a power dam in my town so we generate our own power and also supply over half of NY state and some goes to Canada I'm literally five miles from the Eisenhower dams

 

[themiller]

That doesn't sound right, 4-8 cents per kilowatt hour. Where do you live where the rates are that cheap?

IL has rates that cheap. I pay $ .0475/kwh base before all taxes and such.

 

[CWO4GUNNER]

With Hover Dam powered by Arizona's west coast Colorado River just down the street, I pay .09 cents per KW. But with new executive orders threatening rate increases of 40-80%, electric affordability may soon be a thing of the past. Why with my next garage build project am seriously considering the use of passive solar power.

 

[St-rider]

Unless you are going to keep it above freezing all the time, avoid any high efficiency (condensing) furnaces. Mike

What "1953mercury" said, because the water/moisture byproduct of the HE type will freeze inside the furnace and render it in-operable until it thaws out.