Occasional Heat for Garage work

[Pucman1]

So I am looking for the best way to heat a newly finished and insulated garage space. I had an old one car garage that was finished but not insulated, added to the outside garage wall another one car bay that is fully insulated r38 in the ceiling and r13 in the walls. I also added two new insulated garage doors sealed pretty tight. I might add the old garage butts up to livable space on two of the four walls......see project on my signature and it will be clear.

I have had some thirty degree nights so far and most times temps in the garage remain close to 60 but wanted to find a way to bring it up a bit. Rough size between the two areas is about a total of 450 square feet. I have a 100 amp sub panel but not ready for a mini split yet. I am really just looking for a temp solution to heat it up during the colder months so I can continue with a car project......

Any ideas on the best solution for my situation.
Thanks.

 

[WhiffySpark]

I just have a 110 wall heater by where I work and another electric one on floor. Works fine for me but I like the chill lol

 

[Firebrick43]

If you are thinking about a mini split, one with hyper heat, I would just do it. Any good heater that you buy is going to cost you a quarter of the cost of the mini split and then where would you use it? Electric resistance heat is going to cost you majorly in operating cost. A propane or kerosene heater is going to have issues with fumes and carbon monoxide in your tight construction and if you want to paint your car can lead to fish eyes in the paint. A ventless wall heater maybe a decent solution but typically cost a couple of hundred plus installation cost of propane/natural gas pipeing which could exceed the cost of the heater

 

[ForceFed70]

450sqft and a well insulated garage? Try a standard 120V 1500W electric heater. I think it'll be enough for what you want. Won't get it toasty in there, but should be enough to work comfortably in a sweatshirt.

 

[Firebrick43]

Just had another thought. Do you have any m12 Milwaukee cordless tools? They came out with some heated hoodies and light jackets that take the small m12 pack in the pocket. I have not tried them but I use electric heated clothing on my motorcycle now and it's a godsend for cold weather riding. For non physical work out in the cold it may just be the thing.

I have a 12x14 Shed insulated to r23 in walls and r50 in the ceiling and very tight. It also has a solar air heater. Most of the time it has a oil filled electric heater running at night/cloudy days. It will add 30-40 dollars a month on the bill in the dead of winter. If you left a 1500 watt heater going all day on med it would cost you about 120$ a month to operate(@ 14 cents a kilowatt . A good heat pump mini split would be a fourth of that.

 

[p_mori7]

240V Construction heater.

About $100 plus the box & plug wired to your subpanel.

Turn it on when you want heat or to warm up the space. Turn it off or unplug when done.

 

[PWC Repair]

I use one of those cylinder looking kerosene heaters. Contrary to popular belief, when the wick is in proper condition they don't stink at all except several seconds after lighting and again after shutoff.

 

[dave67fd]

I use one of those cylinder looking kerosene heaters. Contrary to popular belief, when the wick is in proper condition they don't stink at all except several seconds after lighting and again after shutoff.

A Kerosene heater used in a well insulated 450 sq. ft. area that the OP has with little to no ventilation will kill you.

Use a "vented" gas or electric heater..nothing else.

 

[CJM8515]

If you keep the garage door open slightly and use one of those larger propane heaters or a salamander you will be fine.

 

[PWC Repair]

A Kerosene heater used in a well insulated 450 sq. ft. area that the OP has with little to no ventilation will kill you.

Use a "vented" gas or electric heater..nothing else.

Sorry, I thought it was a given that anything burning an open flame needs some ventilation. I forget common sense isn't all that common these days.

 

[James-W]

If you only need the heat on occasion, I would go with an electric heater. They are inexpensive to buy and easy to hook up. They work very well and a portable unit can be moved to where it will do the most good. If you are heating the garage quite a bit, then electric would not be a good choice due to the higher cost of operation. But for occasional use it is hard to beat electric resistance heating.

 

[theoldwizard1]

If you only need the heat on occasion, I would go with an electric heater. They are inexpensive to buy and easy to hook up. They work very well and a portable unit can be moved to where it will do the most good. If you are heating the garage quite a bit, then electric would not be a good choice due to the higher cost of operation. But for occasional use it is hard to beat electric resistance heating.

Hit the nail on the head ! Depending on how many hours a month you use it, the cost "break over point" does not take to many hours.

If long term you are going with a mini-split and the garage has some insulation, this is the way to go.

 

[matt_i]

I concur. A 5kW space heater can be bought which fits in a stud cavity, I have one. It has its own circulation fan and a 1-5 thermostat and needs a little time to heat the space but will do a nice job in my opinion. On the highest setting and allowed an hour or so to run it would drive you out of a 500sf space seeking A/C.

Just to address the notion of cost, it would use 5kW-hr in 1 hour, so less than $1/hour in most locations with residential power.

My "working temp" for my shop is 50F Wool sweaters and hoodies go a long way.

 

[cmanningjr]

Oil Filled radiant heater. Only thing is, it takes them a little bit to warm up.. but they are awesome heat..


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[Pucman1]

OK so I took a look at some of the suggestions. I am not the best at clipping and responding to individual comments so bear with me. I do at some point want to do the minisplit thing but not ready yet. So it looks like the most inexpensive solution up front is a Electric radiant style heat. I do have a 220 plug installed so that is a viable option. The garage bay I added has a scissor truss ceiling so a little more space than normal. it is about 14 feet to the apex of the new bay inside.
I cranked up a oil filled radiator heater and left it on for a while but really did not do much for the room, just the space near that heater. Good for hand warming.
So I will be looking at some of the higher end construction heaters to see if I can run it on my circuit. Thanks again for all the hints, comments and advise on how not to kill myself....
I do understand that the operating cost is not optimal but this is short term for days I will be in the garage which usually is on the weekends.
Let you know what I decide on soon....and keep the comments coming if someone knows more than what we have so far.

 

[ratdoggy]

As of now I have a salamander or jet heater. I run it for a half hour with the garage door cracked open and then start working...I only use clean kerosene in it so no real odor

 

[rwilner]

Check out "the hot one". It is a 240v construction style heater. I'm I'm Boston. I use it to take the chill out of my 36x21x10 garage so I can work in the winter. Does the job.

 

[laser3kw]

I use a propane construction heater. I burn it at 45k btu for up to 6 hours at a time to temperature around 60º.
I have a Carbon Monoxide detector with digital read out to keep tabs on the CO levels. It has shown that the concentration has never risen above at reading of 25 with the normal alert level starts at 200 or so.
I know it works properly when I started a snow bower up to adjust the carb. The detector hit 200 in just a few minutes.

 

[Muzzy]

I installed a 1500 W electric infrared heater over the workbench in the shop.
I haven't had the chance to use it in real cold weather yet, but it feels great when you are under it.

 

[xjfish]

I've been using an older Remington 160k-175 BTU? Rolling Kerosene heater for years, just for occasional garage heat. Works awesome, just keep vented. Really kicks out a lot of heat quick. I buy Kersonene by the 5 gal. from a local bulk tank. Did need to tune up and go through everything once, not maint. free. I think the pump adjustment is about maxed out on this one and my wear out someday... Tuned up to spec. or usually brand new these do not stink, except maybe a bit on start up.

 

[Tahoe]

Just getting my garage in order and the heater question is perfect timing. I had a Reznor gas heater in Tahoe, but now in the PNW with no gas or propane and a detached 23x23x9 insulated tight garage. I need to take the edge off as well, and like the original poster I need a solution. No 220 outlet yet so a 110 heater I can move close to where I'm working is best. When younger it wasn't an issue but these old bones need a little comfort.

 

[Blackthumb]

In my previous 2 car garage I used an old 220 house furnace mounted at the roof peak blowing straight down with a filter slid in the OEM location. The furnace usually requires two 50 amp circuits (two heat strips) but only required one for the 20'x20' space. It worked awesome. I would turn it on after arriving home from work, change clothes and make an appearance in the house before spending the evening as a garage rat. I saved the furnace for my new shop, which should be going up soon, where it will be mounted the same way. I need to find a way to run the fan only for the summer months because the sucker moves some air.

A buddy of mine followed suit but mounted the furnace in the corner of his workbench (updraft), filter under the workbench, with some ducting along the wall/ceiling of his garage. His works great too. I prefer my mounting location because the warm air hits the concrete and blows under the cars where I'm usually working. I can't describe how nice it is to be under a car on my back and warm. It increased my productivity considerably.

 

[Screw Loose Dan]

I have a 728 sqft attached garage with 10 ft ceilings (one shared wall). It was built 10 years prior to me buying the place 4 years ago, so I don't know exactly how well it's insulated but it never gets down to freezing in the coldest of stretches we have in the burbs of Philly with no heater (I presume it's fairly well insulated).

I have been using a 4800 Watts, 16,380 BTU, 240 Volt heater very similar to this one from Northern Tool. I use it occasionally (some weekends). I've never noticed an uptick in my electric bill. It can take a little while (hour?) to warm the garage up if it's very cold, but it takes the nip out of the air quickly otherwise. Even in the coldest weather, I can get it warm enough to wear just a tshirt out in the garage and the built in thermostat has it kick on-off to not get too warm.

If I worked out there all the time, I would certainly look at a more efficient solution. But, this has been working really well for me so no reason to change it (for heat). If I get a mini split it will be for the AC in the summer...

 

[slowthump]

I have a 16x30 480 sf workshop that I built a few years back. I put in floor heat piping and just got around to insulating it this year. R44 ceiling, R19 walls, 2 extruded polystyrene under the concrete. Just today I was working on installing the off-peak electric boiler. It was 19 degrees outside and 41 degrees in the shop when I started working. I was getting a bit cold soldering pipes so I plugged in my small 1500 watt milk house type heater. In a couple of hours the temp in the shop warmed up to 55 degrees. I think I probably went overboard with the boiler and floor heat. I could probably run 2 of those cheap heaters the rest of my life for less than the cost of my system!

 

[PhantomEB]

Natural gas Hot Dawg and don't look back. Current job has me away from my garage 2 weeks out of every 3. Turned down to 10* when I not out there or away. Takes 15 min to get to 23* out there.

 

[930dreamer]

Add a nice fan to move the warm air around.

 

[Seppala]

An aquaintnence heated his uninsulated garage with a kerosene fired salamander placed outside and aimed at a swinging small pet door that he fireproofed. He had a thermostat inside the garage wired to the heater to regulate when it would fire. He couldn't stand the roar from the salamander so he came up with this solution.

 

[Pucman1]

So I found this old oil filled 1500 watt heater for now and it does take the chill off. I still have my eye on one of those 4800 watt construction heater 240 volt. Thinking that the prices may fall in the next couple weeks. I think even in the dead of winter that will get the temp up where I can work with no issue. Still tweaking the setup and relocating tools to suite my needs.

 

[Pucman1]

So I just checked and ran the oil filled heater for 24hours on 3/4 power! It was 25 degrees last night and temps in the garage was 68 this morning! As long as I keep the big garage doors down and use the side door o can maintain a nice temp! So still ordering the construction heater after Christmas is done

 

[TheEquineFencer]

In response to the original posting...If it's above 50*....keep in mind it's around 4am here, I've been drinking....and your cold, go the **** in the house and wait until spring! In my shop if it's 50* or above and I'm woking , it's about the right temp. Keep working and moving and you're OK. Below that, go in your office area and have a 1500W heater to stay warm. 50* is a good temp to work in doing real work, below that, wear a coat, if you're cold, well grow a thicker skin.....

 

[Hilltopmasonry]

Sorry, I thought it was a given that anything burning an open flame needs some ventilation. I forget common sense isn't all that common these days.

There are all kinds of kerosene heaters that are rated for indoors...i use my torpedo heater in my garage all the time....carbon monoxide detector never showed any elevated CO in my garage


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[laser3kw]

There are all kinds of kerosene heaters that are rated for indoors...i use my torpedo heater in my garage all the time....carbon monoxide detector never showed any elevated CO in my garage

ditto with propane.
I burn for hours at 30k ~ 80k btu levels and my CO detector has never shown an elevated level in three years.

 

[Slednut]

Check out "the hot one". It is a 240v construction style heater. I'm I'm Boston. I use it to take the chill out of my 36x21x10 garage so I can work in the winter. Does the job.

Another vote for The Hot One, it's connected to the welder plug using the correct breaker.

 

[Pucman1]

Supposed to get down to 15 tonight and I have the oil filled radiator on to see how well it does?

 

[Gunn1]

I use a torpedo heater, adjustable 75,000 to 150,000 BTU's..... but propane fired. And while they still need some ventilation like the Kerosene fired ones , they do burn cleaner and don't give you that Kerosene smell or soot. most run off standard plug in and 20 to 100 lb. propane tank

 

[Pucman1]

So I finally settled on a small 4800 watt forced hot air heater, that was part of our car club, for a member cleaning out his garage space. I had to do some electrical work to change out the plug to match the plug on the heater, it is the 220-240 volt style. After doing so I managed to get it up and warming. I am please to say after about twenty minutes the temperature in the garage was right at 65 degrees. I am only heating about 400 square feet, maybe a tad more with the ceiling height on the second bay.

With renewed interest in my project I went to work and spent the better part of two days trying to separate a 50 year old driveshaft from the rear end. I pried, I twisted, I soaked, I beat on it and finally broke out the trusted air wrench. I cranked up the PSI more than what is recommended and managed the below result. the next goal is to finish stripping the frame and get it ready for paint. I have procured a paint booth location, which is going to cost me some good beer, to spray the frame when I am ready. So on to more wrenching and tear down.....did I mention the winter storm is expected to bring about 12-14 inches of snow tonight. I bet I will be toasty warm in the garage if I cant make it in to work....

 

[1jjpop]

I was staying in a Motel , & they had a bunch of used motel type heaters [wall type with heat & air] they were replacing with new ones. Asked price on a used one , said take all you want. Got 2- 1 for me, 1 for a friend. I Used a few years & replaced. Friend still using his. They are good heaters with air . Heated my 20 x24 O.K.

 

[TheGunCollector]

I just installed a 6K watt Dr. Heater I bought off of Amazon after getting fed up with the stink and danger of a propane and the inefficiency of the 1500w heater I was using.

Paid $130 shipped and installation took about 4 hours including fishing cable and crawling around in my tight attic.

Takes my 600 sq ft shop from 50 to 70 in less than 20 mins.

 

[Pucman1]

That looks great. it appears that your garage is well insulated also. I think it is easier to get motivated for projects if you are warm & toasty!

JP

I just installed a 6K watt Dr. Heater I bought off of Amazon after getting fed up with the stink and danger of a propane and the inefficiency of the 1500w heater I was using.

Paid $130 shipped and installation took about 4 hours including fishing cable and crawling around in my tight attic.

Takes my 600 sq ft shop from 50 to 70 in less than 20 mins.

 

[gfmucci]

Wow! I just moved to NC mountains from "hot" Florida. I love working in my garage here when it's in the 50's and 60's. I wouldn't think of supplemental heat at these temps. I did have a cool only mini split when I was in Florida to cool things down.

Have you considered the feasibility of cutting a vent from the house to the garage and putting a fan in it to blow warm air into the garage? You may need a way for the vent to auto-close when the fan's not on.