Best electric heater for my situtation?

[Butkusrules]

Here is my situation.
I have a 950 sq ft wood frame detached uninsulated garage. I live 10 miles west of Chicago. Half of the garage was built in 1938, the second half in 1973. I would like to heat the garage only for when I am messing around in there 2-3x times a week. Right now I'm just using a 4000 BTU oil filled radiator heater. The heat is insufficient.
Gas is not an option for me because it would be cost prohibitive to run gas all the way to the garage.

Wood burning stove, which I actually think the previous owner actually had in there, would nullify my insurance and it might be against code.

Propane is out because of the smell.


Leaves electric. Infrared or forced air. Infrared apparently takes up too much room and takes a bit longer.

However with forced air electric. For my size garage I need at least 25k BTU. But those heaters generally are taking 40amps.
What would you all do?

 

[TractorJeff]

Unfortunately the first reply will say, "Insulate!"
Unfortunately I have to agree! I have 965sqft which is used only on the weekends right now. It has been staying 2 to 5 degrees above ambient during the week. I turn a 900 watt electric heater on Friday night at 6pm which gets left on all weekend. When I left last night it was 55 degrees with an outdoor ambient of 26 degrees.

 

[rlitman]

There are many kinds of infrared electric. I use an 800W dish style heater to supplement my garage heat, and it only takes a second or two to heat up, but if you're not in the "beam", it's hardly doing anything to heat my whole garage.

Have you considered kerosene? It only makes sense if your electric is expensive, and you have a cheap source of pump kerosene, but I meet both those criteria and while my 20kBTU Monitor heater won't keep my garage all toasty, it takes enough of the chill off to make it bearable. A sealed combustion heater like mine has no smell (inside at least). Currently Toyostove models are available in sealed combustion.

 

[Butkusrules]

I've only had the garage a few years but I think there was a huge moisture problem. It looks like there was once insulation that was ripped out for that reason. I found quotes that the previous owner received to build a new garage.

I'm not against insulating but I would have to gut it and have a solid plan.
In the meantime, I looking for a quicker fix.

Does the Kerosene heater smell?

 

[JRC3]

The 40 amps you don't even have probably wouldn't even be enough. I have 2) 17K electric heaters in my halfway insulated 574sq and that heats into the 60s when it's cold outside. That's using more than 40 amps.

Propane is out because of the smell.

Get a vented garage heater or a small furnace and 100# tank. You're gonna spend a few bucks.

 

[TractorJeff]

If you think Propane smells, then a kerosene heater is not for you unless you get a vented furnace type.

 

[Showkey]

If you think Propane smells, then a kerosene heater is not for you unless you get a vented furnace type.[/QUOT

X10 ^^^^^^^^not to mention how expensive kerosene is

 

[bottom feeder]

I spent my youth working with my dad in a detached garage smaller than yours. Bare rafters and no insulation whatsoever, and a coal cook stove for heat. Even with a roaring coal fire you were only warm if you were right next to the stove. All the heat went straight up and out.

You'll never be warm without at least a ceiling to trap some of the heat in. Much better yet an insulated ceiling.

My current setup is a two car attached garage (approx. 25' x 26') with drywall on the walls and ceiling, and blown-in insulation in the ceiling. I can maintain comfortable temps with my 5000 watt 240v electric heater. I only run it when I'm working out there.

 

[Crazyjake8493]

If you think Propane smells, then a kerosene heater is not for you unless you get a vented furnace type.

I use a convection style kerosene heater and there's no smell at all. I can't speak for other types of heaters, but with these if the wick is set correctly and they're burning properly there shouldn't be any noticeable smell. And much less moisture output than the tank-top propane heater I used to have.

The biggest downside with kerosene is availability. I can get it around $3/gal at the local gas station, but if the only option was to buy the clear jugs at the home center, I wouldn't even consider it.

 

[rlitman]

I use a convection style kerosene heater and there's no smell at all. I can't speak for other types of heaters, but with these if the wick is set correctly and they're burning properly there shouldn't be any noticeable smell. And much less moisture output than the tank-top propane heater I used to have.

The biggest downside with kerosene is availability. I can get it around $3/gal at the local gas station, but if the only option was to buy the clear jugs at the home center, I wouldn't even consider it.

If you have a heater with a fiberglass wick, and a catalytic burn chamber like the Toyo double clean, the smell while burning is hardly noticeable.

But it still stinks when lighting (until the catalytic chamber gets hot), and when extinguishing. If you can light it outdoors, and shut it before you run out of fuel, then yeah, it can be pretty clean, but I'll stick with my vented furnace.

Yes, pump kerosene is the ONLY way that kerosene heat makes sense. Hardware store kerosene is a major ripoff (unless you'll never finish one gallon and are only using it for illumination or cleaning).

 

[JRC3]

I used to have a kerosene torpedo before I got a propane one. I used this stuff in the fuel, it made it a little more tolerable. I found a bunch at the store on an end of season clearance for 80 cents a bottle. Gave it to a buddy with the heater.

 

[Randy in Maine]

I would invest in a VENTED propane heater. Either buy your own 100 gallon propane tank (~$600) or rent one from the propane company that would supply the fuel. If you own your own tank it would save you some money per gallon. You don't have great insulation but you could improve that when you have time and $ to do it.

Install some sort of heater like this and have it exhausted correctly...they are about $400 for 50K BTUs plus the install.

 

[strutaeng]

Yeah, not much of an option. 2 electric 25kBtu heaters is probably what you need.

Something like this:

https://www.northerntool.com/shop/tools/product_200631888_200631888

These probably require 40A breaker each. That's a lot of current. Do you have a sub panel with hefty capacity in there?

Maybe one will get you by depending on how warm you want it in there. The good news is that these units are not too expensive to purchase.

 

[Crazyjake8493]

The two biggest considerations here are air-sealing and then insulating. Without those, it won't matter much what type of heat you have.

 

[ghlkal]

I used this stuff in the fuel, it made it a little more tolerable.

Hey, thanks for the tip. I'm going to look for that.

 

[hop up]

Closed cell spray it foam will seal it from the weather and give you double R values. I heat my shop with a simple 15 amp electric heater and keeps it 70 if i run it a lot. A 220 heater will toast you out of the shop. Without the insulation its cold as he11