Garage Heaters...

[billy_bob169]

I had all good intensions of insulating my single stall this fall, and installing a small wall heater...but I don't think that is going to happen. It is either insulate and heat the garage and not have parts $$ for my project bike...or don't finish the garage and have $$ for parts for the bike. I only wanted to take the edge off while working out there (in mn it gets to well below 0 in the winter) and I am wondering if anyone has any experience with these Mr heater propane units?

http://www.northerntool.com/shop/tools/product_200178674_200178674

Would 30k-55k btu be enough in a big single stall? Too Much? At this point, insulating this year is out of the question. Am I going to have issues with condensation by heating then not heating the garage? The reviews on that unit seem good...and it would appear to be a cheap way to get some bike work done this winter. 5 days of the week, my wife will want to park her truck in there.

Thanks for your help!

 

[58Yeoman]

It WILL put a lot of condensation into your garage. I'd bought one years ago, to thaw out the pipes below the trailer that I was living in. I used it later to preheat the 28x28 garage I built at the house I bought, then used a blue flame heater to keep the heat up. Both put out a lot of water. Mine was 35k/85k, if I remember right. It will put out a lot of heat. Any non-vented heater will give you a lot of moisture, don't let anyone tell you different.

 

[billy_bob169]

You know, I just realized after coming to this board for months....that there is a heating and cooling section LOL. Can a mod move this thread for me?

 

[4Tigers]

I use a kerosun heater easier on the ears A couple of gallons of jet a will keep the garage toasty on the lowest setting. You should be able to find it at your local Ace hardware store

http://www.kerosene-wicks.com/kerosun.htm

I have the one pictured at the top of the page

 

[Plump]

Yeoman is correct. Burning propane or natural gas WILL produce water vapor. You can't get away from that. Luckily (?) my garage isn't built so tight that I worry about it. Yes, the windows fog up (the plastic window kits help tremendously) but a ceiling fan and leaking doors, etc. don't make it where I worry about tools, etc.

Others have spoken about rust on their tools or damage to electronics but I'm lucky enough to not have any of those problems. I rather be able to use the garage in winter than have a desert....I have that in the house!

 

[billy_bob169]

That is the boat I am in. The garage is useless most the winter, and I have a motorcycle that would make for a good winter project

 

[Sage55]

How many square feet is your garage? I've looked at those same types for my own garage but think they might be a bit of an over kill for my small setup. I've been looking at the Mr. Heater MH18B heaters.

 

[billy_bob169]

I am unsure of the exact measurements, but it is large enough to house my wife's trailblazer, and 2 bikes along the side. I have a sunflower heater currently that I use icefishing. I have looked at those big buddies for that, but I think it might be a little small to heat the garage

 

[Rezarf]

How many square feet is your garage? I've looked at those same types for my own garage but think they might be a bit of an over kill for my small setup. I've been looking at the Mr. Heater MH18B heaters.

I have one and it never warmed up a 2 stall on a cold colorado day. Now I use one of these...

But in my new 3 stall I am bumping up to one of these...

 

[planecrazy29]

Any worries about CO? I had one of these a while back. They work great but I always worried about too much exposure to CO.

 

[Briguy_123]

Do you have a ceiling in your garage or is it open to the roof?

 

[edl]

ceiling - and attached to the house (in my case) - what about the CO issue?

 

[bad5x8]

If you just have a single stall, get a 240 volt electric construction style heater. It's small and can be mounted on the wall out of the way.

 

[Stuart in MN]

Any worries about CO? I had one of these a while back. They work great but I always worried about too much exposure to CO.

Any combustion heater that isn't vented will create CO inside the garage. It's something you need to be careful about; many garages are pretty drafty so it won't build up, but if the garage is tightly sealed it could be dangerous.

 

[Brentocool]

Menards sells a little wall heater $150.00 hang it on the studs and run gas to it.plug in 110 and your done!

 

[Gary S]

In the long run, insulation is cheaper than fuel. Insulate first. Then you will find that a small electric heater will heat your garage without the CO2, the fumes, or the moisture to rust out everything in your garage.

 

[1948]

could always just go old school and buy a cheap 50 dollar pot belly stove at an antique store. make up a nice flute and pipe outside to vent the smoke. heat your garage for the price of free wood? or buy some wood.

 

[Briguy_123]

In the long run, insulation is cheaper than fuel. Insulate first. Then you will find that a small electric heater will heat your garage without the CO2, the fumes, or the moisture to rust out everything in your garage.

I agree.
If you have a single stall garage you can insulate above the ceiling for a few hundred bucks. Then you can run an electric heater as mentioned above. Running unvented heaters really ***** I tried it for a while. CO and tons of condensation.

 

[Rezarf]

could always just go old school and buy a cheap 50 dollar pot belly stove at an antique store. make up a nice flute and pipe outside to vent the smoke. heat your garage for the price of free wood? or buy some wood.

I did this for one Iowa winter. Tough thing was waiting for the stove to work. It took a LONG time to get the whole garage up to temp. 2 stall, and 0-30* temps.

 

[1948]

I did this for one Iowa winter. Tough thing was waiting for the stove to work. It took a LONG time to get the whole garage up to temp. 2 stall, and 0-30* temps.

ive done it before, the key was to have it well insulated. i put plastic over the windows and the door i wasnt using, kept the draft down kept the doors shut as much as possible, any walls i could get that matt stuff in i did and then put some wood sheet over the top. once you get working and the temps get up to 50 degrees you can take off your jacket and just rock a sweatshirt.

that cast iron stays warm a long time, even after its done burning the wood. i think one thing i did on the super cold nights was to keep a small electric radiator heater going when i wasnt working, that would keep it above 20-30 degrees or so.

 

[coldfusion21]

Are you guys have issues with noise? My buddy has a small propane heater like shown in the OP and it's almost a trade off between the cold and the noise...

Looking at those vented mr heater garage heaters, seems pretty cool. Is that much different then a gas furnace? I've thought about getting a used furnace and converting it to propane...

 

[Bojans]

I would agree with Briguy. Spend your money on insulation and pick up a 1500 watt electric heater for the winter. In a well insulated single stall that heater will make it bearable. Add this over the work bench and you will be good to go.

http://www.lowes.com/webapp/wcs/sto...nt Shop Light with Heater&CAWELAID=1067044070

 

[billy_bob169]

My single stall is detached and open to the roof trusses. My initial plan had been to insulate the walls, and roof...then run either rock or cheap OSB on the walls. and heat it...but with a cheap wall hanging ventless unit from Menards. But from the sounds of it, any ventless heater I would run will create condensation. :\ And I really can't afford a hanging heater this year. Insulation + $400 heater + the plumping + a tank + fuel. I should've planned this out a little better. I may pick up one of those torpedo heaters and just give it a shot. The garage stays decent inside even when it is brutal outside, just by being out of the wind. Really just need something to take the edge off. The reviews make it sound like it heats up a space fast, so hopefully I could just run it for 15-20 minutes then shut it down. I did the wood furnace thing in my old shop, and it worked great...if you started it up the night before you wanted to work on anything LOL. But that was also a large pole-barn that I plastic'd the ceiling on. And electric heat is out of the picture until I run new service to the house. I can berely run my compressor and welder as is. I appreciate everyones thoughts and will keep them in mind as I move forward...

 

[billy_bob169]

I would agree with Briguy. Spend your money on insulation and pick up a 1500 watt electric heater for the winter. In a well insulated single stall that heater will make it bearable. Add this over the work bench and you will be good to go.

http://www.lowes.com/webapp/wcs/sto...nt Shop Light with Heater&CAWELAID=1067044070

How much power does that need to run? 15amp circuit?

 

[billy_bob169]

I use a kerosun heater easier on the ears A couple of gallons of jet a will keep the garage toasty on the lowest setting. You should be able to find it at your local Ace hardware store

http://www.kerosene-wicks.com/kerosun.htm

I have the one pictured at the top of the page

I have an old kero-sun heater...and it eats up oxygen fast. tried using it a few times in a small ice shack, and the lantern kept dying out. Finally figured out the issue after opening the door to take a leak! Are the newer ones better?

 

[billy_bob169]

menards has a 30k-60k btu Mr Heater listed for $99. Might be worth a shot at that price. Haveing a hard time figuring out what the latest model heater is in that BTU range. No where but ebay and Northern lists the 30-55k btu model?

http://menards.com/main/plumbing/he...orced-air-propane-heater/p-1698757-c-6862.htm

 

[Bojans]

How much power does that need to run? 15amp circuit?

The light with the heater would run on a 15 amp circuit with plenty to spare. A 1500 watt electric heater would almost need its own circuit.

 

[Bojans]

menards has a 30k-60k btu Mr Heater listed for $99. Might be worth a shot at that price. Haveing a hard time figuring out what the latest model heater is in that BTU range. No where but ebay and Northern lists the 30-55k btu model?

http://menards.com/main/plumbing/he...orced-air-propane-heater/p-1698757-c-6862.htm

Disregard, didn't see your previous post

 

[Cheap5.0]

What about a vent free cheap heater? They all have to use the same safety valves, the expensive ones just look nicer. If you mount it on a wall, and buy the line then run it from A to B it should not cost much to have a pro hook it up.

They work VERY well, my parents use one as a back up heat source when they loose power. It can heat the entire downstairs portion of the house (about 1000 sq).

 

[wnyrider]

I also am in the same boat, bike projects, cold cold winters, 1.5 car garage, non insulated, need some heat, want NO moisture, thinking 220V electric heater......am I on the right track???? Mostly working on the weekends, turn on turn off same day. would like to take the chill off, around here it's colder in the garage then outside. Lots of gas for snowblower, generator, bikes, have to be a little safe or I will be working on the bikes on the moon. Thanks for your feedback.

 

[Phinxter]

I got a heater like the one you have pictured it is a 40k and after 15 minutes its nice and toasty (2 car garage) once it is warm enough for me I switch over to a small heater to maintain the temp.

 

[70Chevy]

I use a 35,000 BTU torpedo to warm it up fast - 20 minutes or so then swith to the electric G73 too maintain the heat. Condensation is not noticable this way. Works in Michigan winters just fine. 2 car garage, insulated walls with very minor ceiling insulation.

 

[spiveyj]

http://www.northerntool.com/shop/tools/product_200442160_200442160

Here's mine after I got it hooked up last fall. Northern Tool says its 30,000 btu. Works well in SW Michigan. I have a ceiling fan, and a fan mounted on the wall to move the heat around. (about a 23 x 23 attached garage.)


Just fyi, my insurance company did not care what kind of heater I put in the garage, as long as it WAS NOT a wood stove.. If you are thinking of a woodstove, you may want to check with your insurance co.

 

[Briguy_123]

1500 watt heater draws 12.5 amps

If you are open to the roof, do you have a vented soffit and a ridge vent. If you do the building will not hold heat well.

I used a 30k btu space heater in my 24x24 with attic trusses before i insulated it. really was still to cold to work, and the walls frosted up from all the moisture. I had to open the door every few minutes for fresh air.

You may have better luck than I did. It wasn't my idea of fun, especially the headache from breathing the products of combustion for several hours.

I have an insulated drop down door that covers the stairwell in my garage approx 3x5 foot opening to the unheated attic. I had it open for about 20 minutes yesterday to move some things up there. My 45K BTU gas unit heater came on within a minute of me opening the hatch and never shut off until i closed it. The garage has R-13 walls and R-38 ceiling.