Heating Garage

[GMCAMARO]

I have 35 by 40 foot garage. With 14 foot ceilings. I looked at the 75BTU Hot Dawg, but did not really think it was going to do the whole job. My heating contractor suggested, I get a propane heater with duct work. I would do all the work except the connect to the tank. He quoted me about 2000, for the heater and duct material with a low temp thermometer.

Seems like a lot of work, I have not been able to justify it yet. Help would be great.

 

[Steve in Mi]

Will 75k btu be enough? Where you are located (North Pole or the equater) will make a big difference as well as how much insulation you have in the walls, floor and ceiling.

 

[GMCAMARO]

Will 75k btu be enough? Where you are located (North Pole or the equater) will make a big difference as well as how much insulation you have in the walls, floor and ceiling.

Located in MA. The whole garage including ceiling is R19, with 3 bays. The math says 110 BTU as I recall.

 

[JohnZ]

I'm in Michigan, and mine is 2500 sq. ft. (44' x 58' x 12'), R-26 walls, R-58 ceiling, insulated doors, moisture barrier and insulation under the slab, epoxy-coated. I have a 125K Reznor power-vented forced-air gas ceiling-mounted unit heater, and it's WAY more than I need - only runs a few hours a day even when it's single-digits outside.

 

[784mula]

My thermostat goes down to 41 degrees. I have a 75000btu Mr Heater for a 26 x 36 x 10. $550 includes thermostat & venting. I was looking for a 30 -35degree but could not find one.

 

[mulepackin]

You might consider 2 smaller units in opposite corners to total your projected BTU requirement. Ductwork just doesn't seem necassary to me. But I'm not a heating contractor.

 

[Steve in Mi]

My thermostat goes down to 41 degrees. I have a 75000btu Mr Heater for a 26 x 36 x 10. $550 includes thermostat & venting. I was looking for a 30 -35degree but could not find one.

If you have one of the round Honeywell thermostats with a mercury switch it can be mounted slightly rotated to give you a lower minimum temp.. Be sure to consider the temperature at any water source (including drains) or liquid material storage relative to the temp at the thermostat location. If you don't have good mixing of the air to promote a more uniform temperature throughout the space then the 41 degrees might be as low as you can safely turn down to. Take a few measurements at critical points in the garage when it reads 41.

 

[krooser]

With 14' ceilings you should consider a gas-fiired radiant tube heater. Quiet, toasty and affordable. I heat my 1500 sq ft shop with a 80k btu model...very happy with it. Maybe $900.00 plus you can install it yourself in about 4 hours.

http://site.inetba.com/infraredproductssupply/superiorradiant.html

Lots of other brands, too. All about the same.

 

[GMCAMARO]

With 14' ceilings you should consider a gas-fiired radiant tube heater. Quiet, toasty and affordable. I heat my 1500 sq ft shop with a 80k btu model...very happy with it. Maybe $900.00 plus you can install it yourself in about 4 hours.

http://site.inetba.com/infraredproductssupply/superiorradiant.html

Lots of other brands, too. All about the same.

I did some research two re45 would be about 925/ea or 1850.

Two Mr heaters the 75K variety from Northerntool would be 950 for the both of them. That gives me 150K BTUs for 1K vs 90K BTUs for 1.8K.

The Mr heaters seem like a better deal, what am I, missing? I also got the heating guy's quote. He is recommending a Rheem weatherking.
This is confusing!

 

[Choppedsled]

I'd like to hear the same, been looking at both of them.

 

[67ImpalaSS396]

I have 35 by 40 foot garage. With 14 foot ceilings. I looked at the 75BTU Hot Dawg, but did not really think it was going to do the whole job. My heating contractor suggested, I get a propane heater with duct work. I would do all the work except the connect to the tank. He quoted me about 2000, for the heater and duct material with a low temp thermometer.

Seems like a lot of work, I have not been able to justify it yet. Help would be great.

GM,
I installed a gas-fired radiant tube heater last fall in my 30' x 40' x 9' garage. I considered forced air units, but didn't like the exposed flames or the loud noise or the fact that the hot air all just goes up to the ceiling. In your case, with a 14' ceiling, it would take a lot of heating (in my opinion) to get the floor area (where you'll be) warm enough to make you happy. The radiant tube heats all the object in the room, instead of just the air. I must say I'm totally thrilled with the radiant heater. I keep the garage at about 50 degrees and kick it up to 55 or so when I go out to work on the cars. All my tools and the cars are warm enough so I don't need gloves to touch them. The unit is so quiet, you can barely hear it running. It is a two stage model that normally runs at 27K BTU, but increases to 40K BTU if the thermostat is calling for more than a few degrees of increase. Even with a 9.5' ceiling, I can walk under it and not be uncomfortable. Plus, installation was quite easy, with my neighbor helping, it took just a few hours. Just my $0.02 on the subject. Good luck with whatever you decide on.

 

[GMCAMARO]

GM,
I installed a gas-fired radiant tube heater last fall in my 30' x 40' x 9' garage. I considered forced air units, but didn't like the exposed flames or the loud noise or the fact that the hot air all just goes up to the ceiling. In your case, with a 14' ceiling, it would take a lot of heating (in my opinion) to get the floor area (where you'll be) warm enough to make you happy. The radiant tube heats all the object in the room, instead of just the air. I must say I'm totally thrilled with the radiant heater. I keep the garage at about 50 degrees and kick it up to 55 or so when I go out to work on the cars. All my tools and the cars are warm enough so I don't need gloves to touch them. The unit is so quiet, you can barely hear it running. It is a two stage model that normally runs at 27K BTU, but increases to 40K BTU if the thermostat is calling for more than a few degrees of increase. Even with a 9.5' ceiling, I can walk under it and not be uncomfortable. Plus, installation was quite easy, with my neighbor helping, it took just a few hours. Just my $0.02 on the subject. Good luck with whatever you decide on.

Whose radiant tube heaters did you go with? And what size?

It looks like I am going to go with the duct work, this way I can put vents where ever I need or want them.

 

[67ImpalaSS396]

GM,
I went with Re-Verber-Ray. I chose the LD series, which is the dual output level. Check out this webpage for a lot of good info on theory, advantages, etc. With your high ceiling, I think this would be the easiest and most comfortable option. Best of Luck whichever way you go!

http://www.detroitradiant.com/index.html

 

[PurdueSD]

Does anyone care to elaborate on the whole gas fired radiant as a heating source. What kind of cost to operate, is it comparable to a propane forced air? No natural gas where i live, so i am going to have to use a propane tank i guess. Ive got a 1700 sq ft shop that i am looking for the most economical way to keep it comfortable in the winter. A little more than half of the shop is 10ft ceilings, 20x30 of it is 12ft.

 

[mulepackin]

I'm kinda confused on why you would use ducts. Its all one big open room isn't it? So even if you channel heat to specific areas, isn't conduction and convection going to try to equilibrate the heat all around? Just sounds like alot of expense, not to mention space used, for what I perceive to be very little gain?

 

[Franz©]

A tube/radiant system is nothing more than a long horizontal smokepipe with an inshot burner in one end and a chimney at the other end. The end with the burner radiates at about 1800° within 3 feet of the burner, and the temperature of the tube drops from there to the chimney.

Cost of operation is probably lower than a unitheater. The heat is effective from the sourse to about 25 feet in front of the tube as direct heat, and farther as secondary heat from the floor and objects that have been heated by the tube. It's probably one f the best sourses for a garage because you don't loose heat when the door opens, in fact, you can have the door open and still be warmed by the running heater.

Propane/NG cost comparisons aren't possible since propane cost is determined by location and volume purchased.

 

[gesoffen]

I'm far from an expert but in my investigations into lowering my energy bills for home heat, it seemed that Geothermal was by FAR the cheapest to operate. Granted, this was geared towards a living area where temps are held to near constant values (±5 degrees). So recovery times weren't much of an issue.

So consider how you'll use the heat:

a) Set to low temps to avoid hard freezes without regards to comfort level. Then kick it up to a comfortable temperature at random/intermitent times when you're working.
b) Maintain a steady comfortable temperature 24/7
c) Maintain comfortable temp during routine working hours and use thermostat set backs during off hours.

If a - I'd say a gas fired furnace or Ir are the way to go as they have a quick temperature recovery.
If b - I'd say Geothermal heatpump is the way to go
If c - I'd say a dual stage system with geothermal heatpump for steady temp periods and a gas fired forced air or Ir assist for heat recovery periods.

All this is focused on energy costs and not acquisition. This also assumes that in floor radiant heat is not an option.

BTW: with any of these systems (especially forced air systems), you'll need a ceiling fan to keep air circulating. This is especially important with high ceilings as any warm air will rise to the ceiling. Keeping the air circulating will allow a lower thermostat set point for the same comfort level.

 

[GMCAMARO]

I'm kinda confused on why you would use ducts. Its all one big open room isn't it? So even if you channel heat to specific areas, isn't conduction and convection going to try to equilibrate the heat all around? Just sounds like alot of expense, not to mention space used, for what I perceive to be very little gain?

1/2 the garage has a 9 foot ceiling with two bays. The other half has a 14 foot ceiling. The ducts provide two things
1) You can move the heat to where ever you want it.
2) This system will provide an AC connection for future use.

It is more labor but that will be mine, for the most part.

 

[whatsupofficer]

I am also building a garage 50' x 38' and 12 feet ceiling height. I will have an apartment o the 2nd loor. I am planning on a heat pump or propane furnace for the apartment for heat. How would you heat and cool the space? Any suggestions are appreciated. Thanks