Help choosing garage HEAT

[Chaznsc]

Im considering adding a heater to my garage (400 sf). It doesnt get that cold here often but we do get short stretches of bitter (32) cold. I know, its not zero with gale force winds, but its still damn cold.

Looking at two kinds of heaters.

Propane - These are fast. Im not sure how often I would have to fill the tank. Do these have a thermostat that turns them off at a particula temp?

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0044R8Y5I/?tag=atomicindus08-20

Electric - Im not sure how fast or effective these are. Certainly no tank concerns! Needs 220, but thats not a problem.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B003XOZN7A/?tag=atomicindus08-20

Any suggestions would be most welcomed.

 

[hh76]

Check out the heating section.

Propane like shown is loud, and will introduce a lot of moisture, which will condense on cold tools.

Electric is mor expensive to operate, but a lot easier to install and use.

I went electric as a temporary fix, and am happy enough with it that I may keep it.

 

[laser3kw]

but we do get short stretches of bitter (32) cold.

 

[vartz04]

I love electric heat minus the cost to run it. Quiet, Dry, and easy to install. I had a 4000 watt in my decently insulated old garage (528 SF) and it was slightly undersized. Should be great in my little 240 SF shop I have now.

What's your insulation like? Insulated door? Heating all the time or only when you're out there?

 

[Crazy68Dart]

You would be surprised how warm 32F feels in the winter -- it is all relative.

For a space that size, and climate, I would do electric. Depending on insulation, etc. you might be able to get away with baseboard. Otherwise, a small forced air electric unit would do the trick. Unless you get NG, the equipment, and install done for next to nothing, electric is just easy to do.

My old garage with R13 in walls, only plywood in the ceiling joists to "keep the heat down" lol, and a decent insulated garage door was easy to heat with a 5600 watt forced air heater. Garage was 18x24 in size.

 

[Chaznsc]

You would be surprised how warm 32F feels in the winter -- it is all relative.

Understood - I really just meant it gets cold enough for a southerner to be uncomfortable. I know there are guys who WISH it was 32 degrees.

 

[maxpower_hd]

32 isn't quite balmy but not bad for this time of year here. I have a forced hot water boiler and I ran a separate zone into my attached garage through a Modine ceiling mounted unit with a fan. I keep it at 45 unless I plan on spending some time in there then I will turn it up to about 55. If your garage is attached to you house it may be an option to run a zone.

 

[cad70]

I would also consider radiant, overhead heat.

 

[skidozer670]

I live in Buffalo,NY area I heat a 26x26 with a 16x18 room with a 5000 watt electric ceiling mount heater. I keep it at 52 degrees. It works great and doesn't need to run all the time. It cost me $50 for January. Garage is insulated well with 3 overhead doors but unfortunately one is on wind side. Last winter January cost me $100 but it was sub zero Temps all month.

Sent from my SCH-I545 using Tapatalk

 

[skidozer670]

With those Temps you could raise at minimum 10 degree in less than hour with the electric one.

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[Rlfd213]

I have a 3 car garage and found on Craigslist an older furnace. The thermostat is set to 50 always in the winter and it's great. My gas bill hasn't gone up to much. When I go to work in there I can kick it up to 55-65 and it's great.

 

[aptdweller]

hh76 hit the nail on the head. Propane is cheaper, but will dump a lot of water into the air. For many, this takes it out of the running.

In reality though, neither of your options should be run unattended. If you do go with electricity, I would consider going the route of a baseboard heater, which is meant for this use. This way, you could use a programmable thermostat or just let it heat the garage up for a while before you start working.

Edit: If the budget allows, Rlfd213's idea of using an old furnace sounds like it would solve the problem neatly (cheap fuel, sealed combustion).

 

[Ben7203]

I feel your pain Chaznsc. It was 25 in Athens this morning. Uncomfortable is putting it mildly, it's ******** cold.

I have a Dyna glow kerosene heater that I use in my basement shop. I only use it when I'm down there, so it takes a bit to warm up. I got it off of CL for 100 bucks. You may need a larger one for your space.

 

[Streetbu]

Just my .02 but I wouldnt get the propane salamander. LOTS of water in propane and then inside your garage. Humidity rusts things, it also makes it feel colder than it actually is when the heat is off. I would go forced hot air system run on propane. That would be ideal but much more expensive of course.

 

[UpNorther]

I'd go with the electric.
I have a propane salamander that I temp used before I put in my electric. The reason I stopped using the propane salamander was not only because of noise, but also it burned the eyes. Not sure but think the eye burning was because of using in such a small space (250 sq ft).

 

[beakie]

for that sized garage

grab the electric

hard mount it to ceiling, use it when you need it and forget about it the rest of the time.

no seasonal storage, moisture issues, not AS noisey, etc.

if you are in the shop anyway you are probably using electricity... what's a bit more now & then?

 

[Slednut]

My attached garage is around 1500 sq ft, we have cold temps but being attached my garage is easy to heat (2x6 insulated walls and living space on one side and above). I plug one of these into my welder outlet. It would heat up your garage instantly.

http://www.homedepot.com/p/Cadet-5-...6Utk9PAfOqeWm1Xy6VjkfBoCac7w_wcB&gclsrc=aw.ds

 

[theoldwizard1]

For very limited use, I would go electric resistance heat. Any extended use will run up your bill like crazy.

Not interested in cooling ? A mini-split heat pump would solve both your heating and cooling problems. A lot more expensive, but also a lot more efficient. You might even run it on those chilly days below 60F ! (Forecast here is for below freezing for the next 7-10 days, not that that is unusual in MI in February.)

 

[aka rotten]

My shop is 24x30.i use propane.only use when i enter and leave shop and have 3 5 grid heaters in there.only use 2 most of the time and heats up ok for me.Im in central Ga. Thou and dont get many really bad cold days here .But at 84 now seems like it gets colder every year.I sure havent heard bout the water thing thou.I havent seen it first hand but probally because i use it only as im there.I just bought a 100 gal tank from folks i buy propane from for house and it lasts at least 2 years using it way i do.While not in shop 7 days a week am in there 4-5 hours a week day for most part.Paul

 

[nadogail]

I bought and installed the 5 KW electric Dyna Therm heater that was on sale from Northern Tool, the price was $100. The installation is 3 weeks old.

I wired to to my 50 amp welder circuit, using the 10 foot tap rule and a 30 amp fused disconnect. I use the wall mounted disconnect to turn the heater on and off, there is a thermostat incorporated in the heater.

I am in the 2 car garage shop for only a few hours at a time, and not every day.

We have solar panels on the roof, so I am not worried about the cost of energy.

I estimate my total project cost to be about $200, plus the labor of my helper and I.

Everybody's situation is different and your needs may be different from mine.

 

[racerex]

for that sized garage

grab the electric

hard mount it to ceiling, use it when you need it and forget about it the rest of the time.

no seasonal storage, moisture issues, not AS noisey, etc.

if you are in the shop anyway you are probably using electricity... what's a bit more now & then?

Exactly what I did in my 18x24. Yes, I went to the extreme with the support.

 

[bigfoot21075]

I had one of those propane heaters, it was too much and far too noisey. It also fumed up the entire garage in no time. I ended up with ceiling mount electric heaters. They are nominal in my power bill and a more than adequate

 

[jgorm]

I have one of the fire breathing dragon heaters like you linked. I like it. It is noise, but it's cheap and blows out tons of heat. My last shop was insulated and about 300 ft2. I would go turn it on, leave for 10 min, come back and turn it off. I could get ~ 20F rise. I moved and have a big metal uninsulated building. I crank that thing for a while. Sure it smells a little, but without running 10K watts of electric heat, it's my option. I'm paying $0.30/KWh, so a 10Kw heater would cost $3/hr. doesn't seem like a lot, but I'm sure it would add up quick.

 

[Firebird 1]

The electric infrareds are nice, probably be good for SC. I would not use a "blower" gas heater. You can get a ceiling mount gas heater that is quiet and efficient. I don't think a gas heater is going to add any more moisture than what a garage already has.

 

[Davefr]

Is your garage insulated?

What temperature do you want?

Do you want the entire garage at that temp or do you have a dedicated work area in that garage?

I have a well insulated 3 car garage and the 3rd stall is my shop and I use a Mr. Heater Big Buddy Propane heater plumbed to an outside propane tank and even in windy sub freezing temps I'm plenty warm. (however a comfortable shop temp for me is high 50's).

 

[hh76]

The electric infrareds are nice, probably be good for SC. I would not use a "blower" gas heater. You can get a ceiling mount gas heater that is quiet and efficient. I don't think a gas heater is going to add any more moisture than what a garage already has.

Burning propane, or NG releases moisture. It does add it, and I've had the surface rust to prove it.

 

[fastbike02]

I went with propane, as it was the cheapest and with my mild winter I haven't noticed any extra moisture in the air!

 

[James-W]

I am with the group that says an electric heater would be the best option under the circumstances. Not very expensive to buy, not very expensive to install, and since you don't need to use it all that often the cost to run it would be minimal. I would call it a "no-brainer" and run right out and buy one.

 

[jeepinerdeep]

[/B]

Burning propane, or NG releases moisture. It does add it, and I've had the surface rust to prove it.

And it'll burn your eyes and give you headaches.

After trying several different types, I'm of the opinion to do forced air of some kind. I think the smaller modine style you can run off a 100lb bottle.

 

[finn]

If it only gets down to 32 degrees, a candle should be sufficient.

 

[Stuart in MN]

For a small, well insulated garage electric isn't a bad choice. If you're using it for a few hours now and then, the energy cost won't be all that bad.

 

[laser3kw]

I've been burning propane in a 80k "construction heater" in a 30 x 40 for three years now. I typically burn for 4 or 5 hours straight. And that's in unbearably bitter 0º or lower temperature.
No smell, no burning eyes, no headaches, no moisture, no noise, no horror stories. If you are experiencing anything like that, you have a bad heater - period.
I also have a Carbon Monoxide detector with a read out. After 5 hours of burn time, it barely moves from "zero" to 9 or 10 (It doesn't alert until it sees a reading of 200 + for more than 5 hours). Nothing to even be remotely concerned with.
But, I agree with others, in the OP's case, electric sound good.

 

[Kevkx125]

For very limited use, I would go electric resistance heat. Any extended use will run up your bill like crazy.

Not interested in cooling ? A mini-split heat pump would solve both your heating and cooling problems. A lot more expensive, but also a lot more efficient. You might even run it on those chilly days below 60F ! (Forecast here is for below freezing for the next 7-10 days, not that that is unusual in MI in February.)

I agree with this.

 

[ymurf]

Its probably to much for your garage but I put a wood pellet stove in my 1000sf garage and it does great. I first bought a hanging propane heater till I seen how much propane I was going through.

 

[Chaznsc]

For very limited use, I would go electric resistance heat. Any extended use will run up your bill like crazy.

Not interested in cooling ? A mini-split heat pump would solve both your heating and cooling problems. A lot more expensive, but also a lot more efficient. You might even run it on those chilly days below 60F ! (Forecast here is for below freezing for the next 7-10 days, not that that is unusual in MI in February.)

I agree with this.

I will put you guys down for half

 

[rburke65]

I don't think you could go wrong with electric.

 

[Blue 04 Z71]

I installed a mini-split in my attached 2 car garage. I keep it at 63 in the winter. Seems to be working pretty good.

 

[crguy]

I use an electric furnace with a programable thermostat. It never gets below 50, and it's easy to bump it up when I want to work in there. The circulating air keeps the heat distributed well. Bare steel doesn't rust or sweat in there. No waiting for a couple of hours to warm up things like a car or lathe.
Sure, it costs a little money, but I'm not going to freeze my *** off working in a cold garage.

 

[chester7]

What mini split did you use and size? Do you like it?

I installed a mini-split in my attached 2 car garage. I keep it at 63 in the winter. Seems to be working pretty good.

 

[bandaidmd]

mini split is the way to go in SC ,If you need heat you dang sure want AC too. Ebay and amazon have some reasonably priced ones.