Help with heating garage!

[spartikus1975]

Hey guys I have a question that I am hoping someone can help me with. I have a 3 car garage with fairly high ceilings the outer door is insulated the ceiling is insulated in one of the walls is an interior wall the other 2 walls are outside walls that are not insulated. I am just wondering what is the best way to heat this space in the winter. I do not needed to be warm all the time but I would like something I can turn on when I want to work in the garage and it will heat up the area in about an hour. Currently I am using a propane tank with 1 of those forced air propane heater's which does work but it is loud I was hoping for something like an electric heater or even a natural gas heater I could install and turn on when I need to work in the garage. Let me know your thoughts thank you.

 

[The Metric System]

Unless you live someplace very cold (few places in the continental US qualify) your best option will likely be an electric minisplit.

• More cost-effective to run than resistance heaters, and possibly combustion heaters depending on your usage and utility costs
• Gives you AC and dehumidification in the Summer time
• Eliminates the hazards and venting requirements associated with combustion heaters
• Quiet, responsive, and uses utilities that your house is probably already set up to provide

Downsides are that installation can be a bit more complicated, you need room for the outdoor unit, and capacity falls off if your local temps are really exceptionally cold.

 

[adsinnott1]

If you have the power available this is what I am running. Hard to beat bang for buck IMO. I have 2 ceiling fans that really help circulate the warm air in my 24 * 30 shop. Tall ceilings, only the ceiling is insulated. I keep it 65 deg inside while I am working and it cycles on and off as needed. I even bought a switchbot hub that I turn the heater on and off with. I can turn the heater on from my phone an hour or two before I will be out there to get it warmed up.

Oylus Electric Garage Heater for Indoor Use - 10000W, 240V Wall/Ceiling/Floor Mounted Shop Heater, Dual Overheat Protection & 4 Adjustable Angles, Industrial Heavy-Duty Heaters for Workshop, Warehouse - Amazon.com

Oylus Electric Garage Heater for Indoor Use - 10000W, 240V Wall/Ceiling/Floor Mounted Shop Heater, Dual Overheat Protection & 4 Adjustable Angles, Industrial Heavy-Duty Heaters for Workshop, Warehouse - Amazon.com

www.amazon.com

 

[tworley]

I'd start by insulating the 2 walls that are open. That will help a bunch. I had a similar setup; 1 wall finished/insulated as it was a shared living space wall, an insulated ceiling (bedrooms above) and 2 open walls. My garage temps matched the ambient temps outside. Since insulating with rockwool, the garage is doesn't dip below 50° much. The other day it was 30° outside, my garage temp gauge indicated 57°.

To take the edge off, I added a similar 240v electric heater like above. Its not cheap to run, but it heats up my 500 sq ft garage pretty fast.

 

[kngelv]

It really depends on what you want to do. It's almost pointless to install a heater without insulating those other two walls. You'll waste a lot of money otherwise. My problem with propane is all the moisture it induces which is not great for tools etc. I have a King 5000 watt electric heater in my 390 square foot insulated garage and it takes about 45 minutes to go from 20-60 degrees. It's loud though and annoying when it keeps turning on and off while I'm out there. I just put a mini-split in my new 576 square foot second garage. I leave it set at 64 and its a revelation. I'm still shocked at how quiet it is. I'd never use anything else again.

James

 

[logical]

It's really about how much warmer you want inside vs how cold it is outside. Where is it located? Do you want it 70 inside when it is 32 outside or when it is 20 below outside. The uninsulated outside walls will make it run more obviously.

 

[Skellyii]

Hey guys I have a question that I am hoping someone can help me with. I have a 3 car garage with fairly high ceilings the outer door is insulated the ceiling is insulated in one of the walls is an interior wall the other 2 walls are outside walls that are not insulated. I am just wondering what is the best way to heat this space in the winter. I do not needed to be warm all the time but I would like something I can turn on when I want to work in the garage and it will heat up the area in about an hour. Currently I am using a propane tank with 1 of those forced air propane heater's which does work but it is loud I was hoping for something like an electric heater or even a natural gas heater I could install and turn on when I need to work in the garage. Let me know your thoughts thank you.

I realize you're new here, but a common mistake is asking questions like yours without mentioning your location.

Nobody needs to know your address, but if you want accurate suggestions there's going to be a BIG difference in answers depending on whether you are in Minnesota vs in South Carolina, or in Germany vs New Zealand.

Mind readers, we are not.

 

[HoosierBuddy]

I'm going to assume you are in a reasonably cool area, or you wouldn't be asking this question.

Your best option, if natural gas is available, will be to have a vented natural gas unit heater installed such as a Mr. Heater or similar.

For part time heating you'll need to stay with an 80% efficient unit. As you have limited insulation, you'll need a larger one. WIthout knowing your area...shot in the dark might be an 80,000 BTU unit. That's equal to about 23,000 watts or roughly 15 times as much heat as you can get from a standard electric 120V space heater.

If you don't have experience working with gas piping, you'll want to have this installed by a contractor.

 

[dcg9381]

Currently I am using a propane tank with 1 of those forced air propane heater's which does work but it is loud I was hoping for something like an electric heater or even a natural gas heater I could install and turn on when I need to work in the garage. Let me know your thoughts thank you.

Bottom dollar, don't mind an open flame and have NG or propane, I use these, you can wall mount them and plumb them for gas:



They have low oxygen detection, have thermostats... Not loud at all.

Electric works too, but you may need a 240V heater. Have the available power in the garage?

 

[logical]

I hate when people treat this place like it's Reddit.

 

[The Metric System]

I hate when people treat this place like it's Reddit.

You and I have very different expectations for how people behave on Reddit.

 

[twinfin]

Would something like this work?

This is the propane heater in my 25x26 shop. It has a fan inside that blows the heated air across the shop. It’s propane with the sealed burn chamber vented to the outside so there are no humidity issues as come with non-vented systems.

It works well at warming up the shop quickly when I want to work there on a cold day. Temps here in the winter are usually in the 40’s to 50’s, sometimes low 30’s (F). The shop is insulated so it’s easy to keep warm.

 

[finn]

Unless you live someplace very cold (few places in the continental US qualify) your best option will likely be an electric minisplit.

• More cost-effective to run than resistance heaters, and possibly combustion heaters depending on your usage and utility costs
• Gives you AC and dehumidification in the Summer time
• Eliminates the hazards and venting requirements associated with combustion heaters
• Quiet, responsive, and uses utilities that your house is probably already set up to provide

Downsides are that installation can be a bit more complicated, you need room for the outdoor unit, and capacity falls off if your local temps are really exceptionally cold.

I disagree here. You really have to look at your electric rate structure, even with a heat pump. It’s an easy and obvious decision when you live in a moderate climate and your electricity cost $.15-$.20. / kWh, but double that rate and put it in a cold climate and it may not be the best alternative.

Also, consider that mini splits are generally better for full time heating, which you may not want or need if the shop is used intermittently.

That said, we use a mini split as essentially the only heating source in my wife’s lower level (daylight basement) tv room which she uses almost every night. It raises the temp from 55 to 70 in a matter of minutes, but there’s no thermal mass and it’s only 16’x22’, with spray foam insulation.

In the op’s case, I wouldn’t even try heating it without insulating the walls.

 

[zendriver]

Spend the money on insulation before worrying too much about a heater

Otherwise a $300 kerosene salamander will get the job done nicely

 

[JohnX14]

Spend the money on insulation before worrying too much about a heater

Otherwise a $300 kerosene salamander will get the job done nicely

Insulation would be a priority, andtThat would be my budget choice. After that I'd step up to a Modine unit heater such as this: https://hvacdirect.com/modine-hot-d...ized-steel-heat-exchanger-hd60as0111fban.html

If the house doesn't have gas now, a propane tank can be placed next to the garage. I used to have a pair of 200 gallon propane tanks doing both my house and garage. I now have NG.

 

[Innovate1]

I disagree here. You really have to look at your electric rate structure, even with a heat pump. It’s an easy and obvious decision when you live in a moderate climate and your electricity cost $.15-$.20. / kWh, but double that rate and put it in a cold climate and it may not be the best alternative.

Also, consider that mini splits are generally better for full time heating, which you may not want or need if the shop is used intermittently.

That said, we use a mini split as essentially the only heating source in my wife’s lower level (daylight basement) tv room which she uses almost every night. It raises the temp from 55 to 70 in a matter of minutes, but there’s no thermal mass and it’s only 16’x22’, with spray foam insulation.

In the op’s case, I wouldn’t even try heating it without insulating the walls.

I agree. You really need to look at the details of climate and fuel/electric rates before you can make a determination of best cost. I went with natural gas furnace and AC for my 30 x 40 detached garage because I was familiar with it and got some breaks on a 90+ furnace but we don't need to heat it all the time and our electric rates are fairly low so a minisplit might have been a better choice. With the furnace we need to keep it about 60 or above in the winter to avoid condensation in the secondary heat exchanger and early failure. With a minisplit I could turn it down more. I do have some plumbing (half bath) so I can't just leave heat off in winter.

 

[zendriver]

Insulation would be a priority, andtThat would be my budget choice. After that I'd step up to a Modine unit heater such as this: https://hvacdirect.com/modine-hot-d...ized-steel-heat-exchanger-hd60as0111fban.html

If the house doesn't have gas now, a propane tank can be placed next to the garage. I used to have a pair of 200 gallon propane tanks doing both my house and garage. I now have NG.

Sorry I missed your point about having a propane forced air heater

I know this gets crickets here, but this set up has served me well. I use it with a 35 foot 30 amp drop cord because I only have one outlet in my three car garage.

To be fair in my garage as well in insulated. It warms the area up. I’m working in fairly good but if I had to do it over again, I’d probably buy one. That’s just a little bit bigger.