looking for quiet heat suggestions

[UncleJoe]

I live in Eastern North Carolina where a cold day in January is 35-40 degrees and then only a few times a month. I have a 600 sq ft shop with 8 foot ceilings and the walls and ceiling are insulated.

Currently I use a kerosene heater and a propane tank typ heater like this

The propane is very loud. Sort of like a jet engine.

I am looking for a propane heater that is quiet. Any suggestions.

 

[kywildcat]

How about a little kerosene heater. I have a 23,000 BTU that will heat it way up, and not make a sound!

 

[Mike007]

Sounds like an electric radiator or 2 might be a good choice for you. Considering the weather you describe.

 

[Interex]

How about a little kerosene heater. I have a 23,000 BTU that will heat it way up, and not make a sound!

Agreed. You need an oil based heating source (Kerosene being your only real choice here) in order to get heat without forcing air with a fan or gas. The only problem with Kerosene heaters is that they have an odor. Some folks don't mind it while others can't stand it. I've got a DynaGlo (pictured below) and it tends to really smell if I shut the unit off while it sitting in the garage. Taking it outside, shutting it off, and leaving it there to cool helps out. You can normally find them on your local CL for $50-$75. Stores like Northern Tool carry them new for $100 new.

Your other option would be infrared but I don't have any experience with them. From what I've heard, it lights up everything in a red color and makes you feel like you're in a batch of french fries.

Forced air electric heaters and natural gas heaters would be your next step up but they will generate some noise when the fans/blowers are running. It's won't be near as loud as propane or kerosene/diesel torpedo heaters.

Dayton G73 17,000 BTU forced air electric:

Mr. Heater Big Maxx 45,000 BTU natural gas:

Just remember that anytime you're burning something it needs to be vented. Kerosene, diesel, or propane all need some fresh air ventilation. Natural gas heaters just need an exhaust vent.

 

[787B]

You need an oil based heating source (Kerosene being your only real choice here) in order to get heat without forcing air with a fan or gas.

That's not really true. I bought a 30,000 BTU "vent-free" blue flame propane heater off Craigslist for $60. They are about $200 new. They are completely quiet, have no odor, require no electricity, and are portable.

http://www.usaprocom.com/product_category.php?choice=1&sid=1&prod=21

You can also get the infrared versions for about $50-100 more:
http://www.usaprocom.com/product_category.php?choice=1&sid=1&prod=11

 

[padstack]

How well insulated is your shop? My garage is 20x32 with 10' ceilings and I use one of those oil filled heaters and it warms it up real well. You can get one new on sale for $50 or less. Just keep the electric bill in mind! 1500 watts is it's max. Also, I'm in Cleveland, OH where we get temps in the teens pretty regularly. Now, all that being said my garage is HEAVILY insulated.

 

[jvitez]

Interex gives excellent advice. Any propane heater that I've heard has a hiss. I assume it's the compressed gas expanding that makes the sound, as NG heaters are far quieter.

If you have one kerosene heater already, why not just buy a second? It sounds like you don't need permanently attached heating equipment. What is your electricity rate? Running a couple of 1500w baseboard or oil-filled heaters like padstack uses would give 10239 btu of heat, and be completely silent. That assumes you have a min of two 15 amp circuits in your garage though.

 

[dolfans]

I am thinking about using a kerosene heater in the garage. Already have one(a round one) just need a wick. What dangers of using one in the garage with a mower etc in there? The garage is against the house. It was a carport then turned into a garage. Block walls about 4 blocks high and wood(insulated). The roof has been sprayed(on top) with a foam that is coming off. I know it will not heat and stay hot but want enough to work without shaking. thanks

 

[kywildcat]

I am thinking about using a kerosene heater in the garage. Already have one(a round one) just need a wick. What dangers of using one in the garage with a mower etc in there? The garage is against the house. It was a carport then turned into a garage. Block walls about 4 blocks high and wood(insulated). The roof has been sprayed(on top) with a foam that is coming off. I know it will not heat and stay hot but want enough to work without shaking. thanks

Now you got me wondering about my mower and CARS setting in there, running that Kerosene heater!!!!

 

[redsky49]

Almost any natural gas-fired device may be converted to propane use. This opens up a wide variety of choices to select from. In roughly increasing costs:

Ceiling hung gas-fired unit heater. A single unit should adequately serve your relatively small space. These units are not silent, but should be acceptable for use. Dramatically quieter than your current situation. Probably the cheapest solution.

Residential style gas furnace. This would be an excellent choice, especially if you intend to provide cooling at a future date. It would also likely be quieter than a unit heater.

Gas-fired radiant (infra-red) heat. This is typically provided by overhead tubes. It has its supporters as well as its detractors. Aside from occasional creaks and groans, these are essentially silent. Plenty of feedback on this forum for you to review.

I am not a big fan of kerosene heaters. There is always some degree of odor, they require varying levels of maintenance, K-1 kerosene is a nuisance to transport and fluctuates greatly in price, there are operating dangers that other systems don't have, they provide vary uneven heating in most spaces, etc.

In any case, a quick heat loss calculation should be performed to get a handle on system size before any purchases are made.

Be advised! Natural gas lines are being extended in the New Bern area. If you are in an area that will have natural gas, you should investigate the possibility of bringing in gas to your property. As you are likely aware, electric rates in New Bern are becoming pretty painful.

Good luck with your project.

As always, offered only as opinion

 

[redsky49]

QUOTE Just remember that anytime you're burning something it needs to be vented. Kerosene, diesel, or propane all need some fresh air ventilation. Natural gas heaters just need an exhaust vent.[/QUOTE]

Actually all fuel-burning appliances require combustion air. This may be interior space air (if you are meeting specific code requirements) or outside air.

Additionally, not all fuel-burning devices are "vented". By this, I am referring to the exhausting of combustion byproducts to the outside. Many gas fireplaces, for example, are not vented.

In every case, always follow the Manufacturer's installation requirements.

As always, offered only as opinion

 

[Handyman163]

I have a 3-car attached garage that is finished and insulated (doors too) in Michigan. It's regularly single digits at night. I've had a 9800 BTU radiant kerosene heater for the past couple of winters here, and it will get the garage to 55 degrees and keep it easily if it's below 20 outside, although it usually takes a couple of hours to get it there from about 40 degrees. This heater will burn 23 hours on 1.9 gallons of kerosene and not make a sound.

I just recently received a 23,000 BTU kerosene heater (Kero-Heat made by Sengoku - these are recommended over the Dyna-Glow models that look almost exactly the same). It is a convection heater, and it will take the garage from 40 degrees to 68 degrees in 2-3 hours.

The radiant heater (small kero heater) always has more smell than the larger convection model - even with same fuel and proper maintenance. The small one can burn all day (12 hours) and can provide steady maintain-able heat, but takes a while to get the heat up. The large one is amazingly quick at heating up the space, but uses more fuel to do so.

Know that kerosene heaters require some maintenance to keep the wicks in good shape, but to me, this far out-weighs the costs of using other fuel sources. I get my wicks from the website below, and you can read about anything you ever wanted to know about heating with Kerosene. In my space, in my climate, I'm pushing it a little. But in North Carolina, I wouldn't look any further than Kerosene. (Kerosene is about $6/gal in my area for K-1 perfectly clear, which is recommended for less wick maintenance. I can get Low-Sulfur Kerosene (<500ppm) for $3.79/gal at several local gas stations and haven't noticed a difference in maintenance although it is slightly yellow-tinted.) Consider a burn time of 9-23 hours per gallon depending on the heater, then weigh that against your other fuel options.

The smell occurs on startup and shutdown on the radiant (small) heater, and only on shutdown on the convection (large) heater. This is assuming that it is burning properly on a properly installed and maintained wick. I start and shutdown the radiant one outside, and only shutdown the larger one outside. I can carry them both inside after 10 minutes of burning, and do not have any foul odor. I use them both inside the house regularly. I don't do anything extra to ventilate the space. I have high >10ft ceilings in both the house and garage, and figure the garage is getting opened when we go somewhere (generally at least once/day) anyway.

Below is the link for Kerosene heater info and wicks (scroll down the page to "Resource Information") This is where I get my wicks, and what lead me to choose Kerosene heat:
http://milesstair.com/
http://www.milesstair.com/kero_heaters.html

I hope this helps. YMMV