Low Cost, Low Power Garage Heat?

[MattRMagnum]

Hey Folks,

Winter is drawing near, and raises to me an interesting dilemma: how do I keep myself warm, when in my garage, at a low cost? I suppose most would say "warm clothes" and while I can bundle up, I would prefer to be able to work and not freeze.

A bit of background/necessary info:
My garage is 3 bays, and used for auto work. 30x36. Poorly insulated, and the only current "heater" is an ancient, and very questionable looking electric one (mounted on a wall nowhere near where I need heat) that I won't turn on. There's ducting in place from where there used to be an oil furnace of some variety, but that's long-gone, and it's highly unlikely I can put a new one in. I have access to a free wood stove, but it would go ~5' in front of any vehicle that's on my lift, and that creates a rather narrow workspace (in addition to a very short distance for flammable liquids to spill and potentially esplode).

I'm in the PNW, but down near the ocean, and so while I did get ~4" of snow last year, that was nearly record-setting. More than an inch of snow is pretty rare here. We do get down into the 20's, but that's usually as bad as it gets.

I'm mostly focused on a way to keep myself warm while I work. Ideally something that isn't super electricity intensive, because I have a lot of other things which consume a lot of electricity, but I'll deal with a higher electricity bill if it means I can put in a few work days during the winter.

 

[Bmwtie]

Mr. Heater F260550 Big Maxx MHU50NG Natural Gas Unit Heater https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00LWW7V7K/?tag=atomicindus08-20

One of these will take the chill off quickly. Didn’t really notice the gas bill rise in the winter but I was only using it when working in the garage on weekends.

Most difficult part is obviously gas line if you dont have one handy. Also have to run the exhaust vent somewhere.






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[James-W]

Wood heat is pretty cheap if you have firewood available for free. Problem is, buying a wood stove and then venting it outside can be costly. Also, insuring the shop can be a problem too, many insurance companies don't care for wood stoves and they refuse to insure a building using wood for heat. If they do insure the building, they will most likely charge a higher premium.

Natural gas is probably the best way to go, but it won't be real cheap to install the heater and vent it outside.

Electric heaters are the cheapest to buy and install, but the cost to run them is higher.

I am sure someone is going to tell you to get a mini-split that heats and cools, and that would probably work out OK, but I am not sure how that would work out as far as cost to buy, install and operate.

Personally, I would go with natural gas even though there will be a sizable initial cost involved. But long term, you will find the cost to heat the garage will be quite reasonable when compared to other ways of heating it.

 

[evintho]

I use this. About $100. Its in the 20's outside right now. Propane is $20 a bottle and I only use 3/4 of a bottle to get me through the winter months. I run it for 10 minutes to get the garage up to temp (80*) then shut it off for an hour or until it starts getting cold again. Of course, my garage is insulated. It's definitely a cheap alternative and works great for me!

 

[Pluribus]

I'm keeping a stick built 1,200 square foot shop at around 50 degrees so far this winter with just a small, oil-filled heater set at the 600 watt setting in similar temperatures as yours. That's warm enough for me to do projects and use my exercise equipment that I keep in there. As it gets colder, I'll just turn it up a little or add a 2nd heater. Note that it's 2x6 framed, insulated, and a deck over crawl space with a mostly insulated floor. As it gets colder, I'll just turn it up a little or add a 2nd heater.

If you're reasonably well insulated, you can run a few of them to keep the temperatures tolerable and be fine during the cold spells where it might be in the 20's for a week or so. Hard to beat the equipment cost of these at $15 or $20 from thrift stores or Craigslist. Sure, I could get a mini-split and improve efficiency, or install a propane furnace, but the amortization of the install would be a long time out based on efficiency difference for what I'm paying now.

 

[MushCreek]

You must have a very well insulated building. I put one right next to my mill, and even on 'high', you couldn't even tell that it was on.

I have a similar problem to the OP. I don't have natural gas available. I've heard propane throws a lot of moisture into the air. I'm thinking of picking up a kerosene heater, although I don't know if I can handle the fumes. Electric gets really expensive to run. I have a 240V heater I used in the house before it was finished. During a cold snap, we poured $300 into it in one month. Eventually, I'll insulate and pick up a mini-split. If you're a bit handy, you can do most of the installation yourself, then pay an A/C tech to commission it. If you're a little handier, you can get cheap vacuum pump and gauge set and DIY.

 

[pbon]

I would insulate and install a proper vented heater so the OP can enjoy his work space year round. There is no cheap way to heat an uninsulated 30x36 space in 20F weather. You could get a quiet version of a propane or kerosene torpedo and blow it in your direction for some relief since it seems like the space has air leaks to allow fresh air to enter to offset the oxygen you would be using up. I did this for years.

 

[mmb617]

Similar situation here. My garage is uninsulated and I need to work out there occasionally in the winter which here in PA can get pretty cold at times.

I feel that natural gas would be best as it's relatively cheap but the expense of running the lines out there has kept me from going that route. If I were out there often during the cold months I'd probably bite the bullet and go that way but I don't feel my occasional use justifies the initial expense.

Electric heat is the easiest to install assuming you have sufficient capacity, and electric heaters are cheap, but it's also very expensive to run. I'd never go that route for the garage.

I use a torpedo heater and run it on diesel.

I was running it on kerosene at first but IMO the diesel works better, less smell and no flameouts. Diesel is also more readily available.

That heater at 75,000 btu's can heat the garage to a comfortable temp pretty quick, especially since I can point it towards right where I'm working, and it has a thermostat so I don't have to manually keep turning it on and off. It holds 6 gallons of fuel and that lasts a long time.

I know some people say they get a headache from CO when running these but I must have sufficient fresh air infiltration because I've never had that happen even if I'm out there all day.

 

[Hpozzuoli]

I use a reddy heater torpedo. 110k btu and I run it off diesel. It’s one of those multi fuel units.

I have owned this unit for over 7yrs and I bought it used. The only thing I ever do to it is feed it diesel. Lowe’s has some nice looking Dewalt torpedos available now.

 

[laser3kw]

I have been heating 1200 sq ft with a propane construction heater. I run it on a 30 lb tank and it will burn for about 20 hours on the 30k setting. I can take the shop from 0° to 60° in about 2 hours. I shut it off around 60°. I can work in tee shirt and coveralls and thick socks pretty much.
I use to have the propane torpedo heater but the roar was annoying.

Propane construction heater link

 

[maxpat82]

5Kw construction heater box works good.

just use it when needed and raised the temp to ~60 and be good.

 

[Pressingonward]

I am in a similar dilemma, uninsulated shop with no heat in the PNW. Usually I bundle up and just deal with it, but the reality is that I'll work somewhat unproductively for 15 minutes to a few hours, then give up and head back into the house to thaw my fingers.

I got one of those kerosene tube heaters for free from a swap meet last year, and after cleaning it up and messing with it for a bit I got it running great on diesel the other day. I was doing brakes and spider gears on my truck out in the driveway (shop doesn't have any enclosed bays that will fit a vehicle...yet), and I set up the heater to blow hot air on me from about 4 feet away. It was great! I would run it for 2-5 minutes to warm myself up (temp in the upper 20s), then shut it off and work for 20 minutes until I got cold again, and repeat.

For inside the shop work, I don't really want to use it - I read they put out about a gallon of water in the form of humidity every hour, and I already sometimes get surface rust on my tools and stuff inside the garage just from the ambient humidity during the winter. I'm going to get an electric parabolic heat dish for inside the shop and run it every 20 minutes like I did with the diesel heater outside. A coworker of mine had one back when I was an auto tech, and they do a great job of throwing heat in a localized area. Not as nice as heating the whole shop, but a lot more affordable. Here is what I am referring to:

https://www.costco.com/presto-heatdish-plus-parabolic-heater.product.100505979.html

 

[strutaeng]

(a) Propane or Kerosene heater would be most economical if no fuel or electric was available at garage.

(b) If you had an extra cash and availability, natural gas is a clear choice.

(c) If you had a decent electrical panel, then electric would make sense.

But doesn't like (b) or (c) are an option.

I'm not sure if a little mini-split heat pump would work in this application...Do you have a 120V circuit?

 

[firebirdparts]

There are two angles to the economy of it. One is, what fraction of the time do you want it warm? The other is what your cost is for electricity, gas, propane, and perhaps whatever else you'd consider burning.

If you only want it warmed up 5% of the time, then you won't care about operating cost much, and you will care about getting a huge BTU output from low up front cost.

 

[Falcon67]

I use this. About $100. Its in the 20's outside right now. Propane is $20 a bottle and I only use 3/4 of a bottle to get me through the winter months. I run it for 10 minutes to get the garage up to temp (80*) then shut it off for an hour or until it starts getting cold again. Of course, my garage is insulated. It's definitely a cheap alternative and works great for me!

Have one, hate it, won't use it. Loud as hell, stinks, generates moisture like crazy. It's in the attic in a bag, haven't seen it in years. Will be a swap meet item next year if I remember where it is.

Before I went electric, I used this rig:

Not $150 in the whole thing, worked great. Used that before insulation in the 960 sq/ft build. I still have the parts, I just don;t use it anyone now that the building is insulated and the 5kW heater keeps things warm. And, our idea of "cold" probably isn't to people elsewhere.

 

[DanZ3]

I installed a Fahrenheat 7500 watt electric heater in my 3 stall attached garage. It works great and doesn’t cost too much to run. There was a discussion regarding electric heaters on GJ. You could search for that for more information. What I like is no smell, no moisture and no issues with flammable fumes or dust. My opinion on the best value would be to add some level of insulation first. Any heat source will be more effective with insulation. You can just see the ceiling mounted heater in the attached picture.

 

[b-boy]

Insulation is the key. It's worth the time and cost. Once you insulate, your heating requirements will reduce, and your comfort level will increase.

My 1200 sq ft pole barn is incredibly efficient now. I have a small 30K btu ventless fireplace that I run occasionally. Once I heat the area (about 30 minutes), it stays warm for the entire day. Last Winter I had to run the heater the entire time I was working, and it never really got that warm. As soon as the moisture from the heater hit the cold roof, it would snow inside the building.

I'm upgrading to a vented forced air unit (60k btu) in the next few weeks. I'm anticipating that it will keep the place very comfortable.

 

[Prospecter]

Maine Coast

Insulation was my first step. Cheapest solution, and made the biggest difference. I went overboard. . . R48 walls & R65 ceiling. LPG and Rinnai heater (uses outside air supply). The heater was about 1,500 installed, and I spend about $250 per winter, just when I am in the shop. Because of the insulation, it stays above freezing between uses.

My insurance company would not insure anything with a heater that did not have the flame isolated from the shop unless I guarranteed I would never have anything flammable in the shop.

 

[soloz2]

I have been using one of the Mr Heater Big Buddy propane heaters. I got it when I just had an 18x10' shed and it worked great there, but it struggles with my oversized 2 car garage. I haven't had a chance to dig into the gas furnace that's already installed, but that's one of my next projects. I replaced 2 of the 3 garage doors from wood to insulated doors and it has been holding temp quite well. So far it's stayed around 45-50 between uses. The first floor is insulated, but the loft is not.


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[matt_i]

My thought is to use a vented radiant-tube heater (overhead). Basically a system of black steel pipe(s) with a polished reflective hood over it.

This heats you (and objects) just like the sun does rather than trying to heat air. So you don't have to go spend a bunch on insulation & air sealing. Its imperfect in that things close to the radiant tubes will pickup more heat and its line-of-sight, so if you go into the "shade" of another object the radiant effect stops.

I would go with Vented no matter what heat source, otherwise you'll be introducing loads of moisture that play right into the hands of the rust devil.

 

[ddawg16]

Heated garage? I've never needed to do that. My issue is keeping it cool in the summer

 

[Brandon_oma#692]

How much time are you in the garage and how often?

Portable LP heater that mounts on top of the tank is what I use for the garage. I have 2 30# and 2 20# tanks. The 30's are for the camper and the 20's are for the grill. The set of 4 usually gets filled 1 time a year and gets thru camping, grilling, and heating. I only use the heater when I will be in the garage for a few hours. I wouldn't mind insulation and a natural gas furnace but for the little bit I use my heater it is not worth the cost to me.

 

[oldmxracer]

Low Cost, Low Power Garage Heat !

Sounds like very few choices, What works for Me is and it has been said, kerosene torpedo heater!

Used You can buy them CHEAP, new is also not much dollars, if used, service the filters and buy the low pressure gauge to adjust the pressure, no smell works GREAT !

Have used one years do have an OX sensor always on.

 

[MattRMagnum]

Thank you everyone for the input. Investigating the insulation in the garage will have to wait until next summer. Namely because I need to completely clean the rafters out, and then peer down into the walls and see what kind of insulation is in there (there's drywall up in the whole garage, but a bunch of it is just hiding electrical, and doesn't actually have insulation, from a couple sections I looked at).

Long-term, I'll probably setup a natural gas heater like the ceiling-mount one that was recommended in the first post. My HVAC contractor said that, when my furnace gets replaced (it's 18 years old), all of the natural gas lines need to be re-done. A lot of it is corroded (though not leaking), and he suspects a couple of the lines were installed by the previous owner, and not anyone licensed (since the runs are done in a strange manner that he didn't think would have ever passed inspection).

I'd rather not deal with propane unless I have to. Other than the oil burner idea below, I'll probably pursue something like this electric heater. Something I can move around, or keep in the section of the garage I'm working, is probably my best bet for now. I don't really need it hot. I just need my fingers to not freeze.
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07VRCLG7Y/?tag=atomicindus08-20

I'm keeping a stick built 1,200 square foot shop at around 50 degrees so far this winter with just a small, oil-filled heater set at the 600 watt setting in similar temperatures as yours. That's warm enough for me to do projects and use my exercise equipment that I keep in there. As it gets colder, I'll just turn it up a little or add a 2nd heater. Note that it's 2x6 framed, insulated, and a deck over crawl space with a mostly insulated floor. As it gets colder, I'll just turn it up a little or add a 2nd heater.

If you're in Skagit county, you're actually right up the road. I'm in the Everett area. What kind of oil heater are you using, and where do you get your oil?

 

[Stuart in MN]

If you're going to go with electric space heaters that plug into a regular 120vac outlet, just buy the cheapest 1500 watt heater you can find. Watts are watts, so they all put out the same amount of heat.

I'd go with what's generally referred to as a milk house heater, like this. You should be able to find them for around $20. One won't be able to heat your whole garage, but if you have several circuits available plug in a couple of them.

Alternately, check out garage sales for used ones. I've gotten a number of electric space heaters for less than $5/each, and sometimes for free, just to have around as backup - a few years ago my house furnace quit on a -20F night; I went around to my neighbors and borrowed every space heater I could get my hands on, and was able to keep the house at around 55F until the furnace got fixed. Ever since then I've been a little paranoid about it happening again.

 

[Pluribus]

Thank you everyone for the input. Investigating the insulation in the garage will have to wait until next summer. Namely because I need to completely clean the rafters out, and then peer down into the walls and see what kind of insulation is in there (there's drywall up in the whole garage, but a bunch of it is just hiding electrical, and doesn't actually have insulation, from a couple sections I looked at).

Long-term, I'll probably setup a natural gas heater like the ceiling-mount one that was recommended in the first post. My HVAC contractor said that, when my furnace gets replaced (it's 18 years old), all of the natural gas lines need to be re-done. A lot of it is corroded (though not leaking), and he suspects a couple of the lines were installed by the previous owner, and not anyone licensed (since the runs are done in a strange manner that he didn't think would have ever passed inspection).

I'd rather not deal with propane unless I have to. Other than the oil burner idea below, I'll probably pursue something like this electric heater. Something I can move around, or keep in the section of the garage I'm working, is probably my best bet for now. I don't really need it hot. I just need my fingers to not freeze.
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07VRCLG7Y/?tag=atomicindus08-20


If you're in Skagit county, you're actually right up the road. I'm in the Everett area. What kind of oil heater are you using, and where do you get your oil?

Sorry for confusion, but I'm using the little electric radiator heaters that have oil inside of them.

Here's an example: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B000TGDGLU/?tag=atomicindus08-20

With a well-insulated building and willingness to have temperatures around 50 degrees, these do the trick for me. Even when it got into the teens outside at night at my place, it was still in the 40's inside the shop with only one heater. If I want it warmer, say to keep it closer to 50 when it gets cold like that, I'll just use a 2nd one. As you can see, they're only about $80 new, but I've picked them up for as little as $10 used.

 

[shaune]

Insulate and vapour barrier first, then you won’t need as much heat. For an affordable heat source I use a wood stove plus 220 construction heater as a supplement. For me wood is affordable as I have access to lots of it and there was no additional rate increase to my insurance as I am detached.

 

[laser3kw]

Long-term, I'll probably setup a natural gas heater like the ceiling-mount one that was recommended in the first post.........

I'd rather not deal with propane unless I have to. Other than the oil burner idea below, I'll probably pursue something like this electric heater.

Why not propane? Basically, the natural gas heater can be re jetted for propane. Just wondering

 

[CraigStu]

One other very effective thing is to wall off an area and work there. Look into fabric or even plastic tarps. They are now available in many colors so you don't need to look at the old bright blue one any more.
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B004DDZD7A/?tag=atomicindus08-20
Depending on ceiling height you could get 16, 18, 20 wide and cut it down the middle. Use the grommets on the original edge and let the cut edge hit the floor.

 

[NUTTSGT]

First and foremost, fix the insulation issue.


Any dollar spent on insulation will be saved in heating cost every time you flip the switch or fire up the heat. Insulation is an investment.

 

[ericm]

Isn't electric cheap in the PNW?

Instead of a plain electric heater you could install a mini split heat pump. The one drawback is they don't work well in low temps (like single digits) but that's probably not a problem for you.

 

[jshillin]

I use a propane torpedo heater to get it warm and then a propane big buddy to maintain temp.

 

[Bruce 993 SEA]

I have been going through this decision process and was all set to get a Lopi Wood burning stove.

The used ones are "used" up and still will be $1000 to $1200 to buy and install plus I really do not want to go through the standing seam metal roof. I do have pretty good access to wood both trees and construction lumber. The new Lopi Endeavor has a much larger glass for seeing the fire...and are $4000 installed....

But, I am not the kinda guy who gets up at the crack of dawn and gets the fire going so the shop will be warmed up to start messing around in there a few hours later. I am more of a wander in mid morning and want to warm it up fast. Maybe I should get off of Garage Journal and get busy!

Also, the garage is not insulated...dunno why they would rock the walls without insulation. Now I am faced with the prospect of blowing in insulation. Plus, the ceilings are 8 ft on the low side up to 16 ft where the roof meets the house. Because of the height, there is blocking so the blown in is twice as much work. The ceilings are open so insulation there will be easier.

So after pondering this for a while, I decided to go with a mini split. My buddy and I just installed a 3 zone unit in my his shop. It is way more complicated than my shop with lots of attic work and ladder work.

I can get the electrical over to the unit routing it under the house in a 5 ft crawl/basement and then the unit has a nice out of the way place to live on the back of the garage with perfect placement for the inside wall unit.

Our electricity is cheaper here in Skagit County and we have solar on the roof too. The solar is new so I do not know where we will end up with production vs usage but the mini split is pretty efficient.

Oh, then there is summer...the garage doors face West and get blasted in the afternoon. Cooling will be nice!

 

[jeff lary]

I have a wall-mounted propane mister heater ( I think) radiant 3 panel heater. I also have a 150,000 btu kerosene torpedo heater that is on a thermostat. I run the torpedo up to maybe 70 or so ( takes 10 minutes or so) then the wall mount Radiant can keep up. My shop is small 12 x 20 or so only the celling is insulated. The celling is 12' to the peak.

 

[MattRMagnum]

Why not propane? Basically, the natural gas heater can be re jetted for propane. Just wondering

Well I've natural gas to the house already, so if I use natural gas, it'll just increase my gas bill, and not add a new fuel source to deal with. I also dislike the idea of having a propane/natural gas heater in the building itself. After thought, it's more likely I'd go for a minisplit or ductless.

 

[Crazyjake8493]

The biggest return on investment will be properly air sealing and insulating before even considering the heating method.

As far as heating, wood stoves are very inexpensive to run if you have access to wood, but they can be a lot of work as well. I prefer a kerosene convection heater. They're quieter (silent) and put off less moisture than LP torpedo style heaters, and require no maintenance other than a yearly wick change. If you have NG available in the garage, a hanging NG heater would be a great choice. If not, a hanging electric heater would be a good choice that would also keep all available floor space.

 

[Old Radar]

Uranium-235 is your answer. You don't need insulation (for the garage) just lead underwear!

 

[BodyMovin]

There have been a lot of useful suggestions on here. For me as I have an all electric house and not easy access to gas/propane, I decided to use two 5000W Comfort Zone heaters for my 30' x 48' barn. They would take the chill off the air while I was insulating and finishing my barn walls and ceiling. It made it much more bearable to work on below freezing days. Now that I have r19 in the walls with a vapor barrier and blown in insulation in the ceiling, they are enough to heat the space comfortably. Super cheap units to buy, I think they are 79 bucks right now and seem to work well. Obviously cost to operate is higher but for me I am only in my shop a day or two a week. In the future I am sure I will upgrade but they work.

As others have stated, a tight building with good insulation is key. I could tell a huge difference in the barn as I was finishing her up.

 

[rattle_snake]

I use a thermal mass to heat my garage, with no extra assocaited cost.
I drive my 8500# truck, then park it inside while hot. It's enough heat transfer to not go below 65 or so all winter. I'll skip the math equation.


When I installed my own A/C, I spent the extra $20 to get a heat pump. I turn it on every year or so to see if it still works. In the end my solution was to move away from a cold ****** climate (PNW).

 

[nadogail]

I have been accused of needing to dip my socks in kerosene to keep the ants from crawling up my legs and biting me where I sit.

I have installed 5KW heaters in each of my 2 car garages for those rare days when we appreciate the warmth they make. We have Solar panels.

Both stucco covered garages are dry walled but not insulated. Outside temp at present, 57F.