Mini split, propane, electric? Which is better?

[CPH-Jeep]

Well I'm getting ready to start putting in insulation and drywall inside my garage and am starting to think about how I would like to heat and possibly cool it. My garage isn't big at roughly 25x30. I live in northern Indiana so it does get cold here and would like to atleast keep the garage around 40 or so when I'm not working in it.

If I went with the mini split system, does anybody know roughly how long it might take to get it warmed up to say 60 or so if I'm planning to work in it for a while? Is it gonna heat up as quick as say a propane furnace? Are they efficient?

We dont have natural gas where we live so it's all off propane tank so would probably end up having a separate tank installed just for garage if I went with a propane system. So that cost would have to be factored in. I think this route would heat up quicker but may cost more with fuel cost.

What about electric heaters? Ive seen a couple at the big box stores but don't know how much they are gonna run up my electric bill and then would have to install 220v line in garage to run it.

Just trying to look at all options on which might work best. Having ac isn't a must have but having heat in the winter is.

Thanks all for your input.

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[yeldogt]

Need to do a little home work. Heat load on building -- that will give you a base line. Evaluate the leaks ... doors mostly.

What are your energy costs ? It all matters.

It's not uncommon in cold climates to need a larger HP vs what you only need if doing AC . The delta is larger in the winter .. so the unit needs to have the capacity.

Temp usage and trying to bring the temps up quickly ---- not the best with a heat pump.

Many are afraid of the cost of heating so they start out with the idea of only keeping it at 40 ... it takes a lot of BTU's to raise the temp of a building with anything in it. If it's empty -- it's faster.

Building right to keep the heat in ... doing a proper heat load ... now you know what you need and can determine the cost. Cost is all relative to income and desire ... but for a few hundred bucks you can keep that size building warmer.

Oversized systems are not comfortable when asked to maintain a temp ... years ago I had a propane unit (fan forced) and used electric to bring it up quicker. I only used the space on the weekends .... if I came on a Friday and wanted to use it over the weekend ... it was fine. If I came on a Friday and wanted to use it right away I used both the propane and the electric. The electric was more money -- but it only ran for a few hours. Cheap too by.

Using only electric in my area is much more than propane. The house has heat pumps and propane backup

 

[Rabbit929]

I said this in a previous post, mini splits are a pretty pricey option with few benefits over a traditional window unit or central system.

I’d cut a hole in the wall and mount a good window unit AC.
Mini splits don’t take kindly to dust and are expensive to fix/replace. They are a great option for homes without ductwork.
Heat I’d say vented propane. Non vented adds gallons of humidity and will gas you out eventually.
A small $15 1500w milk house heater works good for heating “enough” to prevent freezing.

Electric in almost every case will be your most expensive option to operate, but cheapest to install. Running that 1500w in mine (without insulated ceiling) keeps my garage about 45-55F when it’s -10 out pretty easily. Insulated would be even better, but the cheap lil space heater I would only use to keep it above freezing.

 

[theoldwizard1]

Well I'm getting ready to start putting in insulation and drywall inside my garage and am starting to think about how I would like to heat and possibly cool it.

Garages are a "challenge" to effectively insulate ! I recommend 2" of spray foam and then fiberglass. The spray foam will seal all of the crack.

If I went with the mini split system, does anybody know roughly how long it might take to get it warmed up to say 60 or so if I'm planning to work in it for a while? Is it gonna heat up as quick as say a propane furnace? Are they efficient?

Propane/Nat Gas puts out a lot of heat, wo I would say in a "race" to 60F, they would probably beat a mini-split heat pump. Also the cost to "over size" a forced air furnace is not that great.

Having said that, mini-split heat pumps are much more efficient (cost of fuel) in the 0F-60F range. Just make sure the model you buy will "make heat" down below 0F. Not all do.

You get A/C for "free" !

What about electric heaters?

Cheap to install. Expensive to operate.

Any "single point" heat source will leave some portion of that garage cold without additional air circulation (fans). Two mini-spit air handler is a great option, but $$$.

 

[theoldwizard1]

What are your energy costs ? It all matters.

True. Spot pricing on propane can be all over the map. Electric is more constant.

The house has heat pumps and propane backup

Any building that can not withstand a power outage in the middle of winter needs a back up heat source. Even if it is just a couple of tank top propane heaters.

 

[lonestardiver]

Don’t forget that with propane or NG, carbon monoxide is always a concern in an enclosed space.

 

[ericm]

A properly working external vented furnace should route all exhaust gasses outside.

I would not want to heat with a non vented heater. Between the fumes, water vapor (and potential CO as you note) it's not a good long term solution.

 

[CPH-Jeep]

So if I put like a decent sized propane tank behind the garage with a propane heater, would say a 100lb tank last all winter? Garage gets its most use on the weekends but would still keep it at 40 during the week.

If the mini split is gonna take a while to get it heated up I don't think that is gonna be the way that works for me.

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[theoldwizard1]

So if I put like a decent sized propane tank behind the garage with a propane heater, would say a 100lb tank last all winter? Garage gets its most use on the weekends but would still keep it at 40 during the week.

If the mini split is gonna take a while to get it heated up I don't think that is gonna be the way that works for me.

If you are going to leave the temp at 40F I doubt a 100lb tank will last the winter.

If you leave the mini-split set at 40F, it will NOT have a problem getting up to 60F. You will love the A/C in summer.

 

[CPH-Jeep]

There are so many decisions to make in all this. So looking on senville website it looks like an 18,000 btu mini split is the size I will need to run. Would it hurt to go up to the next size or should I just stay at the 18k size? Would these need an installer to come in or is it something I could install? Im fairly mechanical so I think I could figure it out.

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[thammel]

I have a mini split heat pump in my garage and a propane heater. (Reznor). The mini split is great for AC in the summer and heat most of the time. When it's really cold, the Reznor heats things up quickly. Also as another post mentioned, since I have water in the garage, when there's a power outage, my generator will keep the Reznor running.