Need help with heating options on the cheap

[ssentner]

Hey everyone,

I have a roughly 800 sq ft attached garage that is insulated all around as is the door. I want to run some heat in the garage for the cold Canadian winters. What are some cost effective options? I was thinking about electric heat but might be costly on the electric bill. I was also thinking of extending my duct work into the garage to heat it from the house, is this possible? There is a duct work pipe in the basement that stops right before the wall of the garage, was thinking of extending it into the garage. Any help would be great!

Thanks
Shawn

 

[nsula_country]

Don't think its fire code to have home ducts extend into a garage space.

Electric is easiest.

CT

 

[3rdgendslmech]

Def against code to bring a HVAC duct from your house into garage. Electric is def the cheapest and easiest for start up. Take the watts of what you're thinking of divide by 1000 then multiply that by you're cost per kWH.
That'll give you an idea of how much it'll cost per hr to run

 

[The FIB]

Code here says the house forced air hvac has to be separated from the garage, both for fire and fumes. Electric is probably the cheapest up front but one of the costliest in the long run. If you run a gas line in the garage you could get some kind of small wall hung space heater, but I would check local codes on that.

 

[nsula_country]

Code here says the house forced air hvac has to be separated from the garage, both for fire and fumes. Electric is probably the cheapest up front but one of the costliest in the long run. If you run a gas line in the garage you could get some kind of small wall hung space heater, but I would check local codes on that.

To add, if gas, it needs to be VENTED. Garage fumes and unvented heaters aren't a good idea...

CT

 

[cabranch47]

I found an old electric central air handler, coil was bad, heater good, and a new unit had been installed. built a plenum for the top to direct the heat around. Works great in 1200 sq. ft. workshop. If you know an a/c guy, he could probably hook you up for free.

 

[ollie76]

I have a similar setup. What I did was add a 240V circuit and plug in one of those 5600W construction heaters on sale from princess auto........works perfect. A little costly, but I'm not running it often.

 

[pbon]

For years I got by with kerosene and propane heaters when I was in my barn. Putting a hanging 45k NG heater in my barn now and will heat full time in winter.

 

[theoldwizard1]

Electric is easiest.

Easiest and cheapest to install. Most expensive to operate. Not a bad option if you have decent insulation and are only going to use it a 10-20 hours a month,

 

[danski0224]

Burn barrel and wood....

 

[Stevenanto]

im in the same boat as you, from canada and looking to get something that doesnt cost an arm and a leg to heat up a 600sqf garage.

right now i bought two 2500w baseboard heaters but think that this will cost a lot to run and keep the garage at least at 15 degrees Celsius.

 

[Showkey]

There is nothing cheap about kerosene plus it stinks.......

Electric or portable propane is the cheapest for temporary occasional heat........propane but has its draw backs like fumes, moisure and toxic gases. Electric heat equipment cost is low operation high and you won’t heat much with 1500 watts so it needs to BIG heater.

 

[strength_and_power]

I ran a propane tank top heater in a 600 square foot uninsulated space. Garage door wasn’t even poorly sealed as there was light gaps on every side. Also ran a small exhaust fan. I’d end up turning it down to low or off completely after about 20-30 minutes. Long pants, leather welding jacket and gloves and I was comfortable. Never timed tank life but I’d guess 2.5-3 weeks. Was it the right way? No. Safest? Probably not but it got me by. I guess it really depends on how often you will be in the garage and what your definition of a comfortable temp is. Another option would be to look into the modern high performance long underwear/leggings and the accompanying top and some insulated socks. Not bulky like a parka so movement is unhindered. In the long run, this would be your cheapest option


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[jnkpile]

Wood stove! Nice dry heat, ambiance too. A beer always tastes better sitting beside a wood stove too! Not much fun sitting beside a baseboard....


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[Miss the Pontiacs]

If you go the wood stove route, check on the insurance coverage.

 

[Stevenanto]

I ran a propane tank top heater in a 600 square foot uninsulated space. Garage door wasn’t even poorly sealed as there was light gaps on every side. Also ran a small exhaust fan. I’d end up turning it down to low or off completely after about 20-30 minutes. Long pants, leather welding jacket and gloves and I was comfortable. Never timed tank life but I’d guess 2.5-3 weeks. Was it the right way? No. Safest? Probably not but it got me by. I guess it really depends on how often you will be in the garage and what your definition of a comfortable temp is. Another option would be to look into the modern high performance long underwear/leggings and the accompanying top and some insulated socks. Not bulky like a parka so movement is unhindered. In the long run, this would be your cheapest option


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we are not allowed to have wood burning stoves anymore in our area. too bad, would have been amazing.

 

[couch67]

Probably depends how much you are in your garage - say if you wanted to keep to 15C all winter that may get expensive.

My attached garage is ~500 sqft and well insulated. Heating with 3 baseboards totaling around 4000 watts. Keep it at 5C from November to March, and only turn it up to 10-15C when I'm working in there, maybe 8-12 hours per week.

Added costs about $30-40 per month, but baseboards are cheap up front, take up no room, and they are quiet!

 

[polexican23]

I am trying to heat 720sq. and i saw someone else posted this electric unit. Also Pm'd him and he said it was worked fantastic for the last 6 years with no issues. Checking it out when i find me an extra Benjamin.

https://www.amazon.com/Infrared-Heater-DR-988-Garage-5600W/dp/B003XOZN7A/ref=pd_ybh_a_5?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=J458EZ49TN898GF4B5VN

 

[rlitman]

Easiest and cheapest to install. Most expensive to operate. Not a bad option if you have decent insulation and are only going to use it a 10-20 hours a month,

Well, compared to the ludicrous price of kerosene sold in gallon containers at the hardware store and propane refills on BBQ tanks, electric isn't comparatively expensive, even at the crazy high rates in my area.

There is nothing cheap about kerosene plus it stinks.......

Electric or portable propane is the cheapest for temporary occasional heat........propane but has its draw backs like fumes, moisure and toxic gases. Electric heat equipment cost is low operation high and you won’t heat much with 1500 watts so it needs to BIG heater.

I have a sealed combustion kerosene (Monitor) heater. There's no smell. Kerosene is much cheaper heat than electric when I buy it at the pump. Particularly when I don't run it that often.

And I have a 1500W radiant electric heater. It's not going to heat a room, but you feel warmer when you're standing in the "beam".

 

[theoldwizard1]

My LP tank top twin head heater did not cut it when the temp was below 10F ! I have a second one now. (Zero insulation.)

 

[Eddie P]

I have the same question and live in Maine, the snow is here now. I am looking at IR heaters on propane, fairly cheap, $300 - $400 22,000 BTU to 40,000 BTU. If you have natural gas it would work great, they have a thermostats as well. No venting needed and no blowing air for my saw dust to fly around. I am getting info on code requirements but my insurance has no issues with it, USAA. Hot Dawg heats are nice too but require more installation and need venting.

 

[Jazz1]

Electric heater is the cheapest. I have wood stove but that's costly, around $2000 for a decent stove and proper chimney suitable for insurance company standards. WETT certified..

I have a portable Infrared electric heater from Canadian tire i used to heat garage when I was gone for extended period., It works well and supposed to be efficient. Around $200

Wood is also a lot of work, its a lifestyle collecting, piling, making kindling and after that all you want to do is sit in front of fire

 

[6768rogues]

we are not allowed to have wood burning stoves anymore in our area. too bad, would have been amazing.

Really? Canada and no wood burning allowed? What the hell is wrong with your politicians?

 

[6768rogues]

Intermittent use, electric. It is cheap up front and costly to run, but if you only use it occasionally it is a good choice.
For every day use, I would hang a small Reznor gas heater. It would be out of the way, use zero floor space, is fairly efficient, and they have models approved for use in attached residential garages.
In NY, house and garage air cannot be mixed. No interconnecting ducts allowed.

 

[Jazz1]

Really? Canada and no wood burning allowed? What the hell is wrong with your politicians?

I think he is referring to outdoor wood burners. Some areas they are not allowed because of the amount of smoke those tires produce

 

[Boilerhouse]

Really? Canada and no wood burning allowed? What the hell is wrong with your politicians?

That may be true in a few areas, but most places have no legal restrictions. However, "up here", most insurances companies do not like to see woodstoves in garages and will deny coverage should one be installed. Their argument is that many flammables substances are typically stored in a garage. Ironically, they seem to be OK with other open flame appliances like oil, propane, or nat gas. I'm not sure what their justification is.

As far as the cheapest option - how do you define cheap. Electricity has the lowest upfront cost, but usually the highest operating cost. Natural gas (if available) has a high upfront cost and low operating cost. Generally, a unit of electricity is 4X more expensive than an equivalent energy unit of natural gas. Fuel choice would be driven by use. If heated every day to 15C, go gas. If occasional weekend, go electric.

I buy logs and heat my house and shop with wood. A friend heats his house and shop with natural gas. When we compare bills at the end of the year, I am only slightly ahead of him. I put in a lot of effort cutting, splitting, piling, feeding the fire, removing ashes. His workout is adjusting the thermostat.

 

[Jazz1]

That may be true in a few areas, but most places have no legal restrictions. However, "up here", most insurances companies do not like to see woodstoves in garages and will deny coverage should one be installed. Their argument is that many flammables substances are typically stored in a garage. Ironically, they seem to be OK with other open flame appliances like oil, propane, or nat gas. I'm not sure what their justification is.

As far as the cheapest option - how do you define cheap. Electricity has the lowest upfront cost, but usually the highest operating cost. Natural gas (if available) has a high upfront cost and low operating cost. Generally, a unit of electricity is 4X more expensive than an equivalent energy unit of natural gas. Fuel choice would be driven by use. If heated every day to 15C, go gas. If occasional weekend, go electric.

I buy logs and heat my house and shop with wood. A friend heats his house and shop with natural gas. When we compare bills at the end of the year, I am only slightly ahead of him. I put in a lot of effort cutting, splitting, piling, feeding the fire, removing ashes. His workout is adjusting the thermostat.

I have had a few companies cover my wood stove heated garage. Insurance company requires install WETT certified.
The install requires using proper chimney and certified stove. No homemade stoves with coffee can chimneys.
Only thing I had to do different was elevate my stove a extra 12" for fumes.