Propane Heater Moisture

[Johnny Generic]

Would like to know if running a dehumidifier prior to and during the use of a propane infra red heater in a insulated attached 2 car garage would help or eliminate the moisture produce by said heater? Just looking to take the chill out of the garage for a few hours here and there. Any thoughts or ideas welcome. Thanks in advance. Johnny Generic. Front Line Worker.

 

[Showkey]

A few hours here and there..........is not going to be a big moisture concern. If you use the garage to park cars in the winter they will bring in far more moisture. If you open the garage doors the cold winter dry air will be more than adequate to vent the moisture. Most garages are not sealed very well, so lack ventilation is rarely a problem. Prolonged use of ventless heater in sealed garage or shop is when the moisture becomes a concern.

Many of us mention the problems with ventless heater when it comes up in the forum. Many us also have used ventless heater in the exact manner you mention. Maybe 18 years ago, I restored a ‘50s inboard ski boat over a winter using a ventless heater. I was younger and more foolish. Definitely not a the best choice. Sometimes we do things out of necessity or another heat source is not practical for many reasons. But with reasonable ventilation and not using chemicals when the heater is lit is very important.

 

[Lonnies Performance]

You will probably get about 1 gal of water per 1 gal of fuel used.

Unfortunately dehumidifiers do not work well when its cold, so this can be an issue.
I tried putting the dehumidifier in close proximity to the heater to dehumidify the warmer air. It works decent, but a good dehumidifier uses a lot of energy. When you combine the cost of the propane & the cost of the dehumidifier, an electric heater may be less grief & similar in cost.

The more temperature variation you have, the more prevalent the moisture problem is.

Before I had permanent heat, I used a torpedo & although it warmed the space, I had to open all doors at the end of the night to relieve all the heat & moisture, otherwise it "rained" in the building overnight when it cooled off. There would be frozen drops on everything in the morning.

 

[Jackfre]

For occasional use you won't see enough moisture to be a problem. The air is so dry in winter months that a bit of moisture isn't a bad thing. Come spring on those warm days when the garage is still cold and you run the heater for a few hrs you may see condensation, but that can happen even without the heater.