Radiant or Forced Nat air

[Reflections Detailing]

I'm very stuck on whether to put in a IR radiant heater or forced air.

My garage is 25 x 25 and 10' ceilings.

I need the garage to stay above 35 in the winter. Outside it can get to -20 on some days.

I need the work space to be near 65 when working, but can drop down to 40 when I'm not in there. It needs to warm up to 65 within 20min.

I have a Nat gas line in the garage.

What are my best options?

Cheers,
GREG

 

[B&H]

You'll never go from 40 to 65 in 20 minutes with radiant floor heat.

I just converted from force-air NG to radiant floor heat in my auto repair shop this past summer. We leave it at 60F 24/7, and not only are we working in t-shirts much of the time, energy usage has gone done 35-40% vs the set-back NG forced air heater.

We haven't gotten extremely cold yet here, so the final "results" are not in yet, but the only negative so far with radiant floor heat is the initial outlay.

 

[mustangcrazy77]

I'm running an IR radiant tube heater....and this thing rocks! I've kept the stat set at ~ 48F lately....and the temps are finally getting down into the 30's. This will be my first winter with it...so I'll have to wait and adjust as things cool down. Going from 48F to 60F takes no time at all....at which point it's comfortable to work in T-Shirt (no kidding). I had no idea how effective this type of heat was going to be, but so far so good.

I will say though that my heater is SEVERELY over-sized and may not be the most efficient because of this. This could be part of the reason I'm able to raise the temps so quickly....although in all reality I'm only looking at a 12F difference (it feels like more though).

 

[Stuart in MN]

I assume the garage is already built, so we're not talking about installing in-floor heat. An overhead radiant tube heater like mustangcrazy77 described would be a good choice. One thing to remember about them is you need to get the right kind to suit the height of the room - a lot of them are designed for use in high areas, like 15 feet or more above the floor, and they would be too much. You want one designed for use in a regular residential garage. A gas unit heater, like a Hot Dawg, would also work - there are multiple discussions about them here.

 

[Sokoloff]

I have a natural gas radiant tube heater in my hangar and the thing is flat out awesome. I don't even heat the place year-round, just turn it on when I'm going to work in there. Even with outside temps in the 20s/low 30s, and inside air in the 40s, it's reasonably comfortable to work under that thing.

 

[krooser]

Another vote for a radiant tube heater... pretty ez on the wallet if you keep it at 40-45F and kick it up when you need to.

Mine is an 80K which is way too big...I heat 1100 sq. ft... you should use a 40K or so... more than enough if you have some good insulation.

http://www.superiorradiant.com/

 

[HoosierBuddy]

I would most definitely go with forced air gas heat in your situation.

It's more even heat then you get with radiant.

You could go with a furnace and a little duct work and allow yourself an easy upgrade path for central air in your garage in the future.

Phil

 

[Reflections Detailing]

Sweet deal on the responses.

How effective is IR heating?

Cheers,
GREG

 

[B&H]

Whoops, missed the IR part..

 

[Reflections Detailing]

I found a 1 yr old Lennox heater for the shop it 75K BTU, more than I actually need. He wants about 600$ which is more than I want to pay, but I guess these cost 1200 new. I don't what to do, what are some suggestions.

Cheers,
GREG

 

[jvitez]

By your moniker, I assume you detail cars for a living?

If so, I think IR radiant would be better for you. A cold car driven into your shop would warm up much faster making your chemicals flow better when the paint is directly heated by IR radiation, otherwise known as heat. A forced air system means the furnace heats the air which then heats the objects.

Actually, a combination may be best. Get an IR radiant heater, leave it at 45 or so. When you're working, crank up a forced air heater to get to a comfortable working temp. Depending on electricity costs, maybe a NG radiant heater plus electric forced air heater would work well for you.

 

[Reflections Detailing]

^^^
I would love to have IR and forced! However, it won't happen easily. I assume that if I had IR and just left it on around 45 all the time, it would not take long to raise the temp to 55, plus the cars would heat up faster. Is this a proper assumption?

Cheers,
GREG

 

[mustangcrazy77]

^^^
I would love to have IR and forced! However, it won't happen easily. I assume that if I had IR and just left it on around 45 all the time, it would not take long to raise the temp to 55, plus the cars would heat up faster. Is this a proper assumption?

Cheers,
GREG

Yep...I just warmed my garage up from 48 to 60 in around an hour....and I IMMEDIATELY had to turn the stat back down. It was DAMN warm in there! It hasn't been on since and still warm as all get up. Seriously, I'm now thinking 55* with this tube heater may be a more comfortable working temperature. If you are in the room with the heater on...you will certainly feel the warmth too, even when it's colder.

 

[Reflections Detailing]

Now the research begins............what tube IR heater do I get?

Cheers,
GREG

 

[krooser]

Now the research begins............what tube IR heater do I get?

Cheers,
GREG

Buy from a local dealer if you can. I bought mine from an outfit in MN but I travel there often so they are "almost" local for me.

There's no rocket science to an IR heater... I have a Superior but I've seen many other brands that do the same thing. Just don't but a heater that's too big for your space... Superiors 45K u-tube garage heater would be about right for you.

www.superiorradiant.com