[OT] Garage Heater Options
Safety Car
Joined: Jul 2002
Posts: 4,269
Likes: 3
From: St. Charles IL
Cruise-In 5-6-7-8-9-11-12 Veteran
A CI-6 Car Show Winner
Originally Posted by bertmeister
I have a Modine Hot Dawg heater in my 2 1/2 car garage. It runs on a thermostat. Does a great job and very satisfied with it.
Modine Hot Dawg
Modine Hot Dawg
Thread Starter
Melting Slicks
Joined: Sep 2002
Posts: 2,783
Likes: 2
From: Engineers do it better.
Wow...never thought Heaters would be such a hot topic 
Thanks much for the info.
Kerosene.....smell and safety problem
Woodstove.......love to, but they are dirty, require work and will take up too much room.
Propane....clean, but may not be safe.
Electric.... small, easy and "plug and play"
I hate the cold and stay indoors during the winter just like the Vette. For my occasional use, I will try the electric one.
mjager, I will take you on your offer. I am thinking maybe we can share, I will use it in winter and it's all your for the entire summer
Thanks much for the info.
Kerosene.....smell and safety problem
Woodstove.......love to, but they are dirty, require work and will take up too much room.
Propane....clean, but may not be safe.
Electric.... small, easy and "plug and play"
I hate the cold and stay indoors during the winter just like the Vette. For my occasional use, I will try the electric one.
mjager, I will take you on your offer. I am thinking maybe we can share, I will use it in winter and it's all your for the entire summer
Melting Slicks
Joined: Oct 2003
Posts: 2,033
Likes: 1
From: Prescott Arizona
I just purchased a heating element that mounts on the top of a BBQ propane tank. You can get it with one or two elements. It heats things up pretty good and it's safe. Both burners running you can get about 28 hours out of a tank. One burner running will get you about 40 hours.
Le Mans Master
Joined: Feb 2001
Posts: 7,615
Likes: 142
From: Lake Simcoe..... Back in Black baby!!!
Toronto Events Coordinator
mjager, I will take you on your offer. I am thinking maybe we can share, I will use it in winter and it's all your for the entire summer [/QUOTE]
Had a pretty bad day at work (see my post in OT), but e-mail me and we can plan on hooking up.
[/QUOTE]Had a pretty bad day at work (see my post in OT), but e-mail me and we can plan on hooking up.
Safety Car
Joined: Jun 2002
Posts: 4,760
Likes: 2,511
From: Buckeye, AZ
St. Jude Donor '12-'13
I have a 60,000 BTU two speed blower between the stud direct vent gas furnace. It will take a three car garage up to 70F in about 30min. took about three hours to install once you have a gas line. cost aroudn $600. Another plus is the pilot is sealed so fumes aren't a problem. Grainger has a nice selection of these types of furnaces.
Burning Brakes
Joined: Feb 2004
Posts: 758
Likes: 14
From: Ville de la Baie Quebec. A winner is just a loser who tried again.
Originally Posted by desi
If it take less than 2-3 hrs, that's fine. I usually plan ahead. Plus it's going to be turned on maybe 4-5 times a season. Stinky ones would not work, house is attached to the garage. Kerosin seems dangerous for some reason. I am looking for a convenient and economical way to heat for 4-6 hrs at a time on weekends.
Any opinions on baseboard ones?
Any opinions on baseboard ones?
A buddy of mine has a keroseen heater,,, man,,, I spent like 1hrs with him and had to was all my clothes to get the smell out...lololl hope this helps...
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Safety Car
Joined: Jul 2002
Posts: 4,269
Likes: 3
From: St. Charles IL
Cruise-In 5-6-7-8-9-11-12 Veteran
A CI-6 Car Show Winner
One more thing I could throw in here: Radiant floor heat. A small gas-fired water heater would do a great job providing you install an adequate amount of tubing in the floor before it's poured. Limit the water temperature to no more then 120 degrees or the concrete may buckle.
Thread Starter
Melting Slicks
Joined: Sep 2002
Posts: 2,783
Likes: 2
From: Engineers do it better.
Originally Posted by Michel B
This is my experience,, we had an unusually cold winter last year( and I do mean cold, with heavy winds almost every day, Jan, FEB,March.) My garage is similar in size as yours, and fully insulated, R-24. I've always heated it with a construction heater as you are looking at. It cost me about 300$ cad to heat one full season, that is 24hrs, 7 days. In the past I've also just used it on weekends,, it worms up the garage in about 30- to 60 minutes, with no considerable difference in my bills. I don't leave it on the floor although,, it hangs in a corner about 4ft off the ground. The one major problem I had was the air comming out of my compressor,,, it would freeze up my tools,,lololl. All in all it is very comfortable workplace.
A buddy of mine has a keroseen heater,,, man,,, I spent like 1hrs with him and had to was all my clothes to get the smell out...lololl hope this helps...
A buddy of mine has a keroseen heater,,, man,,, I spent like 1hrs with him and had to was all my clothes to get the smell out...lololl hope this helps...
if I were building a new garage, heated floor + forced air heater would be my first choice. I don't feel comfortable with propane, kerosene or open elements, especially with paint, paper, and chemicals around.
Thanks everyone for sharing your opinions
Melting Slicks
Joined: Dec 2000
Posts: 2,635
Likes: 0
From: Union Ontario
Desi,
In my quest for a warm garage I have ocome across the thought of using my hot water heater as the source.
I can get a 36,000btu/h , 3 speed heater for around $240CA this puts out around 2 times the amount of the heat the construction heater puts out.
The problem is the units I've found so far are meant for car heaters( ie low pressure) but this should work easily... and well- my old house had a forced air furnace that had a hot water coil in it and it worked great.
In my quest for a warm garage I have ocome across the thought of using my hot water heater as the source.
I can get a 36,000btu/h , 3 speed heater for around $240CA this puts out around 2 times the amount of the heat the construction heater puts out.
The problem is the units I've found so far are meant for car heaters( ie low pressure) but this should work easily... and well- my old house had a forced air furnace that had a hot water coil in it and it worked great.
Team Owner
Joined: Apr 2001
Posts: 54,204
Likes: 180
From: S.W. Ohio. . . . . . NRA Life Member
here is my setup - propane:
the 20,000 BTU model was big enough, but I wanted to set the thermostat low... and have fast recovery. So that is why I purchased the 30,000 btu model.
I've had it for 4 years now and it works great. The exhaust vent is powered, I ran it out a side wall,
the 20,000 BTU model was big enough, but I wanted to set the thermostat low... and have fast recovery. So that is why I purchased the 30,000 btu model.
I've had it for 4 years now and it works great. The exhaust vent is powered, I ran it out a side wall,
Le Mans Master
Joined: Oct 2002
Posts: 5,714
Likes: 6
From: Silver City NM
St. Jude Donor '05-'07
I've been going through the same heater problems.
Tried the convection...noisy as heck. Some moisture.
Tried propane bullet...plenty of heat, but moisture on EVERYTHING. This is BAD NEWS guys. While the Vette body is fiberglass, the metal parts inside and outside the car will get wet. That includes exposed wiring. If you only use the heater when you are in the garage, the hot-cold-hot-cold WILL cause a lot of condensation.
Electric...not enough output.
A lot of the heat descision depends on...
1. If your garage is WELL insulated. Garage door, walls, and at least block off the ceiling. Cover the walls with plywood, if possible, after insulating.
2. If you are gonna heat it day and night or just when you are working in there.
3. Cost of fuel
Another factor you have to think about is open flame. If you are working with any part of the fuel system, or your car has a leak in the fuel system, gasoline vapors can build up to the point where WHAMMO...an open flame like a convection, propane or kerosene heater sets it off.
I plan on insulating my walls, garage door, and laying foam sheets along
the roof braces to insulate the garage. A couple of electric heaters with thermostats should do the trick, and I'll leave them on all winter.
Dep
Tried the convection...noisy as heck. Some moisture.
Tried propane bullet...plenty of heat, but moisture on EVERYTHING. This is BAD NEWS guys. While the Vette body is fiberglass, the metal parts inside and outside the car will get wet. That includes exposed wiring. If you only use the heater when you are in the garage, the hot-cold-hot-cold WILL cause a lot of condensation.
Electric...not enough output.
A lot of the heat descision depends on...
1. If your garage is WELL insulated. Garage door, walls, and at least block off the ceiling. Cover the walls with plywood, if possible, after insulating.
2. If you are gonna heat it day and night or just when you are working in there.
3. Cost of fuel
Another factor you have to think about is open flame. If you are working with any part of the fuel system, or your car has a leak in the fuel system, gasoline vapors can build up to the point where WHAMMO...an open flame like a convection, propane or kerosene heater sets it off.
I plan on insulating my walls, garage door, and laying foam sheets along
the roof braces to insulate the garage. A couple of electric heaters with thermostats should do the trick, and I'll leave them on all winter.
Dep
Race Director
Joined: May 2004
Posts: 11,920
Likes: 2
That's why I'm thinking of either in floor water radiation or 4 or 5
cast iron radiators along the wall.
I plan on leaving them on all winter as well to keep heat at above 35 degrees at the least.
I don't know why you would think that cast iron radiators are inefficient
My house is heated by baseboard aluminum finned hot water radiators, and while they are not the big AZZ cast iron radiators it is THE BEST heat from an efficiency point of view......that's why all the new houses are equipped with them here on the north east coast
Water circulates through your whole system and is heated by an oil(diesel) furnace. I have a six zone setup in my house and my fuel costs are less than anything else used around here. That is with continuous heat above 75 degrees.
The only drawback of those big radiators is that if you use them on and off, it takes a while to heat a place and they take up space.
Hot water radiation heat is cheaper than electric heat as well, around here anyway....I don't know how much electricity prices fluctuate from place to place...
Am I missing something?
cast iron radiators along the wall.
I plan on leaving them on all winter as well to keep heat at above 35 degrees at the least.
I don't know why you would think that cast iron radiators are inefficient
My house is heated by baseboard aluminum finned hot water radiators, and while they are not the big AZZ cast iron radiators it is THE BEST heat from an efficiency point of view......that's why all the new houses are equipped with them here on the north east coast
Water circulates through your whole system and is heated by an oil(diesel) furnace. I have a six zone setup in my house and my fuel costs are less than anything else used around here. That is with continuous heat above 75 degrees.
The only drawback of those big radiators is that if you use them on and off, it takes a while to heat a place and they take up space.
Hot water radiation heat is cheaper than electric heat as well, around here anyway....I don't know how much electricity prices fluctuate from place to place...
Am I missing something?
Team Owner
Joined: Apr 2001
Posts: 54,204
Likes: 180
From: S.W. Ohio. . . . . . NRA Life Member
I think a desicion will need be made as to whether you intend to keep the shop ALWAYS heated at near-normal temps, or you want to keep it at ... say 45 degrees when not in use.
If the latter, then you will need a "fast recovery" heating system.
Electric baseboard, hot water, and radiant types are typically slow recovery systems. I once tried electric baseboard heat, and it took about 4 hours to get things warm enough. Radiant type electric heaters got "me" warm somewhat quickly... but the floor, tools, and shop surfaces remained frigid for hours after turning up the radiant heat.
Forced air systems (with a decent blower) get the temp up fast - including the floors, tools, and shop surfaces. I only use my shop about once a month... maybe for a weekend. It wasn't practical to keep it at 60 degrees the entire month; just to bump it up to 65-68 for just 2 days out of the month. I needed fast recovery and the pictured ceiling mounted propane heater did the trick. I can move the thermostat from 45 degrees to 65, and within 20 minutes have a warm shop to work in.
If the latter, then you will need a "fast recovery" heating system.
Electric baseboard, hot water, and radiant types are typically slow recovery systems. I once tried electric baseboard heat, and it took about 4 hours to get things warm enough. Radiant type electric heaters got "me" warm somewhat quickly... but the floor, tools, and shop surfaces remained frigid for hours after turning up the radiant heat.
Forced air systems (with a decent blower) get the temp up fast - including the floors, tools, and shop surfaces. I only use my shop about once a month... maybe for a weekend. It wasn't practical to keep it at 60 degrees the entire month; just to bump it up to 65-68 for just 2 days out of the month. I needed fast recovery and the pictured ceiling mounted propane heater did the trick. I can move the thermostat from 45 degrees to 65, and within 20 minutes have a warm shop to work in.
Last edited by Mike Mercury; Oct 23, 2004 at 12:56 PM.
