I use a Space-Ray radiant tube heater. Tube is twenty feet long and suspended at 45 degree angle from ceiling. Seventy five thousand btu on natural gas.

Always maintain minimum temperature of 40 degrees to prevent moisture related problems.

 

This is exactly what we had, except our carburator kept getting clogged. So we ripped it out and started using an old iron wood stove that we found in the basement when we first moved in. Fuel is free (grandma owns 15 acres of woodland) and you would be surprised how warm it keeps it. I only have a 1 1/2 car unfinished garage though.

 

Condensation occurs when warm moist air is in contact with a cool surface. The usally occurs in the summer when the humidity is high. Hot air is capable is hold more water. When the same air is cooled there will be a point where is can no longer hold all of the water and we see condenstaion on things like the tank of a toilet.
Look at what was referenced here. The cold air already has a lower amount of water in it. It is heated and should have the same amount of water in it. If it then contacts the cold surface it should not condensate or very little. If someone's car was rusting, I don't think heating the garage quickly was the only reason for it.

 

i have been using heaters in the garage for the last 18 yrs .....i have welded with mild steel sheet metal and left it after grinding it exposed for long periods of time...weeks-months....in the garage..All of my metal stock is in a large open box in the corner of the garage. i have some steel in there that has to be 20 yrs old....i have had no issues with rust forming on anything in any of the three states i have lived in VA,OH and NJ....this includes my joiner surface, table saw and all of my saw blades....i have taken no precautions against this at all.........and this is my first fiberglass car all the rest have been steel bodied cars....i wouldn't worry to much about this....

 

Well thanks alot that makes my day

 

I don't have to deal with them. I'm in San Diego a military town which is rather conservative even considering we have 4 major colleges here. I think your refering to Hollyweird. If it was up to me I'd drop a MOAB dead center on Hollywood and be done with it, but that's just me. Now I've been to LA as well and you have to admit there is a vast majority of imbreed people there as well. Put an entire LA town together and you still come up short one full set of teeth.

 

I have a two car garage on the upper level which is insulated but not heated. I may install a natural gas heater later. In the basement I have a heated/air conditioned garage for the vette. It is a smaller garage but big enough to do most of my work in. The important thing is, if you use any kind of heater that has an open flame make sure the heater is mounted off of the floor at least 18 inches; higher if possible. I know from experience that it only takes a whiff of gas fumes to set your car on fire. The ceiling mounted gas furnaces shown in a previous post is the ideal way to go. Gas fumes are heavier than air so they seek the lowest level; that is why you see all the professional garages with them mounted near the celing. Good luck with your heater project.

Bernie

 

gas is the only way to go. I have a 45000 BTU Razner (Home Depot etc about 400 bucks). Works like a champ in my detached 21/2 car insulated garage. Also in Michigan.

 

That only happens if you normally keep your garage unconditioned, and then heat it up to work on the car. The metal on your car (and concrete on the floor) gets really cold and when you just turn the heat on for a short time, it condenses water on the cold metal parts, which take a long time to heat up. To solve this, keep your garage at a semi-warm temperature even when you aren't working on the car. I think probably 40 degrees or so would be fine, but you might have to do a little experimenting depending on where you live. If you run temporary heat (like a torpedo heater) as opposed to permanent heat this might be a problem.

I would go with any good brand name natural gas unit heater. They are all tubular style heat exchangers with sidewall venting nowadays. I would stick with a decent brand name (like Reznor, Modine, Lennox or any other major brand) because the ones you never heard of might not be around to honor any warranty they have when it breaks. Make sure you don't oversize the heater for your garage either. The longer it runs, the better. There will be less temperature swing, and it will take out more humidity. LP is ok if you don't have natural gas, but natural gas is much safer as it is lighter than air and will float away if you have a leak (provided it has a path to escape). LP is heavier than air and will settle to the ground and build up until it hits a point of ignition (like your unit heater).

Just my .02 cents

 

A quick and easy heater for your garage could be as simple as venting your electric or gas clothes dryer into the garage and let it rip. Instant heat that turns itself off automatically.

 

If you do this, you are gauranteed to have moisture problems.

 

Do you guys have this one available there?



That's what we use in San Diego

 

I just got 3 -- 220 volt electric heaters given to me today,brand new never used,2 are 3000 units and one 5000 unit,im thinking of mounting one on one side and one on the other .My garage is 14x28 well insulated and sheetrocked,you think itll heat up fine.I use a salamander now (i can get it to 100 degrees in a few minutes)but want something more consistent.Plus im running all my wire this week for my new addition and i can run 220 to the garage while im at it.

 

not lately.....

 

what is the BTU range?....i would think something in a 15- 20,000 btu range would keep you warm ....maybe less if its always on.... i pump about 80,000 btus into my concrete icebox and it wrms up nicely but does not keep any heat in it....

 

one is 17000 and the other is 13000,im thinking of running both of them

 

in any event you should have no problem and have plenty of heat.....don't know how they circulate the air? is it a forced air unit or a radiant heater?....but you will need to get the hot air that rises back down to the floor level....

 

I'll give you my experiences, they may/may-not pertain to your specifics:

1. my fathers kero torpedo heater.
PROS: Put out huge amounts of heat - quick recovery.
CONS: not permanently installed; takes up floor space, smelly; poor thermostat control; hassle buying and transporting fuel; loud operation. Did not feel comfortable leaving it run unattended.

2. Electric Baseboard
PROS: permanant install, no smell, no hassle - quiet operation.
CONS: Expensive to operate, very poor recovery; took-up some wall space. Had to keep the room almost normal temp 24/7 If I let the room dip down to 45 degrees, it took 4 hours to get the temp back up to 65. I can't plan my days like that - needing to get the room up to temp much more quicker

3. Propane Torpedo heater
PROS: Quick Recovery, no smell.
CONS: not permanantely installed, takes up floor space, hassle buying and transporting small propane tanks (ended up using two tanks since I only ran out of propane IN THE MIDDLE OF A PROJECT ), thermostat control turned off automatically, but could not re-light on it's own. Did not feel comfortable leaving it run unattended.

4. (current) Ceiling mount forced air propane heater.
PROS: quick recovery, no smell, no hassle operation, runs off an outside auto-fill propane tank; off the floor and out of the way. Has "powered vent" so flu can exit sideways if needed.
CONS: initial cost.

Here is a pic of mine:


when I need to use my shop, I can't lolly-gag around and wait for it to heat up.
Using slow recovery heating ... by the time it's warmed up enough, my "window of opportunity" has passed.

When I don't need my shop, I want to turn down the thermostat to around 45 degrees; just to stop anything from freezing. With my current heater, it can warm up my shop from 45 to 65 in about 8 to 10 minutes. And since it's a permanant installation, it's a no-hassle operation - up off the floor (floor space is always at a premium in my shop).

hey 8T8T2; I think you have the bigger brother to my Dayton Heater.

.

 

I run the same as some of the others here and it does an incredible job for as small as it is. It won't warm the concrete floor, but at least I'm able to get out there and work on the car. But...if natural gas was avail. in our neighborhood, that's the route I'd have taken...

http://www.grainger.com/Grainger/pro...682671&ccitem=

 

Well there forced air not radiant,i have gas at the street but they wont open the street for 3 more years because they just put the street in when i moved in,or itll cost me 3000 to open the street.I dont care that there electric,my whole house is electric,highest bill has never been over 200 yet.So they should work ok for me then.ill get wiring this weekend.