Garage Heater Tech Needed

So it's cold here in Iowa and my Locost build has stalled. I've decided that I need a heater. It can't be electric since I only have 1 15 amp circuit in the garage and all that electricity is needed for my chop saw and welder (not to mention lights). So I'm down to the following options: Infrared vs convection (no forced air) Propane vs kerosene The garage is a standard 2 car. It's insulated with a drop ceiling (also insulated) so the amount of air to be heated is minimal. What does the collective say is the way to go to keep the place warm while I'm out there working?

Two of these heat my poorly insulated 16X20 garage with full attic from 25 degrees to T-shirt comfortable in 45 minutes. I scan CL and get them for $5-10 each.

They are portable too so that really helps for short jobs that you don't need to heat the whole shop for

In comparison these things

Totally suck. They put out a quarter of the heat and cost more.

I used a forced air kerosene heater in a 24x20 uninsulated garage with a loft. Heats it just fine, and quickly.

Downside is that it DOES draw electricity, so might not work for you.

ditchdigger wrote: Two of these heat my poorly insulated 16X20 garage with full attic from 25 degrees to T-shirt comfortable in 45 minutes. I scan CL and get them for $5-10 each.

Be careful with these if the garage has insulation and is even remotely tight. When I run two of these in my g/f's garage (26x28, detached with open stairway to a vented attic), I'll start getting light-headed after a couple hours. I usually just use one now and move it around to wherever I'm working.

When working in cold garage, getting off the concrete helps a lot. I will usually surround the car with 1/2" thick foam rubber mats. Not having the concrete suck the warmth out of your feet is nice.

Not to completely jack, but I AM looking for an electric heater for my 2 car garage.

But I can run it off the dryer outlet, so 220V will work for me.

I use a propane "sheetrock heater" that my FIL bought me for xmas one year. Round jobbie you put in the center of the room, about 14" round and 2 feet tall. Run it in the garage for about 20 minutes on high, shut it off, crack the door to vent a bit, close it all up and work for an hour or so. Repeat when it's time for a break. Probably don't have to do the vent, I'm just a bit paranoid.

In reply to z31maniac:

Same here. I was just trying to decide whether to resurrect this thread, start a new one, or ask here.

z31maniac wrote: Not to completely jack, but I AM looking for an electric heater for my 2 car garage. But I can run it off the dryer outlet, so 220V will work for me.

I use a ghetto-version of this:

similar to what I use

I installed a dryer socket in the garage for one like that, along with a 30-amp, double-pole switch. When it's below freezing out, I turn the heater on for about an hour, and it's almost too warm in the garage (decent sealing, mediocre insulation).

z31maniac wrote: Not to completely jack, but I AM looking for an electric heater for my 2 car garage. But I can run it off the dryer outlet, so 220V will work for me.

Browse Northerntool.com I have a 4000 watt 220V heater from there. It does well in my 12x25 attached garage. Doesn't do squat in the g/f's garage. However, it uses a 6-20 plug rather than a typical dryer plug.

i had the PO of my house leave the ventless propane heater in the garage and the 100lb propane tank outside the garage.

my garage is 28x28 and all the heater is really good for is getting it a little less cold in the garage, and warming up hands when you walk up to the bench to grab a tool.

If I put up some insulation and drywall I imagine it would work A LOT better.

In reply to Ian F:

How much bigger/draftier is your g/f's garage as a reference for what that won't heat well?

I'm trying to gauge watts and/or BTUs (which should be pretty consistently related for heat, no?) for applications.

My garage, when it's finished, will be 20x23, unattached, two cinder block walls and two fiberglass-insulated an drywalled 2x6-framed walls, with fiberglass over drywall ceiling.

drmike wrote:

z31maniac wrote: Not to completely jack, but I AM looking for an electric heater for my 2 car garage. But I can run it off the dryer outlet, so 220V will work for me.

I use a ghetto-version of this: similar to what I use I installed a dryer socket in the garage for one like that, along with a 30-amp, double-pole switch. When it's below freezing out, I turn the heater on for about an hour, and it's almost too warm in the garage (decent sealing, mediocre insulation).

How bad would that bad boy be for my electric bill?

Those portable propane heaters are highly additive. They work well, are dirt cheap to buy, and even cheaper to run.

Even work well while out in the driveway.

I've got a 30,000 BTU wall mounted ventless Mr. Heater in my 24 X 42 garage. The ceilings are 11 ft. high so I drop a plastic sheet down and only heat 24 X 24 area. This is great! Go out, fire it up, turn on some fans, go have a coffe, come back and wrench in warmth.

~$200 at Tractor Supply.

Dan

ransom wrote: In reply to Ian F: How much bigger/draftier is your g/f's garage as a reference for what that *won't* heat well? I'm trying to gauge watts and/or BTUs (which should be pretty consistently related for heat, no?) for applications. My garage, when it's finished, will be 20x23, unattached, two cinder block walls and two fiberglass-insulated an drywalled 2x6-framed walls, with fiberglass over drywall ceiling.

G/f's garage: 26x28, 2x block foundation walls with 2x4 framing, 10' insulated ceiling with stairs to uninsulated attic. When last attempted, the doors were 8x9 & 8x8 wood plus one standard 3' man door. There are also (6) 30x46 single pane double-hung windows that don't close tightly. It's about as air-tight as a colander...

My garage benefits greatly from being attached, so when I'm working for a long time out there in the winter, I'll jsut leave the kitchen door open and let the house heat supplement the garage heater, but there have been times when the combination will get the garage warmer than the house.

One comment about the electric unit heater - the little fan is not quiet.

Doesn't help much, but I've got a pellet stove in my garage. I fired it up at 11, at 1 it was 60 (outside is about 40, garage is partially insulated, 2 car extra deep, detached and was 41F when I kicked on the stove). Pellets run ~$200/ton. A ton will last about 1.5 winters of heating it from Fri night thru Sun afternoon. It runs off a 120v plug, no idea on the draw though.

Plus-clean, cheap heat. I picked up my stove second hand, $240, free pipe kit. Can run while working w/o having to worry about fumes. If you use the fresh air pipe, you won't be consuming heated air to run the stove, since it draws in air from outside. Set it and forget.

Minus-need to store the pellets, permanent-ish installation. You can take it with you if you move, but you can't exactly tote it around a garage. Consume electricity.

I work at an engineering company (I design building electrical systems), so when I have that question, I just ask one of the mechanical guys to run the calcs. And my g/f is a architectural mechanical engineer.

But seriously, if you do some searching, you can find some basic online design guides that will ask some questions about size and construction and give you a rough BTU estimate.

The house i'm renting has a small natural gas furnace to heat the garage. It was 1F this morning when I left for work. The garage was in the mid 30's. I haven't turned the heater on out there yet. Too busy at work to even think about any garage/car project.

One suggestion if your using kerosene or propane heaters is us install a CO meter/alarm to monitor the air while you work and run the heater. The don't cost much and it could save your life.

I've got a 140,000 BTU heater that runs off 24V. It's a coolant heater for cruise ship engines. As soon as a get a 24V power supply and a couple radiators I'll be up and running.

I just picked up one of the floor propane units as described above (silver, two feet tall, 14' around). I have a one car garage and the Gti is up on jackstands. No central place to put the heater. If I put it off to one side I assume I should shield the side closest to the walls, etc.? Garage is approximately 14 x 20, one over head wooden door with a row of windows, one standard side door, insulated (poorly), not well sealed, eight or nine foot ceiling with unheated but insulated workshop/storage above. Also have one of the daisy still propane heaters. I should be fine right? Sorry about the thread jack, too.

So I see votes for the infra red propane heaters (the 'flower ones on top on the tank) and 2 votes for propane convection heaters (the can in the middle of the garage) so the mystery continues there. Is the GRM vote propane>kerosene?

stumpmj wrote: So I see votes for the infra red propane heaters (the 'flower ones on top on the tank) and 2 votes for propane convection heaters (the can in the middle of the garage) so the mystery continues there. Is the GRM vote propane>kerosene?

In terms of pure heat, i'll cast my vote for forced air kerosene.

It heats ridiculously well, but damn it's loud.

Those infrared propane heaters will suck up a lot of oxygen. Nearly checked out early because of that. If you decide to use one and it starts making a chattering noise, get some air in there quick!

Honestly, I am not bonkers about anything that burns fuel in an area where gas etc vapors can accumulate. This wasn't caused by a heater but it illustrates the danger: a customer of mine was refueling a lawnmower in a shed made of that galvanized roofing, the fuel vapors 'flashed' and the next thing he knew he had bad second degree burns up to his knees. He said it happened so fast he didn't even have time to yell, he's lucky the whole thing didn't lift off like a rocket.

92CelicaHalfTrac wrote:

drmike wrote:

z31maniac wrote: Not to completely jack, but I AM looking for an electric heater for my 2 car garage. But I can run it off the dryer outlet, so 220V will work for me.

I use a ghetto-version of this: similar to what I use I installed a dryer socket in the garage for one like that, along with a 30-amp, double-pole switch. When it's below freezing out, I turn the heater on for about an hour, and it's almost too warm in the garage (decent sealing, mediocre insulation).

How bad would that bad boy be for my electric bill?

It costs me about $5.00 to $10.00 per month to run it for a few hours every weekend day. Well worth the cost to me.