attached garage heating ideas

[RPW]

A friend of mine game me his old central air unit when he upgraded. Mounted it to the ceiling (horizontal) ran the appropriate sized wire and I have heat in the garage as I need it. And for the amount of time I spend in the garage it really hasn't raised my electric bill that much. I only run it when I'm going to be in the garage for more than 30 minutes.

[westcliffe01]

This is the kind of furnace I was thinking of:
91,000 BTU DAYTON 80% OIL FIRED FURNACE

91kbtu/hour, will run on HHO or diesel fuel $1270 One would have to check that it was permitted in a garage. For slightly less one can get hot water heaters also oil fired which could be installed remotely and just run the hot water lines to the garage with a radiator and circulation pump tied to a thermostat.

[mjncad]

I'm surprised you haven't gotten the Safety Police on your case yet, so allow me to step in Code typically requires some sort of a fire-resistive barrier between an attached garage and the adjoining living space. Typically this means something like 5/8" type X drywall (taped and mudded with at least 1 coat) a 20 min rated fire door assembly and to have any penetrations sealed. A duct between these two spaces would send most inspectors into orbit for that reason. Risk of fire spread, CO, flammable fumes, etc make the duct idea very bad.

There are fire dampers available that use a link that melts at low temperatures to close the damper in a similar manner to self closing doors on a flammable liquids storage cabinet. But I suspect these dampers aren't cheap.

[AHNC]

Generally it is not a great idea to co-mingle the garage air and the house air, and by tying them together you will possibly create some significant negative pressures in the house, not to mention likely odor issues due to the neg press and infiltration.

I represent them, so my bias is noted, but I would recommend a Rinnai EX22 or 38 for your garage.These Rinnai's are not inexpensive but they are sealed combustion, direct vent and 95% of those I sold in 1991 are still in service. Find me a pellet stove that can say the same. Fully self contained with modulating gas valve, blower and built in stat. 82% net to the space., cool to the touch and QUIET!

I located mine in my two car garage blowing right across the door wall. Putting floor pans in that old car and having that nice warm air blowing across the floor, why it was nice enough that my wife found me taking a nap on the creeper

I just sold this house and we are moving. That garage heater uninstalls easier than it goes in and is making the move with me. At the end of the heating season, I pop the cover off and gently hit it with compressed air and a vacuum.

[ultrarunner]

If you have a building code, it will not allow any of the open flame options, including the pellet stove, any form of wood stove, gas logs etc.

I often wondered about this... California has some stringent codes and open flame devices are often located in residential garages.

Gas water heaters are typical as well as gas dryers... the water heaters are always on a pedestal... the gas dryers are at floor level. Both have flames and in the case of the dryer, the flame is just inches above the floor.

[not2old]

I often wondered about this... California has some stringent codes and open flame devices are often located in residential garages.

Gas water heaters are typical as well as gas dryers... the water heaters are always on a pedestal... the gas dryers are at floor level. Both have flames and in the case of the dryer, the flame is just inches above the floor.

Well British Columbia can be just as confusing. I built a new house in 1996 where the boiler room door opened into the garage. I was required to put the gas water heater on a pedestal, but the gas boiler right beside it was allowed to be on the floor. Both were the same distance from the doorway. No wonder I hate government.

[ctgoldwing]

Keep in mind any air that you direct from your existing system to your garage will be made up with infiltration air to the house from outdoors. A dedicated system will ultimately be less costly. A water to coil type solution will also need freeze protection or remain active all the time to prevent damage in the garage.

If you don't mind trial and error either system you discussed will work.

I guess I'll throw my $.02 in also.

I heat my garage with a hot water unit heater (Modine brand). Its nothing much more than a heat exchanger that has a blower behind it. I do not antifreeze the system but agree you should consider that posibility. The unit is oversized for the actual heat loss of the garage (the heat loss is about 20mbh, the unit about 60mbh).

I keep the temperature at 45 degrees - it hardly runs. BUT when I want to do work in the garage I turn up the thermostat to 58 and in 15-20 minutes its comfy to work in.

All that said if I had natural gas available and were to do it again I would find a new 'scratch & dent' 90% + gas furnace that vents with pvc pipe and heat it that way. I work for a wholesale distributor of hvac equipment and we ALWAYS have dented units we are trying to get rid of. A 100mbh input furnace that is dented we would probably sell for $400-$500. If it really got a lot of jacket damage just a couple hundred dollars.

[wvpolekat]

If you have a building code, it will not allow any of the open flame options, including the pellet stove, any form of wood stove, gas logs etc. The units which will be allowed have to bring in the combustion air from outside, vent back outside and not have the flame exposed in any way. If it is advertised for use in a garage (as compared to a "shop") it should be permitted.

This has LOTS of assumptions. Building codes are not the same everywhere. "any form of wood stove" is not "open flame" any more than a natural gas furnace is. I have a wood burning furnace in my basement that is not open flame. I know some pellet stoves are the same as well. In my county, most building codes don't apply to homeowners doing their own work either.

The better answer is to check with local building codes as well as your insurance policy/agent. Mine only checked clearances on my stove, didn't even raise my premium.

[westcliffe01]

If you need a permit for work on HVAC or plumbing, there is an inspector involved. This probably applies to 90% of the population. If there is an inspector involved, its best to talk to him before making any decisions. I just know that garages specifically, due to the expected several gallons of gasoline in the cars stored there can be very sticky. If it is a shop or something else not specifically earmarked for parking vehicles and gas tanks, things can be more relaxed.

In the end it comes down to whether you have a mortgage and mortgage insurance. Insurance companies have been known not to pay if you did something that violated their coverage.

This has LOTS of assumptions. Building codes are not the same everywhere. "any form of wood stove" is not "open flame" any more than a natural gas furnace is. I have a wood burning furnace in my basement that is not open flame. I know some pellet stoves are the same as well. In my county, most building codes don't apply to homeowners doing their own work either.

The better answer is to check with local building codes as well as your insurance policy/agent. Mine only checked clearances on my stove, didn't even raise my premium.

[dstig1]

In my county, most building codes don't apply to homeowners doing their own work either.

That's unusual. Typically building codes apply to the resulting structure/installation, not the person doing the work. The homeowner exception is typically that the HO does not need to be licensed to do various work, but the work still must meet code.