Best Garage Heater?

[Barryh]

I am looking for suggestions on an inexpensive, but decent heater solution for my garage on really cold days. I do have walls and insulation, but would like to be able to go out there late at night to work if need be.

This may have been bad timing to get a new PT with winter coming on. Waiting for any PT / QC issues to pop up in the dead of winter where I may need to work on it. /forums/images/graemlins/shocked.gif

 

[MossRoad]

A salamander type works well to heat an area fast, however, fumes are a huge issue in an enclosed space and I would never use one in a garage with the doors closed or if it was an attached garage.

A radiant type heater may be better. Just remember to turn them off if doing any painting /forums/images/graemlins/tongue.gif

Also, electric space heaters are great for close work. Sit between it and the tractor. The heat that misses your body will bounce off the tractor back at you. I've found that sitting on a piece of old corrogated cardboard box will do amazingly well to keep the concrete from sucking the heat out of you. I usually keep a few pieces in the garage for emergency repairs(right next to the duct tape /forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif).

Personally, I like the cold and will work in a garage down to about zero. Then, my hands start to freeze up and it gets painful. As long as I'm out of the wind, I can stand just about anything. /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif

 

[Barryh]

Moss,

I thought about a forced air heater using Kerosene. As you stated, the fumes are a concern. To a point the cold does not bother me. After working out there late into the night last winter, I promised myself I need a better option than just an electric heater. I use a rubber mat most of the time to keep the cement floor from becoming an issue.

I wonder how the forced air heater would do with the garage door cracked open about a foot. Anyone use this type of heater in your attached garage? /forums/images/graemlins/crazy.gif

 

[MossRoad]

<font color="blue"> I wonder how the forced air heater would do with the garage door cracked open about a foot </font>

That's how I use our salamander.

 

[robison]

If you are building a garage radiant heat - PEX tubing embedded in the floor and heated with hot water - is the best.

It is the least expensive way to heat a garage, and it recovers very rapidly from door opening and closing.

It is very comfortable because the floor itself is warm, so the vehicles you are working on get warmed too.

Bring in a snow covered machine at 5 oclock and the floor heat will melt it and the water will evaporate, leaving you a warm dry vehicle to work on the next morning.

 

[PBinWA]

You can get those Vent Free Propane Heaters with Oxygen Sensors now. I've been thinking of getting one of these:

Vent Free Propane Heater

Of course, I would need to empty all the combustibles out of my garage first.

 

[toolz_not_toyz]

</font><font color="blue" class="small">( If you are building a garage radiant heat - PEX tubing embedded in the floor and heated with hot water - is the best. )</font>

It boggles my mind that radiant heat hasn't really caught on in the U.S.. Acceptance, even knowledge of the product's existence, seems to be regional. If we could just start with radiant heat maybe tankless water heaters could be next. More people should watch This Old House. But I digress...

You can also use a type of radiant heat, with pipes running under your driveway, to get rid of the snowy driveway problem all together. /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

 

[stray]

How about a mrheater? http://www.mrheater.com/seriesdetail.asp?id=146

 

[ontheweb]

The guys over at the woodworking forums have recommended the 'HotDawg' heater many times. First one I would look at if I wanted a shop heater.

http://www.littlegreenhouse.com/accessory/heater.shtml

 

[Bob999]

<font color="red">If you are building a garage radiant heat - PEX tubing embedded in the floor and heated with hot water - is the best.
</font>

Radiant heat has many advantages. I have it in my house and love it.

There are also some disadvantages. It is relatively expensive to install. It is great if you keep the space heated at all times but it has very slow heat up if you don't want to keep the space at a constant temperature. Also, you have to protect against possible freezing.

For my detached "garage" I chose a forced air furnace (with venting). It has no freezing issues, is relatively inexpensive, and will rapidly heat the building to a comfortable temperature--allowing me to avoid the expense of keeping the building warm at all times or planning at least 24 hours in advance if I want it warm. A downside of forced air is that it doesn't heat the floor very effectively.