Inliners International Forums General Discussion Bench racing Garage Heat ?

OK.Winter is officially here in South Jersey.30 degrees at night.I'm thinking about heating my 24 x 26 foot garage with a radiant heater,the type that fits onto a propane tank.If I can raise the temp to 50 deg.F it'll be okay for working out there.Any ideas or thoughts on what you may have done or if you used this type of heater? Oh yeah,insulation is being added.

Cat Dog, I've been in the heating business for 30 yrs so I may be able to give you some idea options. You are 100% correct in doing insulation. First off you cannot heat a "screen house" and secondly; with the cost of energy today a tight building is vital. Portable heating units like you describe are ok and will provide some measure of comfort. The down side is since you will only fire it up when you are working out there it has to raise up the temp from a relatively low level every time you fire it up.
Another problem with portable radiant heaters is you won't believe the amount of propane you will go through. If it is in your budget then think seriously of a permanent unit for the garage. Depending on various factors your options include natural gas, oil, propane, and waste oil. Local building codes and the availability of different fuels in your area often narrow down the choices.
With the exception of a waste oil heater the choices are generally available in sizes to suit your needs as far as BTU output.

Mike

Mike G,Thanks for your input. Yes,budget is a factor having just replaced my home heating/air system(nat.gas).I think I'll get my contractor back for a look see.I wasn't aware that I'd burn up that much propane.Maybe there is a reasonable natural gas or propane unit available for that size garage.

Two other factors to consider...

A stand-alone unit is not vented to the outside so you will have an accumulation of exhaust gases and carbon monoxide.

Anything having an open flame might lead to a fire or explosion from gasoline vapors, flammable solvents, etc.

I've often thought that electic resistance heating might be a solution or even the use of recirculating hot water mixed with an anti-freeze.

Thanks Gerry. I'd thought about that too and was deciding on ventilation and location of a heater.It seems I'd be better off talking to my heating contractor again.

CatDog I'm sure your heating contractor will put you in the right direction. He should be able to suggest a nat gas warm air unit to meet your needs. Besides whole house residential sizes there are also apartment sized units that ought to be down close to your garage BTU needs. ( My estimate without seeing your building is between 28,000 to 35,000 BTU/hr heat loss.) Sometimes referred to as wall mounted unit heaters, they are set up with through the wall exhaust venting so no chimney is required. About the only down side to these is you generally have no way to attach duct work for more even heat distribution. But for a garage this is a non factor usually. Local codes may or may not permit open flame devices in a garage and again your contractor will be able to inform you.

Good luck with the project. It will be worth the wait.

Mike

I use two heaters: a 100,000 BTU kerosene torpedo and a 1500 Watt 110 v electric. My garage is well insulated. I run the torpedo for about ten minutes and then shut it off. Then I plug in the electric unit and leave it running for as long as I'm out there. With this method I can quickly raise and maintain a 30 degree rise over ambient.

I also have a natural gas unit from a mobile home but I never hooked it up. Will sell cheap.

Propane is over 3 bucks a gallon in my neck of the woods. I'll do whatever it takes to make sure I don't let the thieves get any more of my money. It makes electric look economical now. I would have recommended a rinnai or other but, not at those prices for propane. Oil's only 2 bucks a gallon. What a deal.

I live in Northern Utah, and it gets pretty cold here. I don't have all the parts yet, but this is what I'm gonna do: I have two steam/hot water unit heaters, radiators with fans basicly. I have a fourty gallon propane-fired water heater. I plan on circulating hot glycol thru this system. I figure on getting a 250 gal. propane tank, and with care, should only have to fill it up maybe twice a winter. Propane is still fairly cheap here. It comes out of the ground 5 miles from my house. I should have everything I need for next winter, I hope. If anyone hears a good deal on a barrel of glycol, let me know.

I dont know why you would need glycol if you keep the water circulating even if it is going through a water heater set at a low temp. Going through a water heater ia a good soultion if you only need to take off the chill and to help out with the load on the main system. I think you might be suprised how well it heats provided you are insulated well,
Glenn