I decided I need heat in the garage this winter, but I've already begun the search for a shop, or a lot to build a shop on, so I don't want to spend a lot on something I won't use next year... It will only be used on weekends, and not meant to keep the garage heated all winter long.

The garage is 22x24 w/ 12-foot ceiling. It's fully insulated, and attached to the house... no sheetrock other than the one wall it shares with the house, and the ceiling. 2x4 construction w/ R11 roll insulation and plastic vapor-barrier, insulated door, and blown-in insulation in the attic. It would be nice to be able to get it up to 60* while I'm working in there, but anything above freezing is better than nothing.

I have one 220V outlet, and have been considering using a portable electric heater. I looked at some radiant-panels and baseboard heaters that plug into 120V outlet, but I don't know if they'll produce enough heat, and I need those outlets for my lights, tools, radio, etc. (never enough outlets :rolleyes: )

I've also seen some ventless LP gas heaters that claim to be "safe" for indoor use, but I worry about carbon-monoxide. I believe the LP would be cheaper to operate, but more of a hassle when the tank goes empty. Also concerned about smell, and health/safety as the garage is attached, and there will be a newborn baby in the house.

these work great. here is an example http://www.heatershop.com/propane_infrared_heaters.html
many different manufacturers.

I agree with David, I have used these and not any smell, etc. They are almost always on sale at Fleet Farm, TSB etc. Might have to kind of aim it at you to feel warm, but I think for a temp fix, it would be the answer. I think the Propane goes quite a ways, but you will have to keep a spare around. They do get plenty hot, so when the toddler starts toddling (or the drunks start staggering), you might have to find a way to keep them away from the unit! ;)

I got one of these last year. click (http://www.homedepot.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductDisplay?storeId=10051&langId=-1&catalogId=10053&productId=100508430) The one I got is a multi fuel. I use diesel fuel. Get it right out of my dump truck. (don't tell my boss LOL) Garage is 18x35 with no insulation at all. Sat it at one end and set it at about 70* Kept the hole garage between 65 and 70, cycled on and off as needed even when it was in the teens outside.

They say ventilation is required. :( I could open a window, but I don't want to try heating the garage with an open window. :clonk:

That Home Depot link doesn't work. :o

About the cheapest, safest and easiest is the electric overhead unit heater like BillK has.
No exhaust, no fumes, no worry.
http://www.chevelles.com/forums/showthread.php?t=80932&highlight=%22shop%22+%22heater%22

http://www.northerntool.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductDisplay?storeId=6970&langId=-1&catalogId=4006970&PHOTOS=on&TEST=Y&productId=595&categoryId=155626

http://www.heatershop.com/btu_calculator.htm

My garage is naturally vented. LOL. For venting, just open a window about 2". Trust me, You'll never notice.

Derek,
I used kerosene heaters for years prior to having a natural gas system installed in the garage. You could heat that space to 70 degress in Minnesota in Jan, for a weekend on eight gallons of kerosene. One thing I always did was light the unit and turn it off outside.
I have a 25,000 BTU unit that I have not used in a while. If your up in the cities any time soon give me a call. Your welcome to try it out and see if it works for you.
Kevin

I just got quotes to heat & cool my 32x20 detached ....6-7K :eek: , for a condensor unit , propane furnace and a little ductwork. :sad:

I use a simple Keorosene heater as well. 70 Degrees in no time, low safe Fumes, cheap operation.

Dexter,
I have one of these heaters in my attached 2 car garage and it will heat it up from 40 degrees to about 65 in the time it takes me to eat dinner. Have not noticed any difference in the electric bill either but I dont use it every night.
Your garage sounds almost identical to mine, except mine does not have insulation in the cieling. You are in a litle colder climate, but I bet it will work fine.

I have been the kerosene route .... dont care what anyone says, they all smell a little. Gave me headaches :(

http://www.heater-home.com/product/PH-5HW.aspx

Derek I used a 45k BTU forced air propane heater before I added the permanent heater to my garage. Only requires a 120V outlet and a 25lb tank and lasts better than 12 hours. Heats the garage up to 80* on full blast in about 5 minutes in about 10* of Fahrenheit outside. You can buy one at your local menards for about 70 bucks. No venting required.

For the few times a year that it's needed, I use a kerosene fueled Torpedo style heater...shop is 27x24' with open rafter ceiling...not insulated. T-shirt temps in 20 minutes and it has a built-in thermostat to cycle on/off.
And yes, it does get cold here in the South...:)

these work great. here is an example http://www.heatershop.com/propane_infrared_heaters.html
many different manufacturers.

Derek,
These do work. Many years ago when I lived in Kansas a buddy brought his over. We worked in my 1 car with the garage door all of the way up and we were starting to sweat. I would say to NOT use an old propane tank. We had used it before in his garage with fresh tanks with no problem. After using the old propane we started feeling a little funny. Maybe it as just our imagination....

I just got quotes to heat & cool my 32x20 detached ....6-7K :eek: , for a condensor unit , propane furnace and a little ductwork. :sad:

Seb,
Why not do it yourself. I'll bet more than 1/2 of that cost is labor. It is only sheet metal duct work, right?

Frank

[quote=BillK;1499413]Dexter,
I have one of these heaters in my attached 2 car garage and it will heat it up from 40 degrees to about 65 in the time it takes me to eat dinner. Have not noticed any difference in the electric bill either but I dont use it every night.
Your garage sounds almost identical to mine, except mine does not have insulation in the cieling. You are in a litle colder climate, but I bet it will work fine.


I have been the kerosene route .... dont care what anyone says, they all smell a little. Gave me headaches :(





I agree with Bill K........ I keep my garage heated all winter, and its cold up here ....a quality 220v heater is the cleanest and safest IMO and over time your car upholstry takes on a smell from some of those Kerosene units .The nice thing about electric you can take with you ......I use two one mounted on the wall at abot 6ft and another at oposite end of garage on floor ......they never both come on

60000BTU Nat Gas keeps the garage toasty at -40C (and F) :yes: And the fridge keeps the beer cool and the TV don't freeze.

My last set of calculations said it was cheaper to heat the garage than plug a vehicle in (block heater); now if I would just let something that needed to be pluggen in, come in the garage then the numbers would work. Bought the wife a remote starter instead;).

I had actually planned to ask this same exact question tonight. Going to be doing the exact same thing myself.

However, no one has touched base on this. Have any of you that have used any of those portable heaters, wether its propane, kerosene, natural gas, or whatever, had any problems with moisture in the air that can cause rust?

Was at a fellow Chevelle club members shop this past weekend discussing this very subject. Before he installed a heating system, he tried using a kerosene "jet engine" style heater (thats what I always called them) and He showed his drawer of pliers. Seemed they all had a bit of surface rust on them just because of this same problem.

How are you folks dealing with the problems of moisture to prevent this?

I bought a new apartment size heat and air unit and got a friend to make ductwork that you wouldnt need. It cost me less than $1000 for a new unit that bolts to the wall. It runs on 220 and heats up the shop as warm as I want it.
I'll post a pic tomorrow.
Ron

However, no one has touched base on this. Have any of you that have used any of those portable heaters, wether its propane, kerosene, natural gas, or whatever, had any problems with moisture in the air that can cause rust?

I use kerosene. I have a "big" one car garage (16 or 18 x 25 or so). I use a 55K BTU torpedo, a round 23,000 BTU convection type, and lastly, a 9600 radiant one. The torpedo will heat up in an hour from below 0 temps, and the 2 smaller ones keep it warm for the most part. Some limited cycling of the torpedo is required when it's really cold out...my garage isn't insulated. The little radiant one is nice to point at youself wherever your working :)

I think the torpedo causes the most moisture problems. I found this out before I got the additional 2 heaters. I don't think it's the heater so much, but the temp change. I notice moisture on my tools, mostly when I just the torpedo to warm things up from really cold, but only for a short time. If I keep it warm in the garage for 4-6 hours, and/or muiltiple days in a row, everything dries off, and stays dry. I think it's more the temp swing from 20 deg to 70 deg that causes the moisture.

I also don't ventilate the garage much, and not at all when it's super cold and windy. I put in a CO detector, and it's never gone off. (well 'cept that one time I was running the snowblower inside....)

Kerosene does smell a bit, but if your heaters are tuned up, the filters clean, and your using good clean clear K1 kerosene (no yellow sulfer stuff or red dyed) -then it's really not that bad. I like them because this house is temproary, and I can take them with me. My buddies borrow the heaters from time to time, and kerosene is easy to get - even at midnight when you run out. I think propane stinks less, but you have to get cylinders refilled, and sometimes you can get cheap smelly propane too.

Just my $.02

I like it when you guys speak of staying warm. :D

I like it when you guys speak of staying warm. :D

I bet you don't need no stinking heater. :D

if you don't mind chopping some wood, i've got a 25 year old wood burning add on stove that's meant to be hooked into a house furnace that needs to get gone. it is all self contained- all you'd need is a 230 wall outlet for the fan(i think- it might even be 120) and a chimney pipe. and a pile of wood..
it used to heat this big old 100 year old farmhouse all winter long, and the oil furnace would kick on only in those ultra nippy January nights.
we got a brand new furnace installed, and since it hasn't been used in 14 years, it was taken out to free up the floor space.
it would be more than adequate to heat an insulated garage.
as far as i know, it's free for the taking.

I use both a 220V 5000 watt electric heater and diesel/kero (I run diesel-cheaper) fueled torpedo style heater in my 30x28 attached garage. It's well insulated but when not heated normally stays in the 40's in Winter. I crack open a garage door 3" and fire up the torpedo heater. Temp gets to over 60 in about 20 min or so. I then shut it down, close the gar door and use the elect heater to maintain temp. Total cost of both heaters around $300. Yes there is a slight smell when the torpedo heater is running but it doesn't bother me. With only the elect heater it takes hours to warm to 60 and if very cold outdoors won't ever get there.

I have used the two burner propane type for years now and it works great. No mess or fuss.

Good thread. I am also looking into a temporary heating solution this winter. I have a 22.5’ x 22.5’ cinder block/brick garage, un-insulated open ceiling/rafters, wood garage door, and glass block windows (except for one in the back).

I am in the process of sealing it up a bit. I bought a new energy star (sealed) metal 30” door, and plan on installing jamb seals all around the wood 16’ door. The back window is shot and may put that plastic you shrink to seal drafts.

I plan on running new electric, gas, and insulating the ceiling (leaving open rafters) next year. I’m curious to see how one of those infrared propane heaters would work considering the cinder/brick construction.

I have used a forced air propane heater in the past in my parent’s garage when we threw a huge party. Condensation did form on the floor but usually went away when the heater ran for a few hours.

I have a 24' X 30' garage. Initially I ran acouple of 30" base board heaters and they worked. However, I got concerned one day when my Elcamino started leaking fuel after being parked. After envisioning myself being blown outta my chair while watching the Speed channel. I ran an extra set of vents off my central heat/air system. Viola, climate controlled garage, two birds, one stone.

I like it when you guys speak of staying warm. :D

yep. were still in the 100's.. hehehe

I know propane does not smell bad, but how concerned should one be about depleting O2 and creating carbon monoxide? Specifically, the infrared mounted to a tank.

I used a forced air kerosene heater in my garage, then I used one of those 5000 watt units like BillK showed, I finally got serious and bought this unit. Its a 1 1/2 ton apartment size unit, its only 4 feet tall and just plugs into the 220 outlet. I have it sitting on a stand screwed to the wall. You could just take out 4 screws and take it with you when you move. It doesnt matter how cold it gets outside the shop stays toasty. It cost me less than $1000 including the A/C unit brand new. My shop is 24x30.
Here is a pic

Here is what I use in my attached garage (the one at the very top of the page). I've used this in two different houses that I've lived in with garages very similar in size to yours. Works great. Both garages were fully insulated and had a good insulated overhead door. It can keep the garage to t-shirt temp no problem. My wife loves it that her car is toasty now.

http://www.heater-home.com/category/garage.aspx

In my 24 x 48 shop, I run both a Reznor propane furnace and a waste oil furnace. Propane to get it heated up in a hurry and waste oil to keep it warm.

I've been using a big torpedo kero heater but i can't stand the smell anymore. Also stinks up the house with the garage being attatched. I'm going to go with a 220 electric this year. Maybe just use the torpedo for quick warmups on the REAL cold days to help out the electric unit. I'm going with this one -
http://www.northerntool.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/product_6970_1049905_1049905
or this one
http://www.northerntool.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/product_6970_200307927_200307927?cm_sp=Customer%20 driven-_-Recently%20Viewed-_-Product%20Page

I've tried using the torpedo kerosene heaters on construction jobs but the smell gives me a bad headache and they put out too much humidity which is bad for the house construction not to mention what ever else it condenses on (any cool surface).
I suppose you could make sure and leave a window open to keep the fumes diluted with fresh air and let the humidity out but WHY?

I wouldn't recommend using any non vented fuel burning appliance or anything for that matter that has an open flame less than 18" above the floor, it's too dangerous plus being non code compliant.
If something happens and an insurance claim is involved, you sure don't want to give the insurance company a reason to reject the claim.

No matter what you use, the main thing is to follow the manufactures warnings and instructions.

It really depends on how cheap you want to be and how much risk you are willing to take to save a little money.

Thanks for all the tips... I'm really leaning toward electric, as I said in the initial post that there will be a newborn baby in the house, and I don't want any bad fumes or smells (don't like the smell of kerosene) and also I don't want condensation on my Chevelle.

Now I just need to decide which electric unit to buy... any of the above made in U.S.A.? Any one brand better than another? Thanks. :)

If you have any Farm & Fleet stores in MN, they have the Fahrenheat 240V electric heaters. I just got one, better price than Northern Tools, I got it for $220, Northern shows $260. 17k BTU. Made in USA. I just got it yesterday though so I haven't installed it yet. I have a 16x24 insulated shop so I think it'll work fine for that size and for my ocassional use.

http://www.northerntool.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/product_6970_595_595

F&F also has the larger 7500W model for $399. (also better than Northern Tool price)

Here's someone else who got the FUH5-4:
http://www.chevelles.com/forums/showthread.php?t=148962&highlight=heater

I have been looking on the net for a decent temporary electric garage heater to do some work this winter too. Anyone have a recommendation on an electric heater that just plugs into the wall and not hard wired? I need it to be temporary and able to be moved around instead of mounted on the wall.

I bought mine at Mills Fleet Farm, but still need to do some wiring as I don't have a 20-amp circuit for 220 / 240V outlet.

ChrisR-

I have one of those contractor type propane ones for my 3 car garage:
http://www.northerntool.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/product_6970_503599_503599
I like it, but if you run it for a few hours, you need to make sure you have a vent or drafty garage since it will start to burn your eyes. I don't get a lot of condensation (like on tools or box), but I'm sure there is some. It works well, I heat 2 stalls (1 attached to house) which have insulated walls and plastic covered ceiling and the third (farthest away from house) is fully insulated.