Suggestions for garage heater

[Donald]

I have an attached 1 1/2 or 2 car garage (with bedrooms above) that I want to heat. Don't want to add a zone to my heating hot water heating system. I have tried a kerosene and propane torpedo heater. But I have dogs and so I am thinking of a propane heater on the ceiling. I would prefer a ventless as I cannot vent straight up (bedrooms) and out and up would be ugly. So I was thinking of one of those 40K BTU Mr Heater radiant ones (propane). Not cheap, but up and out of the way. I will check the ceiling height, but its high. My Bobcat's cab can swing all the way up.

Will they heat the whole garage or just objects in the path of the radiant heat?

It does not come with a regulator so can I just get a gas grill regulator and a 25' hose? or do I need something fancier.

Other ideas?

 

[antonmnster]

If the garage is something you're going to heat on a regular basis, I seriously consider something that vents to the outside.

Burning fuel creates quite a bit of moisture, and regularly introducing that much water into the air of your garage is going to create a lot more humidity than you're going to want.

There's also the oxygen-displacement issue.

 

[OldCowboy]

And carbon dioxide/monoxide.

 

[rslifkin]

I agree, unless you go electric, it'll need to be vented outside. If you don't mind going through the effort to insulate the heck out of the garage, you should be able to keep it warm no problem with an electric space heater or similar.

 

[Donald]

I would say a couple of times a week for 1/2 day would be the max.

 

[HTSS_TR]

I agree with rslifkin, do a good insulate the garage and use electric space heater. It's the safest in keeping the garage warm in winter and cool in summer when you need to work in it.

 

[Donald]

I am pretty sure everything is insulated but the door. Have people used those kits that Owens Corning sells the garage door?

 

[SuperDave456]

How new is your circuit box?

If I were you I would think about running a new 120 circuit, and get a electric space heater on that dedicated circuit.

Safer than a gas burner due to the Carbon Monoxide and venting issues. Easy on and off, no matches or pilot light, and the plug could be used for other things when you aren't running the heater.

I just put in lights and more GFCI plugs on 120 circuits in my Garage. I love that I now have more power and better placed wall outlets.

 

[doitmyself]

Donald, have you considered a small unit heater such as the Modine Hot Dog. To my knowledge, they can be power vented out the side wall as category I IF your building layout meets the requirements. Venting codes are a bit tricky, so check this out carefully.

http://www.modine.com/v2portal/page/port...content_014.htm

There's lots of discussion about this topic over at the Garage Journal site too. Good luck.

 

[Donald]

Originally Posted By: doitmyself
Donald, have you considered a small unit heater such as the Modine Hot Dog. To my knowledge, they can be power vented out the side wall as category I IF your building layout meets the requirements. Venting codes are a bit tricky, so check this out carefully.

http://www.modine.com/v2portal/page/port...content_014.htm

There's lots of discussion about this topic over at the Garage Journal site too. Good luck.





Thanks. I will look at that.

I do have a new CO detector in the garage.

But what about all the ventless heaters? There are a lot in the Northern catalog.

I wonder if I could just use a propane torpedo heater to bring the garage up to temp, then switch to a 1500 watt radiant heater (Northern) to keep it warmish.

 

[porcupine73]

The propane or other ventless heaters can be OK, as long as you don't mind the extra moisture being dumped into the garage. I stopped using mine because I could see the condensation on all my tools after running it. In the upstairs there is a metal roof, sheesh the thing was soaking wet after running the propane.

Plus the propane reddy heaters sound like a jet taking off in your driveway the whole time.

 

[Donald]

I may need to look at something I can control and vent. My propane torpedo heater had it 88 in the garage today. I can see the 100 lb cylinder sweat.