Topic: Garage heater?

[medic09]

What do all you folks with unheated garages do to heat them in the winter?

Please, no smart comments from Florida or the Bahamas about how you just "open the garage door".   

[eldar]

A good propane burner is probably best. heats fast but you have to be careful, it is an open flame.

[Gordon]

I use a heater that just screws on to the top of a 5gal propane tank (the same one I use in the Summer for the grill).  Got it at Home Depot a couple of months ago, cheap but effective.   

[hahnda]

this is what I like and I think its what others are talking about.



Having something that pushes the heat is key to warming up the shop quick.  In my 25x25 shop that is insulated I can be in a t-shirt if its not REALLY cold out. I actually have to turn it off sometimes.

[Gordon]

When I said cheap, I meant cheap.   This is the one I have.  It doesn't heat up the whole garage, you just have to point it toward your work area and it does fine.  It's especially good for warming up your hands when they start to get too cold. 

[samfig]

Are you guys using the heater solely for the bike or for the whole garage? If solely for the bike what type of proximity is it to the bike (a couple of feet away)?

[Gordon]

Are you guys using the heater solely for the bike or for the whole garage? If solely for the bike what type of proximity is it to the bike (a couple of feet away)?

We're talking about heating the garage so you can work out there in the Winter, but I have contemplated using mine to pre-heat the engine on especially cold mornings.  I've never done it, though, because I've never had much of a problem getting them started in the cold. 

[grumburg]

Use an oil-filled electric baseboard heater. Very economical and no open element. Takes a while to heat up, but holds heat a long time. Keep workshop at about 50 degrees. 

[BobbyR]

I use a kerosene heater. Does a very good job. I actually have 2. They come in handy if the power goes out.

[cb(r)]

I am just finishing up insulating my garage and I was using just a kerosene heater last year with no insulation. It work good last winter. should work better with insulation in place now.  I had found this larger kerosene heaters at a yard sale for 10 dollars two summers ago.  the down side is with kerosene and I think propane also is proper ventilation.   my buddy uses the oil filled heaters as mentioned before and they work well but take a longer time to initially heat the place.

[grumburg]

I built my 10x14 workshop 2 years ago. Insulated, drywalled, indooor/outdoor floor covering, Thermopane windows. Sealed so tight I would probably die of CO poisoning with a kerosene heater. Takes very little to heat it.

[Tim.]

I was going to ask about CO or other byproducts.  Most/all of these heaters are designed for construction sites etc no?  I have a 12x20 detached garage that is pretty air tight - I rebuilt it a couple of years ago with new plywood siding, entry door and a new insulated sealed garage door.  I wouldn't mind picking one of these heaters up if I knew I wouldn't die using it

My trepidation comes from a youthful mistake of using a 2 stroke concrete saw in my basement    My buddy and I couldn't figure out why the engine kept dying.  I think it was lack of O2!  When we finished making the mess we stumbled into my pickup truck to return the saw and took the left side of my friend's car off backing out of the driveway 

[Master Ted]

I thought that's what dining rooms are for.

[medic09]

I was going to ask about CO or other byproducts.  Most/all of these heaters are designed for construction sites etc no?  I have a 12x20 detached garage that is pretty air tight - I rebuilt it a couple of years ago with new plywood siding, entry door and a new insulated sealed garage door.  I wouldn't mind picking one of these heaters up if I knew I wouldn't die using it

My trepidation comes from a youthful mistake of using a 2 stroke concrete saw in my basement    My buddy and I couldn't figure out why the engine kept dying.  I think it was lack of O2!  When we finished making the mess we stumbled into my pickup truck to return the saw and took the left side of my friend's car off backing out of the driveway 

That does sound like CO toxicity to me.  You're lucky to be alive.

[medic09]

I thought that's what dining rooms are for.

The funny thing is, I came close to getting the wife to agree!

[hymodyne]

I've got the same one Gordon supplied a pic for. between it and the two or three spot lights I usually have pointed at the bench or the bike when I'm working, I can usually stay pretty comfortable in a heavy shirt and coveralls in an uninsulated shed in SW MASS.

hym

[andy750]

I use a electric bar heater (700/1400Watts)  bought from HomeDepot last year for less than $50 I think. i bought it after the fan heater I got proved to be ineffectual. The electric heater heats up a one-car garage well and I was able to work at nights and during day in the winter here in Boston, MA.

Cheers
Andy

[BobbyR]

I was going to ask about CO or other byproducts.  Most/all of these heaters are designed for construction sites etc no?  I have a 12x20 detached garage that is pretty air tight - I rebuilt it a couple of years ago with new plywood siding, entry door and a new insulated sealed garage door.  I wouldn't mind picking one of these heaters up if I knew I wouldn't die using it

The Kero heater I use is meant to be used in the house. My garage is under the house and i keep the door "loose" to vent out fuel fumes for my bikes, gas cans and solvents. The trick with the Kerosun type heaters is to not start them inside. I get it buring well and then move it inside. Likewise you shut it off outside. I think the gumout and solvents we use is more of a hazard.

[Dave K]

Each to his own, but in another life I was a HVAC tech. There is NO way I would work in a garage with an unvented fossil fuel heater. It is bad for you in every way imaginable. I have people tell me how safe they are now, but I still wouldn't see these same people start their new EPA equipped car in a closed garage and take a nap. If they did, it would be a nap they never wake up from. Unvented heaters are for use in open buildings where you are trying to heat an area where you are working, not in a closed garage. If your garage is that "loose" tighten up the area and get a proper heater that does the proper job. I can heat my well insulated 24x30 workshop for about $1.50 a day and it is safe.

[hahnda]

I can heat my well insulated 24x30 workshop for about $1.50 a day and it is safe.

What do you use to heat it?

[grumburg]

That is why I went with electric. That and kerosene is $3.20 a gallon in our area. Also, it seem the kerosene heat seems to be damp. 

[Bob Wessner]

Also, it seem the kerosene heat seems to be damp. 

I currently use one of those propane torpedo heaters. Go out, turn it on, go have a cup of coffiee and when I get back out it's warm and can generally work for quite a while before it gets too cold again. One drawback, like the kerosene, is the condensation produced, not the greatest thing for bikes that no doubt have their little spots of corrosion. I hope to look at some other alternatives next year.

[Dave K]

I use a vented natural gas space heater. The pilot light will keep the workshop at 40º. I can get it to 70º in about 30 min. on a 10º night. I usually though, work at around 65º. Being vented, it also allows the other by product of combustion, water, to be vented from the workshop. Which allows the garage to be dry, keeping rust away. It is also quiet heat, so I can listen to my 8 tracks while I work.

grumburg, I saw that you used electric, and that is an excellent choice if you do not want to put in a vent in your building. Kerosene, does give you the most BTU's per unit, but please use a vented heater. Long time exposure to these fumes,can lead to heart disease and lung disease. Proper heating methods are cheaper than the Dr. bills.

[hahnda]

You ever walk into one of those shops that has in-floor heat provided by a water heater in the corner? Now that's the ticket.


Kevin

[Bob Wessner]

I use a vented natural gas space heater. The pilot light will keep the workshop at 40º. I can get it to 70º in about 30 min. on a 10º night. I usually though, work at around 65º. Being vented, it also allows the other by product of combustion, water, to be vented from the workshop. Which allows the garage to be dry, keeping rust away. It is also quiet heat, so I can listen to my 8 tracks while I work.

grumburg, I saw that you used electric, and that is an excellent choice if you do not want to put in a vent in your building. Kerosene, does give you the most BTU's per unit, but please use a vented heater. Long time exposure to these fumes,can lead to heart disease and lung disease. Proper heating methods are cheaper than the Dr. bills.

I'd really like to have a vented gas heater, but the cost to run the gas line out to the garage could be right up there. Does anyone know of a wall-mounted, vented heater that can be fed from a 20# propane tank? It's use would be for working only, not to maintain a certain temp all the time.