winter restoration work-heating a garage

[micks110]

Re: winter restoration work-heating a garage

Or you could go all out and put in a double barrel wood stove like I just completed tonight. I don't know how well that would go over with the owner of the garage though in Chicago having to go through the roof and all! My uninsuated, drafty garage went from 38 to 60 in 20 minutes with a garage door open.

[/IMG]

[/IMG]
For your situation I would go with what everyone else recommended. Good Luck.

Mick
http://forums.iboats.com/showthread.php?t=365820

 

[thrillhouse700]

Re: winter restoration work-heating a garage

That wood stove is rad, I usually use a jacket haha. It gets about 44 ish where our boat is.

 

[wvmedic]

Re: winter restoration work-heating a garage

Sounds good Kenny, one would probably heat my 12X16 shop then.

Jeff

 

[jcsercsa]

Re: winter restoration work-heating a garage

I also use a Kerosene heater , it woeks great I even painted my boat last year using it !! just have to make sure it is running good and not puffing smoke out of it !! John

 

[Azonic]

Re: winter restoration work-heating a garage

double barrel stove...

I like it!

 

[McGR]

Re: winter restoration work-heating a garage

That double-barell approach would work great for me. Now if I can only convince my wife to give up her parking spot and let me cut a hole in the garage.

 

[lckstckn2smknbrls]

Re: winter restoration work-heating a garage

I did a single barrel heater in an old barn I was renting. I nailed some plywood over a window and ran the smoke stack through the plywood.

 

[jdsgrog]

Re: winter restoration work-heating a garage

I like the double barrel stove also. But too bad I'm renting my garage.

 

[arks]

Re: winter restoration work-heating a garage

Here's my garage experience.
Mine is a block 25' x 25' with insulated roof and 2 insulated doors. When I bought the place the garage was unheated. The first couple winters I used a big Reddy Heater (kerosene/electric). I worked well- so well, in fact that I had to shut it down after 15 or 20 minutes because it got TOO warm. I could only use it when I was actually in the garage.

I didn't particularly like the smell and constant attention the Reddy Heater required, so I decided to install a gas unit heater with fan. I found a good used one and installed it overhead along one wall about 12' from the doors, facing the middle of the garage. It didn't sacrifice any floor space. This heater required an exhaust pipe, so I ran a double-insulated section thru the roof. I stuck a thermostat on the wall next to the door into the house and ran a gas line (the house already had natural gas).
It's been about 15 years now and I gotta say, it's one of the BEST upgrades I've done to the house. I normally keep it at 40 degrees when not working there because I've installed a sink and keep paints stored. When I want to work in the garage I turn the t-stat up and within 10 minutes it's as warm as the house with no additional fiddling. Yeah the gas bill is a bit higher but it's not too bad, and that's the price you pay for comfort.

Something like this could probably be modified to work in your rental garage; you'd have to get creative with the exhaust, and use propane if NG isn't available. Hey, maybe your landlord would even pay for the upgrade- a heated garage is very marketable....

 

[thrillhouse700]

Re: winter restoration work-heating a garage

is there some sort of spark arrestor on the wood stove?

 

[Josh P]

Re: winter restoration work-heating a garage

I also have a kerosene heater, 125k btu readdy heater i actually switched to burn diesel in mine is costs less, and the smell is almost zero,doesn;t burn the eyes or aything. Kerosene in ohio is around 325 + tax diesel is 280 on the high side. it heats my 21/2 car garage to near 80 in 30 mins. I initally get it that warm to warm up what im working on then turn it down to about 60-65.

 

[jdsgrog]

Re: winter restoration work-heating a garage

Thanks everyone. As always, it's great advice from everyone. After considering everything, I am leaning towards kerosene. Propane is out of the question since I cannot store it in the garage, and living in the city, leaving the tank out risks it getting stolen. Any "install" is out of the question. I've already tried to ask the landlord if I could do a different install, but he said he'd rather me not.

 

[109jb]

Re: winter restoration work-heating a garage

I don't know why anyone would use the Kerosene forced air heaters. They stink and after working around them you stink. I have one and never use it anymore. They make the same thing in propane which burns clean. That would get my vote.

 

[109jb]

Re: winter restoration work-heating a garage

Thanks everyone. As always, it's great advice from everyone. After considering everything, I am leaning towards kerosene. Propane is out of the question since I cannot store it in the garage, and living in the city, leaving the tank out risks it getting stolen. Any "install" is out of the question. I've already tried to ask the landlord if I could do a different install, but he said he'd rather me not.

So you landlord will let you store kerosene but not propane? If it were me it would be the other way around.

 

[jdsgrog]

Re: winter restoration work-heating a garage

The landlord is not the issue. I have gasoline for my boats stored in the garage. From what I am gathering from my research, kerosene is commonly stored inside since it remains a liquid, whereas the issue with storing propane indoors seems to be in that if it leaks, it immediately turns to gas which is why you need pressurized tanks. I believe it's illegal in Chicago to store propane indoors (that greater than 1lb tanks), whereas it's legal to store liquid fuels in proper containers in limited quatities indoors. That is why here, kerosene is commonly sold on the shelves of the stores, whereas propane is always left outside in cages. I personally would much prefer to use propane, but living in the city of chicago, I have nowhere to chain it outside since I only rent the garage.

As I said, I'm not going to be doing any major work in the garage. Maybe doing some wood cutting and some engine work (not starting it, just putting things together). I'm only looking at working in the garage for a few hours at most every other week. That's the limitation of renting vs. owning.

 

[Josh P]

Re: winter restoration work-heating a garage

I also have a propane air forced heater i found it to be more costly to use a propane heater than my kerosene forced which like stated above i run diesel, and there is almost no smell some yes but a alot less then when i ran kerosene.

 

[109jb]

Re: winter restoration work-heating a garage

Might want to double check the laws. Last I believe the laws of this type state not to store in a dwelling or a structure attached to a dwelling. A detached garage is not a dwelling. Would still be best to store outside, but I've got 3 20lb cylinders in my barn and have no fear.

 

[chambers1517]

Re: winter restoration work-heating a garage

Kerosene does stink, use Diesel. I always used Diesel in my heater due to the fact I keep Diesel on hand for my tractor. My garage is in the basement. I was out of Diesel and was going to be working in the garage all weekend so I thought I would get some Kerosene. Within 5 minutes my wife was complaining about the smell upstairs. Had to drain the heater and buy some Diesel. Never smelled the heater when burning Diesel. A friend who delivers fuel said Diesel is a higher grade fuel than Kerosene. Kerosene cost more because they sell less. These heater will burn Kerosene or Diesel, never use Kerosene.

 

[erikgreen]

Re: winter restoration work-heating a garage

Might want to double check the laws. Last I believe the laws of this type state not to store in a dwelling or a structure attached to a dwelling. A detached garage is not a dwelling. Would still be best to store outside, but I've got 3 20lb cylinders in my barn and have no fear.

It's also worth noting that the reason propane isn't used indoors doesn't have anything to do with gas vs. liquid states, it's more that propane is heavier than air.

So if propane leaks, it travels downhill, filling your basement or boat hull (for a boat propane tank) with a layer of flammable gas that can ignite and explode.

So I guess the question is, how big is the basement in your garage?

Also as noted, a garage is usually considered an "accessory structure" not a "dwelling".

Erik

 

[jdsgrog]

Re: winter restoration work-heating a garage

Ok, I checked the chicago city ordinances. No, I cannot store a 20lb tank in the garage even if it is detached because the tank is pressurized above 15psi. I'm thinking that being in the city where structures are as little as few yards away from each other, the city doesn't want any "explosions" to occur. Though that's my own conjecture.