heating a garage

Ezrider_92356 · Nov 11, 2007

i have an poorly insulated garage that is separate from the house what is the best way to heat it, i would use a propane heater but i will be doing fiberglassing work and afraid of blowing up. so i dont know if thats a good option but neither is running large enough electric heaters off extension cords. anyone have any ideas on how to solve my heat problems, i will deffently want to do something it gets well below 0 degrees F in the winter around here.

Silvertip · Nov 11, 2007

Re: heating a garage

You are going to have an open flame no matter what heat source you use. Ceiling mounted gas/propane heaters with outside air intake for combustion and adequate ventilation is only suggestion I have. Of course you could use hot water heat using an outside furnace to heat water, then pipe the water through insulated pipes to the radiator inside. Not exactly an inexpensive way to heat though. Any heater in a garage should have the fire box at least three feet off the floor. Combustable vapors tend to lay on the floor.

Dakota47 · Nov 11, 2007

Re: heating a garage

Get a Wood Pellet Stove (no open flame) There great.

F_R · Nov 11, 2007

Re: heating a garage

You gonna do fiberglassing in a closed garage? How about your lungs and brain?

Don S · Nov 11, 2007

Re: heating a garage

Moving to Non-Boating Technical Topics.

SpinnerBait_Nut · Nov 11, 2007

Re: heating a garage

F_R said:
You gonna do fiberglassing in a closed garage? How about your lungs and brain?

Yea, I wouldn't worry about heat as much as fresh air, or a hepa suit.

burroak · Nov 11, 2007

Re: heating a garage

Silvertip said:
You are going to have an open flame no matter what heat source you use.

That is not necessarily true. Old, but less efficient furnaces are being replaced all the time. These can be had for nothing or next to nothing. If you enclose the furnace, isolating it from the space that you intend heat, and provide a outside combustion air source, i.e. a hole covered by a weatherproof grill in the exterior wall, heated air and the return air must isolated from the furnace "room" by duct work. Be sure to filter the return air to catch particulate.

None of your "heated" air will ever be exposed to an open flame.

arks · Nov 11, 2007

Re: heating a garage

I used to have an unheated garage and the best (and safest) way I found to heat it was to use a big fan-driven kerosene construction heater like a Reddy Heater. I would open the garage door about 2 feet and put the heater OUTSIDE. I then arranged some sheets of plywood around (but not near) the heater to block the wind. I aimed the heater toward the garage and turned it on. My 25 x 25 garage would warm up within 10 minutes and stay toasty as long as the heater was running. I painted a truck one winter and it worked pretty well. The only times I'd get fumes was when turning off the heater. There was plenty of air movement when it was running.

Bob_VT · Nov 11, 2007

Re: heating a garage

You are better with propane or wood. If you go with a kerosene heater you run the risk of micro oil droplets in the air when you shut it down...... these will cling to surfaces and maybe mess up any gel coating/painting you might plan. You will end up with fisheye. Been there done that.....

Ezrider_92356 · Nov 11, 2007

Re: heating a garage

i was thinking about one of them ready heaters, although i was thinking of opening the door a couple feet and then putting the heater halfway under the door. i wonder if they make an propane version of the same thing. as far as breathing i have a face mask and respiratory system for applying automotive paints i plan on using when using the resin but that wont keep me from blowing up

arks · Nov 11, 2007

Re: heating a garage

Bob_VT said:
If you go with a kerosene heater you run the risk of micro oil droplets in the air when you shut it down...... these will cling to surfaces and maybe mess up any gel coating/painting you might plan.....

I guess I was lucky because I didn't have any problem with that.

BTW- they do make a propane construction heater, but the only ones I've seen don't have any fan or blower- basically its a big steel drum around the burner. It put out a decent amount of heat, but nothing compared to the Reddy Heater...

muskyone · Nov 12, 2007

Re: heating a garage

radiant heat thay heat everything in the room not the air so if you opend the door when you closed it it would still be warm and thay attache to the celing around 700 bucks you can get them from northern tool

MrBigStuff · Nov 14, 2007

Re: heating a garage

Beware of construction heaters. Burning propane produces copious amounts of water vapor. If it isn't vented outside, the water vapor is going to condense on everything in your garage, including all those expensive tools. BTDTBTTS.

I tried just about every source of heating for my detached garage. What worked best for me was an old, oil fired house furnace. I got it for next to nothing by scanning the papers looking for someone just wanting to get rid of an old furnace. I built a flue for around $30 in parts and ran it out of the back of the garage through a thimble. I rigged it to be self priming and ran it off of an old outboard gas tank with quick disconnects. I think I filled the tank maybe 3 times in a season (WI winters) and rebuilt many cars in that garage in winter. NO insulation. An 80,000 BTU furnace can heat a two car garage up to 70 degrees in record time! And, it's a dry heat :-D

jonewby · Nov 14, 2007

Re: heating a garage

Check out Overhead Infared heaters. No flame no hot spots. Years ago I heated a horse barn with them. Sawdust, wood shavings, hay, straw - no problem. Only problem you might run into is power failures. No power - no heat.

newbie4life · Nov 14, 2007

Re: heating a garage

I guess I'm lucky to be alive.

I heat my paint booth with wood. Spray several gallons of lacquer a day (between 4 and 5). Wood is ALL I heat with out there. 'Course, I have an exhaust fan in the wall, and when it runs, I have to open up a window, to bring in the fresh air, so it doesn't take the draft outta the chimney. But, I like the wood heat.... ALOT. It can be -10 in there, and within 15 minutes, it's close to 70. (Paint booth isn't very large... only 16 x 16). Set a box fan behind the woodstove, to blow the heat outta that corner, but it works great.

Agree with the above comments on the construction heaters. They'll warm you, but leave you dripping wet. And good luck trying to get your stuff to dry. Wood is such a dry heat, that it even helps the dry time of lacquer/latex finishes. Oil, is kind of a timed event. But, it's still necessary to keep it warm.

Anyway... I'm sure you'll read about me in the newspaper someday. But, I've got enough life insurance, my wife is probably looking forward to it.

Ezrider_92356 · Dec 3, 2007

Re: heating a garage

i ended up getting an 30-55,000 btu propane forced air ready heater. im not terably concerned with moister as when its -15 degrees outside the air is extreemly dry to begin with

MrBigStuff · Dec 3, 2007

Re: heating a garage

Two words for ya- relative humidity.

newbie4life · Dec 3, 2007

Re: heating a garage

Ezrider_92356 said:
i ended up getting an 30-55,000 btu propane forced air ready heater. im not terably concerned with moister as when its -15 degrees outside the air is extreemly dry to begin with

If it's that cold out, I wouldn't be using a ready heater. It's all well and good, until you shut that sucker down for the night, and don't get out there for a day or two. Now, your garage door is frozen to the concrete slab. Windows/doors are frozen shut.

Worse yet, if you park your car in the garage, it'll get moisture in the intake manifold, and could leave you or your family stranded.... Sounds like I'm speaking from experience, doesn't it? yeah.... I purchased an Impala in 2001, used the garage on one of those -15 nights, ran just a regular heater (LP forced air modine hanging furnace -- vented outside). Next morning, my wife took the car to work, but the engine didn't get the moisture dried out of the intake. 10 miles down the road, and I had to call her a tow truck. When the dealership took the car back, they said there was an enormous ice pack in the manifold, but wouldn't charge for the tow, or the service, since I just bought the car.

Humidity/moisture and cold just don't mix. But, if the weather warms up a little bit, you'll be fine.

Good luck!!!

heating a garage

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