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Garage Heater
- Thread starter atomic22
- Start date
Beau
I like metal.
The only safe way to do it is natural gas....and even then it isn't safe.
I used propane last year and it was pure hell. The elericity in my rental garage is pretty low voltage and electric heaters suck more power than they are worth.
I used a 50 gallon barrel stove a couple years back but it's dirty, you need wood and I can't use it in the city/rental.
I'm currently coming up with a heating system that uses heated antifreeze pumped through a small radiator with a fan on the radiator for warmth. I knew a guy that had a wood stove that heated antifreeze/water and pumped it through a train radiator. It heated a HUGE garage with no problem.
I used propane last year and it was pure hell. The elericity in my rental garage is pretty low voltage and electric heaters suck more power than they are worth.
I used a 50 gallon barrel stove a couple years back but it's dirty, you need wood and I can't use it in the city/rental.
I'm currently coming up with a heating system that uses heated antifreeze pumped through a small radiator with a fan on the radiator for warmth. I knew a guy that had a wood stove that heated antifreeze/water and pumped it through a train radiator. It heated a HUGE garage with no problem.
^ what would you use to heat the antifreeze?
I have a propane forced air heater. It's adjustable from 75,000 to 125,000 btu's and heats up my 24'x24' garage in like 10-15 minutes.. I run it off a 40lb propane tank. You gotta watch out though because when the tank gets cold from running too much, it starts to run like shit and sometimes will just shut off.... with the gas still running. It seems like it just heats up the air and then everything in the garage is still cold so it cools down quick. My garage is insulated on all walls and the ceiling but the garage door, not so much. That's probably where most of my warm air is going.
It works, but isn't cheap to run, and can give you headache if you're around it too long without ventilation. When I get a headache, I know it's time to be done for the day and get out of there.
I have a propane forced air heater. It's adjustable from 75,000 to 125,000 btu's and heats up my 24'x24' garage in like 10-15 minutes.. I run it off a 40lb propane tank. You gotta watch out though because when the tank gets cold from running too much, it starts to run like shit and sometimes will just shut off.... with the gas still running. It seems like it just heats up the air and then everything in the garage is still cold so it cools down quick. My garage is insulated on all walls and the ceiling but the garage door, not so much. That's probably where most of my warm air is going.
It works, but isn't cheap to run, and can give you headache if you're around it too long without ventilation. When I get a headache, I know it's time to be done for the day and get out of there.
shaas
shaas
I use a suspended forced air furnace that came with jets for LP or natural gas. It heats up a 660 square feet, moderately insulated shop to 50 degrees in about 20 minutes. I'm out there nearly every day, the slab doesn't freeze and it costs me about 80 gal of propane per year. In the past I used a wood furnace and a kerosene heater. They both took to long to heat up the shop and were a lot more work.
With wood or kerosene, it was out in the cold getting it going then back into the house for an hour or two. With the gas furnace, it's flip a switch and start working.
With wood or kerosene, it was out in the cold getting it going then back into the house for an hour or two. With the gas furnace, it's flip a switch and start working.
my winter garage is under the house and next to a basement with it's own wood stove. So ambient is above freezing. I used to have a detached pole barn shop insulated but not tight by any means. I was divided into a large and smaller area. I hung 2 BIG suspended unit heaters in there 1 in each section. They could take the room from sub zero to shirt sleeves in 15 minutes. Did I say BIG? They were on LP with my house heat so I can't give operating costs. But the fast warm up made it practical to work a few hours in the evening. Not to mention I could shove a frozen vehicle in there and have it thawed out in less than an hour. Open burner heaters are illegal in garage, shops. But at least with the suspended unit heaters the flame was up high so gas fumes reaching it were very unlikely. If I had to do it again a modern furnace with intake and exhaust piping would be the way to go (sealed combustion) I would still mount it up high as I could get it, not on the floor.
David M
XS650 Enthusiast
Whatever you use, be sure that you have some ventilation if you use any kind of gas heat.
Many years ago, a friend and I turned on a small gas stove in a motel room ( young & stupid ). My friend took a nap. I started to but got up when my breathing got a little difficult. We just about died when the gas stove used up almost all of the oxygen in the room. Be careful.
Many years ago, a friend and I turned on a small gas stove in a motel room ( young & stupid ). My friend took a nap. I started to but got up when my breathing got a little difficult. We just about died when the gas stove used up almost all of the oxygen in the room. Be careful.
I was reading one of the narratives of Capt. John Smith (of Pocahontas fame). They had an Indian in a dungeon with a small fire for heat, and when the Indians came to claim him he had been overcome by carbon monoxide. Smith gave him artificial respiration, and from then on the Indians thought he could raise the dead.
Beau
I like metal.
There a few few options I have thought about.
One involves using no tank water heaters with the pump pushing the antifreeze through the radiator. I have free electricity at my rental garage so I want to use electric. There are obviously some safety issues with this as well, but it is an option I have considered.
Here are the plans if you'd like, free-
http://freeplansandideas.blogspot.com/2010/01/water-heater.html
What you'd need is to set up a pump with intake and outlets going to the radiator/fan. The more heat you want, the more heating coils you install and the bigger the radiator.
Well I got that wrong. Code just says in an attached garage the burner must be at least 18" above the floor. And must be protected from vehicles. (steel pipe, anchored IN the floor). Solid fuel (wood, coal) appliances are prohibited. Detached garage (or attached shop) what ever you want. No definitions of what makes it a shop and not a garage but the common standard is a garage door wide enough for a car to go through. In my experience motorcycles are more likely to have fuel leaks than cars but that' is not code. The thinking is that gas fumes are heavy and stay near the floor so you want any possible ignition source up high. I still think sealed combustion is safer. In moderate climates the house furnace sitting in the garage is common. Not so much here in the great white north. All of this also applies to water heaters (electric as well as gas) a switch opening or closing is also an ignition source. As are outlets.
Gary, does that apply to portable heaters or are you reading building codes? Have a link?
Beau, interesting read... I don't know how one could be made for $8 though. I bet it would cost at least $40 for a two element unit. That's still pretty cheap though. Put it with a used radiator and cheap pump and you'd have a pretty cheap heater considering you have free electric. I wonder how big of a system it would take to heat a 24x24 insulated garage to 50 degrees in the dead of winter, and how efficient (or inefficient) it would be. I'm temped to build one just for fun.
Beau, interesting read... I don't know how one could be made for $8 though. I bet it would cost at least $40 for a two element unit. That's still pretty cheap though. Put it with a used radiator and cheap pump and you'd have a pretty cheap heater considering you have free electric. I wonder how big of a system it would take to heat a 24x24 insulated garage to 50 degrees in the dead of winter, and how efficient (or inefficient) it would be. I'm temped to build one just for fun.
I have read a bunch of the codes but that was a while back. For what we are discussing I went to a home inspectors group I belong to. That usually gives a consensus opinion of how code will be applied in the real world. There is no building code RE portable heaters but the common sense code says keep possible ignition sources up off the floor.
With electric heat watts turn into heat at a constant rate whether its nichrome wire, elements heating antifreeze, quartz heaters or any other idea, it's all resistance heating and the efficiency is the same. As Trav has noted if you don't have much heat, getting what you have to YOU really helps. Also getting your feet up off cold concrete makes a huge difference in your comfort no matter the temp of the shop. So radiant pointed at where you are working or being in the air stream of a fan type heater or even a layer of insulation and then heated fluid passed through the floor where you are working all maximize your comfort with minimum use of energy. Stay warm and keep wrenching!
With electric heat watts turn into heat at a constant rate whether its nichrome wire, elements heating antifreeze, quartz heaters or any other idea, it's all resistance heating and the efficiency is the same. As Trav has noted if you don't have much heat, getting what you have to YOU really helps. Also getting your feet up off cold concrete makes a huge difference in your comfort no matter the temp of the shop. So radiant pointed at where you are working or being in the air stream of a fan type heater or even a layer of insulation and then heated fluid passed through the floor where you are working all maximize your comfort with minimum use of energy. Stay warm and keep wrenching!
I'm beginning to think this homemade water heater element/radiator idea is not going to work at all. One 2000w 120v heater element is going to draw 16.6 amps. That'll pretty much take over one 20 amp circuit in the garage. Beau, the free electric you have at your apartment is probably only a 15 amp circuit.
Those tankless water heater units take a lot of amps! If that guy in the article is using two 3800 watt elements on a 120v circuit, that's over 63 amps! Think of how thick that wiring would need to be to handle that. Did he even test it before writing that article? Or did I miss something?
Those tankless water heater units take a lot of amps! If that guy in the article is using two 3800 watt elements on a 120v circuit, that's over 63 amps! Think of how thick that wiring would need to be to handle that. Did he even test it before writing that article? Or did I miss something?
bubbazboppa
XS650 New Member
I tied into the ducting off my furnace and put a register i can close off, if and when i move out i will take it out and seal it back up... i'm sure it would not be code.
angus67
Welder's penetrate deeper!!
washer and dryer is in my garage, so i just do the laundry. when the dryer is done, I just open the dryer door. i dont do windows though.
Tomterrific
XS650 Junkie
My friend will just open the door to his warm house from his cold attached garage. It warms enough to do mechanical work. I push my work outside in the driveway when the sun shines down. Very toasty for a few hours. Fire up the engine for a ride and it will stay warm long enough for a short job. What I always wanted to make is a small used oil heater. Some little firebox with sand in the bottom and a calculated drip feed. Burn that little stove hot so it burns clean.
Tom Graham
Tom Graham
twinsarehot
fu*cking lurker
I just leave a pot of hot coffee on at ALL times. Well, I used to when I was a poor college student. Now I don't have a garage at my apartment, but my parents have a nice heated garage....lucky!
ATTENTION: PLEASE BUY A GOOD FIRE EXTINGUISHER!
ATTENTION: PLEASE BUY A GOOD FIRE EXTINGUISHER!
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I use a pellet stove in my shop. The garage is not well insulated but it works. The only problem I have is when it's too cold outside, it takes time to feel the warm. I worked on the insulation this summer so I hope in it will be better this winter.
pyroman
Pyroman
I bit the bullet and sprayed the inside walls and ceiling of My steel shop with expanding foam insy. It was not cheap, but it keeps Me toasty all winter as I work in My shop. I hung a natural gas unit heater 8 feet above the floor. I keep My eyes peeled for used carpet, without too many vomit and urine stains
and when it gets cold, I put these on the floor, to avoid walking on the cold slab as much as possible. Here in North Texas, We have over 300 days of sunshine per year, so I am considering building a Solar heater to try to keep down the gas bill. Upside is that being single, when I walk out of My (well insulated) house, I turn the stat down to 50. I may spend 16 to 18 hours in the shop, at 70F. When I close the shop, I turn the stat down to 50, and the house up to 70. I used to be a HVAC tech, among other occupations , so I do all My own installs and service. My house is 1200 sq feet, and My shop is 1200 sq feet, largest gas bill ever was $160. Oh yeah, My Garage door is insulated, and all windows are double Payne. When I built My shop, I figured, spend a little more now, save a lot, later. Seems to have worked. I practically live in My shop, big screen, tunes, beer cooler. The only downside right now? Drinking beer in a shop wo a toilet.Hey, thats what the 5 gallon bucket is for!
and when it gets cold, I put these on the floor, to avoid walking on the cold slab as much as possible. Here in North Texas, We have over 300 days of sunshine per year, so I am considering building a Solar heater to try to keep down the gas bill. Upside is that being single, when I walk out of My (well insulated) house, I turn the stat down to 50. I may spend 16 to 18 hours in the shop, at 70F. When I close the shop, I turn the stat down to 50, and the house up to 70. I used to be a HVAC tech, among other occupations , so I do all My own installs and service. My house is 1200 sq feet, and My shop is 1200 sq feet, largest gas bill ever was $160. Oh yeah, My Garage door is insulated, and all windows are double Payne. When I built My shop, I figured, spend a little more now, save a lot, later. Seems to have worked. I practically live in My shop, big screen, tunes, beer cooler. The only downside right now? Drinking beer in a shop wo a toilet.Hey, thats what the 5 gallon bucket is for!
