garage heater recomendations

[poppa]

Just what it says  .

[68X426]

We are awfully fond of a wood burning stove.  If you have serious cold weather where you live, have an on-going source of fire wood, and can cut and chop, I think wood is the best.

For convenience you can't beat an electric heater/blower (depending on your electric rates of course).

http://www.northerntool.com/shop/tools/product_200665054_200665054?cm_mmc=Google-pla&utm_source=Google_PLA&utm_medium=Heaters,%20Stoves%20%2B%20Fireplaces%20%3E%20Wood%20Stoves&utm_campaign=Vogelzang&utm_content=52742&gclid=Cj0KCQjwgIPOBRDnARIsAHA1X3SqRln1YBibvV4f33eO9tCheETv9C5I_0KhPSz1E8OR2Q-9kycHpnMaAkrsEALw_wcB

http://www.northerntool.com/shop/tools/product_200395481_200395481

[kent]

Heat pump. Warm in the winter, cool in the summer. Big hit up here.

[timmycharger]

For my garage/shop up here in MA, I use a US Stove brand pellet stove that I got from Tractor Supply co.  My garage is about 800 sq feet and is insulated and even on the coldest of days I can get it close to 70 degrees in there no problem.

[John_Kunkel]

Have natural gas/propane available?

[alfaitalia]

I have no heat in my shop at all. It rarely gets below about -5c in the winter here (google tells me that about 23 of your units!). If its cold I put more clothes on !....if its really cold I will reach for the gloves. Does have to be cold for that though as I hate working in any form of glove. So come on boys ...man up!

More seriously.........yes I know that lots of you have super cold winters where you live. In which case I think its hard to beat gas blown air heaters (mains or bottles) for fast heat when you need it.

[ODZKing]

Is the garage in question already built? If not I recommend radiant heating.

[poppa]

Yep , it's already built.

I was thinking of something like what Mr Kunkle suggested.

My garage is about 700 sq ft and I like those because they hang , no floor space taken and I guess cuz it's gas. I should have mentioned some of this , my apologies.

Maybe something like the Big Maxx (Blaine's F&F).

[ITSA426]

I have in floor electric heating.  Love it.  Quiet, clean.  I can go out in the garage in my bare feet all winter in Minnesota.  My kid brother has in floor water heat with an electric boiler.  I'd use that if I had a bigger garage.  We get an off peak rate to power them so not a bad deal.  This has to go in below the concrete, but if you're putting a floor down it's the way to go.

[ODZKing]

I have in floor electric heating.  Love it.  Quiet, clean.  I can go out in the garage in my bare feet all winter in Minnesota.  My kid brother has in floor water heat with an electric boiler.  I'd use that if I had a bigger garage.  We get an off peak rate to power them so not a bad deal.  This has to go in below the concrete, but if you're putting a floor down it's the way to go.

Yep, that is what we did when we had our garage done last year. Glycol in the floor with electric boiler. I leave it at 45-50 until I work out there. Beautiful!
But that doesn't help our friend here with an already built shop. I'm not sure what would heat it well and be cost effective. 

[BIGBLCK11]

The Big Maxx style work great.  Low profile and only need 1" of clearance mounting to ceiling.  My cousin's Big Maxx worked fine.  I have one(diff manf.) waiting to be installed, after I get gas and electric out to garage.

[garner7555]

I use one of the heaters in the link.  They are awesome.  My shop is 1500 sq ft and has 15' ceiling.  This heater can take it from 30 degrees to 70 degrees in 10-15 minutes.  They also offer a smaller 75btu unit.   I put the 75btu unit in my wash bay that is 500 sq ft and has 10' ceilings.   

https://www.qcsupply.com/hired-hand-super-saver-xl-225btu-heater-lp.html

Also make sure to get the thermostat that just plugs into the outlet, and then the heater plugs into the thermostat.
https://www.qcsupply.com/thermostat-20-cord.html

Or you could get the accessory kit if you need it all.
https://www.qcsupply.com/20505-lp-accessory-kit.html

[John_Kunkel]

Yep , it's already built.

I was thinking of something like what Mr Kunkle suggested.

A word of caution, when purchasing new, match the BTU output to your gas line size/length. The size and length of my line won't allow my 140K BTU unit to put out its full capacity but the unit was free so I didn't waste money on unneeded capacity.

[Charger_Dart]

I put a Mr Heater LP gas heater many years ago. It works great in New England winters and warms up the garage quickly. My garage is about 950 sq feet and this model seems works well for it:
http://www.northerntool.com/shop/tools/product_200577749_200577749
Just had to get a tank and have a line run to it.

[NHCharger]

Hot Dawg.

Heat my 1500 SF shop easy. Think mine is a 75k BTU.

https://www.amazon.com/Modine-Dawg-Fired-Heater-125000/dp/B01KUYYOF2?SubscriptionId=AKIAJ2F6RDUSIYCWQMFQ&tag=sa-b2c-20&linkCode=xm2&camp=2025&creative=165953&creativeASIN=B01KUYYOF2

[J.Bond]

I have never been a fan of forced air heaters for shop or industry. Hot air rises, and that's a fact. Have been heating mi 2700 sq ft shop with propane and oil for years. the problem is the heat rises, the roof and everything ten feet in the air is 80 degrees, floor area, about 55. Ceiling fans are a Must. Will be changing over to infra red tube heater this year, the infra red does not heat the air as such, but everything in it's view, the car, the floor the tools etc. Best bang for the buck, when you also take into consideration, the infra red is sealed combustion unit, so no fear of blowing up when messing with flammable vapors...

[John_Kunkel]

So what's wrong with a ceiling-mounted forced-air unit that forces the heated air down to floor level and then draws in the hot air that rises to reheat it?

[ws23rt]

I have been in many places where IR heaters seem to do the trick. Such as very large warehouses where workers or customers tend to hang in a few places.
One has to stand and bask under them to feel them. The air in the room is not heated significantly by them.
They do tend to heat what they radiate on but have their particular purpose.

This is "radiant" heat.   It can indeed heat some things that are in the beam. Those things, in turn, can heat the air that surrounds them and if a fan of some sort were to move that warmed air (that rises) back to the floor eventually the space will warm up.

Personally, I like a warm breeze that I feel on all sides as opposed to a shine that I have to stand in front of.

BTW I have a large wood stove in my shop and it gives off lots of IR that is felt from all angles (not just from above). And the cool air from the floor is warmed as it rises around the stove. A ceiling fan brings the warm air to the whole space.

[69 OUR/TEA]

Did radiant floor heat in mine , best money I've ever spent . Very efficient , everything uniformly the same temp . I keep it at 65 all winter long .

[Bronzedodge]

If you're planning a pour for the slab, radiant is the way to go.  More installation cost at first but it's cheap to run, there's a good payback in savings, esp if you're in the garage a lot in the winter.  You can actually use a domestic water heater for smaller garages, like 750 sq.ft.  The water temp is usually in the 100 to 130 range.  My second vote would be for ceiling hung gas, similar to what John K posted.  Low maintenance and no floor space loss.   

[J.Bond]

So what's wrong with a ceiling-mounted forced-air unit that forces the heated air down to floor level and then draws in the hot air that rises to reheat it?

The last part of that sentence sums it up..... draws in the hot air

First, HVAC, contractor for over thirty years, my own shop is heated by...
                                                                          Forced air oil burner
                                                                          Forced air Propane mid efficiency
                                                                          Free standing wood stove
My shop is 2700 sq ft  and have been heating it for twenty years now.  So, the wood stove would be last on my list, way too much work and time. It would be a full time job for one person, not to mention, smoke ,smell and the fear of fire. I'm currently doing my neighbor's install of, an outdoor wood burning boiler, which to me, if you are burning wood and you can afford it, the way to go. Reason, if there is a fire, it's outside!!!!!!!!!! This is a country property, if you  have a fire, our fire dept will save your foundation......
As for forced air, like I said, hot air rises. it's  fast, it's cheap (used furnace) however. It's like having a vaulted ceiling in your living room. Think about that for a minute, sitting in your living room looking up at all that unused space , that you heat, sometimes air condition, and above all, pay taxes on. You can use fan forced, but you need mutable ceiling fans to transfer the heat down to where we are working.

Infloor, by far is, the best.... A shop floor usually is a fairly large chunk of media, and when used to absorb and bank energy. Add that to a high efficiency boiler, and say an outdoor wood boiler ,you would be set....

I did not tube my floor back in the day, did what I could afford at the time. This is where infra red tube heaters work, They may not be as fast as forced air, however, it is about getting that heat given off by the infra red into your floor. Within 12 hours, say over night, thermostat set for 70,  your slab temp should be close to 70 degrees, it's like heating a pool, may take a while for it to get up to temp, but once there, because of the sheer mass, it's stays warm for a couple of days.

[RiverRaider]

Like others say if it is new construction in floor heat is hard to beat.  But for existing construction and you
do not want the city zoning, tax adjuster or covenant rule issues electric is the way to go.  No new chimney for anyone
to see.  It's not cheap and easy like a 20# LP tank and a direct vent "hot dog heater".
I heat my larger garage with fuel oil and was looking to heat part of another existing building.  My first thought was fuel
oil but the expense of the furnace and code approved chimney and liner are expensive.  With out natural gas available I looked
into LP, a direct vent through wall Empire furnace but LP tank location requirements ruled that one out.  I found the radiant
cove heaters on the net.  Researched them and that is what I went with no regrets.  I had bare studded walls.  
I used spray foam insulation and a drop 2x4 grid ceiling.  I ordered  the longest heaters that could be shipped by UPS the longer
ones have to come by semi.  My electric bills are nearly the same in June, July and August as the ones from December,
January and February.  Summer is A/C and dehumidifiers and winter the electric heat.  From Radiant Systems I bought four heaters
and two programmable controllers. Easy to control temps.  stays above freezing when you are at work and can be set to ramp
up and be warm when you get home.  http://www.radiantsystemsinc.com/  The picture is from the website.  They mount close
to the ceiling so they are up and out of the way.  If your interested I can give you more information of what I did.  

[poppa]

I'm all for info

[flyinlow]

I have a 60,000 BTU gas furnace in my 1500 square foot garage. (Ohio)  I like the fact that the condensing furnace breathes in and out thru PVC pipe. Difficult  for fumes to get into the sealed burner to  ignite. It is 93%

efficient. The furnace sits in corner on an angle iron base about a foot from the floor. It draws cooler air from the floor with 1/4 hardware cloth around the base and a filter on the  bottom of the furnace. The heated air is

distributed  thru four 8 inch ducts  A programmable thermostat sets the temperature  to 45* at 6am, noon, 6pm , and midnight. When I am in the garage I turn the heat up to 60* or so. If I forget turn it back down, the thermostat

remembers.  I can leave the water on all winter, paint, glue, etc. Garage is insulated to r25. I am guessing about $300  a season for natural gas? More if painting or gluing with higher temps.  Its about 50 cents per full hour of

heating.

[Todd Wilson]

Is the garage in question already built? If not I recommend radiant heating.

YUP!!!! I agree!!!!!! If its already built then what ever you have room for and can scrounge up or afford!

Always keep in mind in the winter you have a ignition source when the heater is running!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


Todd

[poppa]

Can I run  a gas line directly off the meter to the garage , outside ,along the bottom , under the small overhang?? In the basement I would have to go off the line for the dryer or furnace and around some steps.

[alfaitalia]

Don't forget that the further from the meter you are the bigger the bore of pipe required.

[poppa]

Yes , I'd be going to the opposite side.

[Mike DC]

   
The best advice I ever heard on garage heating was this:

"Visualize the room turned upside-down and filled with water.  Where is the water leaking out?  That is your expensive hot air being wasted." 

Seal up the leaks as best you can. 

[RiverRaider]

I'm all for info

I used four C15024 1500 watt 240 volt 6.2 amp heaters.  They are little over 106" inches long.  This is the largest size that can be shipped Fed Ex.
I didn't want to deal with truck freight scheduling.  When calculating the required BTU's for my area to be heated I was between the 1500 watts and
1800 watts of the next size up.  Given that I am heating part of a much larger building with only two external walls and the area is well insulated
I chose the smaller size.  I have no regrets with this setup.  No forced air, open flames, or crazy price jumps off LP gas.   I put two heaters equally spaced
along each 45' side wall. Each walls two heaters have there own P8000 Honeywell programmable controller. I don't believe I have $1400 in the whole
set up including conduit, wire and two breakers for the fuse box.  I ran the wires in conduit.