What kind of garage heater are you using?

[DanM]

I've put off installing a real heater for several years and now am ready. I'm considering the "Hot Dawg" blower type or the Radiant IR tube type. Propane fuel. Any thoughts/suggestions? THX

[flat-happy]

well i'm in tennessee and i have a 3 ton a/c unit with a propane gas pack for heat with the flame outside so i can paint inside and the gas fumes don't bother either. when i lived in maine i had a wood stove like everyone else. i think if i move back i'll get a furnace that burns used motor oil and do oil changes on the side cheaper than anyone else to keep the supply up.

[RSmith]

Mr. Heater

Living in Michigan .... we KNOW the value of a
heated garage from November - April!

After trying Kerosun type kerosine and
the torpedo jet engine shaped heaters that
were loud and stunk, we saw the Mr. Heater
radiant heater, at a Home Show.

Our Mr. Heater Radiant heater was the BEST
investment we have made for our garage,
here in Michigan where it gets to -0 degrees,
for long periods of time, in the winter.

It comes with all the brackets and the
thermostate does not require any
electric hook-up.

It heats our 2 1/2 car insulated/drywalled garage
to 68 degrees, within 35 minutes, after sitting
overnight at 40 degrees. Our natural gas bill
increased $17 per month, in the winter, once
it was installed.

The radiant part is really nice when you are working
on bike parts that are warm to the touch. It almost
feels like the sun on you when you are working.

It is QUIET and is safely installed 8 - 10 feet in the air,
so low hanging vapors will not cause a tragedy.

Below is the Mr. Heater website and some of the
details from the Mr. Heater site. On their site are
links to several on line National dealers,
(Tractor Supply, etc), for easy purchase.
Clicking on those links also gives the prices
available.

Mr. Heater Radiant Heater Facts -
Easily Heats up to 500-600+ sq. ft. (2-1/2 car garage)
No electricity required – heats during power outages
Includes thermostat
All necessary brackets and hardware included
Available in propane or natural gas
For Large Shops - 2 1/2+ Car Garages
Utility buildings Loading docks
Doorways/Ramps for snow prevention
Storage sheds Patios
Barns Outdoor smoking areas

http://www.mrheater.com/ProductFamily.aspx?catid=50

Roger Smith #1718
AMCA Foundation Secretary

[bmh]

1930's double burner heatrola with a fan and shroud on top (period modified ). In the dead of PA winter I can fire off both burners, put the fan on and go up to the house have breakfast and some coffee with the Mrs. (bout hour- hour and a half) and its warm enough to work, though everything you pick up off the floor is quite cool, by lunch I'm usually shutting one burner down or backing them both off to the minimum at the carb. Heats my shop which is the size of a two car garage real nice. Burns about a quart an hour with both burners on full, about a beer can full an hour with one burner on minimum.

[INLINE4NUT]

When oil was hitting 3 dollars a gallon and climbing I took a lesson from going to Davenport for more than 25 years ( I visited a war buddy there before I even went to the club meet ) I switched home and garage to heat from corn !!! Its economical and enviro- friendly!!! Last winter I heated a 38x48 garage for less than 100 bucks and 70 inthere day and nite!!! And the best thing my money stayed here in the good old U.S.A. !!!

[silentgreyfello]

The advantage to radiant heaters is that it is heating the objects, not the air, which is nice if working on iron. The open flame radiant heaters are not recommended where flammables (gasolene) is prevalent. I would recommend a radiant tube heater. Several suppliers out there, easy to install. I have installed several Hot Dawg heaters, as well as other unit heaters. Good for a garage, but they can be kind of noisy and move the air quite a bit. They are very simple to install as well.

[Chris Haynes]

Heat? I need air conditioning.

[aka HAWG]

and some kind of air purifier to clean the air as I hear from arnold, and that the rest of the country can help pay for

aka HAWG

[Kozy]

Garage heat

Plenty of people are switching to higher efficentcy gas furnaces. Pick up one of their old units which are usually serviceable and sometimes can be had for the asking and hauling. The BTU rateing is usually high enough to heat up a two car garage in less than an hour.

[slarsonroy]

I use an Electric furnace from a house that was torn down and I disconnected one of the 2 coil banks. I have a 2 car garage with 3 sides below grade that I heat with it only when Im working down there, otherwise it never gets below 40 degrees even in the dead of winter (Iowa). I bought it for $50 from the heating and cooling guy that installed my heating/cooling system when I built my new house. Ask around, I guess they tear a lot of good working units out when people upgrade to higher efficiency units.

[rwm]

never use anything with flame you will lose and lose everything life ,your ride your house and your family so much **** burns parts cleaner wd40 paint thiner gas you name it a flash fire is bad news.

[RSmith]

UL Rated Heaters

"Mr. Heater" units were specifically designed for working garages like ours and they have sold tens of thousands of these units, since they began in 1986.

They have a 20+ year safety track record .... and the radiant garage heater we bought 5 years ago, from Tractor Supply, that mounts high on the garage sidewall .... has worked flawlessly .... even in the depth of Michigan winters ...

F.Y.I. - These UL Listed Mr. Heater garage heaters cost $250 brand new and take 2 hours to install.
http://cgi.ebay.com/Mr-Heater-25K-Na...d=p3286.c0.m14

[Rooster]

Most all Fire Departments use the overhead mounted radiant tube heaters in their Engine bays during the Winter. As already stated, the radiant heat warms the machinery, and NOT the air.
I built a Fire Station once, and it had some tricky interface switchgear that would shut off the radiant heaters when the overhead garage doors opened!

Personally, when I build my new shop, it will have piping for circulating hot water in the concrete slab. My friend has this, and when you go to his shop, you want to take off your shoes and lay on the floor!

[RSmith]

Helped?

Hope all this heater info helped ....

[KNUCK]

I just moved to the hills below Yosemite Park and plan to install a Pellet Stove to take the chill off when needed.