Space heater

[Lawn Cher']

Seeing as the colder months are rapidly approaching, and I've finally cleaned and organized my garage so that vehicular work can be done inside, I'd like to install a natural gas fired space heater. Anyone have any recommendations as to convective vs radiant heat, BTU rating, manufacturer, etc. Also, I once saw where someone had one mounted to the wall and I like the idea of having it up off the floor. Any insight is appreciated.

[RNMedic]

how big is the garage? our family room is a 24 by 24 garage converted and with a 30,000btu propane heater it'll roast you out of there

[w_howey]

I have a propane fired 'jet engine' type. It used to heat my four car shop, hot enough you could work in shirt sleeves. It is a 50k BTU, one thing though it is LOUD.

[riverfever]

Mark,

My 2 car garage in St. Louis had a gas heater that hung from the ceiling in one of the corners. That thing rocked!! I couldn't tell you anything specific about it as far as BTU's or anything like that but all I can say is that it was really nice during the cold winter months and it was as loud as a fan. Before I got the Jeep I had a GTI and it was great for my OCD. In the dead of winter that thing was spotless (even underneath) from all the washing/waxing.

[RichP]

I'd put in a wood stove, sealed kind that uses outside air. The jet type will heat a 2 car in about 10 minutes and you're down to shirt sleeves, 30 min later and you have to fire it off again unless you have the garage insulated and sealed [bad with one of those kero or gas types, you need the ventilation]. The sealed wood stove that uses outside air is a much more even heat once you get the stove hot. It's also a great way to use up those oak skids that alot of places throw out when they get broken or just throw away.
If you do get a kero get the kind that uses outside air and exhausts to the outside, they need a ~4" hole in the wall and are zero clearance and the pipe is a dual pipe, inner is the exhaust and the outer supplies air, no kero smell and the tank holds bout a gallon and a half and they have a built in fan and thermostat, makes em useless during power outtages though.

[GSequoia]

Space is awfly big to try to heat it all up!

[Beej]

Space is awfly big to try to heat it all up! That actually made me laugh out loud...

[Timber]

I use a Reddy Heater RCP80V 80,000 BTU Convection Propane Heater in my two-car garage, but after rereading your post, I see you want natural gas. I'll check with my brother-in-law and see what model I helped him install at his last place. It was only for a one-car garage, though.

[Rev Den]

http://hot-dawg.modine.com/

45K BTU, 2 1/2 car garage......I can keep it any temp I want, all Winter.

Rev

[Timber]

http://hot-dawg.modine.com/

45K BTU, 2 1/2 car garage......I can keep it any temp I want, all Winter.

Rev
That looks identical to the one I helped my brother-in-law install. Minus the "dawg."

[Rev Den]

My previous garage had a Modine 40K BTU unit heater in it....the Dawg is better in ALL respects, more efficent, forced ventalation, quieter, and lower profile. LC when you come up for T4T, I will be happy to let you check it out.



Rev

[Root Moose]

I had a hanging natural gas furnace in the old three bay garage (~28 x ~40). Forced air, etc. 40k BTU if memory serves. It was a fine unit.

My new garage has a radiant tube heater (propane) in the peak of the ceiling (cathederal style ceiling I think it's called?). I wouldn't trade between the two for all the tea in China. I normally have the temp set to ~40 degree in the winter, put it up to ~60-65 degrees a half an hour before going out to work. That thing gets the garage up to temp in no time (24' x 36'). And it's not just the air that is heated, everything is heated, tools, steel bits, etc. Also, no dust gets blown around. I have 2" of insulating foam under the 6" of cement in the floor so the garage never gets completely "cold soaked" but still...

Not the greatest picture but you can see the tube at the top of the ceiling here: http://moose.ca/albums/albums/Web_Threads/curtains.jpg

The name/make/model escapes me at the moment. Cost was ~$2k CDN installed IIRC.

It's funny, just thinking back to my original garage: 1.5 bay garage attached to the house in a "cookie cutter" house subdivision. Heated it with a kerosene heater. It's a wonder I never died of carbon monoxide poisoning in retrospect.

[Beej]

Not the greatest picture but you can see the tube at the top of the ceiling here: http://moose.ca/albums/albums/Web_Threads/curtains.jpg
Man, you need to clean that dump up...

:D

[Root Moose]

LOL

Don't dare ask for pictures right now. I think I can still see the floor in a few places.

[Rev Den]

IF I had a high cieling that is what I would do.....but wiht a normal 10' cieling....I will stick with forced air.

Nice however...very nice.

Rev

[Root Moose]

I went that way because I didn't want to have this massive structure out behind the house dominating the landscape. It looks like a normal garage from the outside.

The tracks for the double wide garage door follow the ceiling. The wall is 2x6 sitting on three courses of CMU (cinder block). Ends up being ~10 feet at the wall, maybe 14 feet at the peak. There is still enough height for a lift I think. Jury is out on whether I'll bother. Depends on if I get back into building cars I guess. Trucks I find are tall enough to not really need to be hoisted up once they are built. If I did this for a living I'd probably feel different about that.

[87manche]

if you want to go with wood TSC has a really effiecient wood stove for about $500. Heated 1K square feet, burned 8 hours on a wood load.

[8Mud]

I just picked up a natural gas heater, that heats water that is pumped to a heat exchanger (radiator). The radiator is in the shop along with the burner, but the burner draws fresh air from the outside and exhausts used air to the outside. Heats water (through a heat exchanger) that is circulated through a radiator (with a small fan). The unit is efficient and clean, the natural gas is burned with forced air. I picked it up used for about $150, somebody installed a too small unit, that was the perfect size for me. It also makes hot water (on demand) for the sink.
I also have a wood stove built into the rear wall of the garage, cast iron with the rear inside the garage and the wood door outside the garage. It's a pain to have to walk outside to feed the stove, but a load lasts for about three hours. I also burn coal on occasion, it burns slow and will last a long time.
I used to have a forced air propane unit, that about did me in one day (carbon monoxide). Went to my knees and barley made it to the door.
With the heater being divorced (fresh air from the outside, exhaust to the outside) from the garage, I feel a little better about painting, solvents and flash fires from dust not happening, besides the possible carbon monoxide buildup.
Europeans do heaters well, there should be something comparable, available in the states. If not one that heats water used for heating, maybe one with a forced air heat exchanger, that divorces the unit from the room.
My shop is fairly small with low ceilings, bad things build up pretty fast in a small area (300 square feet).

[Lawn Cher']

This (http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&ih=001&item=110041991016&rd=1&sspagename=STRK%3AMEBI%3AIT&rd=1) is what I'm considering for a clean installation. The way my house is setup, it is easy to run a gas line out from the basement. The garage is 3 bays, about 20x30 give or take, with a high ceiling, insulated walls and doors. All I need is to be comfortable in a flannel shirt.

[Pat]

go big! if i run this thing for about 15 minutes, the garage goes from 35 to 65. then i just lower the thermostat and it doesn't need to run anymore, for a couple few hours anyway. also nice if i open a door and lose all the heat.

http://i43.photobucket.com/albums/e382/INxj/IMG_0361.jpg

[lesslimited]

This (http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&ih=001&item=110041991016&rd=1&sspagename=STRK%3AMEBI%3AIT&rd=1) is what I'm considering for a clean installation. The way my house is setup, it is easy to run a gas line out from the basement. The garage is 3 bays, about 20x30 give or take, with a high ceiling, insulated walls and doors. All I need is to be comfortable in a flannel shirt.

I have those in both my garages, and they work well. They won't heat up as quickly as some of the others mentioned, but they are 99.9% efficient. They do recommend minimal fresh air venting, but I haven't had any issues with the oxygen-depletion sensor cutting in, nor have I asphyxiated myself, yet.

[Del00XJ]

Had a guy in Delaware a couple years ago kill his family with a heater. Torpedo heater to be exact. Let the damn thing run at night in the living room. Killed them from carbon monoxide poisoning and caused a three alarm fire by noon the next day. Almost as good as the guy in Philly who decided to crawl underneath and "warm up" his motor with a butane torch...hasta

[Rev Den]

I would be hesistant to mount ANY heater where it draws combustion air from close to the floor....rememeber that gasoline fumes are heaveier than air. This does not mean that the heater mentioned above is not a good idea..just not my 1st choice.

Rev

[Lawn Cher']

I would be hesistant to mount ANY heater where it draws combustion air from close to the floor....rememeber that gasoline fumes are heaveier than air. This does not mean that the heater mentioned above is not a good idea..just not my 1st choice.

Rev

That's why I'm swapping in a diesel this winter!

Seriously though, I'm planning on putting it about midway up the wall, ~5-6' off the ground or so.

[ILLXJ]

My mom has one of the ventless heaters in the basement. Works pretty good. Even when the power goes out it keeps things warm enough to keep the pipes from freezing. I have one like Pats in the shed. I just need to get an LP tank & get it hooked up. JIM.