how do you keep your garage warm in the winter

[wishihad1]

hey everybody

well with being in college now, it seems like the only time that i have time to work on my jeep/friends jeeps is during winter breaks. we also dont normally start working on the jeeps till 10-11 at night. (work all day...jeeps all night...fun right) anyways this thanksgiving break, ive got to hopefully finish whats left of my build (3 link install/ front 44, and mount 38s up), also put a dana 30 under a YJ, install shackles on a buddies XJ, and probably a few other little minor things

anyways, im tired of not being able to feel my hands, and just being freezing cold all night out there. its a pretty nice garage, and isn't too too big, so with a few guys in there, after 2-3 hours it starts warming up a little bit. but i want some real heat this winter time. like easily comfortable in jeans, and a sweat shirt...heck maybe even a tshirt. any suggestions. ive got a 20gallon propane tank that i was thinking i could maybe get a heater attachment for?

how do yall do it?

[RichP]

Taco Bell, beer and pickled eggs, works every time...

[cal]

I open the garage door and let the warm california air in.

;)

[goodburbon]

http://www.northerntool.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/product_6970_200178674_200178674

[Kejtar]

I open the garage door and let the warm california air in.

;)

LOL... that's what I was thinking about posting :D

[goodburbon]

LOL... that's what I was thinking about posting :D


Oh look you have the best weather oh and the most oppressive laws. Give us a call when you move back to the real world.:wave1:

[Timber]

http://www.homedepot.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductDisplay?storeId=10051&langId=-1&catalogId=10053&productId=100652205&N=10000003+500967+10401010 But mine was considerably cheaper three years ago.

[heyjpark1]

Call up the rental companies (not necessarily the homeowner rental companies: I'm talking United Rentals, Neff Rental, etc.) and ask for a price on a used propane fired heater. You don't need one that puts on more then 300,000 BTU's, which is actually a small one.

Also, Home Depot sells the Kerosene/Diesel fired portable heaters. That's what I use in my garage. Don't use Diesel though, or you'll choke yourself out.

[NW-ZJ-SCOTT]

x3 on Propane heaters. I like the Mr.Heater design. It forces it better. throw that on high for 20 mins, then when your cozy, turn it down to Low and let there be warmth!

[Ralph]

I normally just suck it up. I wear a comfortable coat that I don't mind getting dirty, a knit hat and mechanic's gloves.

[NW-ZJ-SCOTT]

guess it depends. I've worked late into the night at 30* or less. even mechanics gloves wont help your fingers freezing. haha

[MTBracer367]

well for me this winter we have heat in my garage but before that we used a good old torpido heater or drove the car we were gonna work on for a while then pulled it in the grage and poped to hood that really helps warm up the garage fast if you don't mind a few second degree burns

[GrimmJeeper]

waste oil heater FTW! burn that used oil from the jeep!

http://journeytoforever.org/biofuel_library/ethanol_motherearth/me4.html

[Justpunchit]

Heated floors, and my big shop lights keep me warm :D

[8Mud]

I have a couple of old garden umbrella stands (cement base) with two 500 watt lamps apiece on them (four total). I installed a switch, to switch from one lamp to two. This year I think I'm going to put wheels on them. Works for me on all but the coldest days, then I have a propane heater (blower). The propane heater is nice, but you always have to keep carbon monoxide in mind, with the spot lights you don't have that worry.
In my shop I have a cast iron stove build right through the wall (most of the oven is in the shop only the front is outside), you have to walk outside to feed it wood, but no flame source is in the shop. The back of the oven is typically 400F, the whole brick wall radiates heat.

[XJ&CHZ4ME]

First I start with finding some random chick, then I rapidly move past the "hi, what's your name, what ya charge" bit and then ....oh wait, you talking about something different here, I have a ceiling hung ventless propane heater in the shop and it works great and is fairly efficient for the amount of heat it puts out. The new shop is insulated well, so it makes for a comfortable work enviroment and I can work in jeans and a t-shirt fairly comfortable. I have to remember to cover the floor drains in the winter though or I will have some unwanted visitors (mice) try and make their way up the drains into the shop where it is nice and toasty.

[msrorysddad]

halogen lights, 4 of them. It all really depends on the size of your workspace. The Propan and kerosene heaters work, just remember, the exhaust can kill you, so either ventilate or, well... I have seen lots of wood stoves in shops.

[wolfpackjeeper]

before i graduated college and moved away I had two solutions when I visited home depending on whether I was in the upstairs garage, or in the basement. For the basement we had a forced air heater that worked great. It was just a small one, but it would heat up 1200sqft very well. Upstairs we would either do the same, or we pulled a tile from the drop ceiling because the dryer vent was right above that. So we would just start a few loads of laundry and pull the dryer vent and let it hang into the garage. Heated it up very nicely without using any extra energy.

[nonnie]

I have an oil hot-air furnace in my garage. Worked outside in the driveway for years. Cardboard creepers are full of suck :puke:

[ECKSJAY]

waste oil heater FTW! burn that used oil from the jeep!

http://journeytoforever.org/biofuel_library/ethanol_motherearth/me4.html

Someday my Dad and I are going to go a step further and build a hot-water boiler using the same fuel source. We'll be able to pipe it over to the Modine unit on the wall... :eeks1:

[mrrbby]

We use a woodstove w/propane back up. The energy efficient doors and the insulation probably help. It stays warm for hours, regardless of the temp outside.

[Rev Den]

Unit heater.

http://www.modine.com/hotdawg/

Leave it at 50F....unless I need to work in the garage, then I set it at 70 or so.

If you have the space, and the gas line, and plan on staying there a while, it is the way to go.

Rev

[Matthew Currie]

I'd love to use waste oil, but am deterred from bothering with the home made ones by the need to manually start and preheat, etc. I leave my heat either off or down to 40 much of the time, and need something that can be started on demand. Does anyone here have info on relatively affordable automatic waste oil heaters that can run from a thermostat?

My current setup is a 100K BTU kerosene "torpedo." It puts out plenty of heat for my 1000 square feet or so, even with a high, and mostly uninsulated roof. But it's noisy and smelly, as well as being expensive as kero has gotten so high. It also needs some clear floor space to be safe. The great advantage of this is that you can go out to a freezing building, turn the thing on, and get a reasonable temp for working within a half hour or less, and you need burn no fuel when you're not using it.

For a while I had an old propane furnace, which worked beautifully, but it was way too expensive for the purpose. It would be fine if you needed the heated space every day, but if not, it's just pumping dollars out the roof.

But if you have the space, an old domestic furnace can be a real bargain. Something that has been removed from a house or a mobile home for reasons other than being burned out can sometimes be found pretty cheaply. You don't need to do much in the way of ducting. A plenum with a couple of stubs of pipe will spread plenty of heat in an undivided space.

[beakie]

I normally just suck it up. I wear a comfortable coat that I don't mind getting dirty, a knit hat and mechanic's gloves.

that maybe an option where you are... -35C on your back with woolies on just doesn't cut it.

When I slipped with a flat head screwdriver and took a chunk off my knuckle, my buddy had to reach over and flip it back where it came from. No blood, no pain... they came 2 hours later when I thawed may hands... its hurts so much more when your waiting for it!

Get yourself a good propane or kerosene heater, less fumes means less head aches after your done. Depending on your garage, you may want to invest in insulation too. Insulate your ceiling/walls and the door so the heat you are making isn't lost soon after.

[Rev Den]

keep in mind that whatever you use...you want to keep it off the floor. Gas fumes are heavier then air....you do not want the odd fuel leak or spill to turn into an event.

Rev

[FlexdXJ]

Oh look you have the best weather oh and the most oppressive laws. Give us a call when you move back to the real world.:wave1:


OH SNAP! :D

[Ralph]

that maybe an option where you are... -35C on your back with woolies on just doesn't cut it.

When I slipped with a flat head screwdriver and took a chunk off my knuckle, my buddy had to reach over and flip it back where it came from. No blood, no pain... they came 2 hours later when I thawed may hands... its hurts so much more when your waiting for it!

Get yourself a good propane or kerosene heater, less fumes means less head aches after your done. Depending on your garage, you may want to invest in insulation too. Insulate your ceiling/walls and the door so the heat you are making isn't lost soon after.

... and that's one reason I don't live in Canada. Just kidding you.

It does get a might nippy around here on occasion. Also, Charlottesville, Va doesn't get too much colder than Lubbock, Tx. After all, there isn't much between Lubbock and the north pole but barbed wire. :D

I normally avoid working on my Jeep, or outside at all for that matter, when the weather is that cold. When I gotta, I do what I need to get the job done. Running the vehicle before you put it in the garage works and so does opening the door to the house and letting heat out. It doesn't' "heat" the garage, but it does help.

Be careful with propane and kerosene heaters due to the carbon monoxide danger.

[igotanxj]

Im surprised nobody has mentioned a portable electric heater?? As was said before, fumes from propane, kerosene and diesel can kill you. I've seen a few electric heaters in my time that put out some good heat. If you just have a regular 2 car garage, one of them would be fine. What gives?

We had one of these in my garage.
http://www.costco.com/Browse/Product.aspx?Prodid=11173501&search=heater&Dx=mode+matchallpartial&Mo=74&cm_re=1_en-_-Top_Left_Nav-_-Top_search&lang=en-US&Nr=P_CatalogName:BC&Sp=S&N=5000043&whse=BC&ViewAll=75&Ntk=Text_Search&Dr=P_CatalogName:BC&Ne=4000000&D=heater&Ntt=heater&No=9&Ntx=mode+matchallpartial&Nty=1&topnav=&s=1

[Shorty]

kero does the job nicely-- I just fire it up outside and bring it in after the stink goes away. It's not an around the clock heater, it's just for the day projects. It'll keep you toasty and give you a whole new perspective if you don't fire it up outside!

[Timber]

keep in mind that whatever you use...you want to keep it off the floor. Gas fumes are heavier then air....you do not want the odd fuel leak or spill to turn into an event.

Rev

Thanks for bringing that up. I have to claim ignorance about safety in this regard because growing up, we had a decent woodshop in our basement, and my grandparents had a huge, well-insulated garage. We never had to heat an outbuilding.

I have an upright propane heater in the middle of the two-car floor with the gas tank separated by about 6 feet. Assuming there are no leaks, is it safe to use my grinder and welder with the sparks flying?

Sorry to get somewhat off topic.

[wolfpackjeeper]

I think after it was all said and done, re routing the dryer vent was the most effective. Of course, that is assuming that we are not talking about the central heating from the house that now warms our basement garage.

[SeansBlueXJ]

Im surprised nobody has mentioned a portable electric heater?? As was said before, fumes from propane, kerosene and diesel can kill you. I've seen a few electric heaters in my time that put out some good heat. If you just have a regular 2 car garage, one of them would be fine. What gives?

We had one of these in my garage.
http://www.costco.com/Browse/Product.aspx?Prodid=11173501&search=heater&Dx=mode+matchallpartial&Mo=74&cm_re=1_en-_-Top_Left_Nav-_-Top_search&lang=en-US&Nr=P_CatalogName:BC&Sp=S&N=5000043&whse=BC&ViewAll=75&Ntk=Text_Search&Dr=P_CatalogName:BC&Ne=4000000&D=heater&Ntt=heater&No=9&Ntx=mode+matchallpartial&Nty=1&topnav=&s=1


These things pump out heat, mom has one in the basement... by far the best electric out there.

[wacho4]

Used to be I just threw on as much clothes as possibe and as much wood and cardboard as i could under jeep to insulate from the dirt, mud, and gravel. Now I just do it at work. Even if I go down there just to work on it, 30-45 minutes of driving each way beats numb nuts and everything else. Now if I could only move all my other junk down there.

[heyjpark1]

If you use propane or kerosene, carbon monoxide isn't going to be an issue. Diesel will be-so don't use diesel in a kerosene heater (even though it will burn just fine).

Kerosene is significantly cheaper then propane, too. For god's sake, don't buy your Kerosene from Home Depot...

[Ralph]

If you use propane or kerosene, carbon monoxide isn't going to be an issue. Diesel will be-so don't use diesel in a kerosene heater (even though it will burn just fine).

Kerosene is significantly cheaper then propane, too. For god's sake, don't buy your Kerosene from Home Depot...

Carbon Monoxide CAN be an issue. Read this. (http://www.cpsc.gov/CPSCPUB/PUBS/463.html)