Just curious what everyone is heating their garages wth. I have used Kerosene torpedo units and some propane forced air units. Just curious what you guys use.

Florida sun!

Black Gold waste oil heater. I've used it to heat my shop for 10 years. It is one of the best investments I've made for my shop.

I use a propane forced air heater. Brings my garage from the low 50's to about 70 in about 20 minutes. :)

When I designed my 30x40 shop for the builder to construct, I only envisioned a ceiling-hanging furnace and a swamp cooler.

He had the HVAC guys install a roof-mounted refrigerated air/furnace! I kinda sarcastically said "thanks". I wasn't too thrilled about the electric bill going out of site, but it's not too bad if you take it easy on the thermostat.

http://kingsolar.com/catalog/mfg/other/p32t.html

I use this propane fueled unit in my detached 2-1/2 car garage. Keep in mind that we've only seen below freezing temps 4 times this winter here in Houston. But when it gets used, I sweat!!

In my last garage I bought a used electric whole house furnace and had some duct work made up. Biggest expense was the breaker box ,wire ,and breaker. Great heat and pretty quiet.

I now have forced air propane..noisy. Will probably repeat what I did in my previous garage.

I Have a GLO-WARM wall mount propane heater. I use the small gas grill bottles. It will get the garage up to about 65 deg in 30 min or so. I like the small bottles vs the big bottles because, i can run arround to Lowes and trade them in.
Larry

Currently use an electric wall mount heater with forced air.

Considering options for solar heat and then use the above as a supplement.

Blazeking wood stove, takes a while to heat up, but sure feels good on these cold montana nights.:yes:

Ceiling mount forced air heater.
http://i25.photobucket.com/albums/c87/HarleyD67/New%20House/022.jpg

electric wall mount forced air and a salmander for back up..

gas heat -- one of the best things I added to my garage

http://i70.photobucket.com/albums/i86/dparks69/camaro1009.jpg

Doug...love your Camaro shrine in the background...will have to set one up.

I've got a cheap way to warm up the garage. All I have to do is walk in with dirty shoes, talk about one of her relatives, or mention something that I should have done, but didn't...she comes out, gives me a blast...heat's good for fifeteen mins or so... then I do it all over again.:)

Have the unfortunate situation where the garage that is part of the house... one of the "crosses" that some of us have to bare. I envy those who must walk to their garage!

capt

Ceiling mounted natural gas forced air unit like Gary above but Ive not used it yet, just got that property with a nice insulated shop for the camaro. In my new pole barn there, Im going to install Wirsbo slab heat fired by elec. boiler. Love that slab heat.
In my current home, the 3 car garage has wirsbo slab heat fired from my ground source heat pump :thumbsup: cheapest way to heat anything. :D

Here you go.

When I had a new heating system installed in my house I had taken the old propane system and put that in my garage. Since we get cold weather aprox 5 months out of the year the only way you can get anything done is with a heated garage. I don't like the cost of filling the 500 gal tank but one needs to do... What one needs to do.

Tax write off and rebate for a solar panel. $1700 initial purchase but a supplement is needed for cloudy days. One panel heats 700-900 square feet depending on variables. Next year converting to my brother's set up: Wood fired hot water system. 8-10 hour burn time between reloads. Heats the entire house plus the small 30 x 30 shop for $800 per year. Why buy oil and gas when there are alternatives? If you can build a car you can set these up. Long term planning saves money. Somehow this concept has gotten lost today.

http://sunmatesolarpanels.com/component/option,com_frontpage/Itemid,1/

Waste oil furance. Havent paid for heat in 5 Years.

Mr heater Model MH175KT / Slant Tube - Forced Air Kerosene Heater burning diesel/kerosene mix. Will run you out of an insulated 30X50X12 without the thermostat. Picked it up for $200. I don't have nat gas so the only other options would be wood/pellet or electric.

http://www.mrheater.com/productdetails_extended.asp?catid=47&id=36

Ive got a oil fired forced air unit out of a newer trailer, the trailer models blow the air out the bottom so it works great in the garage.

Hot water radiant floor for me:) Someday I hope to convert the hot water source to solar from propane. I love a warm floor!!!!

http://i281.photobucket.com/albums/kk234/82Vettrin/atticfurnace.jpg
85,000 btu natural gas furnace.
my in-laws own a HVAC co. :thumbsup:

I use a propane forced air heater. Brings my garage from the low 50's to about 70 in about 20 minutes. :)

I am with you. It's clean and you can warm up the shop in 20 minutes. Not too expensive to use either.

solar panel. One panel heats 700-900 square feet depending on variables.

The link you posted is similar to something I have been "considering".

wall mount gas forced air furnace. Uses outside air for combustion.

Glo Warm wall mount propane with fan and themostat connected to my home propane supply. I have 12 ft ceilings so I keep a small box fan in the rear angled to the ceiling to promote even heating. I have been in the garage working in a tee shirt when its been 5 degrees outside

gas heat -- one of the best things I added to my garage

http://i70.photobucket.com/albums/i86/dparks69/camaro1009.jpg
nice I see the pic of my camaro on your wall! LOL:p
http://webpages.charter.net/harrycoon/light%20em%20up!.jpg

In floor heat. You can get on the off peak program with the power company to cut costs. You can lay on the floor and work on your car in a t-shirt when it's -48 below outside.

I use a 145,000 btu (if my memory is correct) natural gas heater in my 32'x44'x14' garage. It keeps it nice and warm here in North Dakota :thumbsup:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v156/mrama/DSC00009.jpg

nice I see the pic of my camaro on your wall! LOL:p
http://i70.photobucket.com/albums/i86/dparks69/camaro1009.jpg

http://webpages.charter.net/harrycoon/light%20em%20up!.jpg
Dawg -- too funny -- actually thats a picture of my first 69 Camaro taken on the boardwalk in Ocean City during cruisin week a few years ago -- but hey - looking at your car makes me wish I still had my orange one -- great pic of your Camaro -- looking good :thumbsup:

Here is what I used for a long time.
Too expensive and have to leave it running all the time if you really want to keep your garage warm enough to work on in the winter!!! It really helps a lot when you turn on 1500 watts of lights at the same time! (LOL!) For someone that HAS to do something NOW.
http://i274.photobucket.com/albums/jj265/Dale8346/P1200001.jpg

I recently installed this baby below!! Wow! Will take your 2 car garage from 20 to 70 in 1/2 hour. And melt off all the snow on your car by the next morning, even if it is 15below outside.
http://i274.photobucket.com/albums/jj265/Dale8346/P1200002.jpg
http://i274.photobucket.com/albums/jj265/Dale8346/P1200005.jpg
Don't put it on 70 unless you are working in the garage naked!!!!!
That will be too warm. Notice that mine is NOT at 70. Just wanted to clear that one up!!
When I know I am working on it in the morning, I set it at 61 the night before.

If lots of people want to install a furnace in their garage, I would be happy to write a thread on how to do it yourself. If you do all the electric, gas and ceiling mount, it will take you 2 days and quite a few trips to the hardware store. Mine is NOT a sealed unit, making it so that I could touch the flame if I wanted ($600-700) and your other choice is a sealed unit ($1000-1200). The sealed units are really safer but you have to install a source for fresh air to enter the furnace. I chose the unsealed unit for price and I have convinced myself that having open buckets of lacquer thinner in my garage it a bad idea no matter what you do. If you want a thread, let me know?

I have in floor radiant heat in my four car garage set up and it works great. I keep the t'stat set at about 60* and even with the 12' ceilings the place is very comfotable to work in. The boiler also supplies domestic h/w through a coil in a storage tank with controls for three in floor zones and domestic h/w having priority. I would highly recommend this type of system.

I recently installed this baby below!! Wow! Will take your 2 car garage from 20 to 70 in 1/2 hour. And melt off all the snow on your car by the next morning, even if it is 15below outside.
http://i274.photobucket.com/albums/jj265/Dale8346/P1200002.jpg
http://i274.photobucket.com/albums/jj265/Dale8346/P1200005.jpg
Don't put it on 70 unless you are working in the garage naked!!!!!
That will be too warm. Notice that mine is NOT at 70. Just wanted to clear that one up!!
When I know I am working on it in the morning, I set it at 61 the night before.



How do you keep the heater from running if someone leaves the garage door open, or if it does not fully close for some reason?

That is Not really how I use it.
If I am not working in the garage for a few days, I don't even have it on. I have NEVER LEFT my garage door open in the winter! Or partially open. Ever!

You don't see it, but if you lift the cover it does have an on off switch.

I guess you can say if you do have it running, it is like leaving your front door open. It's a problem!!

I will sometime wash my car in the garage in the winter. Disconnnect the battery, leave the doors open, and leave the furnace on 70 until I go to bed. At bed time set it at 61 go to bed and car is completely dry the next morning. When it was -15 I did leave it at 68 overnight to make sure ALL the snow melted. I also put tape over the (key) locks.

In floor heat. Nice even heat that I keep set at 55 degrees and it always seems way warmer than that. Plus the slab is super insulated and stays nice and dry in the summer when it's hot. My garage is 65 degrees in the summer when it's 90 outside. It works for all seasons up here. Cars dont rust underneath because the floor never sweats. I then epoxied the floors for easy clean up. I love life!!

That is Not really how I use it.
If I am not working in the garage for a few days, I don't even have it on. I have NEVER LEFT my garage door open in the winter! Or partially open. Ever!


I installed a Modine Hot Dawg heater just like yours fall of 07.

Do you have kids? Ever leave something under the garage door and the safety keeps the door from closing completely? Is there a chance you could leave the door open? We use are garage to go in and out of hours all the time. I keep our garage @ 45* all the time.

I have a way to keep the furnace from firing in the event that the garage door stays open. I will get pictures tonight and post them. This takes all the worry out of the above scenarios.

In my shop we use old an old chicken house heater. These are usually 150k to 250K Btu hanging heaters with a thermostat. These heaters sale for about $1000 new. You can pick them up for about $100 either on propane or natural gas. My one heater heats my 40ft x 100ft shop from 30 to 55-60 in about 30 minutes.