In my garage, I just installed an LP gas furnace connected to a programmable thermostat. I work on the car every morning from 5 am to 7:30 am so I want to bring the temp. up to 60ish sometime before 5 am. After 7:30 am, I want the thermostat to drop back to a lower temperature to save on heating costs.

What would be a good temperature to drop back to? I don't want to create too large of a temperature swing and get condensation. But, I also don't want to be wasting $$$ on heat that can be used on the car.

Thanks in advance!

Basscat, I leave my garage at a steady 60 all winter. Of course its much colder here too. I have inslab heat and recovery time is way to long to use setback temps, so I let it run off my home furnace and stay warm, Wife loves it.
Ask your local utility to do a free energy audit on your garage for you. Then look at the cost of setting back the temp. vs bringing it back with the up and down runs and long run times to accomplish that.
Just some ideas. It might be cheaper to leave it at steady temp, than go up and down.

I leave mine in the upper 50's all winter and bump it up a little to lower to mid 60's while working in the shop. The heated floor that Jim has is awesome, I wish I had it. Of course, Jim is in central Minnesota, while I'm way down here in tropical southern Mn. :D

:D tropical there today? 4" of snow here and going down to 10 this weekend in time for deer hunting Scot.
graemlins/beers.gif

I have one in my house. It was stated that as long as the 'down time' was over 6 hours or so, you would realize savings. I think if you dropped it to 40, you'd be fine. Any condensation is only going to be presnt until the morning, if any.

Jim, it's a heat wave, we're actually above freezing.

Today's high was 83 - now there's a heat wave...

My downtimes will be about 21 hours so I'm going to try a 10 - 15 degree heat difference and see what the metal does. If I'm correct, the only time condensation will be a concern is when I start raising the temp so quickly that the metal sweats (like taking a cold beer outside in the summer).
Which reminds me, I need one...
Thanks! graemlins/beers.gif

80 here but suppose to get really cold this weekend :D

I have a small cieling mounted gas furnace in my 4 car garage. I drop it to 40 when I'm not in there, 65-70 when I am. It's a tiny thing, but it cranks, recovery time is about 10 minutes

I have a Lenox Hot Shot furnace up in the corner of my 3 car and the garage is insulated. I turn it down to 50 and the garage will stay at 55-60 even when it is 20 out. But only a short time to get it up to about 70 and its like summer. It only starts when you bring a car in or the boys forget to shut it. But the wife pays that bill !!!
Time to go turn on the TV in the garage and crack open a ML and dream that the parts will be in for the 67.
Latter... graemlins/beers.gif

Whew... I gotta go turn my A/C down.

Tire Smoke 69
I know what you mean, proably going to the air show this weekend at the beach.
Click-- 4" of snow??---BURRRR
Roger

This is VERY ROUGHLY stated, but...for every degree you turn down, it will result in about the same amount, percentage wise, in cost savings. This really depends on a lot of factors and the list is to long to type. Again, roughly stated.

Gee....my refrigerator running in my insulated garage in Atlanta keeps my garage a toasty 60 degrees in dead of winter. tongue.gif

Of course in the summer I run shop fans out the waazooo! graemlins/beers.gif

When I built my house I had the heating and A/C piped right into the garage also. Whatever the temp is in the house, the garage is very close. Now, I do have a fireplace and if it is going then the main furnace doesn't run so the garage temp drops a bit.

I haved worked out there in the winter in shorts and bare feet!
:D

Basscat, so you wake up extra early to work on the car? And then go to work?

That's dedication, :D .

Mark, that's how I keep this slow project moving forward. I get in a solid 2.5 hours a day (unless I'm sick) and more on the weekends.

Update - I programmed my furnance to run at 46 degrees and then heat up to 60 at 4:30 am. Then it cuts back to 46 at 7 am. Everything is working great and there is no condensation.

The furnace is a "Hot Dawg" 60K btu vented LP gas unit. I bought it online for about $350. I'm sure an HVAC guy could get something comparable for alot less but I'm not that lucky.

Thanks to everyone for their help.