Im 23 and recently have gotten into woodworking (and Im loving it) so me and my wife have decided to insulate the garage for a small shop. There are so many garage heaters out there that I figured I would see what kind of recommendations I could get. I will most likely have to stick to electric since I dont have a gas hook but I would still apreciate your input on gas since Im leaving it open as an option. I’m also wondering if a combination radiant heater (heats objects) and air heater would be worth the money. As nice as a woodburning stove would be, I am looking for something that I can turn on and off easily since I often have only short spans of time to work. An important note… I live in Minnesota so I need something that can heat a -50 degrees below zero garage. Or maybe Ill pass on woodworking those days, but I do need something that can throw out some good heat. I hope to stay around 300- 400 dollars but I dont know if that will cut it. thanks, any help is appreciated.
P.S. Im just starting to realize how much I dont know so I have plenty more questsions waiting. As much as I love woodworking though, it sure is a moneypit :(.
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http://www.garageheater.com
Look up Empire direct vent heaters on the net. - Kris
http://www.masterheaters.com/lpradiant/
The 100,000 BTU heater in this link puts out alot of heat in a hurry. I've used it at 20 below and made my 600 sq. ft. shop glue up warm (50 degrees plus). You definitely need a 100 lb. propane cylinder, not only because a 30 lb. cylinder won't last as long, but because the heater won't reach full efficiency on a small cylinder. Something about propane vaporization rate that I don't understand and really don't care to. I like it because there are no noxious odors like with kerosene, plus it puts out a ton more heat than my old kerosene heater. Cheap enough too.
Now, theoretically, since there is an open flame, there is a chance for things to go KABOOM! with fine sawdust, but I kick up about as much sawdust as anyone and so far, so good. I have also been known to smoke and futz with paint thinner at the same time, so maybe I'm not the best advisor on how safe something is.
I used a "top hat" heater for a while. It is an unvented propane heater with a vertical flame and a cap on top. I found that the gas combustion by products were irritating to my lungs and this was before I ever had any asthma. The methyl mercaptan forms sulfur compounds upon burning which are acid irritating gases. Even worse, sawdust landing on the cap would cook off smoke that was also very irritating. I got rid of it.I now have a woodstove. It's not at all airtight and with a large diameter chimney, it maintains a negative pressure inside and the smoke never leaks out. I wouldn't recommend one unless you have a small orchard (like we do) and don't care about code violations.If you have street gas or use bottled gas already, I'd go with an outside vented gas heater. Otherwise, you're right, go with electric overhead radiant heat. But, turn it on an hour before you go outside. Working with frigid tools is not necessarily a joy. Not even at 23, definitely not at 57.
Thanks for all the input everyone, it's much appreciated. It sounds to me like gas should be an option I look into more. Maybe since i have a natural gas, it would be smart to look into hooking up a line in the garage. It will be a few months untill the project gets done but when it does ill give you all a peek. thanks again
I live in upstate NY and while it doesn't get quite as cold here it can get down below zero. I lived in The Cities for 10 years then went to the UP for a while so I appreciate the weather back there. I have a 325 sq ft garage that I have insulated the vaulted ceiling and two and a half walls. The rest of the walls will get insulated this summer.
I use a 7.5 KW electric heater and a Marvin 1500 KW radiant heater.
I just get the air to 45 to 50 with the 7.5 KW and aim the radiant at the spot where I will be working. This works out pretty well if you locate the major work spots around the radiant. No matter which primary source you use I recommend the radiant, especially if you will be doing a lot of quick jobs.
I live in a "Community Power" location. Since we have our own distribution system for our village we get power at the cheapest rates available in the state. Usually from 4.5 to 6 cents a KWH so the electric heat is not economically burdensome. If I had to pay the normal rates I would probably go with a direct vent propane unit.
I don't feel like my electric heater gets the temp up fast enough but that may be due to all the cast iron, steel and the concrete floor and not the heater.
Another thing I plan to do is to put a few more joist in and create an 8 foot ceiling and Drop the insulation down from the vaulted ceiling to reduce the volume being heated.
A wood burner might be nice but it cost a lot to install the correct chimney and buy a decent stove. Usually much more than a propane unit.
Good luck.
John
welcome to knots! your post could have described myself as well.. I'll be putting in a wood stove in combination with a small elec heater..
This may sound obvious but wood stoves have the added advantage of burning cut-offs, i hate throwing stuff away (especially wood) so that in its self is, to me, worth the dedicated space..
Post some pics when you havem, these folks love looking at them and it'll be worth the effort for all of the tips you'll recieve.
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--> measure once / scribble several lines / spend some time figuring out wich scribble / cut the wrong line / get mad
http://hot-dawg.modine.com/
I put one of these in my shop and used portable propane tanks. It works great. If you use a non-vented gas heater, the water vapor they produce can cause problems withn metal tools and wood. Neither wood nor steel likes water.
Not only do the non-vented heaters release water vapor into the space, but they release combustion products as well. 'makes me dizzy when I used them in an enclosed space, so I don't anymore.
'only thing about the Modine Hot Dawg is that, while they vent exhaust to the outside, they do consume interior air, rather than drawing it in from the outside. A simpler and cheaper setup, but may not be ideal in a tightly-insulated space.
If you go electric, note that 120V corded devices are limited to 1500 watts. You need a dedicated circuit (240V) to go higher.
First thing is to make sure you insulate the garage well. If you stick with electric heat, a regular old unit heater is probably the simplest thing to install. They're the square box that hangs up in the corner of the room, with a heating element and a fan inside. One good brand is Berko. Here's one typical heater from their catalog. http://www.berkomeh.com/develop/Products/UnitHeat/HUH524TA.htm Of course, electric heat will be more expensive to run than gas but you know that.
21841.11 in reply to 21841.1
I put an Empire LP heater in my 16 x 24 x 10 shop. It has a chimney that both pulls in outside air and exhausts the combusted gases. Used it cost me $279, new it's about $500. Installation is easy, and can be done by the consumer. It runs on a thermostat which creates its own electricity by way of the pilot light. So there's no electricity costs associated with its use.
My shop is well insulated, and is incredibly cozy. I did build a pine floor with 1 1/2" insulation between treated 2 x 4 sleepers. As for fire risk, the flames are all contained within the unit, and although there is a small pilot light, it is well protected behind a glass shield. Not perfect and 100% flame free, but I think very safe.
I'd very highly recommend these units.
As fir running cost, here in upstate NY, we've had a month of near zero temps, and to keep the shop between 50 and 65 cost me about $100. Regardless of which heater you choose, insulate, insulate and insulate.
Hope this is helpful.
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