Need Garage Heat Options Opinions

[deagle]

Hi All.

I've been heating my garage here and there for years with a torpedo heater. Works great except for the noise and potential fume of death. Recently I had a gas line routed to my garage. I'm now looking for the best option for a heater. I've heard forced air furnace or radiant heat (tube) are the way to go.

Anyone have a plus/minus for either of these? interested in noise, cost, but mostly effectiveness. I don't use the garage "that" often, but on the weekends I sometimes go out and tinker.

Thanks in advance.

(Oh, it's a one car garage space, with a door that opens to a two car garage. Would mostly just be heating the one car part).

Don.

 

[El Toro]

If natural gas is available, a forced air furnace would be a nice option.

For low noise, it's hard to beat a ductless mini-split heat pump.

They've got the heat pumps to the point where, with R410A as the working fluid, you can get pretty decent efficiencies right down into single digits.

If you're in the UP, this is probably not a good idea, but if you're anywhere below the thumb, it might be OK as long as you have back up resistance heating.

They're doing the ductless mini-splits in Maine now, so it might be feasible for your area.

I am using one since 2011 in 500 square feet of conditioned space (about a third of my shed), and I've been very pleased. We hardly noticed the it on the electric bill. They have a SEER rating up in the 20ish area.

Before I did this, I was using a propane tube style heater, and the noise was horrid. It was a bit aggravating to deal with the ventillation issues too.

 

[RaYzerman19]

Radiant tube the way to go up this way. Very efficient. If you've got decent insulation, it will be very efficient. Best part is when you go out in winter, the floor is warm (unlike with forced air), as it heats all the objects in the room. I have a 40000 BTU in 1000 sq. ft. with 10 ft ceilings, and insulated well. Don't get one too big....

 

[NightShine]

Radiant tube the way to go up this way. Very efficient. If you've got decent insulation, it will be very efficient. Best part is when you go out in winter, the floor is warm (unlike with forced air), as it heats all the objects in the room. I have a 40000 BTU in 1000 sq. ft. with 10 ft ceilings, and insulated well. Don't get one too big....

Agreed. Since you've got a gas line out there, install a small boiler and radiant tube heating. Did this in my home workshop 10 years ago, and never looked back. Much more comfortable than forced air by far!

 

[boooya]

I have forced air Mr. Heater.

Warms the garage up extremely fast, it's noisy, windy and puts a weird smell in the air from all the garage dust moving around.

I think if I had yo do it again it would be radiant heat or tube generated.

 

[El Toro Joe]

https://www.globalindustrial.com/p/hvac/heaters/gas-infrared/natural-gas-heater-infrared-vacuum-compact-u-tube-45000-btu-15l?infoParam.campaignId=T9F&gclid=CNjX8NamjssCFQyEaQodY28N0Q

 

[Mihalis fjr]

This thing works great!!Especially as a garage heater!!

https://www.kerosene-wicks.com/Kero-World-KW24G-Convection-Kerosene-Heater.htm

 

[Kelvininin]

Although I have Nat Gas to my house, my detached, insulated two car garage is heated with Williams 30,000 BTU propane, counter flow, direct vent furnace. The furnace is on a thermostat, and I have a switch installed on the furnace. Flip the switch and the furnace runs off the thermostat. I looked into running nat gas out there but to do it right I would have to run a separate high pressure line out there with a dedicated regulator... So I have a 250 gallon propane tank out there that I fill one once a year. I only heat the space when I am using it, even in -20°F ambient temps, the garage is usually up to a comfortable working temp within an an hour. It can be a little noisy, but I usually have my toddler out there with me and he makes all but the loudest power tools seem quite.

https://www.williamscomfortprod.com/product/garage-furnaces/

When I have to work in my uninsulated attached garage, I heat it with a diesel fired Salamander style heater, but this dumps all the combustion products into the garage, so it can be a bear and its loud but oh baby that bad boy pumps out hate.

I also have a work bench in my basement for the longer projects when I only have a little time here and there to work.

 

[Uncle Hud]

Don't forget that two inches of insulation -- especially in the ceiling -- will make any heater seem better.

 

[deagle]

Lots of ideas. Thanks!

I'm pretty committed to using natural gas as I already have the line installed. Now just deciding which way to heat and how much to spend.....

 

[Kelvininin]

Lots of ideas. Thanks! I'm pretty committed to using natural gas as I already have the line installed. Now just deciding which way to heat and how much to spend.....

The Williams, counter flow furnaces are thermostat driven and cost $1000, cheaper online. That should be a competitive solution to any other options out there. You can get them for Nat Gas or propane.

 

[deagle]

Stupid question:

I keep reading and hearing the Radiant heat "warms the objects". Does that harm the plastics or anything on the bikes, lawnmower, etc? Or is this nothing to worry about?

 

[Geezer]

Radiant heat is generally PEX tubing in or under the floor. It heats the floor and that radiates up to warm the space. It can warm the objects touching the floor, but not enough to even notice it. It will not harm objects in the garage. It is very comfortable to work in the garage where the floor is warm.

In order to install radiant heat in a concrete floor you need to distribute the tubing before you pour the concrete. You can install it on top of the concrete, but you then need to build a second floor above the tubing. It is great for new construction, and easy to retrofit in the floor above a basement, but not easy to retrofit in a garage. A simple domestic water heater is usually adequate to provide the heat, but you need to add a pump and some controls to make it work as a heating system. So it is more complex to install than a hot air system.

The drawback to radiant in a garage is that it requires hot water, and that is subject to freezing if you don't run the heat all winter or run anti-freeze in the system.

 

[bigjohnsd]

https://www.robertsgordon.com/standard-infrared-heater

I've had this unit in two garages, I moved the one I have from one home to another. It's quiet, been absolutely trouble free, has no moving parts to wear out, quite efficient, and is not in the way.

They come in various capacity and length, heating the floor and the stuff in the garage. No damage to my bike or to my vehicles which sit directly under the heater tube as it crosses the garage.

the heat is very even because of the way it heats the floor etc

 

[Pterodactyl]

I have a ceiling mounted furnace that runs off propane (will burn natural gas as well). Looks sorta like the one below. They come in various BTU outputs. I have a moderately large shop that includes a "bunkhouse" for traveling riffraff. One that will handle a one bay garage should not be more than $500 I imagine. Advantages are that it does not take up any floor space, it heats up the space very quickly, requires only a 4" exahust that can be run out a wall and is economical to run. I keep my shop at 55* all winter since it has a small kitchen area, shower and toilet that I have to keep from freezing. All the units I've seen use 240V, but a small BTU unit may use 120V.

I also have a Rinnai floor heater in the bunkhouse area. It is also propane or natural gas. It attaches to the wall and exahusts through a 3" pipe. I keep it set just above freezing as a back up for the other heater. Mine uses 120v and plugs into a standard wall outlet.

 

[Canadian FJR]

Go with the mini split heat pump. Three systems in one; heat in the winter, cool in the summer and also dehumidify. Hands down your best option.

www.heatpumpssetyoufree.ca

Canadian FJR

 

[bigjohnsd]

Don't you just love spending $OPM

 

[PapaUtah]

I have this in a 75K BTU unit hanging from my garage ceiling. Three car garage stays nice and toasty. We have some really cold days here in the northland so a few extra btus are nice on sub-zero days when I want to work in the garage.

 

[RaYzerman19]

Stupid question:I keep reading and hearing the Radiant heat "warms the objects". Does that harm the plastics or anything on the bikes, lawnmower, etc? Or is this nothing to worry about?

I realized I got radiant and infared mixed up...... I meant infared tube heater..... it will heat objects (the floor, your tools, etc.) rather than heating air. Can be a straight or U or L-shaped tube mounted below the ceiling (has reflectors). Keep the thermostat at 45F when you're not out there, then turn it up when you are.