It's that time of year that its pretty much neccesary if you your gona be in your garage . The only heating i have when im in the cold shop is warm clothes and memories.

I've been tossing around getting something like this from Menards.



I would like something that runs off A/C power, but i guess i can opt for propane.

I guess the other point of this thread is to see what all you guys have.

Dam you southern folk. dam you.   

(is damn filtered?)

i guess not~!

Whats the heating for? Never used a heater like that in my life?

To warm up a portion of a 25"x35" shop to be "tolerable" in the evenings.

Ahh dont need heaters on the Gold Coast in Australia

Curse the southern hemisphere....   

I think you'll find that one that runs off either Propane or Diesel/Kerosene will be far more economical than something that runs off A/C. First, it will need a heating element AND a fan to expel the heat from the unit and spread it around.

I'd imagine that you could run one of those off a gallon of diesel or propane for at least a few hours. I don't know, as I've never owned one.

I have a kerosene torpedo heater in my garage. I "think" it's 150,000 BTU's, adjustable thermostat, approximately 4 gallon tank, and about 9 hour constant run time off a full tank. It does require a 110 volt outlet though.

Quote from: Big Rich on February 18, 2012, 11:46:06 PM
I have a kerosene torpedo heater in my garage. I "think" it's 150,000 BTU's, adjustable thermostat, approximately 4 gallon tank, and about 9 hour constant run time off a full tank. It does require a 110 volt outlet though.

It probably just generates the initial starting spark or heating element, right? I mean, once it's going, can you unplug it? Or does it have a digital thermostat?

No, the blower motor runs off the outlet. If the power goes out, it's essentially worthless.

Grrr... Kijonas, man, please, if you don't know jack sh!t about the thing do not feel the need to offer advice, fair enough?

Michael

Here's the "green" way to heat a garage:
http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&gl=US&ie=UTF-8&source=android-browser&q=aluminum+can+solar+heater

Doesn't help If you work in the garage at night though. While routing an electric base board heater can cost less than propane/ kerosene, the installation costs can be a killer. There are pros and cons to everything though.

Rubicon, how big is the area in question? A smaller kerosene space heater can work for an equally small space (so long as it's well insulated). I needed a torpedo heater because my garage had room for 4 cars.

A kerosene torpedo heater works great!  If possible, start it outside then bring it in once it heats up (only takes a minute or 2).  They tend to be stinky when first lit but burn pretty clean once they get going.

-Jessie

Agreed but they chuck out a lot of condensation which is not a problem in most garages as they are pretty drafty old places anyway, if you have a good seal maybe an electric blow-heater would be a better bet unless you don't mind a few drips and the odd bit of mould to clean up now and again and again and again......

I just close the door and turn on one of these.  Guess that is one of the few good things about Houston.

Quote from: mister on February 19, 2012, 01:29:15 AM
Grrr... Kijonas, man, please, if you don't know jack sh!t about the thing do not feel the need to offer advice, fair enough?

Michael

I do know something which is that electric heaters aren't nearly as efficient as diesel/propane ones. That's what I offered. Is there a problem? 

I remember working in my parents garage years ago. It was attached but still super cold. I got some cold gasoline on my hand once and thought it was gonna fall off haha. As much as I wish I had a real garage door and windows for some light/ventilation instead of an enclosed basement with only glass blocks and a normal door, the bonus is that it's the most comfortable room in the house all year long. I'm rebuilding a bike down here right now and I had to take off my sweatshirt because it was too hot. Got a toilet in the back room too! It's a good setup for Pittsburgh cause it's cold outside!

Thanks for the input guys! You can put 2 cars in my garage, with about 4 feet left on all sides of the cars, shaZam! i'll just go take a picture.



There it is. Our garage serves about 50 purposes, among them is storing the occasional vehicle haha.  The walls are completely insulated, the roof is not.

You can use the GS as a scale to figure the aproximate size of the shop. 

Things in the shop, from left to right:
Dogbowls, one of the dogs sleeps in there at night.
The thing with the orange base is our bucking machine.
Murray lawnmower (is it up for another season?)
22's, a 4-10, and assorted air rifles on the wall there. Never know when a ratkacoon might come scratching.
Lots of works been done on the bench along the middle wall.
Tablesaw and saw horses
My GS under the knife
And the 2nd shelf i built for the storage bins.(After the most epic of all epic fails ever seen last spring.OMG. What a shiitttttttay day.
Oh and the most ghetto motorcycle/truck ramp ever devised out of like 37 different pieces of wood.

The End

very envious,.....looks awesome.  Someday I'll have my own garage.