garage heater options and advice?

Question

I have a 24x24x8 garage, walls insulated-no sheetrock. Ceiling insulated, insulated doors.

My hope is to be able to heat my garage so it is warm enough to do hobby work, and play with my children.

In Massachusetts, so the temp can get pretty low. I might need to raise the temperature by 30 or 40 deg.

I want the cost to be reasonable, for example, less than $300 preferably, unless there is a good reason or advantage where I can justify it.

I do not have natural gas and do not want a 100lb LP tank outside.

It needs to be reasonably sized, for example maybe 2'x2' max. Ideally it would be portable so in the summer I can store it somewhere else.

So far in my research I am leaning towards a Kerosene heater, due to the size, price, btu's, portability, etc. I am not sure if there are any safety or legal concerns.

Propane might work, but I believe I have to run a line to the outside even with a 20lb tank legally and safely.

Thanks so much.

I have oil heat, hydro air in the house.

The electric units, looking at them, basically all the ones you buy that are portable are 1500watts, is that going to be enough to heat this size garage?

Answer 1

I bought a small kerosene heater a few years ago when the natural gas line going into the small town where I live froze. I needed to temporarily heat my house (~2000 square feet).

After carefully studying the box for about a half hour at Home Depot I was amazed to learn that it DOES NOT need to be vented. Its a unit of less than 2feet wide x 2feet long. It's a little taller than 2 feet high. Its white with a chrome colored cage. Might have been Lowes, but think it was Home Depot... and I've seen it there again recently.

This thing kicks out some SERIOUS HEAT. It will handily heat your garage. During our gas outage, I placed the unit in the kitchen and it did a great job of heating the nearby family room too. It's an uneven heat, of course, so the kitchen was like 80 degrees (within a few feet of the unit) and the family room 65-70.

There is also a wick that supposedly needs periodic replacement. I've used the unit in my garage several times a year since for the past 4 years and have yet to replace the wick. I've seen the replacement wicks at Home Depot for about $10 or so.

Keresene is running about $3.50 a gallon where I live. You'll have to find a gas station that supplies it, and get yourself a 5 gallon blue keresene container. A single filling of the unit (which is probably a gallon or two) will keep the unit going for many hours... say 6 to 8. Sorry I dont have more precise figures on this.

When doing a project in the garage in the winter, I will typically fire the unit up a half hour ahead of time. Then the garage is toasty warm. On a number of occasions I have had to open the garage door a crack to cool the room down some. Very happy with this heater and its nice to have as a backup heater for the house too.

Good luck.

Answer 2

Garage Heater Options

Answer 3

What is your current method of heating the rest of the house? Do you have central heat/air? Oil furnace? Electric? Natural gas?

Portables abound,,, especially in the North and online info is available using the WWW. I prefer those manufactured by Holmes, under a couple different brand names. Ceramic, with multiple wattage settings, ceramic inserts, and fans in some models. That said however, and not knowing electric costs to you, or budget concerns, and to heat an entire garage, I'd opt for something else.

I'd first drywall the garage in any case, since you state insulation is in place. If your current heat source is vented through the house,,, seek out a contractor or heating company who deals with that type of heat source, and inquire about adding venting/duct work.

DO not use kerosene unless you have venting, and propane,,, while efficient, may be costly, depending on time spent in the garage. Here in Central FL. a 75 pound tank filling, costs over $100, and might not last a winter. The ugly tank issue could be resolved by closing the tank in, with even Stockade fence for example.

I do suggest drywall however, which will increase even ambient heat to remain in a garage a bit better.

Rev. Steven

Answer 4

ANY type of device that requires fuel, need fresh air to enter the space or youll die. So, all the other advice on get a propane, kerosene bad idea. If the garage is poorly insulted your going to have a had time. By blocking off a small area with curtains (heavy ones at that) will help you out. Get a 1500 Watt electric heater to heat the space. Two 1500 watt heaters should do the trick to heat the garage. But if it poorly insulated your fighting a never ending battle. Good luck man

Answer 5

I wouldn't go with Kerosene unless you're considering the thru-wall vented type. The vent-less type give off small amounts of unburned products that I wouldn't be comfortable with my children breathing.
The best compromise would be permanently installed radiant cove heaters. They are the most efficient way of electrically heating a room. They are mounted up near the ceiling, out of the way. The heat is fast, draft free, even and healthy.
Go to www.cadetco.com for info and a calculator that will tell you exactly the right size and number of units. Other excellent brands are raywall at www.tpicorp.com. And Ouellet at www.ouellet.com, this is also the best source for your thermostat. The Ouellet technology outperforms any other electric heat thermostat. Total cost maybe $500

Answer 6

What i would use is a 1.5 ton split system heat pump, with electric back up heat... This way you wouldn't have the safety issues with venting or anything... Kerosene heaters work ok, but they smell really bad after running for awhile... Propane needs to be vented no matter what... Also take into effect that with any type of gas heat that has to be vented, you lose a certain amount of heat to the outside... With electric heat it all stays in the garage, in turn is 100% efficient... You can find these systems on eBay fairly cheap, and I have bought a couple myself and installed them in customers homes... They seam to really like them...

Answer 7

Kerosene heaters need ventilation.
but the easiest also messy.
Propane would probably need a larger tank unless your not in there often or you can take that tank for a refill every few days 4-7 days.
I now have a wood burning stove and have tried both of the other options.I'll be taking out that wood stove in the spring. so far its been way too much work.I would go with propane.100 pound tank filled twice in the winter

Answer 8

i install hydro air unit in garages like yours.
Modine makes a good unit
just trench over from the house and use PEX plastic piping to make it an easy connection
if your using a system with anti freeze then it wont freeze
initial expense is justifiable when it comes to never ending heat

Answer 9

prefer Amaze-heaters

Answer 10

Ignore all those who advised you to use open-flame heaters in your garage. Obviously, they are not concerned for your safety.

Your cap of $300 sorely limits your range of options. Safety and price concerns lead me to recommend a couple of oil-filled heaters.

Good luck.