OK. Now I'm looking for opinions on garage heaters. Anyone have recommendations? Maybe a Mr. Heater? http://www.amazon.com/Mr-Heater-Tools-Hardware/b?ie=UTF8&node=3116331 How do those compare to a cheap one like this (there is also a dual version): http://www.harborfreight.com/15000-btu-tank-top-propane-heater-67857-4913.html Or what about electric? I have a two car garage FYI.
http://www.amazon.com/Mr-Heater-Propane-Forced-Air-MH35FA/dp/B0000C6E3H/ref=pd_sim_sbs_hg_2 Trust me on this one, you want the forced air ones, and you want to have the capacity to heat about twice the area you are trying to heat. I have one like the first link, a propane convection heater. It's fine if you are sitting near it, but a 400 sqft convection heater is going to be fighting 400 square feet of concrete floor and low-level insulation and a giant aluminum door full of gaps to maintain a reasonable temperature in that 400sqft of space. SqFt is kindof a dumb metric, because vaulted garage cielings can nearly double the volume of air you need to heat. The only time I've been comfortable in my garage in deep winter was when driftin240 brought his forced air propane heater. Only had to run it for a little bit and the temp was a nice 60 degrees in there. With my propane convection can, it runs the whole time, and the temp doesn't get warm enough in the garage to melt snow off of the wheels.
That's the one I was thinking of. Looks nice and good price. I agree that sq ft is basically meaningless. Cube ft is really what matters. Luckily I have a low ceiling and pretty solid garage doors. I'm usually about 20 degree above outdoor temps. I do agree with all you're saying though. For that price I think that looks really nice.
readymix is right. A lot of it depends on how finished the garage is and what you have to deal with for heat loss. For the portable heaters I also agree with going with one that is oversized, simply because some are loud and you don't want to have a small one and have to listen to it the whole time you are out there, while it struggles to maintain the temp. If you have an attached garage and have the ability to run a gas line/power to it, I highly recommend going with a more permanent hanging unit. No running out of fuel mid project or the need to make sure you have a spare tank ready to go. The Modine Hot Dawg furnaces are a common choice due to the simplicity, low profile. Also they offer a unit with separated combustion which draws air for the burners from the outside vs shop air. Which can be nice if you are working with paint...... With a gas fired permanent option you want it sized correctly for the area to be heated and the areas heat loss. You don't want it to be drastically oversized which will cause it to short cycle(turns on many times for short durations), which can lead to condensation in the heat exchanger and corrosion. For the portables, look on CL. You can often find good deals, some times with a 20/40lb tank.
Thanks for the input. I would like a permanent one but I think it's a little more work than I want to take on at the moment. I checked out my local Menards and the 35k Mr Heater that readymix linked is actually ~$20 cheaper thee than on Amazon. I might just get that after Christmas. I'll check Craigslist as well.
This is what I have to heat my 3-car garage and love it! http://www.appliancesconnection.com/i166391-reznor-udas45.html?ref=froogle
It only takes about 5-minutes to get the garage warm. I insulated and rocked the garage so it holds the heat nicely. P.S. I still need to get you some pictures of those lights.
I bought a 70K BTU kerosene torpedo heater off Craigslist for $75 a few years ago and it works pretty well.
Well I ended up picking up a Mr Heater from Craigslist. It is one step up from the one readymix linked. 60k max I believe. Looks like it's in nice shape and I ran it a few minutes and it pumps out some heat. Hopefully I'll get a chance to try it out after Christmas.
For the portables, Cl has always been my go to. Let the first owner take the hit on the price. That way when you decide to sell it you will likely break even. A heated garage is one of the best things I ever did for the garage(about 10 years ago) and my sanity. The second was finally finishing the rock and insulation on the ceiling in the garage(last week ). 3rd, R18 garage doors, sadly they are better insulated then my ceiling. Now I actually should down size my garage furnace at some point in time. I am not one who heats it all winter only when I have a long project out there.
Yeah used is always good if it works. Easy to sell and break even (usually). I think I'll get something permanent for my next house. I'm hoping I'll have a stall dedicated to car work.
