Garage heater recommendations?

Jeffreybomb

Jeffreybomb

Póg mo thóin!
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Chicago, IL
I’m looking for a heater that will warm up a three car garage. I don’t need it to be a sauna; I just want to be able to feel my fingers!

I don’t have a gas line running to the garage. It would have to be electric or some other method.

Recommendations?
 
Is it insulated? I open the attic door a little and use a patio heater in mine. I have 12ft ceilings.
 
My folks have a large two car garage/shop. It could easily fit 3 vehicles if you maneuvered one vehicle in the middle (I forget the dimensions). My dad installed a pellet stove a few years back, its not an insulated building but in winter it can hold about 55° when the stove is on high. Not the warmest, but you can at least be able to work inside of it.

My small 10x27' garage I use a double tank mounted heater. My garage is insulated, and the coldest Ive measured has been 38. The propane heater will warm it up substantially within 30 min or so that I have to turn it off.
 
^^ Propane patio heater.
I found one on CL, for $50.
I stuck it in my shop (uninsulated). Temp went from 23* to just above freezing in 2 hrs.
 
I've always had permanently heated garages because I live in Minnesota and I love hanging out in the garage. I've used Modine heaters in 3 different garages. They work flawlessly and have a ton of different configurations (BTUs, venting, power, etc) to satisfy your square footage. The model I linked below works on propane and is direct vent. If you want to keep the garage at a certain temp, then a direct vent gas (propane or natural) is the most efficient. Electric forced air can get very expensive (I've also used those in smaller garages, but not my favorite). Portable propane heaters work fine if you only need temporary heat. Personally though, I hate breathing in the fumes on those things.

https://www.modinehvac.com/web/prod...heaters-hot-dawg/hot-dawg-power-vented-hd.htm
 
Mrgreg66 said:
How long does it take to warm up the garage with the propane heater? I have a 2 car and it is often in the 20s or colder in the winter.
Click to expand...

I can’t answer that accurately. When I use that one something is opened up or cracked. I can run a test tho if you would like.
 
Pellet stove or
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Wood Stove
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Keep an eye on humidity.

Depending on what you're doing and storing, you may want to avoid an open flame and/or even look at sealed combustion.

If you don't insulate you may end up with water problems on your roof. Blown in cellulose is only a few hundred dollars for a 2 car garage attic. Being in Chicago, insulation will pay for itself in a few years.

In you are planning on staying a while and it's worth it to you, I have been so happy with a home style furnace running on natural gas in my garage. I keep it at 55F day and night since my schedule isn't always predictable so it's always ready to work in. If a door is opened it can heat the garage from 40F to 70F in 30 minutes. The monthly running costs are minimal and I never have to refill bottles. It's also quiet compared to a modine/hotdog style heater.

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I have an 850 sqft detached insulated garage. The few times I need to work in the garage in winter I run a propane open flame heater from a 40lb tank for an hour til the air temp is comfortable, and then shut it off and run a fahrenheat 7500 watt electric heater to maintain the temp and limit the propane fumes (cycles on and off about every 20 minutes). It's not an ideal setup cause open flame propane gives off fumes/moisture and electric heat is expensive. The biggest issues is the tools and equipment are still cold and the propane moisture can cause condensation. Also using propane too fast from a cold tank can cause frosting of the tank. Ideal setup would be a natural gas line piped out to the garage and run a heater with the exhaust vented outside, with the garage maintained at a mild temp like 50 degrees. Second best would be the same heater running on propane and turned on when you need to work in the garage.
 
just be mindfull, full time heat is great.

but if you have it stored cold and then run the heater occasionally it can sweat your block, condensation will build up inside the cab, in and on the engine and frame rails, all the stuff that stays colder than the surrounding air.

running the rig and warming it, then running the heater can help stop this from affecting the cab area or sweating the engine block.
 
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I just did this to my shop in Penticton BC, the shop measures 20' deep and 25' wide with 9' ceilings. I installed a 2500watt 220V baseboard heater everything in it cost about 250CAD. I put the optional thermostat on it and if I run it at halfway it will get uncomfortably warm in the shop at 10°F outside. Because of the amount of paint etc in the shop I don't want to freeze and my 68 Camaro going through a frame off and sitting bare in areas I'll run it through out the winter. I had the same set up in my previous shop in Fort St John where we would routinely see -22°F and it would keep the shop from freezing not exactly hot but you could work in it without gloves on and in a hoody just fine. The big thing is to make sure all the door seals are in good shape and working correctly and if the OH doors are not already insulated then buy the kits and insulate them. I had to do that as well and I think it ran just under 90USD per door for 9'x7' door but makes a huge difference. The previous shop cost me roughly an extra $40 in electricity per year to run it through the winter.
 
+1 on the Modine Hot Dawg propane heater. Mounts from the ceiling so it doesn't take up any floor or wall space. Easy installation and controls.

If I'm doing a longterm project that requires heating my garage 24/7, my unit may kick on once per hour. If I'm heating the garage for just one day, I turn on the heat a few minutes before starting my work.

My garage is roughly 24x36 and insulated. I average one propane fill up per year with my 100 gallon tank.
 
Have you looked into a diesel parking heater? Depending on the size of the space, I think a 5kw will work well. Especially if its insulated. You can find them on amazon or better yet, ebay for a decent price. There are plenty of options.
 
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