What is a good heater for the garage?

[DF24]

Was wondering which type of heaters are others using during these cold weather months in their garages. I have no type of insulation, is a 2 car garage. I was thinking of using some sort of propane solution 

[RayS]

Anything that involves a flame inside a garage should be considered a risk.  Given that you have not insulated the garage, I will presume that you have not finished the walls yet.  In this case you can get a wall unit that has an external heat box, also known as a direct vent unit.  Many of the units can also act as a fan during the summer to circulate the air.

 

If if you are looking for something small and portable, the oil filled electric ones are pretty good.

 

Any heater is going to be expensive to operate until you insulate the garage, including the door.  If you want optimal climate control with the lowest cost to operate, then go with geothermal, but understand the initial investment will require years of operation to get the return on investment.

Edited November 20, 2018 by RayS

[pirahnah3]

Wow, a Geothermal option given, im actually impressed you brought it up Ray, and your right they are a great solution that cost little to run but take years to pay for themselves. HOWEVER you might want to consider this if you have a well on your property as you might be able to use the well to feed the sysetm and not need to install the loops in the ground. 

 

Geo thermal aside, propane is a great option and an easy one to use in a more urban environment. Smaller propane torpedo heaters work well to heat spaces quickly, but also require an electrical connection. You could just use those screw on heating heads for the tank, but they take a bit to heat a space. Keep in mind that you will get that propane smell and if your garage is attached to your house it WILL get into the house.  While this is not the end of the world it can be an annoyance. 

 

There are a few other options but realistically they are not as efficient or cost effective. They would be Electric, Radient heat, Solar hot water, and other green options that are well down the line. 

[Thorsager]

1 hour ago, DF24 said:

Was wondering which type of heaters are others using during these cold weather months in their garages. I have no type of insulation, is a 2 car garage. I was thinking of using some sort of propane solution 

 

I have a ceiling mounted Hot Dawg propane heater. The tank is outside. My garage is insulated. I have had it now going on 3 years and like it. It came with a wall mounted thermostat. I usually have it set a 55 F.

[red94chev]

This heats my 1300 square foot detached, decently insulated garage pretty well.  https://www.homedepot.com/p/Dyna-Glo-50K-80K-BTU-LP-Convection-Heater-RMC-LPC80DG/202895381

 

I just moved to this from a kerosene torpedo heater, less smell, propane is cheaper than kerosene, and more BTUs.  I spend a pretty good amount of time in the garage but I can't afford to do a true wall mount propane system right now.  This is pretty good deal for $100 plus whatever a tank will cost you.

[DF24]

Want to thank all of you for the advice and options, I’ll be looking into these options soon due to this Chicago weather. Seems to be getting colder sooner than I expected. We’ve been seeing 10 degrees already some mornings 

[Devon527]

https://www.homedepot.com/p/Dyna-Glo-Pro-4-800-Watt-240-Volt-Electric-Garage-Heater-EG4800DGP/304663393

 

I'm going to be buying one of these soon. My garage is insulated on the walls but not the roof which leads to all the air leaving through the bird blocks. My garage is only about 350 sq ft though.

[vcordaro]

4 hours ago, Devon527 said:

https://www.homedepot.com/p/Dyna-Glo-Pro-4-800-Watt-240-Volt-Electric-Garage-Heater-EG4800DGP/304663393

 

I'm going to be buying one of these soon. My garage is insulated on the walls but not the roof which leads to all the air leaving through the bird blocks. My garage is only about 350 sq ft though.

Thank you this is actually almost perfect.  I just bought a house and the previous own installed a 220 outlet in the detached garage.  

[Velvethelmet]

 Just my two cents but I'd avoid any electric heating in an uninsulated garage. That thing would cost a fortune to run in my opinion. 

[tmccoy2236]

On ‎11‎/‎20‎/‎2018 at 8:52 AM, red94chev said:

This heats my 1300 square foot detached, decently insulated garage pretty well.  https://www.homedepot.com/p/Dyna-Glo-50K-80K-BTU-LP-Convection-Heater-RMC-LPC80DG/202895381

 

I just moved to this from a kerosene torpedo heater, less smell, propane is cheaper than kerosene, and more BTUs.  I spend a pretty good amount of time in the garage but I can't afford to do a true wall mount propane system right now.  This is pretty good deal for $100 plus whatever a tank will cost you.

 

This is what I use as well for my 2 car garage.  While a permanent system with a thermostat would be nice, this does fit my needs.

[galaxy]

I use one of the turbo jet lookin propane heaters. Works pretty darn good. In the dead of winter with temps in the low 20°’s, I can hold my garage in the night 50°’s or low 60°’s. Only problem is it eventually starts to make the floor and wheels on the cars condense/sweat. Annoying. I’d like to have something a little more industrial, permanent, and less humid, but I’m sure any other option like that would be uber expensive.