As it gets closer to winter, I am desperately trying to figure out what to do about my shop. I don’t own the garage it’s in. I can’t do anything permanent. It’s not insulated and it’s a 2 car garage. I am looking at the differences between a regular garage heater and a “radiant” heater. I understand that most garage heaters heat the air, and the radiant heats the objects. So, which is more comfortable? Also, which is fastest? I am only going to be in the shop in the am’s, (I still have my day job in the afternoons). I have a very, very limited budget, so please keep that in mind. I, seriously, can’t afford to both insulate and get a heating system. Plus, the heating system has to be propane (local codes). I live in Penn and it can get somewhat chilly in the winter (only have gone through one since I moved here). Thanks.
Robin
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I had to live in Wisconsin for four years while my wife was completing her residency. Had an unheated garage, I got a used kersosene heater and supplemented that with a radiant heater hanging above my workbench. I loved the radiant heater.... the kerosene piece of junk was smelly but it got the garage warm enough to work in after about a half hour or so.
It's good to be back in the Pac NW!
As a former heating and air- conditioning sales rep, perhaps I can help you. From my experience here in Illinois, the only way to effectively heat a garage with add-on equipment, is to purchase either a hanging gas unit heater, or a through the wall gas heater. You need about 45000-50000 Btus to heat to 60 degrees. An electric heater can't reach this capacity. I do not recommend any kind of ventless combustion heater. The above mentioned heater can be had with propane conversion kits. You will probably need about a thousand dollars for the equipment to get up and running. I sold them for about $1800 installed with some piping to the household natural gas and a code compliant vertical vent (flue pipe). I have one and it works quite well in a semi-insulated 2-car garage. I might add that my shop is not in my garage, however, so I don't know about any issues related to that. Most people are pretty bummed out by the price, but anything less will not work well.
A couple of winters ago, I was building my shop. It began as the back 16 feet of a 24 x 36 pole barn. I bought a used free-standing non-venting kerosene heater for $50 at a garage sale. I'd only run it when I was working, and it would get the shop comfy [about 60 degrees] within an hour or so.
and it gets cold here in central NY - many days between 0 and 32.
That kero heater was smelly, put moisture in the air, and smoked at start-up and shut down. But it did the job, was, very cheap [as I am] and was a huge help to get the construction done. I keep it now as a backup unit, just in case we have a long power outage or other need for additional heat.
Once completed, I installed a used Empire direct venting propane furnace. It cost $279. It works beautifully. No smell, thermostat control, and plenty of heat.
But for an uninsulated space that you don't own - and presumably will be in only temporarily [?] I'd try to find the kero unit.
I have heated a 1200 sq. ft shop for close to 30 years with a home made stove made from old oil or grease or paint drums. You can get the kit for legs, door and fittings from northerntool.com You must clean the drums good before use. Particularly nice are the drums that have a removable end. I use 2-35 gallon drums, horizontally, one above the other. Run your smoke stack PROPERLY through the roof and you will not only have great fast safe heat, but a way to dispose of your small scraps. Do not finish with solvent based finishes with a stove or pilot light lit.. Good luck Bob
He mentioned that he can't do anything permanent, so I am guessing that the chimney through the roof would be out. I wonder, however, if stovepipe could be run through the top of a double hung window (if any windows are in the garage) with some fireproof material in place of the window opening and serving as backer against the wall.
This would allow a non-permanent wood stove/chimney that would provide nice DRY, CHEAP heat. I would check with the local code/bldg inspector to see what could be installed in that sort of fashion.
For what its worth, a shop at 50-60F in winter is good working enviroment. Dont get too lost in high heat . you can do that with very little effort
Wicked Decent Woodworks
(oldest woodworking shop in NH)
Rochester NH
" If the women dont find you handsome, they should at least find you handy........yessa!"
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