Electric garage heaters?
02-10-2010 | 04:03 PM
#21
TECH Apprentice
Joined: Jul 2004
Posts: 374
Likes: 1
the problem with any direct vent heater (torpedo as well as most of the hanging setups mentioned here) is that they vent exhaust with the heat, and that exhaust is mostly CO2 and water vapor. That causes 2 problems. First, when you run them long enough in a closed shop the CO2 builds up enough that you'll start feeling it, get light headed, headaches... if you let it keep going you'll pass out and die. I've found that the average bullet heater in a 20x24' garage you'll have to open the door and let some fresh air in every hour or so.
Second, the water vapor... it's warm, all your steel tools are cold, when it touches the water condenses out on the steel and you end up with a big pile of rusty tools.
If you use them a little it or in a shop with say, a broken window it's not that bad, but after a while it starts to add up.
Electric tends to be more expensive and not heat up as fast, but I used one of these:
http://www.northerntool.com/webapp/w...5960_200325960
(FWIW, got it for $70some at lowes or HD) and built a box for it so it basically ends up being a mobile unit about the size and shape of a box fan. Usually, I leave it hanging on the wall in the garage, but sometimes if I might put it under the car if I want it to heat up the concrete a little before I'm going to spend some time lying under the car. In my 25x24x15' (tall ceilings) uninsulated (but shares a wall with the house) garage it will take the chill off in a few minutes, in 20-40 minutes with it set at a little past the 1 mark it gets up to 55* or so when it's 20-30 outside, which is a comfortable temp when working dressed normally for being in the shop.
If I had a bigger shop the solution that I like is to just get someone's old HVAC stack (air handler and heating coil) and a piece of the house ducting to direct the heat coming out the top of it across the shop. Stick it in a corner in the back of the shop, hook it up to a thermostat, and it will heat up the biggest shop in a couple of minutes and only cycle on every once in a while to keep the temp up.
Second, the water vapor... it's warm, all your steel tools are cold, when it touches the water condenses out on the steel and you end up with a big pile of rusty tools.
If you use them a little it or in a shop with say, a broken window it's not that bad, but after a while it starts to add up.
Electric tends to be more expensive and not heat up as fast, but I used one of these:
http://www.northerntool.com/webapp/w...5960_200325960
(FWIW, got it for $70some at lowes or HD) and built a box for it so it basically ends up being a mobile unit about the size and shape of a box fan. Usually, I leave it hanging on the wall in the garage, but sometimes if I might put it under the car if I want it to heat up the concrete a little before I'm going to spend some time lying under the car. In my 25x24x15' (tall ceilings) uninsulated (but shares a wall with the house) garage it will take the chill off in a few minutes, in 20-40 minutes with it set at a little past the 1 mark it gets up to 55* or so when it's 20-30 outside, which is a comfortable temp when working dressed normally for being in the shop.
If I had a bigger shop the solution that I like is to just get someone's old HVAC stack (air handler and heating coil) and a piece of the house ducting to direct the heat coming out the top of it across the shop. Stick it in a corner in the back of the shop, hook it up to a thermostat, and it will heat up the biggest shop in a couple of minutes and only cycle on every once in a while to keep the temp up.
