Looking for portable garage heater options

[JordanLotoski]

Iam currently renting a house as I wait for mine to be built. Iam looking for a portable garage heater to keep my cars warm this winter. The garage is pretty much a standard double, fully insulated.

I checked out Canadian tire yesterday, they have your average room heater. Id like something a little more suited for outdoor/garage use.

Anyone with options please post them up

Thanks

[ercchry]

the only thing i can think of is those propane ones. they work very well. but no so much a set and leave on type of heater. more so if you are actually working in the garage.

my dad uses one of those little electric space heaters. it doesnt really do anything as it take forever to heat up any amount of space and then you end up opening the garage door and its just cold again. he almost never turns it on now and its the same temp in there. once you park a hot car in there and have your door closed it will stay warmer than the outdoors... but not comfortable

[JordanLotoski]

thoughts on something like this

http://www.homedepot.com/buy/cadet-5-600-watt-portable-garage-heater-cgh562.html#.UHcbj5G9KSM


I dont mind paying an extra 100.00 on my electric bill, to have a warm garage for the winter.

[ercchry]

you have a 240v hookup?

[JordanLotoski]

^^Damn, No

What about 3 or 4 of these?

http://www.homedepot.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductDisplay?productId=202692063&storeId=10051&langId=-1&catalogId=10053&MERCH=REC%2d%5f%2dproduct%2d2%2d%5f%2d202909808%2d%5f%2d202692063%2d%5f%2dN#.UHcdepG9KSM

[Jeeper1986]

go look at princcess auto they have tonnes some go up to 700

[ercchry]

Originally posted by JordanLotoski
^^Damn, No

What about 3 or 4 of these?

http://www.homedepot.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductDisplay?productId=202692063&storeId=10051&langId=-1&catalogId=10053&MERCH=REC%2d%5f%2dproduct%2d2%2d%5f%2d202909808%2d%5f%2d202692063%2d%5f%2dN#.UHcdepG9KSM

how many circuits you got? 4? :rofl:

compressor+heater in the old man's garage=pop

[ercchry]

get something like this. turn it on for an hour once you get home

http://www.princessauto.com/pal/product/8007150/Propane/35%2C000-BTU-Portable-Propane-Heater

[Projek01]

You need to watch out for carbon monoxide levels with the propane heaters. Not really effficient if you need to let fresh air in to keep CO levels down. Use electric heaters and refrain from opening the doors. Should be able to keep the space above freezing

[Unknown303]

I have this one from Home Depot.
http://www.homedepot.com/h_d1/N-25ecodZ5yc1v/R-202301600/h_d2/ProductDisplay?catalogId=10053&langId=-1&keyword=heater&storeId=10051#.UHchLcXA_Qo

And with the adjustable thermostat I set it so it keeps the garage around 5°C and when you are going in and out it runs constantly but when you leave the doors closed it does stop a fair bit so it's not running 100% of the time, probably 60% or so.

I'm running it until I can get 240v out to the garage then I'll install a more permanent heating option.

[ercchry]

Originally posted by Projek01
You need to watch out for carbon monoxide levels with the propane heaters. Not really effficient if you need to let fresh air in to keep CO levels down. Use electric heaters and refrain from opening the doors. Should be able to keep the space above freezing

yeah, i doubt he is spending any more time in there than opening the garage door, get in car, leave.

if you were really paranoid though just crack the doors a few inches when its running. it will heat the garage way quicker than an electric one and be warm for hours after he shuts it down.

[Boat]

1500-2000 watt is pretty small and it would have to be running constantly. I have a 1500 in my bedroom and it takes alot to maintain temperature.

I moved the 1500 into my garage and ran it for about an hour and barely notice any temp difference. I plugged both my 1500 and 2000 (iirc on wattage) in and tripped a breaker almost instantly.

You would have to be running these things 24/7 to maintain a temperature!

[benyl]

Originally posted by Unknown303

And with the adjustable thermostat I set it so it keeps the garage around 5°C and when you are going in and out it runs constantly but when you leave the doors closed it does stop a fair bit so it's not running 100% of the time, probably 60% or so.


5°C is too cold. I think raj2 sets his to 21°C. I am sure Jordan does the same. haha

I am a cheap ass and set mine to 16°C

[ercchry]

just negotiate with the owner that you'll cover half the cost of a new calcana unit :bigpimp:

[kenny]

Get one of these and set it up in the garage:
http://www.homedepot.com/h_d1/N-5yc1v/R-100463816/h_d2/ProductDisplay?catalogId=10053&langId=-1&keyword=infrared+heater&storeId=10051#.UHcmBsWHLQs

Aim it at your car or maybe right in between the two cars. That should warm them up and you'll retain some heat whenever the door is opened.



Originally posted by benyl


5°C is too cold. I think raj2 sets his to 21°C. I am sure Jordan does the same. haha

I am a cheap ass and set mine to 16°C

:werd: I don't even have a garage heater and I don't think my garage ever dips below 5C even when its -35C outside.

[carson blocks]

Last year in my little condo garage (~12x20) I installed a little ~1500w infrared halogen roofmount heater from Princess Auto. It was under $100 IIRC and ran all last winter on max without a problem. 1500w won't do a lot, but it kept the worst of the chill off and kept the liquids in the garage from freezing.

I previously had 1500w 'coil and fan' type electric heaters and found that heating the air wasn't nearly as effective as the radiant heat, at least in my garage. Also, I burned 2 of them out in less than a year, and the replacement IR heater just glows away 24x7 with no issues.

This year I'm lucky enough to have a great big Calcana in my new shop, but the little electric IR one is still working away in my old garage.


*Edit*

This is the little heater I used last year.

http://www.princessauto.com/pal/product/8226979/Consumer/Overhead-Radiant-Heater

[Weapon_R]

The problem with the propane suggestions is that you have to set it every time you want your garage heated. The fumes are bad and it's not very economical.

Princess auto had a forced-air unit for $150 but you need 240v.

[ercchry]

Originally posted by Weapon_R
The problem with the propane suggestions is that you have to set it every time you want your garage heated. The fumes are bad and it's not very economical.

Princess auto had a forced-air unit for $150 but you need 240v.

happy?

http://www.mrheater.com/product.aspx?catid=57&id=359

EDIT: still needs venting and not "portable"

there is no way to get a "warm garage" safely and "portablely"

[codetrap]

Originally posted by JordanLotoski
^^Damn, No

What about 3 or 4 of these?

http://www.homedepot.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductDisplay?productId=202692063&storeId=10051&langId=-1&catalogId=10053&MERCH=REC%2d%5f%2dproduct%2d2%2d%5f%2d202909808%2d%5f%2d202692063%2d%5f%2dN#.UHcdepG9KSM

Way overkill.. I hung one of these, and it works perfectly. Set the temp, set it to the leaf mode, and forget it. I hung mine on the wall. Worked perfectly all winter.

http://www.canadiantire.ca/AST/browse/3/HouseHome/1/HeatingAirConditioning/PortableBaseboardHeaters/PRD~0435952P/Garrison+Mica+Heater.jsp?locale=en

[JordanLotoski]

Originally posted by kenny
Get one of these and set it up in the garage:
http://www.homedepot.com/h_d1/N-5yc1v/R-100463816/h_d2/ProductDisplay?catalogId=10053&langId=-1&keyword=infrared+heater&storeId=10051#.UHcmBsWHLQs

Aim it at your car or maybe right in between the two cars. That should warm them up and you'll retain some heat whenever the door is opened.




:werd: I don't even have a garage heater and I don't think my garage ever dips below 5C even when its -35C outside.


Awesome, Ill look into this, Hows it on the power bill?

[sillysod]

Is the basement finished? Is there no way to pull a piece of cabtyre from the garage to the panel? I will give you my old 240v construction heater to borrow for the winter if you want.

I can't comment on the 120v heaters, but I know that the 240V one you posted heated my 26x28 garage all winter the first year no problem until I got the infloor up and running.

Power consumption is really nothing. About the same as a hot tub $50/month in the winter.

[JordanLotoski]

Originally posted by sillysod
Is the basement finished? Is there no way to pull a piece of cabtyre from the garage to the panel? I will give you my old 240v construction heater to borrow for the winter if you want.

I can't comment on the 120v heaters, but I know that the 240V one you posted heated my 26x28 garage all winter the first year no problem until I got the infloor up and running.

Power consumption is really nothing. About the same as a hot tub $50/month in the winter.

Basement is finished but utility room is located on garage wall so iam sure it could be done.

Think iam going to try some of these portable heaters first. if that doesnt work Ill look into this option.

[Unknown303]

Originally posted by benyl


5°C is too cold. I think raj2 sets his to 21°C. I am sure Jordan does the same. haha

I am a cheap ass and set mine to 16°C

Just checked on my way to work and I actually have it set around 8-10°C and it wasn't running while I was messing around in there. But it's also only zero in the SW currently..

[Sugarphreak]

...

[codetrap]

Originally posted by kenny
Get one of these and set it up in the garage:
http://www.homedepot.com/h_d1/N-5yc1v/R-100463816/h_d2/ProductDisplay?catalogId=10053&langId=-1&keyword=infrared+heater&storeId=10051#.UHcmBsWHLQs
This is similar to what I got, only smaller. I tested mine out last winter, and it had no issues heating the garage to almost 30C on my test run. Saw a minor hit to the power bill, but not really noticeable considering the additional usage due to lights on longer. I set it for 15C and leave it there all the time over the winter, and the garage stays that temp no problem.

[danno]

just get a couple construction heaters, i think they are $80. plus a couple bucks for a electrician to install them. ;)

same as sillysod said that will be your cheapest route. i have a stand up oil heater that i'm not going to use as well if you want to buy that. i've never really tested it to see how much heat it produces.

the baseboard heaters are nice but will cost to much to put in and will damage more drywall then you would want to.

[88CRX]

Are those elec infrared heaters safe to run 24/7 all winter?

[JordanLotoski]

I Picked up a 1500 watt 120v Baseboard heater with built-in thermostat, plugged it in and within a few hours I was up at 73 degrees and climbing. Ill see how that works.

Thanks again guys

[Redlyne_mr2]

Originally posted by JordanLotoski
I Picked up a 1500 watt 120v Baseboard heater with built-in thermostat, plugged it in and within a few hours I was up at 73 degrees and climbing. Ill see how that works.

Thanks again guys

Those work well and don't suck up a lot of juice. It won't be shorts weather in your garage when it's -30 out but it will be bearable.

[SR54RNR]

Originally posted by carson blocks
Last year in my little condo garage (~12x20) I installed a little ~1500w infrared halogen roofmount heater from Princess Auto. It was under $100 IIRC and ran all last winter on max without a problem. 1500w won't do a lot, but it kept the worst of the chill off and kept the liquids in the garage from freezing.

I previously had 1500w 'coil and fan' type electric heaters and found that heating the air wasn't nearly as effective as the radiant heat, at least in my garage. Also, I burned 2 of them out in less than a year, and the replacement IR heater just glows away 24x7 with no issues.

This year I'm lucky enough to have a great big Calcana in my new shop, but the little electric IR one is still working away in my old garage.


*Edit*

This is the little heater I used last year.

http://www.princessauto.com/pal/product/8226979/Consumer/Overhead-Radiant-Heater

I have 2 of these in my garage, they work well, and were cheap to buy