Poll: Opinion on garage heating

[Tik-Tok]

I've got a fairly large seperate garage, and it's pretty old too, cinder block, built in the 60's. Recently I ripped out the furnace, as it was too dangerous to use anymore, it was probably circa 1970's, and an enormous energy user.

Now I have to make a decision. I've got about $1700 I plan to use on the garage for heating. My problem is that 3 single garage doors I have are thin... REALLY thin. Probably an R value of about 0.5, lol.

So should I spend the money on

A) 3 new insulated doors, with R value of 10.4, from Totem for $550 each), and get someone else's old used furnace for $100-200 - 80% efficiency.

or

B) Buy a radiant heater (ie Calcana), that's supposed to be super efficient, but I'll still have lots of loss through those shitty old doors.

Just looking for general opinions, and any reasons why you think one over the other.

[CapnCrunch]

I'd get the better heater and upgrade the doors later. Maybe you could spray foam them until you got new ones or something? Or glue some rigid insulation to the backs of them.
It's nice not getting bent over in the winter with a monster gas bill.

[n1zm0]

i would have said screw heated garage but if youre putting your winter beater inside then i picked A, theres nothing better than warm car on a -25 to -30 day that takes less than 5 mins running to get the blower motor nice and toasty.

as you said you'd be throwing the $ down the drain with thin doors and the biggest baddest heater on one of those -30 nights, efficiency at... none lol

living in a townhouse the heat comes from the house and the furnace is literally 4 meters from the garage vent, not bad but the door to the house from the garage was thin ass, put this ayr-foil reflective insul. on both sides and it has so far worked, that's just for the door tho if youre thinking of going all out for efficiency - do the door too

[AndyL]

No, go with the doors first - most efficient heater in the world aint going to help if the doors suck ass. You're probably talking 200 sqft of uninsulated space - put a badass efficient heater in and you're still pumping pure $ out the door.

No you can't just glue insulation / sprayfoam to a garage door - it will affect the balance, and then you're just putting needless $ out the door replacing springs to make them balance (or worse chewing up openers).

[Alterac]

New Doors is the way to go.

Also if you have any windows make sure you're not losing a ton of heat through those. (use some window/door foam to re-insulate them)

New weatherstripping on the entrance door also.

[Weapon_R]

New doors will help aesthetically and with heating issue. A cheap furnace this year should do the trick.

By the way, Lift King in Cross Iron has a radiant heater for $1000.

[Tik-Tok]

I'm really on the fence, both have their advantages. Also remember I've been using those shitty doors AND a shitty furnace for 6 years now, so either way will be an improvement.

New doors = aesthetically pleasing (especially since I'm painting the walls right now too), keep the cold air out, warm air in, cheap furnace will last until I can afford a good radiant.

New radiant heater = better heating efficiency, but it'd be easier to do the heater first, then do the doors one at a time as I find more money to free up. It's easier to find $600 at a time, then $1100 (plus whatever hardware I need to install)

[topmade]

I'd go with a heater first because I like my warm cars in the morning and you can go in there on a whim to do some work instead of starting up some portable heater and waiting an hour before it gets warm enough to do something, then by that time you don't feel like doing it anymore. You've lost money for the last 6 years haha, another year isn't going to break the bank.

Another suggestion is that if you are not using all three doors all the time, then seal up the unused doors with that plastic wrap stuff and maybe even stuff some insulation in it to.

[Tik-Tok]

Originally posted by topmade
I'd go with a heater first because I like my warm cars in the morning and you can go in there on a whim to do some work instead of starting up some portable heater and waiting an hour before it gets warm enough to do something, then by that time you don't feel like doing it anymore. You've lost money for the last 6 years haha, another year isn't going to break the bank.

Another suggestion is that if you are not using all three doors all the time, then seal up the unused doors with that plastic wrap stuff and maybe even stuff some insulation in it to.
.

Yeah, but I can buy a used forced air furnace for like $100 to use in the meanwhile. I was using one before I ripped it out. I kept the garage temp around 5*C so the snow would melt and the car's wouldn't be too cold, but wouldn't break the bank either. When I needed to work out there, I'd crank it to 15* an hour ahead of time.

I use all 3 doors in the summer, but in winter one isn't used.

[InRich]

Buy new doors first for sure.... after get a CALCANA heater, dont go with that forced air shit, its seriously garbage.

[Tik-Tok]

Originally posted by InRich
Buy new doors first for sure.... after get a CALCANA heater, dont go with that forced air shit, its seriously garbage.

You still sell them?

[InRich]

^ lol what are you nuts. I used to, and they are the best heaters you can buy.

[CUG]

My concern would be the heat cycle your car is going to deal with on cold winter days, combined with the moisture it will have on it. It typically leads to rust down the road.

[CapnCrunch]

Are you installing the furnace yourself? I'd never run a forced air furnace in a garage. Way too many leaks around the doors. Even new ones.

Infrared heat in a shitty leaky garage > forced air heat in an air-tight one.

[CapnCrunch]

Originally posted by CUG
My concern would be the heat cycle your car is going to deal with on cold winter days, combined with the moisture it will have on it. It typically leads to rust down the road.

[tsi_neal]

Insulate first!

I built my garage last summer and insulated it very well. I ran out of time and funds to run gas last year and I settled on a 5kw electric heater, cost me $80 bucks and an average of $20/month to keep the garage at 5*C and 10-15 when im in there.

The electric heat isnt ideal, it takes forever to warm back up once the door is opened but I was suprised at how well it works and how cheaply. But its a well insulated garage.

[Idratherbsidewayz]

To OP, insulate first!! Like everyone said, you could have a crappy system and great insulation and it will be very efficient.

Originally posted by CUG
My concern would be the heat cycle your car is going to deal with on cold winter days, combined with the moisture it will have on it. It typically leads to rust down the road.

Dunno if that's a concern. Rust in automobiles usually is caused by three things. Oxygen reducing in water to form Hydroxide ions lowering the pH (and speeding up corrosion) of the attacking solution, the reduction of Iron in the presence of Oxygen causing reactive Fe3+ ions that make rust with Oxygen ions, and the acceleration of the reaction when a salt water electrolyte is present to conduct electricity in the electrochemical reaction.

In all of these, water is a very important factor. Therefore, the less water you have as your car dries in the garage, the smaller and slower the reaction. It can be argued (although weakly), that the elevated temperature in the garage would cause the air to be less dense meaning less oxygen present. This would also slow the reaction down. Having said that, I don't think the temperature difference is enough to make any kind of difference.

Compare the amount of moisture present when your car is outside or in a cold garage that won't dry it as fast. Heated garage is definitely better.

The kind of heat cycling that may be seen (-40 --> +15) has absolutely nothing to do with anything regarding rust. pH is a MUCH more important factor in corrosion.

[CUG]

Originally posted by Idratherbsidewayz
It can be argued (although weakly), that the elevated temperature in the garage would cause the air to be less dense meaning less oxygen present. This would also slow the reaction down. Having said that, I don't think the temperature difference is enough to make any kind of difference.

...that actually IS the argument

[Tik-Tok]

I think I will go with the doors for now. AndyL is helping me get some decent deals on them, and they'll look nice with my freshly painted walls.

I hate forced air, but it'll have to do until I can come up with more money to spend in there. I just wish that old one lasted another season.

[Idratherbsidewayz]

Originally posted by CUG
...that actually IS the argument

Do you mean that it supports your argument? Because less oxygen/less reaction means less rust making the heated garage a better choice. Although, like I said, it probably isn't a significant enough difference in density. -5C vs. +5C (Attached vs. Heated garage).