Garage heater- radiant vs forced air?

[craigcd]

I know there are tons of posts on garage heaters in general, I am specifically looking for opinions on radiant tubes vs forced air.

My first install on any garage is a heater. In my last 2 garages I have had forced air furnaces- they have done the job but of course the floor is still freezing. I typically keep the garage about 5 degrees daily during the winter and crank it up when I plan to work out there. We use the garage door often so I do find it runs a lot with the coming and going.

Currently looking at the possibility of moving, most of the places we have looked at seem to have a "vaulted" style ceiling in the garage towards the front. I think this would help accommodate a radiant tube (or 2?) Garage size in general seems to be about ~530 sq feet.

What are the pros and cons?

[Buster]

I have in-slab radiant floor heating in my current garage, and it's much better. The recovery time for the garage is much better. It's much more efficeint. And of course the floor is warm.

[craigcd]

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I have in-slab radiant floor heating in my current garage, and it's much better. The recovery time for the garage is much better. It's much more efficeint. And of course the floor is warm.

Yep, totally get that. Not an option at this point though!

[Tik-Tok]

Radiant Pros- more efficient, less gas, everything warms up, not just the air.

Radiant Cons - Takes forever to heat back up after the door had been opened.

Ideally, install both, and turn the forced air on when you need to.

[craigcd]

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Radiant Pros- more efficient, less gas, everything warms up, not just the air.

Radiant Cons - Takes forever to heat back up after the door had been opened.

Ideally, install both, and turn the forced air on when you need to.

Haha, I wish. Its one or the other! thanks for the input!

[Buster]

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Yep, totally get that. Not an option at this point though!

maybe i dont understand what the options are...haha

[craigcd]

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maybe i dont understand what the options are...haha

@Buster I wouldn't be building new, so tearing up the existing floor to install in-floor heat is a no go!

[benyl]

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maybe i dont understand what the options are...haha

His version of radiant is a calcana type heater, not in floor.

[thinmyster]

You wont need two radiant heaters that's for sure. Is the garage attached? Im sure you know but those FA heaters can be loud especially if you have a room above. I have a Cal40 in mine garage and am happy with it.

[Buster]

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His version of radiant is a calcana type heater, not in floor.

i see. had my terminology a bit mixed up

[craigcd]

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You wont need two radiant heaters that's for sure. Is the garage attached? Im sure you know but those FA heaters can be loud especially if you have a room above. I have a Cal40 in mine garage and am happy with it.

Ya its an attached garage, how big is your garage with that Cal40?

[thinmyster]

Standard double. Maybe a foot or two on the small size. ~22X20?

[imranm]

I got a forced air unit. It solved two issues: 1. It warmed up the garage 2. It kept the bedrooms above the garage a lot warmer.

[Maxt]

If your garage is just for car storage, either is ok... If you work in it a lot , I prefer radiant..
I like the separate combustion of the radiant, you can get a separated combustion unit heater, but they are more money. Also the radiant is fairly quick recovery, the more mass you have the in the garage, the better they work, but the concrete does stay warmer than with forced air. I use to freeze on the floor of my old garage with forced air, but the concrete is actually ok temp wise with radiant, when working under a car with the radiant. Radiant is definitely quieter, doesn't interfere with welding or or blow chips and dust around, and I find the garage doesn't have warm or cold spots like my old garage did. When I was wiring my FC rx7 to FD spec, I had the factory service manuals spread out all over the roof of the car, every time the furnace would come on, the papers would blow all over, I don't miss that aggravation...
I am heating a 30x40x20 garage with a 90,000 btu head on 30 feet of tube. Solar ray and Schwank are the better brands.

[raceman6135]

OP, how much head room do you have? Look at the installation guidelines for the radiant tube heater you want to install, if you decided on that style. I've never had the luxury of having a tall garage, so the 8-foot ceiling with 12 to 16 inches of heater below that got awfully close to the top of my head at 6 feet tall!

The forced air can be installed more toward a corner of the garage where it won't directly heat your noggin. Unless you like the smell of singed hair.

[craigcd]

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OP, how much head room do you have? Look at the installation guidelines for the radiant tube heater you want to install, if you decided on that style. I've never had the luxury of having a tall garage, so the 8-foot ceiling with 12 to 16 inches of heater below that got awfully close to the top of my head at 6 feet tall!

The forced air can be installed more toward a corner of the garage where it won't directly heat your noggin. Unless you like the smell of singed hair.

Lots of head room, the ceiling is vaulted!

- - - Updated - - -

Thanks for all the input- I was thinking I would go radiant this time around and the comments seem to support that!