Propane Garage Heater Recommendations

[trukman1]

Looking to install a heater in the garage and not sure what the best one would be. Garage is attached to the house and is 24' x 32' x 9'. Any experience anyone can pass on to help me make the best decision? There are so many options it's hard to decide. Would think I would like to get a forced air (blower) type but there are a lot or ventless radiant heaters and I'm not sure how well they work and how much propane they use. In Ohio where the temps get into the 20's a lot during winter. (any colder than that I won't be working in the garage!) Anyone having actual experience, I would greatly appreciate your input. Thanks.

[Dead Parrot]

Keep in mind that the ventless heaters are using the same air you need to breath. If you always keep the door open during working sessions, not much of an issue but if you keep the door shut, could become a fatal issue. Plus those same gases can get into the main part of the attached house. Not uncommon for part of a split house system to be in the garage making the bad vapor issue even worse. Whatever you do, include CO detectors for the main house.

Something like this: https://www.homedepot.com/p/Williams...621A/100118902

A simple box fan or similar serves to move the hot air around. Had a similar version in a 10x20 garage that would way over heat the place if you turned it up very high.

Nice thing is it doesn't need electricity so can serve as an emergency heater during winter power failures.

[_Ogre]

a lot depends on how tight and insulated the walls and roof are

when i first started out in michigan, i had a turbo heater that i ran on 5 gal bbq tanks
ventless heaters suck, they make a lot of water vapor that condenses on everything including table saws and tool boxes

now i have a $300 craigslist 80k btu house furnace in my 20x30 shop, i can open a door and heat the 12x30 vehicle bay too
shop is insulated and heated all winter at 45*, 60 when i'm out there, vehicle bay is not insulated nor air tight
propane furnace is 90% efficient is vented with pvc pipe, only duct work is a 90* elbow sitting on top of the furnace
i have a 100 gal propane tank locate on the other side of the wall, typically i go thru 150 gal of propane

[95 S_Trucker]

How serious are you? What is your budget? I heat my 1300 square foot shop with a Modine, hanging from the ceiling. It works great.

I have a commercial unit, but I have friends that have a hot dawg(specifically for residential use).

https://www.modinehvac.com/web/products.htm

[sweetk30]

Originally Posted by 95 S_Trucker

How serious are you? What is your budget? I heat my 1300 square foot shop with a Modine, hanging from the ceiling. It works great.

I have a commercial unit, but I have friends that have a hot dawg(specifically for residential use).

https://www.modinehvac.com/web/products.htm

same here modine hot dawg unit for the win .

[Jrainman]

all good choices here and Orge 90% efficency furnance is most likly a good choice because he only paid 300 for it ,and being 90% furnance it has a sealed combustion chamber so its a very safe option as well

The modine options are well suited for garages because they hang and dont use your floor space ,and if placed in the perfect location you can create a heat curtain so when you open your garage door a very min amount of cold air will enter .

Most if not all hot air furnaces will be optioned for Propane use as long as offer a propane conversion kit.

as also stated insulation is you best friend when trying to heat a space ,so opt on doing at least some insulation for better performance and economy.

There is another option if your are looking for big savings , because you live in a Coal region ,that means you can obtain coal at a very reasonable rate , they do make coal hot air furnace , they come very efficent also seal chamber and highly optioned these days ,you might want to educate your self on coal just because you live in coal region as I do and heat with coal including my house . its not what you imagine Days of heating with coal are very advanced .

And the most important reason is my heating money does not go to some other country or state ,it pays the local miner who mined for it, the coal breaker to process it and the trucker driver who delivers it to my home .

[68c10airstream]

Ogre is spot on, and i will add that with an attached garage consider the potential for an explosion with all types of furnaces except the sealed combustion models. My 25 year old sealed model has had zero problems, and 2 friends are on their 3rd hanging heaters from solvents, carb cleaners, paint fumes going up inside the heat exchanger and rotting them out from the inside out. Look at a grainger catalog and read the small print pertaining to this called "halogenated hydrocarbons"

Every shop i worked at the free hanging heaters were shot, poisoning us with carbon monoxide every day at a low level, and we were thinking initially it was qas from the car exhaust getting the cars in and out for repair. Argued with every owner to do the right thing and either replace or upgrade to sealed combustion. Even offered free labor to upgrade, but i guess i was a poor salesman on this. Obvious repairs that fell on deaf ears. Enough of my rant, good luck.