Garage Heater

[Pete-FWA]

This winter I want to put some kind of heater in my detatched garage to work on some projects. My limits are only having one 15A line and no other utilities.

Getting any more utilties/capacity out there requires trenching and tearing up tree roots, probably killing the trees. That is out of the question for me.

Kerosene salamander, propane, waste oil burner, wood fireplace....anyone have any ideas? When I'm out there, it will be for most of a day. I can handle the expense, I just want to make it the smartest move for safety and efficiency. Even thought about a gasoline generator for more electricity

Thanks

[stealth]

I've been using a kerosene heater for quite some time. Very cost effective & the coldest my detatched garage ever got was 42 degrees. I'm in NJ 266 feet above sea level & 700 feet from the ocean facing the North East & it gets windy,wet, & cold but I'm comfortable. I put the heater on & preheat the garage so very little is lost due to door opening. The people door helps to keep it nice too. 24ft. x30ft. gets heated w/a 20k BTU unit.

[Pete-FWA]

Does the kerosene leave any kind of film or residue on paint or the rest of the garage? People say the smell is bad, but I hear the additives help eliminate that.

[stealth]

I use K-1 clear kerosene, no odor. Every other tankfull burn the unit dry which will eliminate any residue from building up on the wick thus eliminating any film.

[Pete-FWA]

Thanks for the tips: this might be just what I'll do. I've been pricing propane and it seems prohibitively expensive. Could use $30/day on that stuff. Doubtful kerosene will be anywhere near that.

[rusty bumper]

Get the tall round unit instead of the boxy one. The round unit gives off a white flame and that is the hottest flame there is. Not to mention that that type of flame burns fuel more efficiently, and kerosene is a hotter burning fuel anything else that I know of.

My neighbor used to have an older kerosene fired furnace at one time, and the heat coming out of those forced air ducts was very warm indeed.

[travisdecpn]

With the price of fuel on the rise, you may want to go with an electric unit. Nutone makes some nice wall-mount and recessed heaters that will run on 15 amps and provide enough heat to warm a well-insulated garage. This is an example of one such unit, http://nutone.com/product-detail.asp?ProductID=10238

[Pete-FWA]

15A is my maximum service. Can't use any more than that or I'll trip breakers all day long. That eliminates all my lights and machines in the garage. Some of the electrics do put out some good heat, though, you're right.

[travisdecpn]

Depending on how much clearance you have in your garage you may want to try a unit like this, http://www.grainger.com/Grainger/wwg...629707&ccitem=. We use one of these in the back part of our shop by the workbench. You mount them right on top of a propane tank and they will provide an ample amount of heat.

[rdfisch]

What about a pellet stove?

http://www.harmanstoves.com/list.asp?id=45,1,10,12,19,20,21,26&title=Harman%20Pellet%20Stoves

Just a thought.

[Pete-FWA]

Today I hit some of the big box home improvement stores to check on various heaters. The ones that stand out are the long tube styled kerosene fired heaters of around 50,000 BTU. That should get things heated fast, then leave me with an open power outlet as I get working.

That line of pellet stoves is interesting. Never paid much attention to them until today. Now I have another option. Winter's coming: the prediction is 33 degrees tomorrow night, so I have to get a furnace out there or move to a warm climate sooner than predicted.