Propane Garage Heater recs?

[r-mm]

I rent a semi-insulated garage in CT that I'd like to keep working in throughout the winter. I have an electric radiator that works in the shoulder seasons but not below freezing. Never owned a propane heater. What's the right size for a single bay garage?

Something radiant like this do the trick? How long does a 20lb tank last? Propane Tank Top Heater - 15,000 BTU

Convection? Dyna-Glo 50K - 80K LP Convection Heater-RMC-LPC80DG at The Home Depot

Forced Air? Dyna-Glo Pro 60,000 BTU Forced Air Propane Portable Heater-RMC-FA60DGP at The Home Depot

[catuck]

Check out the garage journal forum, lots of discussion there: Heating and A/C - The Garage Journal Board

I have a 75000 BTU Mr. Heater Big Maxx and it cooks my 3 car garage in no time, so I imagine 15k tank top heater would work for you.

[DougZ]

ProCom 80,000 BTU Portable Single Convection Heater
Not Yet Rated

I just bought this heater. It was able to heat up my three car garage ok. Outside was 28 deg. It raised the temp up to mid 60's. I like it since it was cheap and very quiet compared to torpedo style heaters with electric fan. I used 20lbs tank.

[irl]

Just be sure to get one with a blower fan on it not just the construction tubes. You will burn through too much propane too quick without a blower. Just my opinion because I have both and the circulating air really helps move it around and warm up all areas

[Lapkritis]

We use a 150k salamander. Run it for 10mins and then work for awhile until the temp drops and repeat. Be sure to exchange the air so you don't run out of oxygen and get sick.

[S2GART]

I have an oscillating electric heater for my garage. I set the temp I want and away it goes. Unless you know for a fact that there is proper ventilation, I wouldn't burn anything in a closed garage.

[Bob Kontak]

Originally Posted by S2GART

Unless you know for a fact that there is proper ventilation, I wouldn't burn anything in a closed garage.

A 15,000 btu propane heater will not kill you if you have an unrelated stroke and lay on the floor till the wife comes home.

A 150,000 salamander/torpedo heater may do the deed in an un-vented garage.

[Gordo2]

I have the convection and forced air types of propane heaters. I've used these to heat my 2 car garage on occasion.

My garage is insulated, but has a thin skinned double car aluminum panel door. It also has 10' ceilings that make heating much more difficult. The garage normally doesn't drop below 32 deg F, but hovers in the low 30's when it's really cold (northern VA ~ 15 deg F, not often - but it happens).

Here's my take:

The forced air heats the area faster than the convection, but the jet engine noise is horribly annoying. It heats the garage from low 30's to low 60's in about 40 minutes. From there, I turn it on/off as required to maintain comfort. I think I get about 8-10 hours of burn time per 20lb tank.

The convection heater is quieter, but not a lot - you still get a loud flame sound. It doesn't circulate the air as well as the forced air type, but it doesn't seem to make much difference with respect to heating time - a bit slower than forced. It's nicer to stand close to it to warm yourself (human rotisserie...).

Both stink and need good ventilation. A leaky garage door (which most are) provides sufficient air circulation for personal safety - but not enough to expel the propane fuel smell - that requires an open window (and more heating...).

I'm confident that ceiling fans would help quite a bit for circulating heat back down toward the floor. I've climbed my ladder to the attic and nearly broke a sweat on the top rung - lots of heat up top, significantly colder near toward concrete floor.

I've since installed a wood stove - love it. I picked up a used sealed wood stove (good for mobile homes and such) for ~ $100. The chimney was pricy ~ $800 in parts, I installed it myself. I haven't used the propane burners since.

Best of luck,

Gordo

[r-mm]

I know there is ventilation because I find piles of leaves in my garage where there were no leaves the day before. And because its freezing cold. Also my garage is one bay of a four bay detached unit that are all connected since the demising walls are not sheathed to the ceiling. I'm leaning to either the Big Buddy or 15k convection style.

Dyna-Glo 15k-25k BTU Propane Convection Heater-RMC-LPC25DG at The Home Depot

[Ronnie's.930]

Daaaayum, some of you sum-bees heat your garages more than I do my home - 58 degrees indoor temps are about perfect for me.


And by the way, I could use one of those garage heaters right about now, seeing as I have been without power since Thursday night (currently 39 indoors). A minor ice storm that would probably be considered a warm front by much of the US has become an electric company disaster here in the Dallas area. At least I have a generator handy so that I can run important things like my computer rig and cable modem!

[SoCalSK8r]

Oh man that sucks!

[Jcslocum]

Get a MR Heater 2 head radiant. Works the charm over here and lasts for about 1 month on 20 lbs with regular weekend work.

[r-mm]

My garage is somewhat tight so im not sure the radiant would be convienient. I would either be brushing by it all the time or itd be on the far end with no line of sight. Realized that convection might be a bad choice given all the hot air would dissipate to the neighboring bays through the unclad top portion of the wall. Leaning to the smallest possible forced air torpedo which id likely only need to run for ten or so minutes to break the chill then maybe hourly thereafter.

Dyna-Glo Delux, 30K - 60K BTU LP Forced Air Propane Portable Heater, RMC-FA60DGD at The Home Depot - Tablet

Form factor also makes sense for shooting heat under and around a jacked up vehicle.

[Jcslocum]

Mr heat and an oscillating floor fan is the bomb!!! Lots of heat settings and circulation that is nice and easy. No dust in the air due to the jet engine blowing stuff around.

[r-mm]

Inneresting point. My garage is rather dusty. don't those torpedos have a low fan setting?

[drcoastline]

My Garage is 22'X22' with 8' an ceiling. It is semi insulated. Ceiling, wall that backs to the main house for sure. Outside wall I'm not sure. 2 over head wood garage doors. My garage is also slightly vented due to my wife running her car into one of the garage doors.

Last year I bought a Harbor Freight 15,000 BTU infrared propane tank heater (shown below, I think it was $30.00 on sale) as an interim heater until I decided on a Natural Gas hard plumbed ceiling mount heater. The intent of the LP heater was just to make it tolerable in the garage while I fiddled around. Calculations indicate I need a 25K minimum to maintain temperature. To my surprise it actually heats the garage to a comfortable temperature. light sweatshirt or long T. Of course I don't leave it on while I am not in the garage so it needs to bring the garage up to temperature which takes about ten minutes. I can not tell you how long a 20lb. BBQ tank will last for sure as mine pulls double duty. I can say that I had a tank that we used on the BBQ a few times then I used it in my garage for a few hours last week. Hooked it back to my BBQ and have used it several more times to cook and it still has gas.

[r-mm]

Another dumb new-to-propane question - whats the economical way to get tanks and refill them? That Blue Rhino exchange thing? Local compressed gas depot?

[whiz05403]

I have this up in VT, works nice, a bit noisy though.

[Bob Kontak]

Originally Posted by r-mm

Another dumb new-to-propane question - whats the economical way to get tanks and refill them? That Blue Rhino exchange thing? Local compressed gas depot?

Home Depot has a self exchange set up in some of the stores. $18-19. Never checked at a true "gas" facility.

Skip gas stations/convenient stores. Close to $25.

With the 15,000 BTU top of tank pie-plate burner, I get about 20 hours at the low setting, so maybe 10 hours at high. I am just seat of the pants guessing here, but have run through enough of them that I bet I am in the ball park.

[Bob Kontak]

I like that All Pro unit. Given you lose heat through the top, you can point that at the car where you are working and it will capture some of the heat and radiate. Doubt you can work in direct fire unless eight feet away or so. But I do like the ability to direct heat.