I am freezing to death in my garage.

[Argeo]

Would it be wrong to use a kerosene heater in a garage. I need a heat source badly. Any suggestions or thoughts? I am in Ma.

Thanks,

David

[Rick Lee]

Get a cube of Pabst and you'll be good to go.

[JonT]

see this thread--lots of info

911 Garage Heat

[KTL]

I use a kerosene heater when it gets really cold. Just open a window or crack the garage door a bit to occasionally ventilate the garage. Can get kinda stinky in there after a while.

Check the local classifieds and you could probably pick up a used one pretty cheap. New, quality ones are expensive ($150-$300)compared to a used one ($50 probably).

To avoid the stink, try to locally source the odorless clean fuel too. Something like this stuff?

http://www.msiwix.com/Klean-Heat.htm

Other guys use the tube shaped, forced heat type heaters with good success. These use propane or kerosene. Good thing about propane is it's less messy (no chance of spillage) too. Can probably heist the tank from your BBQ grill for the first few uses?

[RoninLB]

2 pocket warmers will keep ears, toes, and fingers warm big time. put them in the shirt pockets so your heating the blood next to your heart....

[Decolliber]

I just use an electric radiator heater

[chuckw951]

I use a kerosene heater (bought at home depot for $130) in my house when it gets really cold. Those things crank out some heat.
I have a heat pump (actually 2, one upstairs and one downstairs) and when it is below 30 degree the heat pumps runs constantly. Despite all of the warnings on the box (which I think are there partly because of the lawyers) they are safe to use inside. Your house just can't be airtight and there should be some ventilation. I also bought one of those $30 carbon monoxide detectors just to be safe. In terms of the smell you can buy the special fuel at home depot and elsewhere but it is way to expensive given that kerosene is around 1.30 a gallon or so. I use kerosene and ad an additive (also sold at home depot) and that helps with the stench. But either way you go when you turn the thing off it gives off some smoke. Anyway they work great and would be good for a garage. I'd crack a window and get a CO detector just in case. Luckily in my garage I there is a separate oil heat system. Did a brake job on the daily driver the other day. Temp was like 20 degrees outside. Glad I had heat!
Go to home depot.com and search for "kerosene heater", you'll see the model I'm talking about. good luck

[Jadams1]

Here's another link.

pics of garage heating system

[keithlambert7]

As others have said, the karosene heaters work pretty well if you have proper ventilation. I noticed they smell the least operating at full heat. If you turn down the heat, they really start to STINK!

I have a contractor-esq propane heater, one of the vertical galvanized contraptions. Still have to vent but it doesn't stink nearly as bad. With the high BTU output though it literally whips through a gas-grill tank of propane in a few days, I ougtha get a 4ft tank to use with it,and it'd be perfect, burns clean and odor-less. I put a brick vertially (4") under the garage doors for draft and air vent.

Keith

[Argeo]

Thanks gguys, I have access to one already. It is a bit old (mid eighties but I'll try it out.

I was more worried about the whole flame thing. I guess I will just make sure the area is well ventilated which is never an issue in my garage exspecially since I drove the 911 into the back wall a few years ago (actually drove itself). Car fine, garage still not quite back to normal.

Thanks again.

[Joe Bob]

Electric is good....no fumes but expensive to run. Here in the People's Republic of let's get screwed for electricity by GWs friends we try to stay away from electric heat.....

"I" use those propane powered bazooka blowers from Home Depot. I first bought it to dry out my rental when it flooded and got the carpets wet. About 140 USD. 45 USD for a new filled Blue Rhino brand tank.


I open the garage about three inches, sucks in fresh air from the bottom and exhausts CO laden (if any) air up top. The standard sized propane tank will last 24 hours+ at low setting. Up high and the temp will approach 140F and set off the smoke and fire alarm.....ask me how I know...... sure pi$$ed off the FD when they responded......guess I made them miss Oprah or something.....

[KTL]

Argeo,

My kerosene heater is just like you describe. Early eighties Kero-Sun heater. Still works great after all these years. The only thing that really ever goes wrong with these things is either the ignitor (who cares, just use a match thru the access door) or the wick gets old and brittle. New wicks are available from places like the link I posted above.

I don't bother with the stink-free kerosene myself. Since the heater is in the garage, the stink doesn't matter to me. We used to use them for indoor heating on a boat. We're still alive. CO can't be too significant or my father would have killed himself and the rest of the family many years ago!

[cstreit]

I use a 35k BTU propane torpedo heater from Home Depot.

Very little smell to speak of, no CO EVER showed up in the CO meter, and I crack a window or the door to let in more oxygen as needed. Warms up my two car leaky detached un-insulated garage in 15-20 minutes to a comfortable 65... One propane tank lasts about 15-20 hours, meaning it costs me just under $1/hour to heat it. TOtally worth it IMHO.

[rcm]

To be safe, a direct vent heater. Propane or natural. Not expensive just mount to an outside wall. At least up here in NH you can propane bottles filled easily.

[Iggy]

The kerosene heater I use only smells if the flame is turned up too high...going even higher causes black soot to form on the heater.

Keeping the flame level down eliminates the smell from mine, and still keeps the garage warm enough to work without a jacket when there's snow outside.

[Axis11]

Best tool I ever bought for my garage.
I got a 50,000 btu "Reddy Heater" that runs on kerosene. Since the early eighties used every winter without any issues.
If you use K1 kerosene it burns fairly clean. a bit of fumes on initial startup/shutdown, but being forced air,
it heats up quick and I never shut it off when I'm working cause it's cold here in the winter.
Your clothes will have a bit of smell, but I don't imagine that you're working on your car in your sunday best.
Use common sense as far as venting is concerned, no garage is absolutely airtight, too much draft or venting defeats the whole purpose of a heater anyway. The only trade-off is that the concrete will never warm so you'll need carboard or the like if you'll be laying on the floor.
As an added bonus, torpedo heaters can light your smoke or cigar from a couple feet away,
bake small spray bombed parts quite well, and sound like a jet when they fire up!

[Wil Ferch]

I would favor propane over kerosene not only for the stink-factor but also for the cleanliness factor. Do ventilate and probably use a CO meter.

---Wil Ferch

[vash]

what about one of those propane units that they use at patiobars? doesnt costco sell a mini version?

[chuckw951]

Originally posted by unfixed
what about one of those propane units that they use at patiobars? doesnt costco sell a mini version?

I have one of those that I use on the back deck. It was $99 at home depot...called the "endless summer." A $299 40K BTU version is also available. The one I have takes the small cylinders or connects to 20lb tanks. The cylinders last for about 1 hour. Works well outside, but I've never used it in enclosed space (per the warning labels about CO) though if you have some ventilation I bet it would be fine. Doesn't generate as much heat as a kerosene though.

[304065]

This works great.

Shoots out a plume of heat for about three feet that then goes to the ceiling.

Burns clean with no smoke/fumes until you shut it off, then it goes rich and throws a little smell. I've run it for many many hours at a time on a single fill of kerosene.

Also burns Jet-A which is more expensive but readily available where I keep my car. . .

Just don't touch the end, it glows red hot.