What's the best way to heat a 2 car garage?


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Old 01-24-05, 12:15 PM
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What's the best way to heat a 2 car garage?

I have a two car garage and I have a bathroom above the garage. I am having a problem with my pipes freezing because the garage is unheated. I also would like to heat the garage so I can work in it in the summer. The garage measurements are: 20' x 24' with I guess 8 or 9 foot ceiling.

I live in Northern NJ and it's COLD at my house, this whole week it's been about 0-15 degrees outside and the garage stays only about 10 degrees warmer than the outside. So my garage has been around 20 degrees this week on average. I have tried those little 1500 watt cermaic heaters and also one of those oil filled electric radiators at 1500 watts. These just don't even make a difference unless you are standing directly infront of them. I am looking for the best means of heating the garage, only to about like 40-50 degrees at the most. You know, to keep it above freezing and make it workable to be inside for a while. I see all these different heaters like the ventless heaters, etc. But I have a bedroom above the garage and I don't know how safe these ventless heaters are. My house is heated with baseboard hot water propane fueled heat. I need to know what the best way to heat the garage would be and in particular what heaters would be the best? I was looking at those big 18,000 btu electric heaters but I don't know how well they work and if they are going to cost a FORTUNE to run in electricity?

Any help would be greatly appreciated, thanks!
 
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Old 01-24-05, 06:14 PM
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I would forget about heating the garage to solve your frozen pipe problem. Insulate the plumbing and only heat your garage as needed. Most garages are not insulated so any heat you put in is just wasted money.

I would get a 50'000 btu jet engine style kerosene heater to use in the garage whenever you want to work on a car.
 
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Old 01-25-05, 06:01 AM
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I think I am going to go with a 19K btu Dayton electric heater, my garage ceiling is insulated as there is a bedroom and bathroom above it.. I don't know about the walls however, but I would image the walls are insulated as well... probably the biggest lose of heat in the garage is due to the garage doors...

but anyhow, I want sometihng to keep the garage at around 40-50 degrees...

I did cut holes in the garage ceiling and insulated the crap out of the pipes with both foam pipe insulation and regular R-25, R-13 insulation... I hope this alone will solve my freezing pipes issues...

I packed so much insulation in around the pipes that if they freeze now, I give up!
 
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Old 01-25-05, 07:11 AM
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Heat

I would cut a small hole in the walls and see if they are insulated as well. My garage is well insulated and it's 24x28 with 10 foot ceilings. I also have forced hot water heat but it runs on natural gas rather than propane. I put a Modine FHW Heater in the garage which is extreamly safe and plumbed it on it's own zone from the boiler. I also have a fiberglass, insulated garage door.

I leave the thermostat on it's lowest setting and it stays around 45 with no problem and doesn't cost a fortune. If I'm going to work out there, I light a propane high hat heater for 5 or ten minutes. That gets it up to temp in a hurry then the boiler just keeps it there. I think the propane heater is 45,000 btu but I'm not certain. Being propane, it also doesn't smell very much at all.

In a pinch you can put heat tape on the pipes. That's what one of my friends had to do until it warmed up enough for him to install the heat.

Good luck.
 
 

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