Jump to content

Garage heating recommendations


Recommended Posts

I have a double garage and I would like to buy a heater that might actually work. I have had a 2kw electric heater that would set my overalls alight if within 1m but gave no effect at 2m, I have a gas heater which has a slightly greater range but takes up too much room with the gas bottle. I think I am looking for a ceramic heater but most of the ones I see are either too small or have reports of them melting their plugs. Can anyone recommend a heater that will heat a double garage? I'm not looking for it to be very warm but I'd like the chill lifting throughout the space if possible.

Link to post
Share on other sites
9 minutes ago, cvtrian said:

How about an infra red wall panel, heats people and objects rather than the air...................
Ian

Thanks but that doesn't really help Ian, obviously that's a fixed location and there would be metalwork between me and the heater a lot of the time, I want the air temp in the whole space lifting.

Link to post
Share on other sites

There's nothing really special about a ceramic heater - it is still just an electrical element except that the element is a ceramic material rather than coiled wire.  It won't work any better, 2kW is still 2 kW however it is produced - and that just isn't enough to warm a large and probably draughty garage. 

 

 

Link to post
Share on other sites

I would definitely install an air-air heat pump (airco); This will have an efficiency 3 to 5 times that of conventinal electric heaters and IR panels.

Link to post
Share on other sites

The most important thing you need to do if you want to heat a double garage and keep it warm is to make sure it’s well insulated.

Not easy to do if you have a “Normal” type of garage door. (Just a single skin wood/metal/plastic sort.)

The only way (I think) to actually get the whole place heated is to use some form of blow heater. That way it will distribute the heat around the whole volume. Many years ago I bought a commercial 3Kw electric fan heater which works quite well. It used to take about an hour to get my 1 ½  size garage warm, but as soon as I switched it off, the place started to cool.

3Kw will cost you about £0.75 to £1.00 per hour AT THE MOMENT. What will it cost next year?

Can you get a radiator connected up to our central heating? If so I still think you need to blow the heat around.

But as I said at the beginning.

Insulating is the key to keeping it warm. You need to make sure that as soon as the air heats up it doesn't cool down just as fast.

Charlie.

Link to post
Share on other sites
28 minutes ago, john.r.davies said:

I use a Clarke "Little Devil" gas heater.   Very noisy, but most effective.

I currently have a large gas bottle John, it takes up too much room for something that is only used on a small number of days a year, it's also not very portable.

Link to post
Share on other sites
16 minutes ago, Charlie D said:

The most important thing you need to do if you want to heat a double garage and keep it warm is to make sure it’s well insulated.

Not easy to do if you have a “Normal” type of garage door. (Just a single skin wood/metal/plastic sort.)

The only way (I think) to actually get the whole place heated is to use some form of blow heater. That way it will distribute the heat around the whole volume. Many years ago I bought a commercial 3Kw electric fan heater which works quite well. It used to take about an hour to get my 1 ½  size garage warm, but as soon as I switched it off, the place started to cool.

3Kw will cost you about £0.75 to £1.00 per hour AT THE MOMENT. What will it cost next year?

Can you get a radiator connected up to our central heating? If so I still think you need to blow the heat around.

But as I said at the beginning.

Insulating is the key to keeping it warm. You need to make sure that as soon as the air heats up it doesn't cool down just as fast.

Charlie.

I had my up & over doors replaced with insulated rollers last year, they are a big improvement, using a gas heater with the doors closed is obviously a concern and this is one of the reasons I don't like using my gas heater now.

Link to post
Share on other sites

Is it heat that you need, or just to try and avoid condensation?  Most of the time, I find that if I am doing things in the garage, I keep reasonably warm.

If you want to avoid or minimise condensation, you could install a Carcoon for the TR, or you could use an electric Dehumidifier - quite inexpensive to purchase and to run, but cannot work much below 10 degrees C..

Ian Cornish

 

Link to post
Share on other sites

I have a kerosene powered space heater for the workshop which is OK but possibly a bit much for a double garage .

Stuart.

Link to post
Share on other sites
58 minutes ago, ianc said:

Is it heat that you need, or just to try and avoid condensation?  Most of the time, I find that if I am doing things in the garage, I keep reasonably warm.

If you want to avoid or minimise condensation, you could install a Carcoon for the TR, or you could use an electric Dehumidifier - quite inexpensive to purchase and to run, but cannot work much below 10 degrees C..

Ian Cornish

 

I don't have a condensation problem, I run a small desk fan to keep airflow, if I put a damp car in there it is dry by the morning, the fan works well.

Link to post
Share on other sites
12 minutes ago, Ian Vincent said:

I have a set of insulated overalls that I picked up from Lidl centre aisle a few years ago.  I don't know what I will do when they wear out as they are brilliant.  Not much help I suspect.

Rgds Ian

I have some thermal dickies myself, they certainly help

Link to post
Share on other sites
26 minutes ago, stuart said:

I have a kerosene powered space heater for the workshop which is OK but possibly a bit much for a double garage .

Stuart.

This is issue really Stuart, there are solutions for large spaces and for small rooms, it's in the slightly larger area that finding the right heater seems to get harder, I will just have to man up and get out there, it just seems to get harder every year!

Link to post
Share on other sites

Insulation and draught free is a big issue when heating a garage.

My daughter was having and extension built last year and they were still living in the house - they got a couple of the finned mobile oil filled radiators and I was amazed at how they warmed up the space

Link to post
Share on other sites
2 hours ago, Waldi said:

I would definitely install an air-air heat pump (airco); This will have an efficiency 3 to 5 times that of conventinal electric heaters and IR panels.

This is what i have in my workshop and it is excellent

heats efficiently in the winter, even when nearly freezing outside, and cools in the new global warming summers :-)

i dont have current measuring equipment but it is 12kbtu which is the same as the smaller unit on Sapphire which draws 4amps, ie about 1kw to deliver 3kw of heat.

Steve

Link to post
Share on other sites
32 minutes ago, Steves_TR6 said:

This is what i have in my workshop and it is excellent

heats efficiently in the winter, even when nearly freezing outside, and cools in the new global warming summers :-)

i dont have current measuring equipment but it is 12kbtu which is the same as the smaller unit on Sapphire which draws 4amps, ie about 1kw to deliver 3kw of heat.

Steve

Hi Steve,
I noticed that in your garage picturesB). Not many people understand that this is a very efficient way of heating. We have a Daikin 5kW unit, which is more than sufficient to warm our house ground floor to 21 C (free standing house, 1976, well insulated). It consumes 370 W at this very moment. The central heating does not switch on.

The fact that modern airconditioners can not only cool but also heat very efficient is simply not known by many.

Cheers,

Waldi

 

Link to post
Share on other sites
2 hours ago, Ian Vincent said:

I have a set of insulated overalls that I picked up from Lidl centre aisle a few years ago.  I don't know what I will do when they wear out as they are brilliant.  Not much help I suspect.

Rgds Ian

Yes ,i have the same and they are excellent, only on sale some  time in December and they sell out fast

Link to post
Share on other sites

As said I have had the central heating extended into the garage with just a single rad and is well insulated with the ceiling boarded out, insulated roller door and dbl glazed window and side door. Granted the garage is co-joined to the house with the boiler in there as well and so far the temperature has never dropped below 12 degrees even on the coldest days so I now consider myself very lucky compared to Pete and his TR4 woes prior to this I had to work under a car port with my small garage as a workshop and I don't miss it one bit now I'm older and softer!

Propane at present is very difficult to get hold of so might not be a good way to go.

If I was in your position and planning to stay in the property consider getting a gas supply across to the garage and fitting a gas boiler and secondhand rads. If you are warm its certainly makes doing anything much more pleasant. Or to keep cost down how about salvaging a propane heating system from a caravan and installing it in the garage just need signing off by a Gas Safe Engineer?

Andy 

Link to post
Share on other sites

Thanks all, plenty to think about, I quite fancy the airconditioning option, seems like the Daikin units are currently all sold out for some reason.

Ian

Link to post
Share on other sites
18 minutes ago, ntc said:

Worst thing you can do is to heat your garage just saying .

Why?

Link to post
Share on other sites

With a gas heater you will have all the exhaust (CO2) and moisture (H2O) of the chemical reaction im the garage.

C3H8 + 10 O —> 3 CO2 + 4 H2O

and sone heat, of cause

Edited by Z320
Link to post
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Restore formatting

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

Loading...
×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

Please familiarise yourself with our Terms and Conditions. By using this site, you agree to the following: Terms of Use.