What do you use to heat your garage?
I have a 30X30 I want to heat. also have a 42X90 with 5 doors. Over next few years I want to finish inside and possibly heat a few bays

When you say heat, are you talkin' warm like in the house? I use to have an inground pool (next to the pole barn)that had a heater with it. This heat ran off of a tank of gas (LPG). When a tree fell on the pool house (glorified pole barn) the trusses came down and cracked the fiberglass insert. So, rather than fix all of that we just had it all removed. Anyways, I had the tank and the line so I bought a used gas heat blower. Hung it from the rafters, attached my line and viola heat. Also, I have found that it doesn't get really cold enough here in Southern IN to warrant running this bad boy all the time. So, I bought some Halogen shop lights and after awhile they heat things up purty good, not fireplace cozy, but enough that your fingers are still flexible. Also, my pole barn (40x80) is insulated and the roof on the southside is corragated plastic, which allows the sun to come through and gets things to warmin'. Without the heat on, the sun can raise the inside of the barn by as much as 5 - 10 degrees from the outside temp. If you are talking warm enough to have a paint booth, you're gonna need gas heat of some kind to keep the moisture down and a more even heat than say with a salamander or potbelly stove. IMO of course.
JP

I've known guys who use waste oil heaters. Don't know how much oil they go through or whether you can get duel fuel ones, but those aint small shops so they should take a lot to heat them. Good insulation is a must.
Or think about a biodiesel heater so you have an excuse to make your own Biodiesel to run in both the truck and shop. use the not so good batches in the shop heater and the good ones in the truck.
My garage is attached to the house and is unheated except for a small infrared lamp/heater that I turn on when I'm working. Residual heat from the cars, good insulation and the fact it's attached to the house keeps it at 50 degrees even when outside temp is in the twentys.

I built a used oil furnace for our shop it is gravity feed and we regulate the flow of oil by how high the five gallon bucket is pulled up the rope pulley.kind of crude but has been that way for years. the fire box has a air plenum that is charged with air from a squirril cage fan ( one off an old clothes dryer works fine) we start it with diesel one ro two cups and a propane torch. plug in the fan and get ready for heat. this is not something you can leave on as the oil in the bucket heats it flows faster and gets hotter. we have used this for at least 6 years with no problem. I pour the oil thru a screen door screen for filtering. know your oil . no gas or thinners . scrape the fire box with a hoe once a day. it used a gallon an hour. here are some photo's of the firebox and the chimmeny as you can see no smoke.it took a couple of afternoons to get it built and installed in my double drum stove.no nozzle to clean or filtering of oil or air compressor to run. I want to install a boiler over this style of burner and next time radiant floor heat.

I heat mine with on old furnaced removed from a house. It is a 105,000 btu gas upflow. I had a plenum built for the top that goes up and turn 90degrees so it flows at the top of the ceiling. I have a light switch that I turn it on with and within 10 minutes or so it is very nice inside.

Does anyone have a source for an infrared heater? I've seen these in commercial buildings and since I don't have insulation and won't add any to my building, I'm thinking this might be an option for me.
I've seen ones that look like an old florescent light fixture. If I could buy one or two and hang it from above to shine down on my while I work, it might help.
Jim

Does anyone have a source for an infrared heater? I've seen these in commercial buildings and since I don't have insulation and won't add any to my building, I'm thinking this might be an option for me.
I've seen ones that look like an old florescent light fixture. If I could buy one or two and hang it from above to shine down on my while I work, it might help.
Jim

From what I've researched so far, this one http://www.patioheating.com/heatwave.htm is at the top of the heap. But, at almost $1000.00 per unit, they get expensive quick.

I should have definitive answers tonight, but it looks like I will be using these http://www.propaneproducts.com/modine-hot-dawg.html instead.

Another site http://www.rg-inc.com/caribe-infrared-garage-heater.htm

I just installed radiant floor heat myself in the new shop.. 3000 sq/ft total. It's going to be great. I insulated under the slab very well. I'm going to use a corn boiler to heat the water. Should be pretty nice. Corn is usually cheap... which sucks (part time farmer), but is good when you're using it for fuel :)

Here's a pic of my heater. It is a common forced gas unit with a 100 gallon propane tank in the back of the barn. I put it at the top near the ceiling so that flammable gases wouldn't be sucked up when it would turn on. As someone who tinkers in automotive mechanics, I didn't want my fiddling with open gas in a carburetor to turn very bad.

I have R50+ in the ceiling and R30 foamed on the steel walls. It is extremely efficient considering it's size (40'x64').

http://xs71.xs.to/pics/06102/ShopHeater.jpg (http://xs.to)
Free Image Hosting (http://xs.to) [xs.to]

Regards,
Mike

Not a bad idea. You can find those pretty cheap sometimes in the trader papers too.

Here's a pic of my heater.

http://xs71.xs.to/pics/06102/ShopHeater.jpg (http://xs.to)
Free Image Hosting (http://xs.to) [xs.to]

Regards,
Mike
I hope you're talking about that thing hanging from the ceiling and not the magazine there on your workbench :eek:.
Lots of potential sitting there in those cars. Now get all the crap off them and :grd:

Does anyone have a source for an infrared heater? I've seen these in commercial buildings and since I don't have insulation and won't add any to my building, I'm thinking this might be an option for me.
I've seen ones that look like an old florescent light fixture. If I could buy one or two and hang it from above to shine down on my while I work, it might help.
Jim

http://www.superiorradiant.com/page.asp?page_id=25

I have one of these. 45,000 BTU natural gas. 30 x 32 pole building with 2" of insulation, 12' sidewall. It is really nice heat. I figured it would take a 100,000 btu force air furnace to heat my shop, so I was pretty happy that this does the job. It just heats the objects, so I can be sweating in a tshirt with the air temp of about 50 degrees.

Jim

I have a 95,000 btu radiant hanging heater in my 40 x 60 x 16' pole building. I also have 2 150,000 btu forced air hanging heaters. i never run the forced air units. The radiant heater is far more efficent and keeps my truck nice and toasty too! I ran it in 10 degree weather and it will make you keep the beer in the fridge. Look up DAyton on the internet, I think Grainger sells them That is the brand that I have! Nice unit.

I need to post a few pictures of my shop sometime. I almost have it done....

interesting that you would say this. What about fuel usage. About the same, or?

well I have found that the radiant heater works more efficent. It heats objects and keeps the heat down low. I run 3 ceiling fans at low speed to keep moving any hot air down. I can be working in short sleeves in December if I want to. I ran my air movers for a month then ran the radiant heater the next month... WOW what a difference in the bill, and the shop wasn't as comfortable either.

Farmer0_1,

I like your firebox idea. Do you have 4 oil inlets on each side of your firebox that are attached to the main oil line coming from the bucket? What size holes do you use to let the oil in? Does the air just blow in from the bottom of the box?

Dave

I have a 28X30 detached garage and use a direct vent 50000 btu propane "Califorina" (self contained, no duct work) furnace. I went with the direct vent because I didn't want to worry about flammable fumes getting to the burner, the burner gets it's fresh air from outside. So far it works great.

Keith

sierra diesel I email you don't want to get to long winded here on how to build and use this style of stove.

well I have found that the radiant heater works more efficent. It heats objects and keeps the heat down low. I run 3 ceiling fans at low speed to keep moving any hot air down. I can be working in short sleeves in December if I want to. I ran my air movers for a month then ran the radiant heater the next month... WOW what a difference in the bill, and the shop wasn't as comfortable either.

That summed it up nicely, thanks

Floor heat would be the best but if you already have concrete an infrared heater would be the next best.

The biggest drawbacks to floor heat is it's slower and you can not drill and anchor stuff to the floor later. Just my thoughts.

The biggest drawbacks to floor heat is it's slower and you can not drill and anchor stuff to the floor later. Just my thoughts.
You have a good point but when you have lay down and work on something it makes it all worth it!!!!!

Not if you plan ahead and mark where every tube is.. I also left a void area for my two post lift mounts. The slab is average of 6" thick. 8" or so where the lift is, and in through the middle of the shop.

I insulated with "The Barrier" under slab insulation (google it)... and left the concrete wire and tubing on the bottom of the slab. I've got about 6" of clearance to drill into the slab. No worries.

If you plan it correctly, and live in a fairly cold climate, in floor radiant is the most cost effective. You turn it on at the beginning of the season and shut it off in the spring.

It's not for everybody, but if you are in the shop all the time, it's always ready and warm for you.

Just remember if you go with radiant heat you will need plenty of clearance from things. I'm doing a couple of firehouses and I'm having them increase the height of the ceiling by 18", so the heaters won't bubble the paint on the trucks. Radiant floor is the best way to go if you can afford it. If price isn't a concern and you're in your shop alot, go with a geosource heat pump, I promise you will not be disappointed, with performance or your monthly bill.;)