heater for a freezing garage...recommendations?

mwtaco said:
im pretty sure my garage is insulated. it has drywall, so i have to figure out a way to see if there are insulation batts behind them (anyone know how?)
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Typically only the walls that have heated living space on the other side are insulated. The drywall elsewhere just pretties it up.

Drill a hole (+/- 1/4 inch). If there's fiberglass it will usually wrap around the drill bit or a tuft will poke out the hole.
 
I think that depends where the house is located. My garage's two outside walls (not counting the front with the doors) are finished and insulated, but only marginally so -- fossil fuels were cheap when it was built in the mid-sixties, and over-sized furnaces were the norm.

My house is made with 2x4 framing and poorly installed, kraft-faced, three-inch fiberglass batts were the extent of the insulation anywhere in the house (including the attic). I've insulated the attic to R-40 and changed all windows and doors -- including in the garage. My next big project is adding insulation to exterior walls, and in the garage that means stripping out the wallboard and adding adding an inner 2x3 frame to the walls to bring them up to R-20 or more.
 
ScubaCougr said:
Typically only the walls that have heated living space on the other side are insulated. The drywall elsewhere just pretties it up.

Drill a hole (+/- 1/4 inch). If there's fiberglass it will usually wrap around the drill bit or a tuft will poke out the hole.
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Yes.

Or if there is an outlet or switch sometimes just pulling the cover plate will allow one to see if it's insulated or open access.:props:
 
if you have natural gas try a wall mounted 30000btu heater from the internet. had a pair of them in our old house with 3 car garage and they were fabulous. am installing a single unit this week in our new house 2 car garage which will allow me to work on our cars in shorts and a tee shirt with the doors cracked 2" to let the water out. they have radiant heat which requires no electric hookup. my favorite brand is kozy world.

hope this helps!
budinsc
 
i have a 220 volt ceiling mounted unit like the one charlie pictured on top of page 2, but, larger. I run it all winter at a very low setting to maintain about 40-45 degrees. Stays above freezing that way. If I want warmth for working i turn it up to about 50-55. 65 deg if I am working with wax that needs to dry before buffing. It works very well.

I also have a dual element tank top propane heater (Mr Heater brand) that I use if I want to warm it up more quickly. That 1 is great because it is portable. I use it to tailgate in cold weather.
 
Built two shops for woodworking. And worked with HVAC designers to buy eqpt for two new houses. If your structure is insulated, with your kind of weather, I would go with electric.

Ace Hardware stores offer a 14,000 btu portable 220v for about $125. Move it close to you at will so you don't have to amp up the entire shop just to feel comfortable. It is a special order item at ace. No flame source to ignite gas in the cars. Propane or burning fuels make dangerous fumes. And it's a pain to refill tanks.
 
One other tip is that if you know you're going to be in there working on a car, get the vehicle's engine up to operating temp; that alone will make a huge difference in terms of heating your workspace.
 
ck into a split ac/heat pump system from sanyo or natural gas wall heater which i just had installed. my 2 car is 873' and this 30000 btu heater will run you out. got the heater from amazon. total installed cost was <$500. going to put the sanyo ac only system in this spring.

hope this helps.
budinsc
 
I have a 2.5 stall insulated detached garage with a ceiling mounted 50k btu natural gas heater. Not sure what the rules are on posting links but if you look on Northern Tools website it's about $500. I also have an old ceiling fan to help distribute the heat a little more even. I have a thermostat hooked up to it and a temperature readout in my house so I can tell when it's all toasty for me to go out and work. lol
 
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