Garage heaters

[Zach]

Howdy, just wanted to see what y'all use to keep the shop warm when the weather is not and maybe some suggestions. Up in here in Minnesota its 0 degrees F currently makes it a bit brisk to work out in the garage, and sketchy when I need to spray some paint. Currently just using a portable diesel jet heater, but it is loud and messy. Was thinking about getting a 40,000 some BTU modine hot dawg but haven't pulled the trigger yet. 3 car garage is around 600 square feet with 11ish foot walls, unfortunately only 50ish percent of the walls are insulated.

 

[Moderator73]

I bought an inexpensive Dr Infrared ceiling mount electric heater (DR-966) & am happy with it. I live in Michigan so maybe not as cold as Minnesota but close. I have a two car garage with two insulated walls and no ceiling insulation. Walls are 9 feet tall so area & volume wise less than you.

It takes this heater about an hour to warm up my garage on high, 6KW. Then I switch it to 3Kw and just let the thermostat manage it.

This works for me but I don’t keep the heat on all winter, only when I’m actively working on my mustang or painting/curing.

They make a bigger one DR-975 (7.5kw) but in my case didn’t think I needed it. After using mine the past four winters it’s done well.

 

[Zach]

I bought an inexpensive Dr Infrared ceiling mount electric heater (DR-966) & am happy with it. I live in Michigan so maybe not as cold as Minnesota but close. I have a two car garage with two insulated walls and no ceiling insulation. Walls are 9 feet tall so area & volume wise less than you.

It takes this heater about an hour to warm up my garage on high, 6KW. Then I switch it to 3Kw and just let the thermostat manage it.

This works for me but I don’t keep the heat on all winter, only when I’m actively working on my mustang or painting/curing.

They make a bigger one DR-975 (7.5kw) but in my case didn’t think I needed it. After using mine the past four winters it’s done well.

How warm does it get for you within that hour? I am aiming for at least 30 some degrees on cold days relatively quickly then my hands will at least be comfortable, I don't need a t shirt and shorts type of heater. What kind of reach does it have, never been near an infrared heater before does it throw heat far? I only work in a part of the garage so it isn't like I need the whole area heated up, if I am able to point it. This is a fraction of the price of the hot dawg I was looking at.
Thanks.

 

[71coop]

I'm running a slightly older version of this heater:

Comfort Zone 10000W

It's good enough to make a 35 X 22 ft garage reasonably comfortable.

 

[Hemikiller]

A friend has a Hot Dawg heater in his oversize two car and is very happy with it. His primary house heat is propane, so it was a no-brainer over electric. His first unit lasted about fifteen years, then a board went and he opted for a new unit over repairing.

 

[rcadd1ct]

I got this for my 2 car garage
https://a.co/d/ieKfTMb

 

[basstrix]

I have a kerosene heater than I pull out of the shed if I'm going to be in the garage several days in a row when it's cold. I'm in the Phoenix area, so it never gets very cold, to begin with.

 

[73pony]

Before you buy a hot dawg or other heater, I would consider the following...

Finish the insulation, this will alone make a huge difference.

Then look into installing a Heat Pump Mini Split. Cost is reasonable and it will give you efficient heat and as a bonus AC in the summer.

 

[rvrtrash]

Before you buy a hot dawg or other heater, I would consider the following...

Finish the insulation, this will alone make a huge difference.

Then look into installing a Heat Pump Mini Split. Cost is reasonable and it will give you efficient heat and as a bonus AC in the summer.

I agree. Step 1 is to insulate the walls and ceiling. Once that's done, the heat from the house will keep it warmer, and you won't be wasting the heat from whatever heat source you use. Consider getting an insulated garage door as well. My current garage was uninsulated, except for the shared wall with the house. I insulated and sheet rocked the remaining walls and ceiling, and put insulation in the garage door panels. When it's 0 out, my garage is at about 37 degrees. The downside of the aftermarket insulation (fiberglass batt) is that it collects moisture which freezes, making the garage door really heavy, so I'm replacing the door this coming summer. Currently -3 here in Spirit Lake, Id.

 

[TommyK]

I agree with rvrtrash that insulation is step 1. You will need less heater and use less energy over time if you properly insulate. I heat an oversize 2 car garage with 10 foot ceilings with a little 4000 watt 240V electric heater which will usually keep the temps in the 50's. If it is really cold out or I need the garage warmed up in a hurry, I have a propane torpedo heater which I will put on for 20-30 minutes and then the electric keeps up. I have insulated doors, R-19 in the walls and R-30 in the ceiling with an un-insulated attic space above. I put plastic up around the stairwell going to the attic in the winter to keep the heat from rising up the stairwell. I have less than $300 into the 2 heaters and 30 bucks worth of plastic and it keeps it as warm as I need it on the weekends. I don't run it continuously so not much impact on the electric bill.

 

[Zach]

Yeah I have put some thought into finishing the insulation, the ceiling has a bedroom above it from the house so it should be insulated already luckily. Only issue is that the drywall is already up and we have shelves made. House was made 7 years ago so I was only 14ish didn’t think I’d be this deep into cars by know otherwise we would’ve made a lot of changes. So we would need the insulation to be blown and I’m not sure how nicely that will turn out. Thanks for all the suggestions so far.