Looking for some advice.

[wood-n-things]

Most of you know I have re-located to Montana, which brings me to my dilemma.

 

My other shop had a great heater in it, unfortunately I was told to leave it behind as it was hard wired.

 

Since I'm in a rental & my landlord won't allow me to wire one myself, and I do not want to pay to have an electrician come in and install a ceiling mounted heater and then move in a year. Just does not make much sense.

 

I'm in search of a portable electric heater with enough btu's to heat a single car garage, and won't run me out of expendable funds to use it.

 

Got any suggestions? I can't have a wood burning stove either I already checked. It's still getting down to low 20's at night and not much above 45 in the day. I'll never get paint to dry in those temps.

 

Looking forward to suggestions. Thanks!

[Randy Huckeby]

Check out the various kerosene heaters available.

[Huntter2022]

Mike I have a propane heater in my garage and does well I use the 20lb tank which I picked up a couple extra during spring clean -up .

 

http://www.mrheater.com/product.aspx?catid=42&id=21

Also have which use for emergency heat just in case power goes out or to get the chill off inside you don't get the odor like of kerosene

http://www.mrheater.com/product.aspx?catid=41&id=116

Works great had to buy the adapter for the bigger tank has a automatic shut off if you tip it works great too

[Travis]

I have an electric spaceheater and it doesn't do very well at all. I can barely cut the chill in the winter. I would look into the kerosene heaters. I hear they do pretty well. I'm afraid or propane, though. It can get dangerous because it can burn up the O2 in the garage. This is certainly true of propane stoves/turkey friers. I'd imagine the propane heaters could pose the same problem. Plus, I'm not sure how comfortable I would be to have them unattended.

[NiTay614]

My husband used a propane heater for a while, but now he has a corn furnace. I am not sure what size the building you're trying to heat. I do know that both of these kept our garage toasty warm in Marysville, Ohio. In fact we heat our home with 2 corn stoves. It's something to consider.

[merlin]

No help here in NZ, but could someone explain Corn furnace please Photo is worth a thousand words.

 

Merlin

[chriss]

i use a propain fueled salamander too knock out the cold then i use a kerosen heater too maintain the temp...i keep the door cracked while the salamander is runing.

[wood-n-things]

Thanks for all the great advice. I'll first check around to see if I can even get kerosene here. pretty small town.

 

I'm a little concerned about open flames with propane and sawdust in the air along with fumes from spraying finishes etc.

[Russ-C-]

A portable propane heater is going to fit your needs best and using a 20 lb cylinder will be more cost efficent, last longer and maybe more easy to obtain. I use one in my shop and it works great. Take it from a retired Firefighter/Specialist it is safe and only a few precautions to take. First, as far as dust, if you are only scrolling and minor wood working needed for scrolling dust is not really an issue. Using a dust collection system is more than adequate. The dust needed for an explosion or problem would be as thick as a cloud or fog. You wouldn't be able to breath (or have a really had time) it would be so thick. Second, oxygen etc. The propane heater would go out before it consumed all the oxygen (a garage is usually not air tight). A portable propane heater uses about the same amount of oxygen as a couple of people. Carbon Monoxide is what you need to look out for. Just buy two Carbon Monoxide Detectors (not expensive) and you can take them with the heater when you move. Put one in the garage and one inside to keep you safe. Most new portable propane heaters burn very efficent. Kerosene on the other had is not as efficent and the smell you have to put up with ( Kerosene has open flames). Now painting etc. here is what you do. Warm the garage up real good 80 degrees or so. Turn off the heater... Open flames is the problem. (Note, an electric heater can cause an explosion if the mixture is right) Due your painting etc. Watch the temperature. Most paints due well above 50 degrees. When the temp drops to around 50 degrees turn on the heater, this should have been more than enough time for any fumes to have disapated and be safe. Now you can let you work finish drying. Hope this helps.

[Travis]

":ob94zvfy]A portable propane heater is going to fit your needs best and using a 20 lb cylinder will be more cost efficent, last longer and maybe more easy to obtain. I use one in my shop and it works great. Take it from a retired Firefighter/Specialist it is safe and only a few precautions to take. First, as far as dust, if you are only scrolling and minor wood working needed for scrolling dust is not really an issue. Using a dust collection system is more than adequate. The dust needed for an explosion or problem would be as thick as a cloud or fog. You wouldn't be able to breath (or have a really had time) it would be so thick. Second, oxygen etc. The propane heater would go out before it consumed all the oxygen (a garage is usually not air tight). A portable propane heater uses about the same amount of oxygen as a couple of people. Carbon Monoxide is what you need to look out for. Just buy two Carbon Monoxide Detectors (not expensive) and you can take them with the heater when you move. Put one in the garage and one inside to keep you safe. Most new portable propane heaters burn very efficent. Kerosene on the other had is not as efficent and the smell you have to put up with ( Kerosene has open flames). Now painting etc. here is what you do. Warm the garage up real good 80 degrees or so. Turn off the heater... Open flames is the problem. (Note, an electric heater can cause an explosion if the mixture is right) Due your painting etc. Watch the temperature. Most paints due well above 50 degrees. When the temp drops to around 50 degrees turn on the heater, this should have been more than enough time for any fumes to have disapated and be safe. Now you can let you work finish drying. Hope this helps.

 

 

Great info. I learned a lot. I think I'll look into a propane heater too. Thanks!

[wdkits1]

When I lived in Maine a buddy of mine (master tinkerer) heated his shop (1500 sf) using a salvaged electric water heater,hooked to an old car radiator, a furnace blower on a rheostat, a little ductwork and a small circulating pump. I remember that he used a closed loop antifreeze/water mix and set the temperature of the water heater to 170 degrees which even in the dead of winter kept his shop at a balmy 70 degrees. I will be building one of these heaters for my shop this year but I have to build the addition on the back of my shop to house the heating system and my dust collector first. I went through this winter using small electric heaters and have decided that if I am to continue the ww full time I got to have some real heat in there before next winter.

[rja]

I have both a kersoene heater and a propane heater sitting on a 20 lb tank. I prefer the propane heater by a mile. There is no smell, it heats up much faster than the kerosene heater and propane is obtainable almost anywhere. Sometimes I have to hunt around for kerosene. However, when the outside temperature is 10 degrees or less, the btu output of the kerosene heater is unmatched for bringing the shop up to habitable temperatures.

[Travis]

I was looking around for ideas on heating my shop for the winter too. I ended up coming across a solar powered heater made from pop cans and plywood. It takes absolutely no electricity (the one in this video uses fans, but my understanding is that the convection automatically circulates air) and can really pump out the hot air. It cost about $30 to make. I think I'll try making one just for my own amusement. If it actually works well enough, I'll heat my garage for free! Cool vid.

 

 

[wood-n-things]

Russ,

Thanks for the very informative post. I appreciate it!

[bobscroll]

Hello Wood-n-things May be a bit late with advice! but over hear in England we can buy Halogen Heaters, Their electric each bar is 400watts small one has 2 bars so total power is 800watts, They are cheap to buy and run. Small heater cost me £10, The large one 1200watts costs £15.

If you accidentally knock it over it turns off for safety! So I hope this will help you and others, see you around. Bob

[wood-n-things]

Thanks for everyones advice. I finally found a heater and it is installed and keeping my garage toasty warm. I hired an electrician to place a dedicated 30 amp breaker and wire and install my 240 volt electric heater. Safe in a woodshop said the manufacturer, especially since I use air filtration.

 

Thanks again.

[tugbtr1]

whatever you decide to use remember that sawdust is very flamable and can cause an explosion someone sent me a video on a fire caused by saw dust it wasnt very pretty remember your fire extinguisher and dust control i was always a little nervouse when i used my k1 heater in my garage i live in maine and it was enough to take the chill off and made it tolerable i ended up putting in a descent wood stove i feel a little safer now that there is no open flames i set it and forget it

marc

[wood-n-things]

wood stove i feel a little safer now that there is no open flames i set it and forget it

 

 

Now that is funny. No open flames in a wood burning stove...Okee dokee. I used all the avenues available including the local fire marshal to make my final decision. I do have dust control in air filtration and 2 fire extinguishes one on each end of the shop...Just in case.