I'm sorting out the selection of a natural gas heater for the garage I have under construction. Since it will house a Corvette I hope this post meets the criteria for the discussion board. Any suggestions on type or brand from those who may have already gone through this? Thanks in advance.
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Re: Garage Heat
Mark,
I chose a Modine 80,000 BTU propane heater for my garage expansion three years ago. It hangs from the ceiling. It is vented to the outside and has electronic ignition. I used a Honeywell remote thermostat with an off setting, as I don't leave mine at a fixed temperature all the time. I turn on the heat when I plan to be using the grage and it will heat from 45 to 65 degrees in a matter of 15 minutes. My garage is attached and has occupied rooms above it so it rarely goes below 45 degrees. -
Re: Garage Heat
Mark,
I chose a Modine 80,000 BTU propane heater for my garage expansion three years ago. It hangs from the ceiling. It is vented to the outside and has electronic ignition. I used a Honeywell remote thermostat with an off setting, as I don't leave mine at a fixed temperature all the time. I turn on the heat when I plan to be using the grage and it will heat from 45 to 65 degrees in a matter of 15 minutes. My garage is attached and has occupied rooms above it so it rarely goes below 45 degrees.Comment
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Re: Garage Heat
Mark -
When I built my new garage, I went through the same process, and settled on a ceiling-suspended Reznor Model "FT" power-vented forced-air gas unit heater, with electronic ignition (no pilot flame, for when you're working with flammable solvents, etc.). It's vented straight out through the wall with double-walled vent pipe, and exhausts through a vent about the same size as you'd see for a laundry room dryer vent, and is controlled with an ordinary wall-mounted thermostat (out of the direction of airflow). I'm very satisfied with it; my only complaint is that apparently every furnace thermostat on earth is designed with a fixed "drop point", so it wants to cycle every time the ambient temperature in the garage drops two degrees from the set point.
I don't want that, so I run it in the morning to heat the garage to a given level, and when it cycles off, I switch the thermostat to "off". Three or four hours later, when the ambient has dropped ten degrees or so, I turn it on again and let it cycle, then shut it off again at end of cycle. I have now learned all about the innards of home furnace thermostats, anticipators (which have nothing to do with my problem), and have talked to all the thermostat manufacturers (Honeywell, White-Rodgers, and several others) trying to find one with a manually adjustable "drop point" I could set for 10 degrees instead of two, but nobody makes one - they're all designed to maintain a given temperature within two degrees, period. Industrial process controls are available that will do what I want, but they start at about $800.00. For that price, I'll just keep turning it on and off manually once every four or five hours Click the link below for a photo of the installation.
Reznor FT-125 Garage Unit HeaterComment
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Re: Garage Heat
Mark -
When I built my new garage, I went through the same process, and settled on a ceiling-suspended Reznor Model "FT" power-vented forced-air gas unit heater, with electronic ignition (no pilot flame, for when you're working with flammable solvents, etc.). It's vented straight out through the wall with double-walled vent pipe, and exhausts through a vent about the same size as you'd see for a laundry room dryer vent, and is controlled with an ordinary wall-mounted thermostat (out of the direction of airflow). I'm very satisfied with it; my only complaint is that apparently every furnace thermostat on earth is designed with a fixed "drop point", so it wants to cycle every time the ambient temperature in the garage drops two degrees from the set point.
I don't want that, so I run it in the morning to heat the garage to a given level, and when it cycles off, I switch the thermostat to "off". Three or four hours later, when the ambient has dropped ten degrees or so, I turn it on again and let it cycle, then shut it off again at end of cycle. I have now learned all about the innards of home furnace thermostats, anticipators (which have nothing to do with my problem), and have talked to all the thermostat manufacturers (Honeywell, White-Rodgers, and several others) trying to find one with a manually adjustable "drop point" I could set for 10 degrees instead of two, but nobody makes one - they're all designed to maintain a given temperature within two degrees, period. Industrial process controls are available that will do what I want, but they start at about $800.00. For that price, I'll just keep turning it on and off manually once every four or five hours Click the link below for a photo of the installation.
Reznor FT-125 Garage Unit HeaterComment
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Re: Garage Heat
My neighbor just built a shop and put a got water tubing system in the floor. It has not seen winter service yet, but a warm floor sounds awful attractive when laying on your back under a car.Comment
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Re: Garage Heat
My neighbor just built a shop and put a got water tubing system in the floor. It has not seen winter service yet, but a warm floor sounds awful attractive when laying on your back under a car.Comment
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Re: Garage Heat
The floor heat is a great idea but has one drawback. You must keep the garage to comfortable temperature(say 65 degrees)constantly as the floor heat will take a long time to raise the room temperature 10 or 15 degrees. If you left the garage at 50 degrees and wanted to raise it to 65 on a garage work day it would take to long to do it. When I did the floor heat in the house I also installed baseboard and a 2 stage thermostat to allow me to set back the room temperature at night. I needed the baseboard to get it from 60 to 68 degrees in a reasonable amount of time. My solution to the warm floor was to put old carpet under the cars. It keeps the dampness in the floor and provides a warm work surface. Food for thought.Comment
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Re: Garage Heat
The floor heat is a great idea but has one drawback. You must keep the garage to comfortable temperature(say 65 degrees)constantly as the floor heat will take a long time to raise the room temperature 10 or 15 degrees. If you left the garage at 50 degrees and wanted to raise it to 65 on a garage work day it would take to long to do it. When I did the floor heat in the house I also installed baseboard and a 2 stage thermostat to allow me to set back the room temperature at night. I needed the baseboard to get it from 60 to 68 degrees in a reasonable amount of time. My solution to the warm floor was to put old carpet under the cars. It keeps the dampness in the floor and provides a warm work surface. Food for thought.Comment
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Re: Garage Heat
John,
I recently purchased a Honeywell electronic, wall-mounted, programable thermostat, and on the backside of the unit there was a few different wire connections possible. The different connections were used to vary the "drop-below" point. I believe the largest temperature drop available was 5 deg F.
I know this is not completely "customizeable" but it is at least better than every 2 degrees. I cannot remember the part number as it was for a rental house but if you go to home depot or some place like that and start opening boxes and looking at the backsides of units you may be able to find one. By the way, the unit I bought was one of the cheapest models Honeywell makes, I think $30 or so.
Anyway, hope this adds some help.
RussComment
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Re: Garage Heat
John,
I recently purchased a Honeywell electronic, wall-mounted, programable thermostat, and on the backside of the unit there was a few different wire connections possible. The different connections were used to vary the "drop-below" point. I believe the largest temperature drop available was 5 deg F.
I know this is not completely "customizeable" but it is at least better than every 2 degrees. I cannot remember the part number as it was for a rental house but if you go to home depot or some place like that and start opening boxes and looking at the backsides of units you may be able to find one. By the way, the unit I bought was one of the cheapest models Honeywell makes, I think $30 or so.
Anyway, hope this adds some help.
RussComment
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Re: Garage Heat -- in concrete floor
That's what I opted for when the new house was built; an 85000 BTU Burnham gas boiler powers 5 separate serpentine circuits covering the entire basement and garage area. Two circuits are in the garage (one thermostat there) so I can warm only the concrete area where I'll be working. No open flames or exhaust gases to worry about.Comment
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Re: Garage Heat -- in concrete floor
That's what I opted for when the new house was built; an 85000 BTU Burnham gas boiler powers 5 separate serpentine circuits covering the entire basement and garage area. Two circuits are in the garage (one thermostat there) so I can warm only the concrete area where I'll be working. No open flames or exhaust gases to worry about.Comment
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Warm, Dry Garage Floor Without Heating It...
Something to consider if you're planning to build a new home or detached garage:
I got a clue from my architect about two days before my garage floor was poured that really made a difference; laid a heavy poly moisture barrier on the tamped soil, then covered the poly barrier with 1-1/2" thick 4'x 8' sheets of high-density closed-cell foam with heavy foil on both sides. Placed rod and mesh over that, then poured the floor. This stops the usual moisture migration, and keeps the floor dry and warmer than the soil, for about 30 cents per square foot. The finishing touch was steel shot-blasting and two coats of poured 2-part industrial epoxy resin; no concrete dust, no stains, it's impervious to any chemical, won't chip, hot tires won't mark it or lift it, and it's easy to keep clean - about $1.82/sq. ft. installed.Comment
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Warm, Dry Garage Floor Without Heating It...
Something to consider if you're planning to build a new home or detached garage:
I got a clue from my architect about two days before my garage floor was poured that really made a difference; laid a heavy poly moisture barrier on the tamped soil, then covered the poly barrier with 1-1/2" thick 4'x 8' sheets of high-density closed-cell foam with heavy foil on both sides. Placed rod and mesh over that, then poured the floor. This stops the usual moisture migration, and keeps the floor dry and warmer than the soil, for about 30 cents per square foot. The finishing touch was steel shot-blasting and two coats of poured 2-part industrial epoxy resin; no concrete dust, no stains, it's impervious to any chemical, won't chip, hot tires won't mark it or lift it, and it's easy to keep clean - about $1.82/sq. ft. installed.Comment
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