Heating it for what reason? Because you want to be comfortable changing your own oil? Does she change the oil or swap out the brake pads? Or, I don't like to be cold going from the heated cocoon of the car to the heated cocoon of the home? Would a kerosene/diesel 500,000 kbtu salamander do for those brake jobs? That's what me and mrs slumlord use. Try to get the job done before you get dizzy and your eyes start burning. If just for no real reason, what about a gas or propane overhead radiant heater? Or that much square ftg, maybe a separate hvac zone, 1-1/2 ton gaspack.
For my wife, she wants the warm and comfy car and the warm move to the heated cocoon you mentioned. The ancillary benefit to me is working on the motorcycle, the boat, the truck, the tractor and just spending time out there scratching myself with nobody else around. Ya, I can do it in the ten degree garage; but, if the wife really NEEDS it, I'm in. Outdoors is number one. Outside the house in the garage is one of the next best things.
To answer another relevant question, the house is heated by both forced air gas and hot water heat. The hot water heat is not the sub-floor stuff they put in nowadays. The house is 28 years old and that hot water heat runs through baseboards.
I subscribe to the "Happy Wife, Happy Life" philosophy, so if my wife wanted heat in the garage, I'd make an honest effort to make it happen for her.
Most of these ideas have merit, and could be made to work in your garage depending on your electric and gas supply sizes, ceiling height, budget, etc. The one thing that I would avoid for sure is a non-vented gas burning heater regardless of fuel type because of all the moisture it will dissipate into the space.
then framed a 2x4 wall against that.....then added R13 rolled batting
Then sheeted it over with 1/2" OSB (wafer)...heat......the only way to go
NG radiant tube heater....this is 'U Tube type' (extendable) vents out north wall
Keep thermostat set about 68* all winter......2 insulated roll up doors/one walk through
Gas bill currently runs $63/month for house & garage..but just added NG stove in basement
Worked under a lot of those over the years in cattle working sheds. My experience is that when they get some years on them, they really drop in their heat output. Down to below half what they originally produced. YMMV
Just installed a 100k btu overhead radiant tube heater in my 30x40 shop...still waiting for the gas line to be connected so time will tell how it works. We use them at work though and I like them, think it's a better more comfortable heat than forced air.
I have a Natural gas 30,000 BTU radiant heater in my garage. It is a solid masonry building (brick on block) so I basically just keep everything in the 40s or 50s in super cold weather. It is a two car with an open rafter ceiling, so I don't expect it to be toasty hot in there when it's 10 degrees. It would heat the whole house pretty well in a basement. It sure makes working on my car nice when the frost is on!
Because you want to be comfortable changing your own oil? Does she change the oil or swap out the brake pads?
Or, I don't like to be cold going from the heated cocoon of the car to the heated cocoon of the home?
Would a kerosene/diesel 500,000 kbtu salamander do for those brake jobs? That's what me and mrs slumlord use. Try to get the job done before you get dizzy and your eyes start burning.
If just for no real reason, what about a gas or propane overhead radiant heater?
Or that much square ftg, maybe a separate hvac zone, 1-1/2 ton gaspack.
I thought about heating mine with a propane unit of some kind, but I'm not using mine every day, so I bought a 75,000 btu Salamander at TSC. I'm too cheap to buy kerosene, so I burn diesel out of what I buy for the tractors. It will heat up my 30X30 garage in a very short time, and yes it does smell a little, as diesel is not as odorless as kerosene. But, it works for me, and that's all that matters.
We have a nice home with a standard sized 2 car garage, her suburban barely fits's I think time to install remote start for her.
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Thanks for all of the input so far. I just need to do more research.
_________________________________________________________________________ “Montana seems to me to be what a small boy would think Texas is like from hearing Texans.” John Steinbeck
First off what heats the house? Assuming its an attached garage an extension of your home heating system to the garage might be easiest and cheapest. Our place has a natural gas boiler with modern 'radiators' for lack of a better term in every room of the house. The garage is plumed with one of these units which works great. I keep the heat way down in the garage ~ 45 degrees just enough so it doesn't freeze as the doors have about zero insulating value (wood).
This.
If you take the time it takes, it takes less time. --Pat Parelli
American by birth; Alaskan by choice. --ironbender
We have Modine ceiling mounted natural gas heaters in our workshop and garage. The workshop is 32x32 with 10 foot ceilings. A flip of the thermostat will turn a 45F workshop into a 65F shop in less than 10 minutes. Zero maintenance
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