Heating a non insulated garage?

[Foxstang]

Hi all, I have to do some carpentry projects and moved my basement workshop to the garage because wife didn't appreciate me banging up walls bringing lumber into the basement and finished projects out lol I have roughly a 30x25x15 garage, 3 doors and a man door on the side. I don't have the budget to insulate and drywall and install a proper heating unit (gas or electric) so I need a quick and dirty means to heat this beast up temporarily. So I'm thinking a construction heater and keep a garage door and side door open and install a Co2 alarm.

I mean it would be nice to at least close part of the garage to make a workshop room and insulate that but I have no clue how long we will live here, and I doubt a fully insulated garage will bring any value to the house.

So, anyone work with such construction propane heaters?

[5.4MarkVIII]

if your going out and buying new a shop heater isnt that much more than a good construction heater. and far far safer. I had one installed at the old place last winter. gonna say it was about 1500 all in.


try hitting up kijiji, see if you can score something used.,

[ZR]

https://cdn.rona.ca/webassets/images/330725753_MainImage_001_l.jpg


Burns cleaner vs what you'd think plus cheap to use (BBQ tank refill Costco).

[SlipperyVic]

What I did in my old place was I used vapor barrier sheets to isolate my working area from the rest of the garage and that made keeping it warm much much easier.


I would use a propane salamander type heater for a couple of mins to warm the place up. Once warm I'd drop the sheets and just use a 1500w electric heater in the smaller working area to maintain the temp. Worked pretty well.

[Foxstang]

Thanks guys, I just called an electrician to come and quote me on running a 6/3 cable to the garage to put a small 40 or 60amp sub so I can plug in an electric heater... Needs to be done anyway with electric cars and whatnot so not a waste of money I guess...

[Laffs]

Thanks guys, I just called an electrician to come and quote me on running a 6/3 cable to the garage to put a small 40 or 60amp sub so I can plug in an electric heater... Needs to be done anyway with electric cars and whatnot so not a waste of money I guess...

240v electric heater might work, no 120v is gonna do much besides take a little bit of chill out of a non insulated space like that in addition to sending your electric bills in to stratosphere. my 16x24 was non insulated when I bought it, I tried a couple 120v heaters and they all still needed me to be wearing gloves and layers to work out there for any extended period. After insulating walls, ceiling, and replacing my old steel door with an insulated unit a 120v electric keeps it to where I can turn it on a couple hours before I want to work in there comfortably in a sweater and no gloves.

[1986stangfan]

I literally just started insulating my garage yesterday https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20201027/fa7f3179b4a1829e5ba21f9f3305fc29.jpg
https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20201027/bc9a1c3f058de9c7739ece88684af1de.jpg
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[hammerhead]

I literally just started insulating my garage yesterday https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20201027/fa7f3179b4a1829e5ba21f9f3305fc29.jpg
https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20201027/bc9a1c3f058de9c7739ece88684af1de.jpg
https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20201027/dc23451469bcb2ddf460c6a809b8e445.jpg

good idea - i've been dreading drywall...

[ZR]

Thanks guys, I just called an electrician to come and quote me on running a 6/3 cable to the garage to put a small 40 or 60amp sub so I can plug in an electric heater... Needs to be done anyway with electric cars and whatnot so not a waste of money I guess...


I originally bought a pair of 240V heaters, cost to operate was in freakin sane.
Heater I posted above, hours n hours n hours of big heat on a BBQ tank. Even with the doors closed, has not so much as tickled the stinky air meter. They typically go on sale at Princess Auto in the $160 range but even full list is a bargain. I saw 5yrs or so of daily use out of my original one before replacing.

[5.4MarkVIII]

I literally just started insulating my garage yesterday https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20201027/fa7f3179b4a1829e5ba21f9f3305fc29.jpg
https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20201027/bc9a1c3f058de9c7739ece88684af1de.jpg
https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20201027/dc23451469bcb2ddf460c6a809b8e445.jpg

I’d check local codes. Pretty sure foam Doesn't meet any of the requirements for vapour sealing or fire rating required for garage wall material.

[1986stangfan]

I’d check local codes. Pretty sure foam Doesn't meet any of the requirements for vapour sealing or fire rating required for garage wall material.

You are correct, the syrofoam cannot be left exposed due to off gassing in the case of a fire.

[5.4MarkVIII]

My did did his big shop in old barn roof steel. If he saw a barn being stripped he would stop in and offer cash for it. Got the whole place covered inside for a fraction of the cost of new. It does look “rustic” though.

He is doing his garage in plywood. But it had to be a certain thickness for code.

[Laffs]

26ga White steel liner panel is actually reasonably inexpensive to begin with. My cost is under $2sf.

[hammerhead]

Good point - I do a lot of cutting,welding, grinding - my Walls have been completed but someone used a chip board in place of drywall - but for some reason the ceiling never was completed - I currently have batt insulation and vapour barrier but I like this idea with foam for the ceiling -

[IanGTCS]

https://www.lowes.ca/product/kerosene-heaters/dyna-glo-delux-50000-btu-grey-kerosene-forced-air-heater-330034757?

We have one like this at work. Seems to be pretty good on fuel. Only downside is that it is loud as heck when running. Cranks out a lot of heat quickly.

[hsousa88]

Woodstove = win

We insulated ours with 1.5 foam on the walls, coated in concrete and painted. Then insulation for the roof.. the roof made the biggest difference.

The worst part is the floors.. always cold. Thought about rubber tiles but they’re expensive and dunno how much they’d help.

[IanGTCS]

Woodstove = win

We insulated ours with 1.5 foam on the walls, coated in concrete and painted. Then insulation for the roof.. the roof made the biggest difference.

The worst part is the floors.. always cold. Thought about rubber tiles but they’re expensive and dunno how much they’d help.

Woodstove is a great call if you can run the chimney. Hadn't thought of that. My wife for a bunch of play tiles made of foam at the dollar store. They'd probably help a bit with the floor although I doubt they'd hold up to chemicals all that well.

[USAWIT2]

Woodstove = win

We insulated ours with 1.5 foam on the walls, coated in concrete and painted. Then insulation for the roof.. the roof made the biggest difference.

The worst part is the floors.. always cold. Thought about rubber tiles but they’re expensive and dunno how much they’d help.I have the 3/4" thick rubber mats on my floor, does a good job keeping the cold out
As for heat, used 60th btu NG furnace hanging on the wall, got it off Kijiji, probably the cheapest way to do it if you have a NG line close to your garage

[RedSN]

....cheapest way to do it if you have a NG line close to your garage
key line being “have NG”

[Foxstang]

I have plenty of NG and my house has it too but that gets $$$

[Uncle Buck]

Reviving this thread with a twist.

So has anyone used a 240V heater for their insulated garage. Something in the 5000-7500 watt range. How much of a pig would it be to keep a 2 car at maybe 5-10C

I was thinking it might be an option for a guy who only wants the garage above freezing all the time and could use propane to add quick heat for a wrenching day once or twice a week.

[5.4MarkVIII]

240 would be far better than trying it with a 120, but heating with electricity seems to be expensive. depending on rates and what not. IMO if your gonna spend the money on a decent electric heater id be looking for a ceiling mounted propane.
i was under 2k installed for the one i put in the last garage. sized for a 2 car garage.

[ZR]

Spent price of a small country when I tried for a couple months some years back.

https://homedepot.scene7.com/is/image/homedepotcanada/p_1000116310.jpg?wid=1000&hei=1000&op_sharpen=1

[hammerhead]

Reviving this thread with a twist.

So has anyone used a 240V heater for their insulated garage. Something in the 5000-7500 watt range. How much of a pig would it be to keep a 2 car at maybe 5-10C

I was thinking it might be an option for a guy who only wants the garage above freezing all the time and could use propane to add quick heat for a wrenching day once or twice a week.

I have some 240 base boards in the house (Basement) Had a few really cold winters and had to turn them on to help out when we heated with wood - my hydro bill was over $1000.00 a month - I don't know what the wattage is

[Uncle Buck]

Yikes, I guess NG or propane is the only way to go.

I have a friend who just installed a 7500 watt garage heater last month for part time heating. I told him I thought it was going to be hungry. I guess we’ll see how he does with it.

[Old Fart]

My house and attached garage are electrically heated. All heaters are 240v. Garage is insulated but no drywall yet and has 2 wall-mounted units similar to ZR's post above (4800 watts each). I keep the garage heated to about 10C unless I need to work in it. Last 12 months cost $4173, so $347/mth average.

[hammerhead]

My house and attached garage are electrically heated. All heaters are 240v. Garage is insulated but no drywall yet and has 2 wall-mounted units similar to ZR's post above (4800 watts each). I keep the garage heated to about 10C unless I need to work in it. Last 12 months cost $4173, so $347/mth average.

Thats about my average for hydro without the base boards - have a pool and surprisingly it doesn't effect the hydro too much maybe 50$'s a month so my summer is a bit more then winter - we had air con installed last summer but it only ran occasionally when the High Commander was hot and bothered....lol

[hammerhead]

Yikes, I guess NG or propane is the only way to go.

I have a friend who just installed a 7500 watt garage heater last month for part time heating. I told him I thought it was going to be hungry. I guess we’ll see how he does with it.

if the government gets their way electricity will be the only option for every house - I think it's really important for everyone to get informed on the "net zero" plan - it is going to effect more than just cars - getting informed will help people make smart home buying decisions in the future - by 2030 big changes will be noticeable - some of the plan is in effect - if you neighbourhood has been suddenly reducing two lane roads and putting in bike lanes - that is part of the plan. cities themselves will be mandated to reach "net zero" during daily operations, I know in Brampton there's a plan to close some streets to traffic all together - this will also happen in Toronto and most if not all large cities - new building codes are already going into effect to make new home built more efficient - people will need to make huge improvements on existing homes - this in the end will really have an effect on resale value - if your dream is to own a century home (I love old buildings) people may want to rethink that - by 2050 I will be 88, I hope I live that long to see if the government reaches their mandate...lol