Heater for garage to work on speakers

Mazeroth

I'm in the market for a way to heat my 1-car garage this winter so I can work on speaker projects. After talking with my Dad he suggested I get one or two small 1500w electric heaters as opposed to the kerosene or propane ones I was looking at. He did make some valid points:

The propane heaters go through a 20lb tank in 11-21 hours depending on the heating level, so that means it would cost $0.67 - $1.27 an hour to use. The other bad thing is the loss of oxygen in there from it burning, the fumes (don't think it would be too bad) and the constant trips to get tanks refilled. The kerosene costs more, burns bad stuff, and probably not a good choice.

The 1500w electric heaters with ceramic cores run at 5000 BTUs and would only cost roughly $0.15/hour each to run, have no bad fumes, and best of all, can be used in my basement theater during the winter months to heat things up.

As much as I hate Wal-Mart, they have a very nice Lasko ceramic heater for $19.97 that got very favorable reviews on the net and usually sells for $30 elsewhere. I'm thinking two of these would probably do the trick. The only thing I'm unsure of is whether or not running two would trip my breaker? 1500w/110v = 13.63 amps, right?

http://www.walmart.com/catalog/product.do?product_id=4100060

Any input is greatly appreciated!

Tour2ma

Move south...




Yup, .. I = P/V = 1500/110 = 13.64 amperes

Add a couple lights and a power tool or two, and you might be pushing it. Maybe even more likely in the basement theater.

tryrrthg

Hey Maz,

We just bought on of these oil filled heaters at lowes to help heat our living room during the winter. We have a pretty large space and an old drafty house and it helps a bit. In a smaller confined space like a garage one or two of those things should keep it pretty toasty. You don't have to change or refill the oil, so that is a plus. Last year we had a ceramic heater and although it had a fan to blow the heat at you I don't think it got as warm as the new oil radiator.

ND13

Get the electric ones that look like old radiators. They work real well and can be had for under $40 each.

Just saw the previous post....that's the one I'm talking about^^^^^

bobman1235

The other nice thing about the electric ones is they tend to shut off if anything goes awry. A lot of them even have tipping sensors, so if they fall over they shut off before they burn your house down.

My experience with propane / kerosene heaters is you DO notice the fumes, and they smell bad, but heat better than anything else. For a garage they're ok, but for a basement, no way.

I'd go electric just for the ease of not having to fill the thing all the time, but that's just me.

madmax

Be careful with anything that burns. You have to keep the area ventilated. If not the carbon monoxide can put you down before you know what happened. If no one is around, well, lets not talk about it.

I use a propane torpedo heater. I chose it because with the high output, fan etc, I can heat the garage quickly (about 30 minutes) then go inside, shut the thing off and still work comfortably. Of course I don't do things in there which need to stay at a constant temp like finishing speakers or whatever. For energy savings you could possibly do what I do to heat the place up, then turn on some electric heaters to keep it warm for a few days then shut it all off when not in use. I suggest against a standard kero heater for continually heating the place. By the time you vent the room properly it will still stay chilly...

madmax

Edit: And if your garage is attached to the house be VERY careful! Remember, those fumes can go anywhere.

tryrrthg

Just thought of something as I was reading the other replies. The dust might be a factor if you go with one of those ceramic heaters, the dust might get on the heating element and cause a fire hazard.

bobman1235

Good point about the dust. Ditto for possible fumes from staining and whatnot.

billbillw

I'm a big fan of Kerosene heaters. If you keep them tuned up (dry-burn the wick every 20 hours or so) and use good quality kerosene, they run without making any fumes or any significant carbon monoxide. There are only fumes during the first 30 seconds or so when you light them up and for a few seconds when you turn them off. Otherwise, none. The trick I use is to light the heater outside, then carry it in after a minute. I also carry it outside before extinguishing the flame. Works like a charm and I rarely smell any fumes. I'm not talking about the torpedo style heaters. They make fumes no matter what. I'm talking about the stand alone (no electricity) convection or radient kerosene heaters. The heater I have is 23,000 BTU and it would heat a small garage in no time at all. The best part about having a kerosene heater around is if/when the power goes out during a winter ice storm, you have a heat source that still works. Of course the price of kerosene has skyrocketed in the last year, so its not as cost competitive anymore. These days, electric heaters are probably the most cost effective, but their BTU output is much lower.

msjohns

What I use in my garage is a 220 volt electric hanging furnace. It's small yet it puts out 18,000 BTU. There is no flame or fumes to worry about. It works great in my two car garage. The only thing is you have to have a 220 power sorce, which is no big deal.

Emlyn

I second, or third, the oil filled radiators for quiet, stable temperature control, and no air blowing around while you're working on something. I've used them for the last few years. They don't use all that much energy, but do take a while to heat a room up.

whitetruk

i use a reznor hanging gas furnace 75.000 butes can be found used in local papers for around one to two hundred bucks heats my two car in about half an hour in ohio winters.be safe in your decision

Jstas

A small, cast iron, pot belly stove might be a good option. you can find fuel for it pretty easily too. Yard waste (branches and such that fall down) or call up a local tree service and see if they have any business in the area. They cut down a tree, you drive your truck up and haul it away and they are happy and you got free wood. It could end up costing you nothing to run it because some tree guys will drop off stuff if you want them too.

They get charged for dumping the cut up tree just like every other trash company does. So if they can dump it off on you for free, they can increase their profit margin.

Pot belly stoves are safer than open fireplaces because they are enclosed and it's the hot iron that the stove is made of that makes the heat. You don't need a huge fire to get that thing cooking and it will heat a 1 car garage easily. they are fairly safe too since there are no open flames. Sheath the wall around it with stailess steel to help reflect the heat and you'll be snug as bug.

Here is a pot belly stove for about $340 bucks. Shipping might hurt a bit but you could probably find it locally for a similar price.

http://www.northerntool.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductDisplay?storeId=6970&productId=2053&R=2053

Here is a kit to turn a 55 or 30 gallon steel drum into a stove. Cost about $32 and you can probably buy a new 30 gallon steel drum for less than $100. It would do the same thing as any other cast iron stove. Pretty cheap and small too if you use a 30 gallon drum.

http://www.northerntool.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductDisplay?storeId=6970&productId=20894&R=20894

The hardest part about any of them is installing a chimney.

Hey, maybe it's not viable for you, I don't know. I don't know your local laws, building codes and so on but it is a relativly inexpensive option that will be a permanent solution and add value to a house.