Heating a garage (Newton: how much, house, camping)

[Parsec]

My wife pretty much banishes me and all my junk to the basement which is awesome in the summer, but in the winter it gets really cold. I have 3 rooms down here - my office, workshop, and attached garage. I finally got a space heater to keep my office nice and toasty. My workshop gets heat from the nearby furnace.

Now my last room to get heated is my 2-car non-insulated attached garage so I can continue to tinker during the winter. I only need heat for a few hours once a week and want to raise the temperature from 30 to about 50 degrees which is comfortable enough to work in. I'm trying to avoid running a 240V outlet for a commercial electric heater. I won't be using it enough to justify the expense. I just bought a Mr Buddy propane heater, but it says not suitable for indoor use. However, I see thousands of online reviews from people who use this unit in their RV/camper. They leave the tank outside and run the line through a window that's cracked open. Is that safe? What if I leave my propane tank outside, run a long line to the heater, and leave my garage door cracked open 1-2 feet? Thoughts?

[jan0105]

Following ... Our house is small, having the garage be useable space would be huge.

[Nodpete]

I use a portable propane heater to heat my 802 sq.ft. garage when I work out there in the Winter. I use a 30# tank (I leave it in the garage but away from the heater) and just run the heater on low, put a 2x4 flat under the door and it works fine. Plenty of fresh air this way.

[MikePRU]

Originally Posted by Parsec

I just bought a Mr Buddy propane heater, but it says not suitable for indoor use. However, I see thousands of online reviews from people who use this unit in their RV/camper. They leave the tank outside and run the line through a window that's cracked open. Is that safe? What if I leave my propane tank outside, run a long line to the heater, and leave my garage door cracked open 1-2 feet? Thoughts?

Carbon Monoxide poisoning would be a concern for me. As another poster said, you can alleviate problem by introducing fresh air, but personally I would want to have a CO detector in the garage just in case as well.

They do make garage heaters that are made for such spaces which you could have installed. My parents have an electric one in their garage. They ran it when they first moved in but when the electric bill showed up they stopped using it. They also make ones that run on natural gas or if you have a boiler in your house for heat you can run another hot water zone to the garage heater.

[pikabike]

We recently bought two Mr. Heater portable heaters that are rated as OK for either indoor or outdoor use. There are different models, so check out the differences. The model we got, MH9BX, uses the small camping cylinders. Directions state that the heaters should not be left on overnight or otherwise left unattended for long periods. The unit does have a cutoff that kicks on when ambient oxygen levels are getting too low.

We got them in case of more power outages at the same time as a gas stove malfunction (has happened once). I also intend to use it for working in the garage. One was enough for the kitchen and living room, but I expect our unheated large garage will need both heaters.

I should note that this is in a milder climate (PNW). For our previous home's garage in CO at 7350' elevation, we installed a rafter-mounted radiant propane heater and kept it on low, directed towards a truck hood. Temp was kept at about 40-45 degrees, for the entire cold season, and when we needed it warmer for a project, we turned up the thermostat in there.

[StuartGotts]

I was going to try one of these:

[Bob Lanata]

For safety reasons, I would stick to the 240 volt heater if you are only taking the edge off of the temperature. It is very inexpensive to install, no vent required. Newtone makes some good ones. Once (if you chose to) insulate your garage, then you can put some sort of heating system, but from what I read, that is not currently feasible.

Mr Buddy and any other kind of direct flame inside can be a real danger. Not only to you, but those inside the house.

[BostonMike7]

I've used the propane heaters in the past and have gotten nasty headaches and discomfort from them. I've tried my best to vent them but in the end just suffered through being cold.

Is natural gas available? Can you run a line to the garage for a gas heater? Friend of mine has one in his 3-bay garage and it works awesome.

Short of that, i'd run the 240V electrical line. I'm going to add one to my garage when I insulate it in the next few weeks, but that's only because I was an electrician and can do it myself.

[jan0105]

About how much would it cost to run a 240 volt line? Our garage is not insulated, so I don't have any hopes of having it be truly warm, but I'd love to get all of our exercise equipment out of our unfinished basement and into the garage. And working out is hard enough, I'm sure as heck not doing it in a 20 degree garage.

[BostonMike7]

Originally Posted by jan0105

About how much would it cost to run a 240 volt line?

Depends on how much of a PITA it will be to run the wire back to your panel.

If your panel is in your garage, should be much cheaper than if your panel is in the basement on the opposite corner away from your 2-bay detached garage.