and yet another garage heat question...

[Dan]

seems to be on my mind alot after like a month of below zero temps. Anyhow a local motel is selling off some of those wall units that are combo heat/ac (you know the kind that are in motel rooms) Would one of those be a good choice for the garage? I know they would probably be alittle undersized and that electric heat is not the best choice but I would be using it just for occasional use, like only running it on days when I am actually out in the shop working. The guy is selling 'em pretty cheap but even then I wouldn't want to waste money if it wasn't gonna work...thanks-

[fordnutz]

How big is your garage. If it is a normal 2 car should work ok. It will keep the chill off, but may not work great in below zero really cold weather. Added bonus is the air. Nutz

[porknbeaner]

I'm with nutz. The electric heat is a little pricey, but you can't beat a package unit. and you can dehumidify in the spring and summer when you want to paint.

[bigron]

hell yea. wish i could get one. i use a kerosene turbo heater to get it warm then a stipr heater(elect) to keep it warm. that would be cool. wouldn't take up any room either sticking out the wall. i think those are about $600-800 new by the way.

[Dan]

I think the guy is asking $150 for 'em. Seems pretty reasonable. Where would the best to mount it, low on the wall or high on the wall? I've got a window opening already I could fit it in, save me from a new hole in the wall. Would a ceiling fan help distribute the heat/cold??

[Spitfire1776]

Consider that propane or kerosene adds moisture to the air as well as the fume situation. Electric is more expensive but further ahead in my opinion.

[Paul]

find out the specs, like energy consumption, btu rating, unit age, parts and service availability.

the motel would have to pay to dump them, there must be a reason they are being replaced.

I would not pay anything for them myself, That kind of stuff can be had for free.

Paul

[sirstude]

Dan

A couple of guys down here in Helena, have bought them and they turned out to be hotwater based. Make sure they are even electric not water. Kurt has hot water heat in his garage and they work good, uses a couple of them mounted to the ceiling. I have one of the old 3 foot cubed forced air gas space heater units. That one works good for me. I have about 1100 square feet with 10 foot ceilings and it averages about 25 bucks a month year round (budget billing). I do have good insulation.
Hope this helps
Doug

[Dan]

Thanks for the help, you guys are giving me some good ammunition for the decision making process-
I am looking at about $1000 to get gas ran to the garage and a new rafter hung unit, that is what I would ideally like but the expense is too much right now-
I do like the idea of some kind of "dry" heat that wouldn't introduce moisture into the air-
I know that Tman would push ceiling hung radiant heaters, those are very nice too but again I think out of the budget, hard to spend money in the garage when I am overdrafted buying groceries and diapers... http://www.jalopyjournal.com/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/crazy.gif