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Heating recommendations for an attached 2 car garage


jerrodh

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I just bought this, my breaker panel is in the garage, so adding a 220v outlet will be pretty simple and then just have to run wiring up to the unit. Figured for $80 its pretty cheap and easy and will easily handle my 2 car garage, not trying to get it up to 80* when its 15* outside, just would like to have it be 50* or so while so i can work on cars not in a full winter coat.

 

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B009F1SWH8/

 

I kind of wonder what a lower setting would keep the garage at? Even when not working out there It would be nice to have the garage at 40ish to keep it from actually freezing and melt the snow off of the cars, quicker warm-up when driving. Then if it's warm enough outside it shouldn't kick on.

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Put it on a thermostat and set it to 40ish degrees. If you need help in doing so an HVAC or decent electrician can help, or I can walk you through it if you feel comfortable doing the work. All you need is a line voltage thermostat, typically used for baseboard electric heaters.

 

https://www.homedepot.com/p/KING-Line-Voltage-Double-Pole-Mechanical-Bi-Metal-Thermostat-in-White-K102/307675482

 

EDIT: Just make sure in the specs it can handle the wattage, current and voltage.

EDIT2: You can make it work on any thermostat, just requires some extra parts and wiring.

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Gerg, curious what your thoughts are on that heater. Please update at some point.

 

I've been looking at Menard's for Dyna-Glo's 5,000W or 7,500W for my 2-car attached as well. I've got 220v for a welder/compressor already so not opposed to using electric over gas/propane.

 

https://www.menards.com/main/heating-cooling/heaters/electric-garage-heaters/dyna-glo-240v-forced-air-electric-garage-heater/eg5000dgc/p-1562567355750-c-6328.htm?tid=-4777891146591550582&ipos=9

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I'm working on getting a gas line ran to my detached garage. I'm going to get the Big Maxx 80,000 BTU gas heater and install a wifi thermostat. Reason being is that I want to keep it 50-ish in there at all times, but be able to turn it up before I head out there. It's going to cost more up front, but it'll be cheaper in the long run. If I wasn't going to keep a controlled temp, I'd probably go the all electric route.

You have to look at how you plan to use the garage. If you're not going to be out there very often, you'd probably be fine going all electric. I plan to be out there daily, so gas is the best option for me.

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Gerg, curious what your thoughts are on that heater. Please update at some point.

 

I've been looking at Menard's for Dyna-Glo's 5,000W or 7,500W for my 2-car attached as well. I've got 220v for a welder/compressor already so not opposed to using electric over gas/propane.

 

https://www.menards.com/main/heating-cooling/heaters/electric-garage-heaters/dyna-glo-240v-forced-air-electric-garage-heater/eg5000dgc/p-1562567355750-c-6328.htm?tid=-4777891146591550582&ipos=9

 

That Dyna-Glo looks like the exact same unit i just bought :D

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I had a 220w electric run to a small electric and have never looked back. Gas is great, may be cheaper but this was inexpensive, quick, easy and works awesome. It's small too. My garage is very well insulated and 24x24. This unit will roast me out if I want. Most of the time I keep it between 60-65° though as I get hot working out there. It does so with ease.

 

original.jpg

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A propane unit would be by far the easiest if you don't have any infrastructure for anything in there now.

 

Gas would be BEST, and with gas, a forced-air furcate would be best as you will cut down on "sweating" from IR heaters. You can see them pop up on C list from time to time for a deal.

 

That being said, I have https://www.acmetools.com/shop/tools/heatstar-f125444-natural-gas-infrared-heater?feeds=shopping&cm_mmc=Google-_-PRODUCTFEED-_-Heatstar-_-F125444&gclid=CjwKCAiAudD_BRBXEiwAudakX6jNf0sRqM5x0f-7zy7i-w58x12o0zAW-3T3xBKIPo_pg8TcVcmeAxoCibYQAvD_BwE this IR unit, simply because its what the builder gave me for free. :) It does well enough to keep it comfortable in my insulated roughly 900 sq ft attached.

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I had a 220w electric run to a small electric and have never looked back. Gas is great, may be cheaper but this was inexpensive, quick, easy and works awesome. It's small too. My garage is very well insulated and 24x24. This unit will roast me out if I want. Most of the time I keep it between 60-65° though as I get hot working out there. It does so with ease.

 

original.jpg

 

I'm finding out that it's going to cost me around $3,000 to have the gas line ran to my detached garage. Plus the heater and exhaust venting is another $1,000 and I still have to have electric ran, which will be about another $1,200. At this point, I'm considering just running an electric unit for now and just keep an eye on the electric bill to see how much it changes.

 

Do you know the make/model of your heater?

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I’ve gotten by with a dual tank top system for longer than I care to admit. I need to sack up and run 220v to do electric because I don’t want to deal with making a vent to the roof for gas.

 

I’d love to do a mini split to be able to get cool air in the summer, but my kids leave the garage door open all summer it seems.

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I was gonna ask if anyone has any experience with a mini split for the garage? You can buy them reasonably priced on Amazon that come "pre-charged" so they dont require having someone set it up.
I'm sure they vary a little based on brand, but they really are pretty efficient and are tough to beat install-wise if you have the electric readily available.

The precharged diy units are fine and although I do hate that it hurts the HVAC guys a bit, you probably won't have any issues with it.

You're going to have trouble beating the value and efficiency for something that heats and cools.

 

Sent from my Pixel 3 XL using Tapatalk

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I like split systems. We have them in several locations across the state and our main HVAC contractor we use for all our big jobs has one in his personal garage. He's the guy I go to for all things HVAC and building services so I'd like to think if HE uses it it's gotta be the better option. I've been to his house a few times. He doesn't cut corners or penny pinch. He wants things done right the first time and low maintenance.
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  • 2 weeks later...

Late to the game but I’ll chip in. I installed a 45k btu gas heater in my last house 3-car attached garage and it was the greatest thing ever. I DIY’d it and did horizontal venting. It cost me roughly $1500 all in with routing gas line to garage. Our new house had gas already stubbed into garage and it was a major selling point. I’ll be honest I suffered the one month I waited to get a unit installed. It’s like crack, once you have a garage constantly at 60-65F in the winter you can’t go back. It doesn’t work out for everyone, sometimes it’s cost prohibitive or not feasible to get gas line access. But if you have the option, it is worth it.

 

Mini split is intriguing, but heat pumps aren’t that effective in dead of winter. I just use fans to circulate air in the summertime.

 

 

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If you can get gas to your garage, I'd just throw a used furnace in there with a scoop on top and filter on the side. I did it in my old house and it was cheap and simple. If the furnace broke, fuck it, another used furnace.

 

As far as minisplit systems go, they've come a long way and can heat pretty well down to 0 degrees on most brands. Pretty solid option as well and can get you cooling

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If you can get gas to your garage, I'd just throw a used furnace in there with a scoop on top and filter on the side. I did it in my old house and it was cheap and simple. If the furnace broke, fuck it, another used furnace.

 

...says the HVAC guy, surrounded by old furnaces all day. ;)

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