So I just finished putting up insulation in my garage and now need a heat source. I live in MN so heat is a must in winter.

Question is this, I have a sunburst heater, the propane tank kind we all grew up with. Packaging says outdoor use only. Would it be safe and effective in my 1 car garage as long as I have a window cracked open for ventilation?

Thanks!!

I will upgrade eventually but can’t right now. Please answer my initial question, I am simply looking for help with that. Thank you!

It’s not a good idea to use this type of heater in an enclosed space that’s why it says outdoor use only. If you must use it make sure you use good ventilation and get someone to check up on you every couple of hours. The moisture from it will also likely make your tools rusty.

Thanks folks, I bought this one because Menards has it for $20, my budget is extremely limited.

So I will leave a window open and have a CO detector in the garage. I plan on using this for only a couple of months until I save enough for something to last longer. 

How about going to Walmart and buying a couple of those oil filled electric heaters?

You could put a fan  behind them to push the heat around.

Seriously?


Good luck and i hope you survive the winter.

If it says for outdoor use only your insurance company will not cover you if your house burns down from it.  Just sayin

Ok, NO. I have been a licensed funeral director for almost 40 years. I have pulled many fools out of their basements and garages. Carbon monoxide is orderless, silent, and deadly. If you hapen to survive, you could be brain damaged. I say fools only because they all should have known better.

Okey dokey folks, let’s try a different question.

I have 120v electrical in my garage and no gas line. My garage is roughly 350sq ft.

How should I heat it for under $100?

Haha thanks, actually just looking to keep it about 60 degrees so I’m not cold and finishes can dry on stuff. Apart from turning I also build small tables, etc.

The idea is to heat up the garage then I can turn off the active heat source off and I’ll be able to hold the temp for awhile.

I would get an oil filled radiator heater.  Once they heat up they take awhile to cool down.  Use a fan behind it to circulate the heat.

David Hamann wrote on Nov 22^nd, 2018 at 10:43pm:


The quartz heater from Amazon would be my choice. The problem will be the cold concrete floor. If  the garage is a dedicated shop, can you lay down some foam panels as a buffer? They don’t have to be permanet.

I use a fan heater when it’s cold but all our outlets are 230V. It doesn’t take long to reach a good temperature but my shop is about half the size of Andrews.

Andrew Abercrombie wrote on Nov 21^st, 2018 at 10:37pm:

I don't think they are kidding around.

Look at Ceramic heaters. I have a pair that are great. I have no idea what they cost but I know they are inexpensive to run.

If i'm going to be in the shop for more than 2 hours,  Wood stove, made from a 55 gallon barrel/with kit.   Less than 2 hours, i use this heater and keep it  3 to 4 ft.  from me
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This is what I have been using for the last 4 years in my insulated shop here in Iowa.  The size of the shop is 22.9x17.9x10 high

I set it at 60 degrees and it will kick on and off when needed and has a remote as well.





At 20 below it keeps the shop at 55 continually if I have it set at 65 and I have never turned it up more then that since that is great temp for me.

How reliably does the rated wattage relate to the quantity of heat actually produced?  Or are some heaters more efficient than others?

I'm a bit late to the party here as I'm a new member.    I'm in pretty much the same situation as the OP.    I live in Maine and for four years now have had a 24'x24' insulated but unheated workshop.    For brief periods (less than an hour) in the winter I'll use a 1500 watt electric heater.    For anything longer than that I use a Dyna-Glo propane heater:
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The instructions say that it can be used outdoors or indoors "with adequate ventilation".     I use mine 4-5 hours at a time with the only ventilation coming from when I open the outside door occasionally to go in and out (there's no bathroom in the workshop!).    Have I lost any brain cells from using the heater indoors?    My wife would probably say "Yes!", but I would say that I haven't lost enough to be at the point where I'm not allowed to play with power tools.

As a couple of other people have said, there's a problem with moisture from using the unvented propane heater.    So, I'm going to bite the bullet and save up for a thermostatically-controlled vented pellet stove.    Hopefully by next winter I'll have scraped together enough cash to make that happen.

Under 100.00 good luck.  However, for 12% more, The orange box store has this.

Cadet Com-Pak Plus 9 in. x 12 in. 1500-Watt 120-Volt Fan-Forced In-Wall Electric Heater in White
Model#  CSC151TW

It may be a bit small for 350 sq. feet, but my 1500 watt in a 176 sq foot shop heats so much, that it about drives me out.  I live in Idaho, where it is not unusual to have -10 degree days in the winter.  Hope this helps.

Brian

I will answer your question. NO NO NO It could kill you.

I have been using a infrared heater from duraflame for years. You can find them used all over the place; It rolls on wheels and is small enough not to get in your way. I just blow out the filter that is removable every few days. It keeps my two and a half car insulated garage quite warm. I set it at 58 degrees in the winter (Olympic mountain range) and it costs around 25 dollars a month to heat. No dangerous gas, and they last.

An electric space heater sounds like a better choice than the gas ones for inside.  Get one that can move the air and place it so you are between it and the lathe.  Depending on your insulation in the garage, you probably won't be working when it is frigid but it should be enough to take the edge off.  I work in a heated garage in MN.  The previous suggestion of a Hot Dawg heater should be your future aspiration.  I love mine.

Link to the heater I use:

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Gene Kearns wrote on Dec 28^th, 2020 at 8:48am:

Gene, I'm glad it works for you.    For myself, a problem I had with a non-vented propane heater was moisture build-up in the shop.    Also, living in Maine, I wanted my shop to be heated (to some extent) 24/7 in the winter so I wasn't trying to take it from below freezing to working temperatures every time I wanted to use it.    I finally purchased a vented pellet stove and it's working well for me.     In hindsight, a vented thermostatically controlled propane heater would probably have been a better (but more expensive) choice.

Small wood stove.