If you are connected with some automobile industries, affiliated with the mechanics’ firms, or if you have particular hobbies related to cars and bikes – designing, making, or whatever – it is a sure thing that you are spending most of the time in your garage. Your garage can be your warehouse or gym too! So, it might be your favorite place as compared to your entire house if you are passionate about your work. But if you live in a cold climate, it is quite difficult to work in such places as all the equipment in your workshop may become like ice cubes and your garage like a freezer!
If you are suffering from this kind of situations, you must be looking for the best way to heat a garage in winter. When it comes to this project, we have good news for you. Here in this article, you can find some cheap ways to heat garage! After an intensive research, our team has come up with these amazing tricks which will help you to make your garage a comfortable place – just like your house – and that too, without spending many bucks on it! Sounds interesting? Have a look…
How to Heat a Garage in Winter?
Well… well… First of all, Look out for your garage size. It is important to do an assessment of the space which will be used for the heater installation, and the purpose of your garage because some options may not be suitable for your garage as per its use.
Another important factor which should be taken into consideration is Safety! You must be aware of all the things like – ventilations, positions, and proximity. After considering all such matters, now you can think further.
1. Insulation
Insulating the walls and ceiling is the best way to keep your garage heated/warm. There are some choices to the type of insulations which you can use to solve your purpose. This includes blown-in insulation, blanket insulation, and foam insulation.
- If your walls are unfinished, but still you are planning to put up drywall, we recommend you ‘blanket insulation.’ Installing between the wooden wall studs is easy. When you purchase a blanket, which is also known as rolled, you need to choose an ‘R-value,’ as if the number is lower, the insulation will not insulate in the best possible manner.
- If your garage is already dry-walled, choose the insulation between the blown-in or foam. Foam insulation hardens after drying. To insulate the walls, drill some small holes between the studs and spray the insulation in them.
Note: Before installing the product, always be sure that you are selecting the proper thickness for your walls and reading the appropriate guidelines. There are some common mistakes like failure to securely fasten the batt insulation, or the measurements for the location by cutting it too short or too long for the determined location.
2. Use of infrared
Infrared heating will help you to save energy. It heats some particular workplaces and not the entire garage or your workshop. Such heaters can be called as wall-mounted electric radiant heaters.
- These heaters are different than the others as they use infrared energy and heat the equipment which is in the room and not ambient temperature of the chamber.
- There are two types of radiant heat systems. One of them is high-voltage cables, and the other one is low-voltage mats. Both are equally useful.
- These type of heaters can warm your garage’s floor, so whenever you stand or walk, you will always feel the heat. They are very efficient, and you can save around 25 to 50% on your garage heating cost.
3. Heat pump
A heat pump is an old style and quite a traditional option which you can try as a cheap way to heat your garage.
- Just like the refrigerator, it pumps heat. That means, it sucks up the coming heat of the cold winter winds and pumps it to the garage.
- Heat pumps are not just air conditioners; they can also dehumidify the air. Some research shows that they can do such activities so efficiently that it results better than the traditional AC units.
4. Wood stove
Install a wood stove in your garage. It’s trending…! It is a comfortable and off-grid alternative. It is economical and also reduces the mechanical noise as the other heaters do. (Infrared is an exceptional case, as it is entirely silent.)
- You can also use all the scrap for it, so no other electricity costs for it. So, if you have a small budget for this project, you can settle down with this wood stove.
- You just need to take about one thing that is the fire! You have to take care that the fire keeps going.
- One negative point about the wood stove is that it can eat up a lot of floor space in your garage. So, consider this option only and only if it is suitable.
5. Garage Heater Installation
A garage heater is usually small and can be installed quickly. It is readily available with mounting kits so that you can save the extra space. You can mount the heater to a ceiling or a wall depending on your use and situation. Do not disturb your working area, but mount in in the area from where it can easily heat the floor and other areas of your workshop.
Most of the people mount their garage heaters on the ceiling. Remember that some of the heater models need to be wired by an electrician or some trained professionals. Some other models are easy to mount and plug in, and the installation is ready to use!
For a hot dawg heater installation, you’ll need;
- A sheathed cable
- Junction box and cable straps
- Utility knife and 30 AMP double circuit breaker
- Wall-mounted line voltage thermostat
- Driller and permanent marker pen
- Wire nuts and Pliers
- FMC connections
- 10 AWG XHHW-2 wires (2 wires in 2 colors – Black and Green)
Step-by-step guide to install a gas heater in your garage
Installing any heater, there are few steps which can be followed. Here, we are providing you the information for the installation of a ceiling-mounted gas heater (vented) in your garage.
Note: This is the step by step guide of the ceiling-mounted vented gas heater which has an electric fan for the air-circulation and a flue to vent fumes which are passing through the roof. You can select your heater by fuel type and the BTU output suitable for your environment.
Step 1:
Firstly, attach the lag-screw two-by-sixes screw across the ceiling joints to mount the vented gas heater in the corner. These gas heaters have such designs that they can be hung from the roof joints, and their flow is aiming diagonally across the garage. It is helpful for the improvement of the airflow.
Step 2:
Lift the gas heater’s upper end with the block and tackle to the beams. Heater’s lower end should be wrapped securely by the cargo straps. You can use the pulley to set it into position.
Step 3:
Clamp the heater to the joints and bore with its mounting flanges and bore clearance holes. The space between the holes is supposed to be equal.
Step 4:
After that, secure the gas heater to the joints with the help of the carriage bolts and attach the T-shaped flue. You need to mark its position on the roof for the perfect installation.
Step 5:
Drill in the roof and cut a hole in the flue pipe, and install the flashing. Don’t forget to secure it with the roofing nails.
Step 6:
Now install a long vent pipe through the roof and flashing. Connect the lower end to the flue and add the weather ring as well as the vent cap on the other end.
Step 7:
Make the necessary electrical connections for the different components such as air circulation fan, etc. and at last, connect the rigid gas pipes with the flexible gas lines. Make sure that you have tightened the nut.
Note: The main gas line and on/off valves must be installed before this project.
So, these are the cheap ways to heat a garage and best way of a hot dawg heater installation process. We are sure that you don’t want to numb your fingers and face while working on your favorite projects. Kindly read this article once and invest some time following it, you will never have to waste your time in future.
And yes, all the very best for your future DIY projects. Never stop learning.
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