# Garage Heating



## moosh (May 8, 2011)

Hi Guys,

I live in the highlands of scotland where the winters are pretty harsh, last year some of my gear was damaged by the major drops in temps so this year i am looking to put in a small storage type heater to keep the place at a constant temp, the other problem i have is i am resotring a capri at the moment and there is a few areas on bare metal so...

The plan is to have the heater to keep the moisture away and keep the temps regular in the garage, i am not looking to heat the place up as i have a space heater for that but looking for something that will be cost effective to run and keep the temps regular.

Any ideas options etc are all very welcome as i think this thread may be of benifit to others with perhaps the same worries.

Cheers

Gordy :thumb:


----------



## slim_boy_fat (Jun 23, 2006)

Know what you mean about the weather.....:devil:

What level of insulation do you have in your garage? If none, you might be wasting energy/heat......


----------



## Mark Chandler (Nov 7, 2011)

little oil filled radiator sat in the middle of the car at a low temp?

LPG space heaters throw out moisture, pints of it, the result being rust when you retire for the evening as the water it will condensate on everything metal when you turn it off 

Can you run a rad from the house in there?


----------



## Weazel (May 29, 2010)

My dad used a dehumidifier in his garage as it was cheaper than running a heater? Could be worth a try!


----------



## moosh (May 8, 2011)

Thanks guys a few good pointers to think about and to answer the questions,

My house runs on that under floor heating, dry air i think they call it so unfortunatley we are not on radiators or that would have been an idea solution.

My garage is build of 150 block work with a clad roof with plaster board and insulation under it. The garage itself is not that cold its just humid at this time of year with like you say the drop in temprature and that brings the moisture.

A friend suggested one of these halogen heater been v cheap to run but the problem with one of them is the garage being lit up by it at night which may attrack visitors that i would rather not have.

De humidifier, i guess these dont heat they instead trap the water or remove it from the air?

I was thinking if i had a storage heater that kept the place at a constant temp that may help.

I think this weekend i will look at the front main door and see if i can ensure there is no draft coming through and block off the air bricks on the back wall?


----------



## Weazel (May 29, 2010)

No they don't heat, but when we used to walk in you could physically feel how much dryer the air is, we used to fill the collector with a 500ml capacity every day.
Helped so much and got rid of the damp smell that used to linger!
Best bet i suggest is to look at there power rating and see which works out cheapest to run?


----------



## Googsy (Aug 14, 2011)

What about a small multi fuel stove. You could easily plumb it out through a wall and once lit you can forget about it as the residual heat would keep the garage warm. Cost effective too ..


----------



## npinks (Feb 25, 2008)

I found whilst looking into my garage heating a timer that it temperature sensitive too, so you could set it to come on if it dropped below 0 degrees, which thought might save having the heating on if it's above freezing

Found them on eBay


----------



## moosh (May 8, 2011)

Googsy said:


> What about a small multi fuel stove. You could easily plumb it out through a wall and once lit you can forget about it as the residual heat would keep the garage warm. Cost effective too ..


Do you have a link mate?


----------



## BlueZero (Sep 14, 2007)

If your looking at a dehumidifier make sure you get one for low temps. Otherwise the coils freeze up. I bought one but it's only good for above 55F (12c) so even in my basement it freezes up sometimes.

Another idea would be to just heat a storage cabinet with your gear in. I know a guy that used to do that an heat it with a light bulb. Not sure how good it really worked but he said it did.


----------



## macmaw (Mar 5, 2007)

I have a glass heater which is basically a radiator, cost about £60 from argos, works well in my 6.5 x 4.5 garage which has insulated ceiling but no insulated walls. You may need two depending on your situation but one works fine for me and it" s obviously temperature controlled. A halogen may be better but you have already discounted that. HTH


----------



## slim_boy_fat (Jun 23, 2006)

BlueZero said:


> ......Another idea would be to just heat a storage cabinet with your gear in. I know a guy that used to do that an heat it with a light bulb. Not sure how good it really worked but he said it did.


I used a heated cable off eBay [do a bit of reading up on *vivariums* ] in an old wooden wardrobe to keep stuff from freezing - worked a treat. :thumb:


----------



## Googsy (Aug 14, 2011)

Sure I got mine from Scotland here so close to you !

http://www.woodburningstoveslimited.com/


----------



## BlueZero (Sep 14, 2007)

slim_boy_fat said:


> I used a heated cable off eBay [do a bit of reading up on *vivariums* ] in an old wooden wardrobe to keep stuff from freezing - worked a treat. :thumb:


Thanks! That's just great. I would love to keep my detailing stuff outside in the winter. If not all of it at least the stuff I use most.


----------



## moosh (May 8, 2011)

hey guys thanks for the input thus far, i was on ebay looking for these temp sensor switches and the same firm do these.

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/3FT-Green...arden_Hearing_Cooling_Air&hash=item3a6b0b96f4

What do you reckon?

I think if i got two and insult and seal the door jams better i think it would be great with less moisture.

I am still going to check out the other suggestions including de humidifiers.


----------



## DE 1981 (Aug 17, 2007)

For me nothing beats a radiator linked into central heating system, also having the boiler in the garage is a great to take chill off.


----------



## moosh (May 8, 2011)

DE 1981 said:


> For me nothing beats a radiator linked into central heating system, also having the boiler in the garage is a great to take chill off.


Haha ok if you've got plenty cash to get it fitted  you aberdeen lot have to much money :lol:


----------



## pi quattro (May 6, 2011)

What damage can happen to "detailing gear" with cold temps? I know a frozen PW isn't good, but what else can go wrong? Just curious


----------



## vxpenfold (Jun 13, 2011)

ide say get a dehumidifier for the garage then do what they do with resin etc during kit plane builds and thats put a standard incandescent lightbulb in a cupboard, already been suggested on the last page and tbh its the cheapest/most effective option


----------



## moosh (May 8, 2011)

vxpenfold said:


> ide say get a dehumidifier for the garage then do what they do with resin etc during kit plane builds and thats put a standard incandescent lightbulb in a cupboard, already been suggested on the last page and tbh its the cheapest/most effective option


Hey im thinking that is the way forward mate, not sure about the bulb but defo the de humidifier.

The more and more i think about the plan it really is the moisture thats annoying like the bare metal on the capri has slowly started to show surface rust and some of my good tools like my snap on hammers well i dont want rust on them again so de humidifier and a small source of heat to heat the whole place would be idea.

Really thankful for all the replies they are all appreciated :thumb:


----------



## moosh (May 8, 2011)

pi quattro said:


> What damage can happen to "detailing gear" with cold temps? I know a frozen PW isn't good, but what else can go wrong? Just curious


I found last year that some of my shampoo's separated and some of my clothes got a bit of a damp smell and i binned then, they were older ones mind.

I dont think the damage is sever enough to warrent drastic measure but i work in the garage often on cars so the solution i was hoping for was for a long time i guess.


----------



## andy monty (Dec 29, 2007)

I need to sort my cupboard out and put my detailing gear in that

(i have)










something like that.....

and one of these










just need one of these

http://www.qvsdirect.com/Salus-Fros...t&utm_medium=organic&utm_campaign=weekly-feed

and a bit of wire....

that way set it to say 5^C leave it plugged in and it will just sit there doing its job till the spring...


----------



## Steve valentine (Aug 7, 2010)

Dehumidifiers actually give out a little bit of heat 

Not a lot, granted, but you'll definitely feel the differences in the depths of winter in your garage, and it will keep the dreaded damp at bay, but, this is a big but, your garage has to be pretty well sealed, otherwise you'll be making a poor attempt at dehumidifiering the entire world.


----------



## sunilbass (Apr 23, 2009)

ive got this one in mine..









http://www.screwfix.com/p/stanley-portable-electric-fan-heater-2kw/82001

the garage is 30m2 and heats it up quite nicely once it starts going!


----------



## grant motox (Dec 30, 2010)

i have been looking at these

http://www.machinemart.co.uk/shop/product/details/slimheat-pro-260-panel-heater


----------



## dooka (Aug 1, 2006)

LPG Space heater should see you right..
http://www.masterheaters.co.uk/propane-butane-gas-heaters,92.html


----------



## moosh (May 8, 2011)

sunilbass said:


> ive got this one in mine..
> 
> 
> 
> ...


What's your running costs on this dude?

I'm hoping to maintain heat in the garage so it would effectively be running all the time?


----------



## andy monty (Dec 29, 2007)

moosh said:


> What's your running costs on this dude?
> 
> I'm hoping to maintain heat in the garage so it would effectively be running all the time?


they are 2KW
http://www.screwfix.com/p/stanley-p...ng-_-Stanley Portable Electric Fan Heater 2kW

so 2 units an hour (what ever you pay for a unit)

we are on E7 at home so get cheaper night time electric so i use a timer to heat the garage at night (not got a big enough supply down to it to use a storage heater sadly) although some of the modern units look good an low wattage


----------



## ChrisJD (Apr 15, 2009)

I have lined the ceiling in my garage. When we moved in, it was open to the roof, so I have put boarding up with insulation above. This in itself should make a big difference (also to stop dust) and I have an oil filled radiator in the garage too, which I have set on a timer. I switched it on this weekend and will now be on most, if not every day. I have it to come on in the early hours when the temperature will drop the most. 

The idea is not to actually heat it up in there, but stop it getting too cold. Shouldn't get too damp in there anyway, especially with the insulation above.

Last year I just had the radiator in there and I never noticed the car was ever damp.

Chris.


----------



## andy monty (Dec 29, 2007)

dooka said:


> LPG Space heater should see you right..
> http://www.masterheaters.co.uk/propane-butane-gas-heaters,92.html


Just to note if your house is attached to your garage its Illegal to use propane in a dwelling (had a discussion with Calor about this) but its fine in a detached garage :thumb:


----------



## Ns1980 (Jun 29, 2011)

andy monty said:


> I need to sort my cupboard out and put my detailing gear in that
> 
> (i have)


Where can I get one of these - looks perfect!


----------



## m00k (Mar 22, 2007)

I have a dehumidifier in the garage and it is also a combo heater built in its superb...

I have an air chamber in another garge and would have loved another for my other car but the garage is too short... Even tho it's a gd width it's just long enough for the car itself

Anyhows the dehumidifier works well can draw about 2ltrs a day of moisture and as said you notice it in the air. Has economy and timer modes built in aswell it's quite bulky and a ton weight but it's in wheels and handy
Moved about

Never really used the heater side as the garage isn't insulated and single block


----------

