# recommend me a garage heater



## MontyVeda (3 Nov 2021)

It's getting pretty chilly in my Mum's garage and could do with some heat in there when I'm working. 

It's a double garage so quite a big space with very little insulation. I only want to heat one corner where my bench is.

I'm sure some of you have similar workspaces, so what do you use?

Or should i just man-up and put more layers on?


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## Oldhippy (3 Nov 2021)

Charity shop jumovers. Cheap plentiful and easy to recycle.


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## Cycleops (3 Nov 2021)

Any conventional heater is going to be ineffective in a large uninsulated space. What about one of those things that looks like a small jet engine on wheels? Runs on propane? That'll keep Hank Hill happy.


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## cougie uk (3 Nov 2021)

What about getting one of those heated gilets ? Does seem wasteful to heat a whole garage.


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## Nibor (3 Nov 2021)

A radient heater pointed at you is best in that situation so it is warming you not the whole garage.


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## MontyVeda (3 Nov 2021)

cougie uk said:


> What about getting one of those heated gilets ? *Does seem wasteful to heat a whole garage.*


I was thinking more along the lines of a fan heater pointed in my direction, or a halogen jobbie.


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## Nibor (3 Nov 2021)

MontyVeda said:


> I was thinking more along the lines of a fan heater pointed in my direction, or a halogen jobbie.


Halogen would be the ideal solution


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## fossyant (4 Nov 2021)

An infra red panel would be good. Can be ceiling mounted. Heats you and low wattage.


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## Gillstay (4 Nov 2021)

Small wood burner, just chopping the wood gets you warm.


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## SydZ (4 Nov 2021)

If you are getting cold you are not working hard enough 😂


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## fossyant (4 Nov 2021)

A proper infra red panel is very low wattage, under 300w. So be mindful if the description says 2000w


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## figbat (4 Nov 2021)

Cycleops said:


> Any conventional heater is going to be ineffective in a large uninsulated space. What about one of those things that looks like a small jet engine on wheels? Runs on propane? That'll keep Hank Hill happy.


The problem with any heater burning hydrocarbons is that they create a lot of water, making for possible condensation and associated issues such as corrosion. A wood burning stove at least sends this up the flue.


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## fossyant (4 Nov 2021)

figbat said:


> The problem with any heater burning hydrocarbons is that they create a lot of water, making for possible condensation and associated issues such as corrosion. A wood burning stove at least sends this up the flue.



And wood burners aren't very "green"


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## SydZ (4 Nov 2021)

fossyant said:


> And wood burners aren't very "green"


Neither is heating a large, uninsulated, space.

Maybe it’s me but when I work outside, and it’s cold, all I need is an extra layer and I’m soon warm / too warm.


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## ColinJ (4 Nov 2021)

I had a couple of those radiant heaters and I really liked them, but they blew elements remarkably quickly. Maybe I was just unlucky but I lost 3 or 4 elements in as many months.

Fan heaters are good at getting heat where you want it but the ones that I've had were way too noisy. If you buy one, make sure that you check any reviews to make sure that you are getting a quiet one! 



fossyant said:


> And wood burners aren't very "green"





SydZ said:


> Neither is heating a large, uninsulated, space.


I was pretty shocked the first time I went to the Costa Blanca (in coolish mid-March) to see people sitting eating outside in spaces heated by gas patio heaters. Let's just heat the world directly, eh?


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## cougie uk (4 Nov 2021)

fossyant said:


> And wood burners aren't very "green"


And awful for emitting particulates inside and out.


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## MontyVeda (5 Nov 2021)

SydZ said:


> Neither is heating a large, uninsulated, space.
> 
> Maybe it’s me but when I work outside, and it’s cold, all I need is an extra layer and I’m soon warm / too warm.


'work' isn't always physical enough to generate a great amount of body heat... but it's still work


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## yello (5 Nov 2021)

fossyant said:


> A proper infra red panel is very low wattage, under 300w. So be mindful if the description says 2000w


Any recommendations?

I could do with something to warm my 'office' - basically loft space in a detached stone barn. There's roof insulation but otherwise nothing. Brilliantly cool in the summer but pretty darned cold come winter months and difficult to type with gloves on!

Edit: the lowest rating I could quickly find from a local search was 500w


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## fossyant (5 Nov 2021)

yello said:


> Any recommendations?
> 
> I could do with something to warm my 'office' - basically loft space in a detached stone barn. There's roof insulation but otherwise nothing. Brilliantly cool in the summer but pretty darned cold come winter months and difficult to type with gloves on!
> 
> Edit: the lowest rating I could quickly find from a local search was 500w



I'll pop over into the corner of the lounge where MrsF Works.....

Something like this we've got on the wall - same company - remote control, timer, and thermostat - you leave the controller near you and the panel heats upto the controller's reading. Literally about 2cm thick and sticks out maybe 5cm when mounted.


View: https://www.amazon.co.uk/byecold-Infrared-Ceiling-Thermostat-Control/dp/B08C7HW113?ref_=ast_sto_dp&th=1&psc=1


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## ColinJ (5 Nov 2021)

fossyant said:


> I'll pop over into the corner of the lounge where MrsF Works.....
> 
> Something like this we've got on the wall - same company - remote control, timer, and thermostat - you leave the controller near you and the panel heats upto the controller's reading. Literally about 2cm thick and sticks out maybe 5cm when mounted.
> 
> ...



Oh, of course - I was mistakenly wittering on above about _Halogen _heaters instead - sorry!


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## MontyVeda (26 Nov 2021)

Initially i'd dismissed the infrared panels on grounds of cost... I was looking at spending £50 on something rather than upwards of £150, but thinking about it, it may well be money well spent.

It's a large double garage in which i occupy one corner, so an infrared panel attached to the rafters above where i work may be the ideal solution. As I understand it, they heat what the infrared waves 'touch', so that's me, the floor, the bench and maybe even the tools on it? 

One problem i had the other day was the moment i needed to change a router bit, I picked up the two spanners and being so cold, they dissipated all the heat from my fingers in a matter of seconds, and having Raynauds these days, it's not ideal.

I have it in my tiny mind that heat rises so putting the panel on the ceiling seems counter productive, but that's not how these things work, right?

[edit] oh... and @fossyant, does it just plug into a wall socket?


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## jowwy (26 Nov 2021)

MontyVeda said:


> Initially i'd dismissed the infrared panels on grounds of cost... I was looking at spending £50 on something rather than upwards of £150, but thinking about it, it may well be money well spent.
> 
> It's a large double garage in which i occupy one corner, so an infrared panel attached to the rafters above where i work may be the ideal solution. As I understand it, they heat what the infrared waves 'touch', so that's me, the floor, the bench and maybe even the tools on it?
> 
> ...


what about a plinth heater under the desk - like they use in kitchens


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## MontyVeda (26 Nov 2021)

jowwy said:


> what about a plinth heater under the desk - like they use in kitchens
> 
> View attachment 619473


That's essentially a fan heater (and a very expensive one at that). I've already got one of these somewhere...




...which I'll dig out and pop into my pannier to try under the bench. Thanks for the reminder


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## figbat (26 Nov 2021)

Heat doesn’t rise - hot air does. An IR heater, as you surmise, doesn’t heat by convection or conduction but by radiation. The IR light shines on you and you feel it as warmth. The IR light passes through the air with almost no heating effect, so blown air will remain cold.


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## MontyVeda (26 Nov 2021)

figbat said:


> Heat doesn’t rise - hot air does. An IR heater, as you surmise, doesn’t heat by convection or conduction but by radiation. The IR light shines on you and you feel it as warmth. The IR light passes through the air with almost no heating effect, so blown air will remain cold.


so they're not ideal for draughty environments?


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## derrick (26 Nov 2021)

I use one of these in my man cave. https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/384535668499?hash=item59881ca713:g:uhMAAOSwVphhoN1l


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## fossyant (26 Nov 2021)

They do just plug into the wall. They are relatively low wattage compared to other heaters, so if you are using it a lot, then best get one. They do work, and you won't be trying to heat a big double garage, just the area you are in. They will warm the tools etc.

A couple of the offices at work have them on the ceiling and walls as the rooms are poorly insulated.


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## MontyVeda (27 Nov 2021)

I'm currently torn between two options which are both around £150... one comes with a remote control, timer, thermostat and all the gubbins, the other just a basic plug and play. The fancy ones are around 500w, the basic ones are around 700w. 

I'm not sure the remote/timer will be much use since the wall switch is right next to where i'll be stood, and I can use my head as the thermostat. I'm assuming in an uninsulated garage, the more power the better?


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## Supersuperleeds (27 Nov 2021)

figbat said:


> Heat doesn’t rise - hot air does. An IR heater, as you surmise, doesn’t heat by convection or conduction but by radiation. The IR light shines on you and you feel it as warmth. The IR light passes through the air with almost no heating effect, so blown air will remain cold.


At school our physics teacher used to go mental if you wrote or said "heat rises." Proper meltdown mental, mind you I bet every kid he taught has always remembered that it is the hot air that rises and not heat.


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## MontyVeda (1 Dec 2021)

The IR heater arrived today so i got it over to mother's house and attached it to the ceiling. Only had it on for an hour but in that time it raised the temp from 7 to 9 degrees. Last week the halogen heater took three hours to raise it from 9 to 11 eleven degrees, so by my reckoning the IR heater is three times more effective and consumes about a third of the power. 

compared to the halogen, it's not a cheap bit of kit but I reckon the extra dosh will be recouped in electricity savings over the next ten or maybe fifty years


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