Garage Heater
If you like working on your own car or simply enjoy tinkering in the garage, then you should think about getting a garage heater because it can keep you warm while you work. What type and size of heater you purchase will depend upon your garage’s size, the availability of utilities and how warm you want your garage to be.
If you are only looking to purchase a garage heater in order to keep the car warmer in the wintertime, then you will not need to purchase a large garage heater. However, if you buy a smaller heater it may have to run longer in order to keep your garage at a set temperature. Of course this depends a lot upon the climate that you live in.
The easiest garage heater to install is an electric baseboard heater. These are usually the cheapest heaters to operate, repair and replace as well.
There are also a variety of different sized portable baseboard garage heaters available. Most of these only require a 110-volt outlet. All you have to do here is plug them in and turn them on. If you have a larger garage, then you are going to need a larger heater. Some of these heaters will require 220-volt outlets like those that are used on an electric stove. Unless you already have the appropriate outlet, you should have a licensed electrician install it for you.
There are also a lot of different styles and sizes of garage heaters that work with gas or oil. Most gas-fired heaters use either natural gas or propane. You should have a professional hook up the gas line for this type of garage heater so that you reduce the risk of having a fire or an explosion. You will also need to have proper ventilation for these types of heaters so that carbon monoxide does not build up in your garage. It does not matter what kind of garage heater you choose (free-standing floor model, wall mounted or ceiling mounted) you are still going to require the same type of ventilation.
Most garage heaters come equipped with a thermostat so that you can simply set it and then forget about it, and yet your garage will always remain at a constant temperature. You should know that the BTU output is going to be determined by the size of your garage.
Another option for a garage heater is an oil-fired garage heater. People who already have an oil furnace usually use these. These homes have storage tanks for the oil or propane located outside of the home and then a line runs into the home’s main heating source. Whenever you add a garage heater you simply need to tap into it in order to add another line for your garage heater. You should let a professional do this though.