# Garage heater install



## Beez12 (Sep 10, 2021)

Looking to outfit my garage with a natural gas heater for the coming winter months. Gas line tie in is in the basement just below the garage (so not far of a run). Can anyone recommend a good installer in the Calgary/Airdrie area?


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## cuslog (Sep 10, 2021)

I had "Pete the Plumber" do my gas & electrical upgrade for my garage / shop last Summer.
Nice guys, no complaints.


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## Tom O (Sep 10, 2021)

I had my garage furnace replaced with a rebuilt one by Fagan with no problems.


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## PeterT (Sep 10, 2021)

I have a 40Mbtu radiant heater along the ceiling/wall corner of my garage. Probably 20 years old now, no issues. The installer at the time did it himself. Basically hangs from 2 hooks, exhaust tube goes straight out the wall. Needs 110v in (ideally ceiling) proximity for small fan in the burner tube. They probably have changed over the years but generically look like this
https://calcana.com/best-garage-heaters/patio-heaters-videos/


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## Dabbler (Sep 10, 2021)

I had an old furnace I bought out of the newspaper (yes-that long ago) which finally died 3 years ago.  It was installed by a vendor that I would not hire again.  

When I replaced it for one of the ceiling mount 40K BTU garage heaters, I installed it myself.  Far better job, and no raw gas smell.


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## Perry (Sep 17, 2021)

I was looking into this also.   I actually have Pete the Plumber scheduled for next week to estimate the electrical and gas install.  (I used them before on another project.  On time, friendly and the price was reasonable.  Workmanship was perfect.)

I'm second guessing my plan.  I have a 24'X24' garage.   Own one vehicle and always park it inside.  The plan was to move my (small) basement shop out to the garage.   

Will bringing a snow covered vehicle into a warm garage increase the humidity to the point were I will see corrosion on my machines and tooling? 


Not sure if it makes a difference, but I was thinking a radiant heater, something like a Cal Cana for my garage.


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## cuslog (Sep 17, 2021)

My situation is somewhat similar to what you're considering;
22 X 24 Garage, overhead Nat. Gas furnace, keep it at 10 deg. year round - My truck lives outside, wife's car lives in one side of the garage. Lathe, mill and a couple other pieces of equipment on "my side". Been that way only one winter now - I wouldn't say I've had any rust problems.
We are both retired though, the car only leaves the garage once or twice a week and we only go out on the "nice" days so "snow covered vehicle" doesn't really happen (if covered with snow, I'd brush it off before putting it in). Obviously there's some dripping and puddles on the floor but no corrosion problems yet.


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## John Conroy (Sep 17, 2021)

That describes my situation almost exactly except I keep it at 12 degrees in winter. No rust problems, I use Fluid Film on exposed steel surfaces also.


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## Proxule (Sep 17, 2021)

5 degrees for me and I use lanolin/turpentine mix


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## PeterT (Sep 17, 2021)

What I like about the radiant heater is that things with mass (your floor, your machines, the things you work on) 'seem' to absorb the heat. I've been in other shops where the forced air is cooking your head from above but your feet are freezing on the concrete. OTOH this may be speculation. I'm maintaining year round ~room temp so also likely everything has just stabilized at this temp & that's what I'm feeling. Forced air distributes heat via ducts/louvers & some people don't like that aspect of 'inside wind' vs more typical low level (rising) heat registers in a home. Sometimes ceiling ducting conflicts with storage shelves, garage door mechanisms, other stuff that is more shop-centric. At the time it was about the same price but I hav eno regrets with radiant. They rate the BTU's on your size, insulation & basically coming up to temp in X time with door wide open on a winter day. My door stays shut but at the expense of vehicles. Choose your poison


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## cuslog (Sep 17, 2021)

The one time I did get some corrosion was before I put heat in the garage - ripped a few boards on a table saw - sawdust goes everywhere - swept the floor, didn't dust off the machines, sawdust sat on machines the rest of the winter. Go to use machines several months later, brush off sawdust - dark specs on steel where every spec of sawdust was. Now I try to do my wood working outside.


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## Tom O (Sep 17, 2021)

I have a 24 x 26 detached garage with a floor style furnace thats set to around 68* that is on year round, in the summer I have a thermostat that cuts in starting a exhaust fan removing the inside heat.


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## kevin.decelles (Sep 17, 2021)

Metal shop is 28x40, reznor ceiling mount heater. I leave heat at 19 during oct-may, and run the pilot light in the summer. Main door rarely opens in winter


Wood shop is electric heat, 14x24. It is kept at 5 Celsius in winter. Just finished insulating the wood floor (joist on beam) with rock wool (r20). Last year (first year heating on el3ctric) resulted in $125 power consumption in nov/dec/Jan/feb based on meter on shop panel. Hoping floor cuts that in half. If not, gas heater in 2022


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk


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## PeterT (Sep 17, 2021)

If money were no object & starting from scratch I'd consider in floor circulating heat, glycol mix or whatever they use these days. But it was 2-3$x a radiant when I checked may years ago. And they having moving parts & valves & fluid &.... so not without eventual maintenance issues too. My buddy's Garagemahal has it (as does his house which is why it was logical extension) & man that seemed nice. I've also heard folks have retro-ed existing slabs with the pipe array & concrete ?epoxy? top coat, but I'm not sure about maximum weights, Rocky mountain heaving etc. We live in a tough climate here, 10.9 out of 12 months cost money.


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## kevin.decelles (Sep 17, 2021)

I have I’m floor heating in my house…… I love it, would not consider a new home without it…… but it is t without its maintenance and expense . Pumps, heat exchangers , etc.


I’d absolutely consider it for a shop of starting from scratch 


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## Dabbler (Sep 17, 2021)

+1 on the floor heating thing if starting from scratch.  Some contractors make it sound very hard and costly to goose up the bill.  For a 600 to 1500 sq ft slab with 4 loops it is very cost effective (with the correct under slab insulation, of course).  

Three guys in my neighbourhood have it and wehn they installed it 10 years ago, it was a reasonable price.


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## Brent H (Sep 18, 2021)

I have the main shop (24 x 32) radiant floor heat.  3 loops, 1 pump and an instant hot natural gas water heater.  Header tank is a water tank from a travel trailer.  Glycol mix.  Shop is at 60° F in the winter.  Cheap to run (maybe $10/month) no maintenance issues in last 14 years.

I installed it myself after the house build (also radiant).  It is not overly expensive if you install yourself and have a few folks that can run gas lines from your meter.  

24 x 24 garage divided in half - metal fab on the one side, car tools etc.  Heated with a 50000 btu heater from Princess Auto - garage kept at 40° F in the winter.  My wife has her car on the one side. No issues with corrosion/rust


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## Perry (Oct 2, 2021)

Beez12 said:


> Looking to outfit my garage with a natural gas heater for the coming winter months. Gas line tie in is in the basement just below the garage (so not far of a run). Can anyone recommend a good installer in the Calgary/Airdrie area?




Just wondering how you are making out.   What style of heater did you decide on?


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