Garage Heaters – 4 Things You Must Know Before You Buy
Garages are oft neglected spaces in almost every home. The garage area is not just a place to park your car but can also be a workroom, storage room or a place for kids to play. Heating the garage can turn wasted space into work or play areas that are available all year around.
However selecting garage heaters for the purpose may be a bit confusing since there are so many types with such a wide variation in costs.
One important factor in choosing the right one is to decide if you want it fixed or portable. Fixed garage heaters mount (or are built in) upon a surface, in other words their position is fixed, such as electrical baseboard heaters. Portable ones are meant to be moved around to wherever heat is needed most in your garage.
Of course, fixed heaters have less flexibility in directing heat but can be mounted out of the way. Portable heaters require careful placement in order to be safe and effective.
Garage Heaters – Heat Source
In order to provide heat for a garage the heater requires a fuel source, gas, electric, and Kerosene are some of the most common options and all have good points but there are negative points to them as well.
Gas Garage Heaters – Natural and Propane
Natural gas heaters can be excellent for heating a garage. The garage must have gas piped to it, and the very best types using gas will be vented. Combination gas heaters that are fixed in place and utilize a blower system can keep the entire garage comfortable throughout the year.
Unvented gas heaters can be less than satisfactory as garage heaters especially if they are exposed to workshop debris such as dust, solvents or other material.
Propane gas models are portable but generally not as safe in environments where dust or oil might be drifting about as they do not vent the debris, merely burn it and release the byproducts into the air.
Kerosene Heaters – Cost Efficient
Kerosene can be a cost efficient method to power your garage heater and heat your garage. Choosing one with a fan will help get air circulate around your entire work area. These portable heaters can be moved to wherever you like. On the negative side of using kerosene garage heaters is the fluctuating prices in oil products and also the fact the unit must be refilled with kerosene and spillage is possible. Kerosene burns oxygen to produce fuel so placing a kerosene heater in a garage with no ventilation can be hazardous as well.
By Phill Hopkins