Garage heaters

Folks,
I'm fed up with loosing days where it's too damn cold to spend long periods in the garage...so considering fitting some form of heating.

Anyone used either Micathermic panels or Halogen panels?

I don't want anything that takes up floorspace...so it needs to be wall mountable.
I don't want anything that causes condensation either.

These micathermic heaters or halogen heaters would seem to do the job...just wondering how efficient they would be at just taking the freezing cold edge off a decent sized double garage?

Anyone used them?

Cheers,

Glen.

 

maybe its time to MTFU?



soppy northerners

 

I know exactly where your at - I have been putting off a few jobs for days as it so damn cold out there - much easier to come inside, have another turkey buttie, a glass of plonk and an old film

 

i spent hours in the shed with the s4 before xmas doing the cambelt job whilst the missus sat in doors with plonk making christmas decorations

i have thought about heaters in the past though, machine mart do a whole range

i find a set of latex gloves under my work gloves keeps me warm, plus beer and waterproof hiking boots, because the roof leaks badly when it rains

http://www.machinemart.co.uk/shop/categories/search/heating-ventilation

 

You southern softies don't know what real cold is...messing about on a car in -12 degrees is no fun - even if the garage is dry.

 

I hear you!
I'm fine for an hour or so...but then the fun begins to wear off...back inside and veg out on the sofa.

 

i just use a small electric fan heater to take the edge off, works well but my garage is semi attached to the house and has the boiler in it so it certainly isn't ever at -12degC!

Regarding insulation, i thought about insulating the garage doors with polystyrene, not sure it would make that much difference tho?

 

you're not wrong. the car got stuck to the floor the other day when the snow melted, dropped to the floor and refroze around the tyres.

definitely worth insulating, the garage here heats up quickly and stays warm for hours after i've had the space heater on. space heaters are great, if you've got enough room to avoid getting toasted, but they do put out some moisture. low wall-mounted radiant heater sounds pretty good though.

is the garage attached to the house?

 

Just did mine yesterday, couple 8sheet packs of jabrite from B&Q and the difference is superb. Garage is noticably warmer today after doing it.

Cost about 30 with the 15% discount.

 

We have one of those big bad jet engine looking heaters, and a small gas fireplace thing, and fan heaters, and halogen heaters... It's still too cold to even consider leaving the house to get there in the first place

 

Now you are talking Andy...
What's the stuff like?
Smaller sheets?

I had an insulated sectional door in my last garage...but this one just has plain steel op-and-overs.

I never considered insulating it!
Perhaps I should though.

Has your garage got a room of the house above?

 

My garage IS attached, yes.
And the boiler IS in there...so it never actually gets as low as -12!
Although it is outside, so the doors sink much of the heat straight out.
If I'm honest - don't tell Matt! - I doubt it gets below freezing!

I have an insulated door at the back, with a double glazed window, the rest is just single row block work, so not too well insulated.
Pitched, tiled roof with too much 'stuff' up in the roofspace to properly floor and insulate it...so heat will always dissapear upwards.

So it'll never stay warm...but some form of heating should make it workable for longer.

Maybe some foam seals round the doors and some of this Jabrite stuff Andy is on about will help?

 

Is this the stuff Andy?

http://www.diy.com/diy/jsp/bq/nav.jsp?action=detail&fh_secondid=10647757&fh_view_size=10&fh_location=%2f%2fcatalog01%2fen_GB&fh_search=jablite&fh_eds=%c3%9f&fh_refview=search&ts=1262268264722&isSearch=true

 

Half of my garage is out with the house, and the ceiling has been floored/filled in. I thought about putting a large hatch/staircase so i could use the roof space for storage and still keep the insulation, something like this:



Excuse the crude drawing!

Plenty of access for large stuff too.

Could use a pully system for the 'stair case'.

 

You can get it as full wall board size sheets, or for easier transporting i got some in 8board packs, just about 4.4m2 per pack, enough to do 1 door just.

Finshed article




Garage is attached and has a room above.

 

Aye, thats the exact stuff. Cheaper than i remebered, must have been sub 25 with the discount

 

That's just the ticket...
How did you fasten it in?

Mine is similar:


Shouldn't prove too hard to fit.

I don't have a room above though, so any heat going up will be lost....although it's a tiled roof and there seems to be some form of insulation up there, of some sort.

 

I use a ladder to access my loft space...not great, but it works.

I have thought of boarding out the ceiling and fitting insulation between the floor of the loft and the ceiling panels, but there is so much of this sort of 'floor saving' stuff, that it's not practical now:



I could maybe fit some of the really thick polystyrene panels between the roof joists up above though. That would help.

 

Get cutting!

I'm starting to work on mine to encorparate a back boiler to run a few radiators...just need to chat up the landlord now so I can install the flue! ALso I need to move the vents higher up or add some more.

 

i think xtratherm or kingspan do some polyurethane foil-backed foam with lots of lengthways slices in it. the slices allow it to compress sideways so it squishes between the joists, and holds itself in place. even 2" thick should make a massive difference, along with doing the doors as above. nothing like working in your t shirt when it's chuffing cold outside.

^^ nice burner!