How do you keep your garage warm in winter?

[ARC240]

Hey guys,

Well, don't mean to put any of you into the winter blues prematurely, but the frigid weather is right around the corner and temperatures are starting to drop. I know, I know, I used the dreaded "W" word, but hey, it's something we all have to deal with. My question is directed more towards people who store their cars for the winter months. How exactly do you keep your garage warm (I'm not talking toasty hot, but comfortable enough to work)? Last winter was really bad for me, I was working on the car in the freezing cold garage and couldn't feel my hands, toes or nose at some points. Only thing I could do was keep a small heater next to me, which barely did anything. Since I'm going to be tinkering around with the car again this winter, I'd like to make the garage a little bit more hospitable for work. I've looked up ways of keeping a home garage warm and I'm just wondering what others have found to work best for them. I'm not talking about doing anything fancy or super extravagant. I understand many people say that insulating the room is the best thing to do, however in my garage, neither the roof or walls are insulated. What type of insulation could I use? What type of heater (preferably electric) could I use? If you have any useful tips, let me know.

I appreciate your input , thanks!

[falcon]

garage 240v heater.

only on when I'm in there workign.

[Insta_AxE_Toast]

We have used the kerosene jet engine type heater and a propane heater. The kerosene heater works fast but you have to deal with the nasty fumes.

[Zacho]

Water heated floors

But when I had my car at a different garage last winter I did my best to block the holes/gaps around my garage door, and put some insulation over the two big windows. I used a Noma heater in the corner of the garage I was working in and it worked quite nice. I let it run for usually 15 mins before I went in. When it dropped below -20 though it was hard to keep it warm so I went and got another one. They were like 45 each and worked good.

Really depends how big your garage is though.

[NismoS-tune]

30,000BTU high efficiency electronic ignition gas furnace (90%) kept at 10 degrees year round unless my wife visits. The irish beer keeps me warm

[Shadao]

well all i have in my garage is this tiny little heater... all the walls are insulated... i have put up a nice thick layer of poly on the windows and for the garage door i have put up a few old wool blankets... i have also sectioned off half of my garage to keep the front of my car warmer with the heater and use less power in doing so... the heater i have automatically turns itself on and off.. i just keep it on ultra low setting... seems to work just fine for me

[CanadianGTR]

Small heater, good insulation, and a dehumidifier.

[Oakville]

Water heated floors

teach me

[tokes]

Water heated floors

But when I had my car at a different garage last winter I did my best to block the holes/gaps around my garage door, and put some insulation over the two big windows. I used a Noma heater in the corner of the garage I was working in and it worked quite nice. I let it run for usually 15 mins before I went in. When it dropped below -20 though it was hard to keep it warm so I went and got another one. They were like 45 each and worked good.

Really depends how big your garage is though.

Black GTR with the tinted windshield right? Did you ever get the floor heat working?

My folks just installed a radiant heater in the garage, and it's absolutely beautiful. It warms objects instead of warming the air. So leave it at 10-15* and it will make your vehicle, tools, parts, etc room temperature without making the airspace sweltering. For a dude who sweats a lot, it's amazing.

[skyline_steve]

Best option i have found is to use a wood stove, Free heat and you can burn almost anything so the heat can last for as long as you need. I installed one last fall and all winter last year i had 30 degree temps in my garage for as long as i needed and it cost me nothing.also i got rid or a bunch of waste around my house.
What you will want to do is inform your insurance company so they are aware of this addition.
I was able to buy the stove from craigs list for around $200 with all the proper chimney piping so when i installed it it was safe and legal.

[GDZILLA]

Propane/diesel/av gas jet heater for now but I am going to run a natural gas line out to my detached garage from my house to a ceiling mounted heater.

[Kras]

I am in the process of insulating my garage, so far i've spend about $270 or so.

It's really easy to do, I used this stuff called "Roxul"

http://www.homedepot.ca/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/CatalogSearchResultView?D=1&srchFor=Brand&Ntk=level1&langId=-15&storeId=10051&Ntx=mode%20matchall&N=112022+4294965011&catalogId=10051&Nty=1

Easy to install - it's almost like a really heavy foam/wool texture... its hard to explain lol, but it comes in rectangular shaped pieces that fits right in between the studs. For smaller areas just use a serrated blade to cut it(like a bread knife).

Once that's done you put vapour barrier over it to seal it, and then you can drywall if you want... I'm too lazy to drywall for now though.

Besides that I will just be using my little electric 1500W heater, we'll see if it keeps the place warm.