Insuring a heated garage

[adsm08]

Waste oil heaters make so much sense in Automotive garages but they are a lot of trouble and hard to keep running.

Yes they are. At my last job the one year we spent so much money on service calls for our two waste oil burners that even though we had 5000 gallons of on-site storage for oil, that we got paid to take out of customers' cars, it still would have been cheaper for us to just pay the gas bill for the 6 Modines in the shop.

I agree waste oil heaters are a pain to keep up but they do kick out the heat quickly on a cold morning. Basically a oil furnace with three times the controls. One thing to keep in mind is you can rig up some ducting to bring combustion air from outside into the fire box. That way your not putting a neg pressure in the heated space where its pulling cold air in through the cracks. You can also add a heat exchanger in the flue with a fan but then again you need to keep the heat exchanger clean on a regular basis just like a pellet stove.

I feel like you guys are way over-thinking the heat for my little two-bay shop.

 

[shane96ranger]

I don't know if it is possible for you to do this, but figured I'd share. This little bad boy works GREAT. This is what I am using. Insurance knows about it, but was not concerned at all when I told them it was natural gas.

 

[kimcrwbr1]

I don't know if it is possible for you to do this, but figured I'd share. This little bad boy works GREAT. This is what I am using. Insurance knows about it, but was not concerned at all when I told them it was natural gas.

Yea I installed a bunch of those gas space heaters probably the most effecient and easiest to maintain for a fossil fuel heater. A wood stove takes forever but the cheapest to install. They are putting out some nice pellet stoves they kick out the heat rather quickly also.

 

[85_Ranger4x4]

I wish I had natural gas to hook up to.

It is half a mile away and I doubt it will ever go down my road.

 

[adsm08]

Well I got this all situated now. Guy who sells insurance for a government food growing business rammed it through.

He said the big issue with wood and coal stoves is that any solid fuel stove will hold the heat much longer than gas or liquid fuel, because they don't go out right away, and the concern is about the building being left unattended while it is still burning.

Gas isn't an option for me. With no other existing gas appliances on the property, and no public hook up in this town, install would be prohibitively expensive right now.

 

[85_Ranger4x4]

You have to know what you are doing with wood too, it isn't just set it at 70* and get to wrenching.

I can understand why it spooks them.

 

[adsm08]

You have to know what you are doing with wood too, it isn't just set it at 70* and get to wrenching.

I can understand why it spooks them.

Too true. I honestly don't even plan to use it that much. My kerosene units, which my old insurance company was not happy about either, along with my cutting torch, are good enough for most of the winter. But my garage is drafty and they can't keep up once the temps dip into the teens, especially after dark.

The only reason I went with wood, over something a little more controllable is that I already had the stove, and heat the house with wood, so I have the wood, and didn't have a ton of money to throw at this.

 

[shane96ranger]

Yeah.... in my younger years, I did a clutch with a kerosene heater in an improperly ventilated garage. I started feeling nutty.... Good thing I had enough sense and strength to get up and open the door.

I do believe there is a propane version of the Cayenne heaters as well. Mine was already in the garage when I moved in. It was definitely a selling point for me, lol.

 

[85_Ranger4x4]

Yeah.... in my younger years, I did a clutch with a kerosene heater in an improperly ventilated garage. I started feeling nutty.... Good thing I had enough sense and strength to get up and open the door.

I do believe there is a propane version of the Cayenne heaters as well. Mine was already in the garage when I moved in. It was definitely a selling point for me, lol.

Yeah, usually you can convert one to the other.

My propane bill is scary enough as it is without me trying to heat my shack of a garage.

 

[adsm08]

Yeah.... in my younger years, I did a clutch with a kerosene heater in an improperly ventilated garage. I started feeling nutty.... Good thing I had enough sense and strength to get up and open the door.

I do believe there is a propane version of the Cayenne heaters as well. Mine was already in the garage when I moved in. It was definitely a selling point for me, lol.

In a few years I want to try installing a mini-split, hoping that it will be a selling point for someone.

I plan to live here for maybe another 10 years. The house itself is nice, but the yard is a bit small, and I hate, and I do mean HATE, this neighborhood. It's loud, obnoxious, and most of the people here are just this side of white trash.

I probably won't be able to get a permit to build a garage the size I want on this lot, but when I finally get to build my garage I will probably go with waste oil.

 

[Shran]

Waste oil is OK if you have a big shop and a source for oil. The tank and heater take up a LOT of floor space.

I'd hate to rely on propane - I heated my old trailer house with it years ago and a $500 tank fill really hurts.

 

[adsm08]

Waste oil is OK if you have a big shop and a source for oil. The tank and heater take up a LOT of floor space.

I'd hate to rely on propane - I heated my old trailer house with it years ago and a $500 tank fill really hurts.

Well my next shop I intend to have at least an RV garage, something I can get between 4 and 6 cars in, and I do have a source for oil. Several in fact. Heck, I'll have my wife start telling her co-workers that if they bring me oil/filter I'll change their oil for free.

 

[alwaysFlOoReD]

if they bring me oil/filter I'll change their oil for free.

You might want to do a cost/benefit analysis on that. If it's something you would do anyway, good on you.

 

[85_Ranger4x4]

I know every year we cuss the waste oil furnace at work.

PITA to get ready. They are wanting to trash it and go radiant in addition to the gas hanging furnace.

 

[Denisefwd93]

Radiant tube infrared are tried and proven way of heating shops garages warehouses even outdoor areas because infrared Heats objects better than it heats space. Many years ago when my business was larger we did a number of Maaco auto body shops with infrared they loved it.

There are two kinds of infrared heating the kind will you see a glowing element made of ceramic or the most. The last comment or the tube type I think they're made by a company called Co Ray vac I'll look it up.

http://www.robertsgordon.com/

Waste oil can be fun! not!