"MM54" (mm54mk2)
08/01/2017 at 21:53 • Filed to: Garagelopnik
1
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"MM54" (mm54mk2)
08/01/2017 at 21:53 • Filed to: Garagelopnik | 1
| 17 |
It’s August, which means I need to remember my commitment from 8 months ago to not freeze my ass off in the garage any more.
Pictured: Nothing like my garage, other than being square and ostensibly cold in the winter.
Unfortunately, tying the garage into the house’s HVAC isn’t feasible, since the basement/garage vertical offset would require ductwork to pass through the kitchen or basement stairway (or be very very long and skinny and sneak through the outer band).
As a result, I’m thinking about going with an overheard gas forced-air unit. The gas lines in the basement are pretty close to the garage, and I almost ran one out there last year out of desperation - nothing like laying on 20 degree concrete using 15 degree tools on a 10 degree car.
Anyways, the garage is 24x24 with 10' ceilings. I’ll be insulating the garage doors (and putting up weatherstrip on them). The ceiling isn’t insulated, but that’s a pretty easy fix. No idea about the walls, but I’ll be finding out soon when I runs some new outlets. The goal would be keep the garage ~50 degrees so it’s cool but workable. I’m sure it’d get cranked up on weekends and late nights.
What does Oppo think of this / suggest / etc. ? I’ll be hiring someone to do it, since I can’t really get a furnace up to the ceiling myself and I’m too stubborn/crotchety to get permits to run a gas line anyway.
Shoop
> MM54
08/01/2017 at 21:55 |
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Just run the car with the doors shut.
Problem will solve its self.
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MM54
> Shoop
08/01/2017 at 21:56 |
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Not quite what you are suggesting, but this past winter I got pretty good at figuring out the latency between parking the hot car in the garage and when the air temps would be highest to venture out for a bit of wrenching.
benjrblant
> MM54
08/01/2017 at 22:03 |
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If you’ll be keeping the house for a long period of time, insulate it as well as you can reasonably afford. Keeping that heat inside will require less gas and will really cut down on the drafts. IMO, natural gas forced air heater makes the most sense for a retrofit.
Keeping that concrete slab floor warm will be a real challenge though.
My X-type is too a real Jaguar
> MM54
08/01/2017 at 22:11 |
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Seems like a good plan unless your working on stuff like I am that has lots of gas fumes. I’d go electric for my needs.
Urambo Tauro
> MM54
08/01/2017 at 22:14 |
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Those overhead units work pretty well. A neighbor of mine has one in his pole barn.
AestheticsInMotion
> MM54
08/01/2017 at 22:16 |
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Lots of insulation and a good electric space heater?
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MM54
> AestheticsInMotion
08/01/2017 at 22:39 |
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Electric is so much more expensive to run than gas, plus that would be one heck of a space heater to let me maintain 50+ degrees when it’s, say, 5 outside. The “lots of insulation” to an extent will happen either way (no sense wasting gas).
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MM54
> Urambo Tauro
08/01/2017 at 22:40 |
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I’ll be really curious to find out what it would cost to get one installed. They’re cheaper than ‘normal’ house-furnaces I’m used to, but I can’t imagine installation is cheap. At least I don’t need anything massive BTU-wise for ~500 sq ft.
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MM54
> My X-type is too a real Jaguar
08/01/2017 at 22:42 |
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I want to say a lot of them are sealed-burner, where it pulls in outside air to burn, then exhausts it through a second pipe. Sort of eliminates/reduces the explosion hazard as well as the dust factor. Electric would be super expensive to run I suspect (plus I can’t imagine running power to it would be cheaper than a gas line, 4/3 isn’t exactly cheap).
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MM54
> benjrblant
08/01/2017 at 22:45 |
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Yeah insulation is a certainty. I’m happy with how well the house is sealed up so I can focus on the garage for a bit if rolling out some fiberglass in the attic and insulating the doors isn’t quite enough.
I accept that the slab will always be cold (especially being above grade, which has caused some other issues) but if everything else isn’t frigid, some cardboard should be fine to keep me off it and comfortable.
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Urambo Tauro
> MM54
08/01/2017 at 22:54 |
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I guess it would depend on whether you were having installers do the whole job, or if you wanted to DIY part of it. You’ve got the mounting of the unit, the plumbing of the exhaust, the gas line, and the electrical. Wiring would probably be the easiest task (if you felt so inclined).
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benjrblant
> MM54
08/01/2017 at 22:55 |
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A mechanic’s creeper or a foam sleeping pad would be great for keeping you off that concrete!
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MM54
> Urambo Tauro
08/01/2017 at 23:03 |
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I could do the whole thing if I was able to hoist the unit up to the ceiling and had the patience/whatever to get the gas line inspected (because insurance) but that’s not happening. Wiring is a piece of case, and odds are for a gas unit I’d run the 120 over there just to save that cost.
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MM54
> benjrblant
08/01/2017 at 23:03 |
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I do like my creeper, but those extra couple inches it lifts me up is that much higher I have to lift whatever I’m under, which often isn’t worth the hassle.
Now some sort of foam or old sleeping bag - I like that!
TylerLinner
> MM54
08/01/2017 at 23:17 |
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If you get much sun and have a south-facing garage wall, passive solar heaters certainly can’t hurt.
I made a few very simple ones for my old rental house in Detroit. They were basically just styrofoam boxes painted flat black inside. They fit inside the window frames, unfortunately blocking sun (not a problem in the bedroom). With a hole on the top and a hole on the bottom, they worked to some degree despite less than ideal window location.
Those in the image are more complex, but allow you to see out the window. There are also awesome built-in versions like
this
, but unless you’re covering most of the wall, they will be supplemental only. But, FREE heat.
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MM54
> TylerLinner
08/02/2017 at 18:07 |
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Whole house is in the shade, plus no windows on the garage. The south wall is also the one with the doors on it, so yeah. Thanks, though!
RacinBob
> MM54
08/08/2017 at 21:32 |
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$420 Gas unit heater LINK 50,000 BTUH is half the size of a home furnace. Costs 10 cents to heat for an hour. Vent out garage side wall.
