Garage heating

[jamieandthemagic]

Do paraffin/diesel heaters cause the same air moisture issue as butane/propane space heaters?

Concerned about rust.

[chammyman]

In my experience no they don't. Its a much drier heat.

However if your using it in small a tin shed your gonna get moisture no matter what.

[hidetheelephants]

Yes they do create moisture, as much as the gas ones do; in order to get a dry heat you need a heat source with a outside exhaust like a central heating boiler, or go broke using electric heaters.

[crowfield]

Night storage heater on economy 7? Wouldn't need to be a huge one, and running cost if set up on a time clock for about 5 hours a night needn't be expensive

[JohnMcL]

It’s a real conundrum Jamie. Do you want heat to keep the car warm/dry, or heat to keep you warm when you work on the car?

Burning any hydrocarbon fuel makes water (roughly, HC + O = CO + HO) so a no-no. Heating the whole space is wasteful unless it is well insulated. I’ve come to the conclusion that a Carcoon or similar for the car and nothing for me is my best compromise. I just work until my whotsists are in danger of dropping off then wrap up the car and go in the house for a warmup.

Black heat Infra-Red would warm me, but I’m too mean after last winter’s bill for electric hot air heaters.

[jamieandthemagic]

It's for heating me.

My garage will be refurb'd along with house remodelling in a few years time, so I'm not going to do anything to insulate the garage at the mo.

It's well ventilated, so also doesn't hold heat.

I'm just freezing my wotsists off. I've helped my feet by putting down foam tiles on a lot of the concrete floor. Can't use gloves when working on a car.

Guess I'll just freeze for a few years.

[Snake the Sniper]

If it's just for heating you, then you're probably wearing the wrong clothes. I used to struggle with the same issues you're having. Now I wear my normal garage gear (old works trousers, T-shirt, ancient fleece) and if it's cold I chuck a boiler suit and a thinsulate beenie on. I've got a thin and a thick boiler suit for inside/outside work in the winter. I changed some suspension joints on the driveway last Friday sat next to an iced-over cup of coffee but I was good to keep going.

[PositronicRay]

Snake the Sniper said:

I've got a thin and a thick boiler suit for inside/outside work in the winter. I changed some suspension joints on the driveway last Friday sat next to an iced-over cup of coffee but I was good to keep going.

Sounds like joy, I'm keeping off the drive till the weather warms up.

I always end up skinning knuckles and rushing things when it's cold

[phillpot]

Boiler suit is a must (imho),stops all the gaps around your middle, preferably insulated.

[MDT]

If it is just to heat you while you are in there then get a electric fan heater. And spend a bit of time and money to kill as many of the drafts as you can.

I have got radiators in the garage plumbed into the house central heating, it is a fairly big old space to heat and has a 3m high ceiling, but the place is staying nice and warm, so much so shorts and a T-shirt is all ok even at this time of year.

[kambites]

Anything which burns a hydrocarbon will create water and carbon monoxide. That's pretty much the definition of "burning a hydrocarbon".

I use a pair of 3kw electric ceramic fan heaters to heat our garage. I don't get it particularly warm though, somewhere around 10-15 degrees feels about right for working on a car to me.

[buzzer]

I used to use a paraffin heater... my lathe and tools were constantly rusty. I now have central heating off the house, but before that I used an infra red electric heater to keep just me warm. it was one of those outside patio heater and it worked a treat, I still use it when I work just on the lathe, save heating the whole garage.

the other thing I use is gloves... I could NEVER work in them and then someone gave me a pair of these in the link below. I use them ALL the time now, and hate working without them!

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/170714063538