For many homeowners, their garage is not just a place to store their cars or off-season clothing and footwear. It can also serve as an additional workshop, craft/art room or even a greenhouse. However once winter rolls around, it can be difficult to continue your projects in near or below zero weather.
If you’re trying to figure out your heating options, look no further! Below, Air Tech of Houston AC & Plumbing has compiled a list of some of the best ways to heat your garage this winter
Garage Heating Options
The cost and style of your garage heater depends on what kind of system you prefer. Here are the most popular types to help you make your decision:
Portable Space Heaters
If you find yourself working in one spot, portable space heaters may be your best option. They heat only the area where they’re placed, so they’re great for heating your immediate, personal space. Space heaters are also cost efficient – they don’t require any major installations and they use significantly less energy than your HVAC system overall. They’re simple, come in various designs, and only need to be plugged in to get to work.
While space heaters are cheap and convenient, they can also be dangerous. According to the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission space heaters are responsible for more than 25,000 house fires, 300 deaths and 6,000 burn-related emergency room visits every year.
If your home has small children, pets, high foot traffic, or particularly flammable furniture – it’s important you weigh the potential risks versus the advantages. Here are some tips to help you practice safe heater use:
Never leave a space heater in a room by itself
Never plug a space heater into an extension cord – most cords cannot handle the energy a space heater needs
Never place it near flammable objects (curtains, clothes, photo albums)
Don’t skip the instruction manual – it will provide even more safety precautions than what this article can give you
Forced Air Heaters
Most of us know how a heater works – it blows out hot air until a room is warm, right? Yes, but this is only one type of heating system, and is specifically called forced air heating.
Forced air heaters move air past a heat source and then release that air into a room with a fan or blower (hence why it’s called forced). Portable space heaters use this kind of heating system and so does your home’s furnace. The heat source for an electric heater (whether portable or from an ac system) is typically heating coils and for gas heaters it’s the heat exchanger.
If you want to quickly heat your entire garage rather than one specific area, then consider industrial forced air heaters made for large, drafty areas. While these are more heavy duty than portable space heaters, they also come in many sleek styles and sizes. Where industrial types differ most, however, is in how their power lines are meant to be fully installed in the location where they’ll be used, making them permanent and much safer.
Industrial forced air units can also be connected to a gas or propane line, which also eliminates the need for outlet use. This requires proper ventilation, however, which should be installed by a professional HVAC technician.
Infrared Heaters
While the most common type of heaters are forced air heaters, there are some that take a different approach: infrared heaters.
Similar to how our bodies warm up under the sun, infrared heaters directly transfer heat from the heater to an object. Why should you use an infrared versus a forced air heater? For one, they save you a lot of energy. In fact, the Department of Energy has reported that infrared heating can save from 20-50% in energy and fuel costs compared to conventional heating methods.
Also, since they don’t use a fan or blower, they can improve indoor air quality by minimizing the circulation of debris like dust or pet dander. Infrared heating can be installed within your wall, floorboards, or overhead on a mount. If you consider a mount, be aware that it will likely only heat whatever is beneath it, similar to a portable space heater. Infrared heaters are safer than portable heaters because the coils do not become as hot. They transfer 100% of the energy they produce, so there is no need to reach such high temperatures.
Contact Air Tech of Houston AC & Plumbing!
Are you looking to turn your garage into a place where you can work all year round? Need help deciding which heating installation option is best for you? Air Tech of Houston AC & Plumbing can help! We offer various heating services such as furnace tune-ups, furnace repair and full furnace installation! Contact us for high-quality HVAC service today!
