How to better organize garage heating: a comparative overview of the best ways

Garage - multi-purpose room. This is where a car or motorcycle is stored. Here, as a rule, there is a cellar with blanks for the winter, as well as an impromptu repair shop.

It is not surprising that with the onset of frost, the hindful owner of this building has problems. Therefore, heating the garage is a task that is best solved in advance.

In this article, we will analyze in detail the main methods of heating a garage and materials for wall insulation. We also provide useful recommendations for observing safety measures for individual heating.

Why do I need a warm garage?

We live in a huge country with a rather harsh climate in most of its territory. For this reason, the garage remains a safe haven for a family vehicle not year-round, but only between October and April.

And this fact does not depend on the material from which the structure was built. Structures made of brick, concrete and cinder block equally freezes during a real cold weather.

A garage is not only a place to store a family vehicle. The owner of the garage can organize a workshop here, build a cellar or other auxiliary premises

The microclimate that forms inside the room in cold weather can cause serious damage not only to the car, but also to the building itself. Colds contribute to the formation of condensation on the surface of the metal. It is this that causes corrosion of the car body, garage doors and other structures subject to rust.

In addition, the car may not start in the cold. Not to mention the potatoes in the basement, which can freeze. And to work in such a dank room, without fear of earning a cold, will fail.

The main methods of insulation

Naturally, in anticipation of the cold weather, there is a desire to insulate the structure in all possible ways. The sooner this desire appears, the better.

In addition to the scheme and heating option, it is advisable to think in advance and provide ways to reduce heat loss, which include:

• Polyfoam (expanded polystyrene). This material is great for gate panels. If you compare it with such fibrous heaters as mineral wool, glass wool and with plates created on their basis, then foam plastic will cost you less. In addition, it is more durable and does not absorb moisture. Do not forget about the corrosion protection of the door metal.
• Glass wool (mineral wool) plates. This material, along with foam, is used for interior wall and roof cladding. Plates are glued to the surface using special freshly prepared adhesives. The plates themselves are protected from mechanical damage and moisture by plaster, which is reinforced with fiberglass mesh to increase its strength.
• Siding. Or other fully prepared for installation cladding systems. All this decoration serves to protect the building from frost. If the garage is a separate building in the estate, then it can be faced with decorative brick.
• Dense curtain. Metal garage doors are poor frost protection. A curtain that does not allow the flow of cold air can be constructed with a suitable piece of dense 0.8 mm thick polyethylene or tarpaulin. This design is fixed in the same way as an ordinary curtain.

It is better if the peculiar curtain can be opened when the car leaves or enters.

The roof of the garage is insulated both inside and out. As an additional protection for the gates, polystyrene plates fixed to the wings can be sewn up with plywood or lining. As mandatory measures of insulation, additional ventilation is equipped. It will help to remove not only exhaust gases from the room, but also excess moisture.

Of course, if we do not want to heat the "space", we should thoroughly insulate the entire garage, not forgetting to maintain good ventilation

Materials suitable for insulation of the garage are also used as insulation for the walls, floor and ceiling of a residential building. And the technology of their installation will be similar. In this regard, we recommend that you familiarize yourself with the insulation instructions and detailed tips for choosing the right material:

• Ceiling insulation in a house with a cold roof: types of effective heaters + installation instructions
• Types of insulation for the walls of the house from the inside: materials for insulation and their characteristics
• Floor insulation by logs: materials for thermal insulation + insulation schemes

Type of heating suitable for the garage

Having taken all necessary measures to prevent heat leakage from the room, we may think about the organization of its heating. If the building is not sufficiently insulated, then we will heat the street, and the effect we need will not be achieved. Of course, we don’t need such heat as in an apartment, but the temperature from +5 ° C is our goal.

Next, we consider the most suitable heating systems that can be applied in a garage. And we will analyze their main advantages.

Water heating system

Using water heating system the coolant is water. It circulates in a closed circuit, which includes a boiler, pump, pipes and heating radiators.

A simplified heating process is as follows: heat is generated using a boiler, the water is heated, and then, with the participation of the pump, it moves through pipes to the heating radiators. Here, the water gives off the heat received, warming the room, after which it returns again to the boiler, closing the circle of its circulation.

Garage water heating can be beneficial, but only if it combines a garage and a cottage or a group of capital construction objects

The benefits of water heating a garage are as follows:

• Long service life. Indeed, if the installation of the system is carried out in compliance with all the rules, and it is operated carefully, it can serve for a very long time.
• Maintainability. Each element included in the circuit, if it suddenly fails, can be dismantled and replaced.
• Safety. Water heating is highly safe and environmentally friendly.

As we can see, the advantages of this method are significant, but water heating in garages is used very rarely. Most often this happens if the garage is part of a single heating system with a residential cottage. Such heating is also used in garage cooperatives if the structure of the heated objects includes several capital buildings united in a single network.

When the garage is located far from central heating, the cost of equipment and insulation of the heating system make it unprofitable. In addition, the water in the system will have to be replaced with antifreeze.

The greatest effect of the use of water garage heating can be achieved in buildings made of brick or from solid concrete blocks. In designs created from metal profiles or other light materials, this type of heating is not used.

Air heating system

For air heating use different devices: heat guns, curtains and special fans forcing heated air into the room.

The principle of operation of all the listed devices is the same: the air is heated by a heater built into the device and is distributed thanks to the fan, which is also located inside the product.

Application air heating for the garage will quickly heat rooms of different sizes. If you direct the air flow at the machine, you can even quickly remove all moisture under it. Some of the airborne appliances consume electricity, including in a regular household network. Others use other fuels to heat the air.

The main advantage of such a heat gun here is the quick heating of the room, which can be achieved using this effective device

As an example of an air heating device, you can bring the same heat gun. It must be included when visiting the garage. She warms up the room in a matter of minutes. A powerful fan is enclosed in the durable case of this device, with the help of which heat from the heating element is distributed throughout the room. But it should be borne in mind that in the absence of the owner, the garage will freeze.

The advantages of air heating are as follows:

• The room can be heated very quickly.
• Room temperature will be maintained at the desired level.
• Devices for heating air are easy to operate.

Significant disadvantages include the fact that the generated air currents can raise dust in the room. Regular cleaning in this case cannot be avoided. In addition, we have already considered the disadvantages of devices powered by electricity.

Best garage heating options

The garage room can be heated in several ways. Each of them has its own advantages and disadvantages. We will try to provide you with all the necessary information about each of the popular ways of heating the garage so that you can choose the one that suits you.

Option # 1 - gas heating

Gas itself is relatively cheap fuel. Therefore, it is also used to create a garage heating system. But to create a heating system using this fuel, financial investments will be needed.

Most of the money will be needed to purchase all the equipment necessary for the installation of the heating system, as well as to pay for the services of specialists who will perform this installation.

The cheapest option for gas heating in the garage is collect gas gun do it yourself.

It is not economically feasible to use gas cylinders for heating a room with gas: it is profitable to receive this fuel from a centralized gas pipeline through the sidebar

Difficulties may arise at the stage of obtaining permission for gas heating from services that are authorized to issue these documents. Without permission, the installation, commissioning and use of gas equipment itself is not only illegal, but also dangerous. After all, gas is among the explosive materials.

So, the benefits of heating a garage with gas include:

• affordability of fuel;
• high system efficiency.

With such heat transfer, the economic efficiency of this system is obvious.

Recall about the shortcomings:

1. The potential danger of this type of fuel. Once again, recall the explosiveness of gas.
2. Significant costs associated with the installation of equipment.

Such a heating system becomes beneficial only if the gas source is a centralized gas pipeline into which it is allowed to insert. If you have to bother with regular filling of empty cylinders, then all the advantages of using gas will simply fade.

Option # 2 - the use of electricity for heating

Modern electrical appliances can also be used as a heat source. Moreover, the range of such heaters offered by the market has expanded significantly in recent years. You can find everything from cheap fan heaters and ending with solid convectors and infrared models.

This is what a "goat" looked like - a primitive home-made electric device, characterized by extreme fire hazard, consuming electricity in unjustified quantities

However, electricity was previously used by garage owners to heat rooms. Most often, the device for this purpose was constructed in a makeshift way: a nichrome spiral was wound around a pipe made of asbestos cement. And so the "goat" turned out. This is a fairly powerful heater, consuming up to 10 kW per hour of operation.

In order to avoid unjustified expenses, it is necessary to carefully calculate what kind of power the device must have in order to fully warm the room, but not to overdo it. Excessive heat adversely affects the paintwork of your “iron horse”.

It is such a danger that can await those who install an infrared heater not above the entrance, where it belongs, but near the car. In general, the principle of operation of this device consists precisely in the fact that the infrared radiation emitted by an element made of quartz glass or glass ceramics heats the surrounding objects, from which the air in the room is already heated.

Therefore, an infrared heater is placed above the entrance to the garage, on the ceiling. From there, he successfully heats the floor. It should be noted that this device must not be left turned on without supervision. Its heating can reach significant temperatures.

The advantages of this method are:

• A wide range of electric heaters, from which you can choose the one that will perfectly match the parameters of your structure.
• There are no difficulties in the process of bringing the heater to working condition.
• To operate such a device is simple.

However, heating a garage with electricity has a significant drawback: for its implementation, electricity is needed. If the electricity in the garage is absent in principle or it can be unexpectedly turned off, then the heating will simply not work. And, yes, the price of this type of fuel is growing every year.

Option # 3 - use of oil mining

There are stoves for the operation of which used oil is used. They are not often used to heat the garage, but since this method also exists, consider it.

The great advantage of this method is what to do. working furnace for heating the garage you can do it yourself. This work requires certain skills, but the design of the stove is not too complicated for a home craftsman. For its functioning, waste material is needed - mining, which can be obtained at the nearest service station. So there should be no problems with fuel.

One of the main advantages of heating with a kiln for working out is the oil working itself. This material must be disposed of, which means it will be given to you for free or almost for nothing

The process of firing up the furnace during development is quite simple. A little paper is laid inside the device, after which one liter of used oil should be poured there. The paper is set on fire. It takes only a few minutes to boil the mining, then the oil vapor will light up. You need to add 5 liters of mining. This is done in the combustion process. You can use any fuel based on oil.

The advantages of this method are enough:

• As fuel, free mining is used, which is intended for disposal.
• The ambient temperature does not affect the quality of the furnace.
• The design of the furnace is considered fireproof, since mining vapors burn, without forming an open flame.

But the disadvantage of this system also lies in the advantage: to store fuel in the garage room, it is necessary to find a separate place, which should be equipped with all fire safety measures.

Heating with an oil-operated stove is considered the most fire-safe method of heating, because only oil fumes burn without creating an open flame

In addition, the operation of the furnace at mining implies the presence of a special chimney, the length of which should not be less than 4 meters. There can be no horizontal sections in the channel of this chimney. You will have to clean it at least once a week, so it is better to provide a removable structure in advance.

Option # 4 - solid fuel heating

Solid fuel heating has never occupied a leading position in the list of heating systems used in garages. Everything has changed with the advent of new boilers that can provide long burning. Now this method also deserves your attention. Especially when you consider the fact that some types of boilers can be made independently, and such an assembly will cost quite inexpensively.

Of the models of industrial production, it has worked well pyrolysis boiler. He is able to maintain optimal room temperature for 6-12 hours. Pyrolysis is a process that takes place in a boiler, which consists in the combustion of solid fuel separately from the substances released during combustion. This feature allows you to maintain a constant temperature in the room.

For the pyrolysis boiler to work, the organization of forced traction is necessary. As a rule, this problem is solved with a fan. The pyrolysis boiler must be cleaned periodically.

There is also a pellet boiler, which uses solid fuel in the form of granules, compressed from sawdust and wood shavings - pellets. Pellet feed to the furnace is carried out automatically by means of a hopper or screw container. If you do not forget about ventilation, the boiler will work properly, heating up the more, the more pellets are poured into it.

Pellets - a modern type of environmentally friendly fuel, consisting of pellets pressed from wood sawdust and wood shavings, which, by the way, can also be used as a filler for a cat's toilet

The advantages of solid fuel heating:

• This heating system can also be used where there is no electricity.
• A simple boiler can be built with your own hands.

But we should not forget that in the process, the solid fuel heating system is potentially fire hazardous. If used in a garage, explosive and combustible substances cannot be stored in the same room as the boiler. Is it dangerous.

In addition, the garage should be equipped with a good range hoodcapable of removing combustion products. The duct will need regular cleaning, and the boiler must be monitored.

General rules for safe garage heating

We don’t know which of the proposed systems your choice will fall, but we know for sure that, regardless of the heating method, you should be guided by the safety rules, which we want to tell you about:

• Think of a garage heating system not when the cold is approaching, but at the construction stage of this room. This will greatly facilitate the implementation of many ideas.
• Operation of stoves of the "potbelly stove" type is impossible if there is no high-quality supply ventilation.
• Gas heating is incompatible with the presence in the same room of explosive and volatile substances, as well as means that can provoke metal corrosion.
• The power of the devices installed in the building should not exceed the power of your network. Even if you think that this excess is negligible.
• Electric heating involves the installation of a fuse, which will de-energize electrical appliances in the event of an overload in the network.
• If an extension cord is used when connecting the device to a socket, its length should not be more than 6 meters with a cross section of 2-3.5 mm2.
• Do not place things to dry on radiators.
• Gas cylinders can only be stored in rooms that are above ground level. That is, they cannot be used in a garage with a basement.
• If a gas leak occurs, it accumulates in the lower room.To obtain a full-fledged explosion in this situation, not only matches, but a simple spark, which can slip through when the light is turned on, are enough. If you are using a gas-fired garage heating circuit, sniff before clicking on the switch.
• At night, all electrical appliances should be turned off. If they are needed at night, they will have to be monitored.
• The normal microclimate of the garage is ensured by ventilation and high-quality thermal insulation.

It should also be remembered that heating equipment needs preventive examinations, which should be carried out regularly.

None of the above rules is impossible. And all of them together provide your safety.

The rules that you have to follow are simple and not difficult, but their implementation will help you save your property and, possibly, your life

Conclusions and useful video on the topic

In this video clip, the process of manufacturing a solid fuel (wood) stove for heating a cottage, a garage or other buildings is presented in detail. The main part of this stove is a pipe with a diameter of 330 mm and a length of 500 mm.

With the full laying of firewood and when they burn in smoldering mode, the generated heat is enough for 4-6 hours when heating a room of 15 m in winter².

The second roller is devoted to the arrangement and insulation of a garage in which infrared heaters are installed. It is valuable in that it demonstrates some ways to warm the garage, which will allow you not to waste the heat received.

We have presented you the most popular ways to organize heating in the garage. You might like the fast heat gun more, or maybe the economical wood stove will attract attention. If the garage is directly adjacent to the house, the choice is obvious: you need to include this room in the water heating scheme common with the house.

In any case, the choice is yours. To this end, we have tried to collect the arguments for and against you.

Choose the best heating option for your garage and want to ask a number of questions that we did not cover in this material? Or want to share your own experience in efficient heating with other users? Leave your comments, share photos and useful tips with other users.