Okay.. I'll be the first to ask a question. Does that come off of your 400 gallon buffer tank? Does it drain when not in use so you can let the garage cool down without bursting pipes? What kind of BTU/hr can you expect out of a unit like that? How big is your garage and how well insulated is it? There, was that A question? Thanks.
It uses hot water from my boiler system -- I have 1000 gallons of pressurized storage that I use the wood boiler to heat. If the 1000 gallons is below 110 then the oil will kick on automatically -- hasn't happened since I hooked up the storage. It doesn't drain... which is why I couldn't decide if I really wanted to put it online. I'm committed now to keeping the garage above freezing. Shouldn't be too hard the garage was at 34 today with outside temps around 18-20. The garage has living space above and on two sides of the walls. It 22x30'. The walls are all insulated as is the ceiling. I have a thermostat in the garage which I plan to keep set at 45. On a call for heat the thermostat turns on a pump in the basement, once the aquastat mounted next to the modine sees water above 150 it turns on the fan. The fan shuts off when the water drops below 135. If I want to stop heating the garage to conserve energy I can shut off only the fan and water will circulate in the pipes to prevent freezing. The modine is a HSB33. Rated for 33k btu/hour on steam and around 22k btu/hour with 200* water. I'm running 165 through it so it probably puts out 15-18K btu. Took about an hour to raise the temp on the t-stat from 34 to 45. But the zone is cycling a lot tonight since the slab and all the stuff out there is so cold. I think I answered most of the questions
That will be awesome to get in a warm car in the freezing cold not to mention make working out there in the winter much more pleasant!
Nice! I like that it does not have open combustion. I've been thinking of adding a zone to my boiler to go to a toekick heater or some other coil/blower fan unit to heat my basement. It does not have to be too big. I really don't need another open flame when using wood finishing products down there.
Mike, it did answer my questions. Thanks. I think I mixed your system with gasifier's when I said 400 gallons of storage. I appreciate the detailed answer probably almost as much as you appreciate getting into a warm car in the morning!!
Not having an open flame was why I went with a Modine this time -- one less thing to worry about. In other garages I have used a monitor heater with the internal fuel cells which was ok but I had to make sure I had enough k1 on hand. I also put a hot air furnace in a detached garage which was great for heat, but between the furnace and oil tank took a lot of valuable floor space. If I was still burning oil I probably would have gone with a 220v hanging electric heater -- not that much more to run but you can shut it off when you want to without the freezing risk.
Now that I have heat I figured I should make good on my new years resolution to have an organized garge. My first Harbor Freight purchase:
I like it. Very nice and SAFE. You did a good job for yourself. Can't imagine what a warm place to work in is like. You into carpentry?
I've worked in construction since high school. I bought this house as a simple cape that need that someone had tried to finish themselves, and added a garage, family room, mudroom, a couple bedrooms etc. and then redid all the original finish work. It was only two years old but a complete disaster. Once you have a heated garage it's hard to go without This house has a daylight basement that I've been using as a winter workshop, but even with a staircase from the garage directly to the basement it's a pain to have tools in two different places.
I've been considering a pellet stove for my shop, obviously the risk is one thing that's been holding me back but it's prob a helluva lot safer than the propane torpedo heater in there now. I hate all the noise from the propane heater, have to turn the stereo up. I could use a Modine like Mike's but then it would have to be oil-fired.
Ck with your insurance, Krooser found they won't allow it in a garage. Not unusual not to allow any open flame in an area where they nay be gasoline. I can't tell you how many independent mechanics here in Maine have wood stoves in their garage. You see it a lot around here, but there again there are a lot of places without insurance.
Without a doubt. I would do wood but it carries the same risks as the pellet burner, would cost me more to do another flue, and where I want it would be an ugly place for a chimney. I'm thinking I need to start a new thread and stop hijacking Mike's.
Hijack away, doesn't bother me. There is no simple answer on the best way to heat a garage. I've tried them all -- the worst for me is the un-vented portable heaters. Can't stand the fumes. Electric heaters might be cost effective vs oil and propane. (for occasional use)
I use this guy and it works decent but man does it get expensive! I like the pellet stove idea a lot MM plus you only need a small amount of pipe outside.
Do you have a smart meter. If so, you can go on line two days later and see what has happened with your power usage. For every hour. When my wife runs the dryer, the graph jumps up to the top!
