Heating a garage: Check your local building codes if this is an ‘attached’ garage. Many of the mentioned heating ‘options’ will not pass code if you try to sell the home. I have a standard 2 car attached garage and after insulating it(for a car and a shop), I was looking at a pair of LP gas radiant heater units at a local home improvement store(cost about $200). After talking with the salesman, he mentioned that ‘un-vented’ heaters would not pass code. I checked and he was corrrect. I wound up buying a 44,000 BTU ceiling hung unit with power venting($600+) - this is Minnesota! The unit keeps the garage at a constant 45 degrees, and I can take the temp up to 60-70 degrees within 20 minutes. Last year the fuel cost was about $13/month extra to heat the garage(well worth it up here in the northland).
Yep, it’s that time of year. The last two nights have finally gotten pretty cold, for here. We haven’t tried to work out there since Sunday, when it was still nice enough with the door open. I think if we try to work out there when it is cold we’ll wear a sweatshirt and maybe take an electic ceramic heater out, if I can find it, to take the chill off. I’ve been happy in the house though, the coldest it has gotten inside so far is 66 without the heat running. As long as the sun comes out during the day we get reasonable warming and the house holds it pretty well. Just want to make the midwesterners jealous!
CSmith9474:
Extremely dry conditions are not a problem if the atmosphere is dry all year round. The thing that works havoc with layouts are climates where the humidity varies all over the place during different times of the year. If your layout structure is wood, it will expand and contract as the moisture content varies, This, in turn, causes the track to either pull apart or kink if it is not glued to the roadbed. This is not an issue with foamboard construction since the track and roadbed can only be glued to the foamboard. Low humidity will not harm your tools or other surfaces, whereas high humidity can cause tools to rust and mildew to form on walls.
I am from San Antonio so I am very familiar with what the differences is humidity levels can do to a layout. Some pretty bad stuff can and will happen. I am however still trying to get accustomed to this arid climate. I tell you one thing, I go through a lot of Chap Stik and Visine.
Dave Foster-Deep shag pile went out of style here in the 70’s.[:P]
When I can afford it, I’m going to get one of those AC units with the heat strip and dehumidifyer built in. 22,000BTU cool,17,000BTU heat. $900.
For my train area, I use an Electric heater mounted from the cdieling that I got at the Home Depot. Works pretty well. However, personally I feel the best thing is a few sweaters, no heater like oneself!
HEY ! Be careful ! ! It sounds like a few of you are treating propane and gas heaters as if they were toys, these heaters are killers if not used properly: leaking gas, flames, carbon monoxide poisoning, along with gobs of humidity from propane. Check with a fire department before installing ANY heater, a neighbour 2 years ago, had no garage, fence or back on his house from a propane bottle exploding when he tried heating the garage so he could start his car.
