The most economical garage heating

Garage heating with gas

It will be very practical and very economical to use gas for heating a garage room. Together with them, special heat generators work. In this case, methane, butane or propane, classic natural gas, can be used.

To independently assemble the gas heating of the garage with your own hands, you should take into account several significant features of the work:

1. The gas cylinder must be installed in a special, securely insulated cabinet.
2. Even if the room is small, you will have to try and take a protected corner to install the required equipment.
3. If the garage will be heated infrequently, other options should be considered.

One of the advantages of gas heating is the availability of equipment on the market and the cost of the coolant, which is one of the cheapest types of fuel.

A word about fire safety

Equipping garage heating with your own hands, you will definitely have to take into account a very important requirement - to follow all safety rules. Any equipment is a fire hazard and can cause serious consequences.

The most important requirement is the reliable protection of all nearby surfaces. This is especially important when passing through a wall or roof of a chimney.

To eliminate its contact with building structures, it is recommended to make a special sleeve based on mineral wool. Wooden or plasterboard areas will have to be protected with a metal shield. All gaps are compensated with an asbestos cord.

Other tips to consider:

• If heating boilers are used, it is necessary to close the draft control damper only in cases where the fuel has completely burned out and smoldered.
• Do not keep flammable substances in the garage, especially if they are located near heating equipment
• Be sure to place a fire extinguisher or other means of extinguishing fires in the room
• If the heating system is constantly running or the garage is located in the immediate vicinity of the house, it is recommended to equip a fire alarm
• Do not dry any things on heaters, especially various rags that could come into contact with flammable liquids.
• Storage of gas cylinders is allowed only above the level of the floor surface
• It is not recommended to leave the heating on at night.

Connecting electric heaters

It is most carefully and competently necessary to think over heating with electric heaters. If their power is too high, the wiring and the meter are not able to cope with the load - you will have to opt for weaker equipment. You can lay new wiring, but such a conversion of the garage will be too expensive.

Consider some of the features of connecting electric heaters in a garage room:

1. The minimum recommended wire size is 2.0 mm, with copper preferred
2. It is undesirable to use a portable cable to connect electric heaters. If necessary, its length should not exceed 5 m
3. Single-phase electrical wiring is able to withstand the connection of an electric heater with a power of up to 2.5 kW. Parallel connection of 2 or more devices will cause a voltage drop to 170 V, which can be very dangerous

Summing up

The arrangement of a heating system for a medium-sized garage room intended for one car starts from a modest 5-6 thousand rubles and can reach a couple of dozen. Each of its owners must evaluate the considered options based on the needs and wishes.

To reduce the cost of operating the equipment, part of the money should be spent on insulating the walls and ceiling in the room.Work should be carried out outside, otherwise the heat-insulating material may cause a fire.

It is necessary to take care of the absence of holes and cracks through which precious heat will flow. Roof insulation is best done with expanded clay, while taking care of reliable waterproofing. For walls, foam plastic up to 10 mm thick or mineral non-combustible wool is used.

Water heating system

The principle of operation of any water circuit is based on the transfer of thermal energy from a boiler or furnace to heating radiators. The liquid is moved by a pump or by convection.

It consists of the following elements:

• heat exchanger for heating water;
• main pipes;
• circulation pumps;
• metal batteries or registers;
• expansion tank;
• pressure valve, drain cocks and filter.

Softened water or antifreeze based on ethylene glycol is used as a heat carrier.

How to do it quickly and cheaply?

It is not difficult to make a water heating system for a garage with your own hands. To do this, you will need to calculate the required battery power for the garage and the heat transfer of the heating element. For water heating installations use:

• electric heating elements;
• electric boiler or solid fuel boiler;
• potbelly stove with a heat exchanger in the furnace;
• waste oil furnace;
• economizer on the stove chimney.

Photo 1. A waste oil stove is well suited for a garage water heating system.

The simplest electric boiler for a garage is easy, cheap and quick to make from a pipe with a diameter of 100-150 mm, placed vertically. A heating element and two pipes for water are installed inside.

Having chosen a place for the boiler or furnace in the garage, they begin to lay pipes to the radiators.It is better to take pipes from polypropylene (metal-plastic) - they do not rust, they are easy to install and connect. Radiators in the garage are placed on the walls, leaving a small gap for air circulation. At the highest point, a valve is inserted to bleed air.

A single-circuit system will work without an additional pump, due to thermal convection. A more complex circuit will require a circulation pump. The expansion tank will prevent air from entering the system when the fluid level drops due to natural evaporation.

Attention! It is not recommended to use open systems with antifreeze in the garage due to harmful ethylene glycol fumes.

Advantages and disadvantages

Advantages of garage water heating:

• comfortable constant temperature;
• retains heat for a long time after turning off;
• lack of ash, dust and dirt;
• ease of use and the ability to automatically turn on;
• the use of antifreeze makes the system year-round.

Minuses:

• water freezes in winter and destroys pipes and radiators;
• the likelihood of a leak;
• complexity of installation and sealing of the circuit;

Electric heating

Heating scheme using an electric boiler

If there is electricity in the garage (or it is possible to conduct it), then using electrical appliances for heating is quite a logical option. However, the constant use of electrical equipment for heating is quite expensive. In addition, not always existing electrical networks allow you to connect the necessary power. It is better to make sure of this in advance so as not to become the culprit of the accident and not to de-energize the entire area.

Electric heating is a good option for local heating of a zone, as well as for quickly warming up a room. Also among the advantages of this type of heating is a large selection of various heating devices, various configurations, capacities and purposes.

Garage heating systems: which type to prefer

Want to get a really warm garage? With your own hands, it is better to equip it with a good heating system, then even with severe frost outside the window inside the building it will be warm and cozy. So which heating system should be preferred among a wide variety of similar equipment on the market today?

We briefly described the most popular types of garage heating, outlined their advantages and disadvantages. This will allow you to determine without hesitation the most acceptable option for a particular building.

And so, we recall:

• water system - both economical and reliable equipment for heating a motorhome;
• electric heating - the most economical option to heat the garage when it comes to the use of infrared units;
• gas equipment is highly efficient, but not the safest.

Heating boiler for garage heating.

To save money as much as possible, it is worth creating home-made systems, and not buying ready-made heating equipment. But the main thing here is to know the rules for the manufacture and safe use of home-made units. Before starting work, carefully calculate the relevant materials, draw up an action plan.

Heating a garage with a potbelly stove with a water circuit: tips and schemes

Such heating has a lot of advantages. If you follow the installation schemes for water heating, the system will be quite cheap.A potbelly stove can be made independently from an old gas cylinder or sheet steel, installing it indoors or even on the street. Of course, there will be less heat, but safety will increase.

The main advantage of the potbelly stove is its "omnivorousness". You can use any fuel, be it wood, coal or pellets. Russian craftsmen even figured out how to use mining or diesel fuel for bourgeois women.

The main task here will be the installation of highways. For the convenience of readers, we offer several do-it-yourself water heating schemes in the garage that will help the master in this work.

Top 10 popular heating appliances for sale

If the garage is used for its intended purpose, that is, your iron horse is standing in it, it is convenient to choose an inexpensive and practical ceiling-type infrared heater. Here are the most popular models according to Yandex Market:

Timberk TCH A1B 1000, price 4170 rublesAlmac IK16, price 3771 rublesPion ThermoGlass P-10, price 6950 rublesMakar TOR-1, price 5500 rubles

The next category is mobile gas heaters. Network buyers have made their choice in favor of the following devices:

Gas oven Ballu BIGH-55, price 5490 rubles Gas oven KOVEALittleSun (KH-0203), price 6110 rubles Gas oven Clever OEG-2, price 7684 rubles

Solid fuel boilers from domestic manufacturers are distinguished by a pleasant design and flawless operation. Among the best models are:

Potbelly stove Vesuvius B5, price 7980 rublesHeating stove King of the stove, price 6500 rublesMETA Baikal 8, price 30650 rublesTERMOFOR Cinderella 2016, price 6330 rubles

What to Consider When Choosing a Garage Heating System

So, if the decision to heat the garage is made, then you should not rush to the store to buy one or another type of heating equipment. It will not make any sense if you do not take into account some points regarding the premises itself.

First of all, you need to deal with the insulation of the building. If this is a metal structure, then it will have to be bricked on the outside or laid with insulation from the inside, sheathed with plywood or OSB boards on top. The first option is better. At the same time, it is necessary to insulate not only the walls, but also the roof, and, if possible, the floors. Although there will be problems with the latter in the operated garage. Secondly, it is necessary to eliminate all possible leaks, especially for gates and windows. Because not only will cold air pass through them, but warm air will also evaporate.

The second thing you need to pay attention to when starting to think about heating is ventilation. Many will say that heat will go outside through it, and they will be right. But do not forget that various lubricants are stored inside the garage, sometimes fuel, which emit vapors dangerous to humans into the room, and they must be disposed of without fail

In addition, if a garage boiler is installed that runs on solid fuel or mining, then no matter how high-quality it is, no matter how well the chimney works, carbon monoxide gases in a small amount will still penetrate into the room where they begin to accumulate. And that's bad

But do not forget that various lubricants are stored inside the garage, sometimes fuel, which emit vapors dangerous to humans into the room, and they must be disposed of without fail.In addition, if a garage boiler is installed that runs on solid fuel or mining, then no matter how high-quality it is, no matter how well the chimney works, carbon monoxide gases in a small amount will still penetrate into the room where they begin to accumulate. And this is already bad.

Comment

Sergei Kharitonov

Leading Engineer for Heating, Ventilation and Air Conditioning LLC "GK Spetsstroy"

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“I will add that the ventilation function will include a decrease in humidity. A car in winter or in rainy weather will bring water and snow with it, which will create high humidity inside the garage. It will make your car rust faster. So ventilation from all sides is a necessary engineering network.”

fire safety requirements

The car itself is already an object of increased fire danger. Therefore, when the question is raised, how to heat a garage, it is necessary to strictly adhere to fire safety rules. Namely:

• You can’t store more than 20 liters of fuel in the garage, and 5 liters of oil. Their storage should be organized in a special container with a well-closed lid. The canisters themselves should be stored in a metal cabinet.
• You can not litter the room with old things, because they are the sources of maintaining the fire.

• You can not refuel the car inside the garage, this is done only on the street.
• The same goes for oil changes.
• It is forbidden to turn the building into a car wash for cleaning parts and components of the car in gasoline.
• Used rags should be thrown away immediately.
• Clothes are stored in a closet or other room.
• No hot work in the garage.
• Torches, fires, blowtorches or gas burners must not be lit in it.
• Smoking is also strictly prohibited here.
• Do not use homemade electrical appliances for heating.
• There must be a fire extinguisher in the garage, it must be located on the inner plane of the gate leaves. Next to the building, you need to organize a box of sand, a barrel of water and a few tools: shovels, buckets and an axe.

As you can see, the question of how to heat a garage in winter with your own hands is not only the task of choosing a heating technology and a heater. This is a whole range of requirements from firefighters. Although it is these rules that relate to being safe in the garage. So do not argue with fire safety representatives if they require you to strictly adhere to these standards.

Installation of a solid fuel boiler with air heating

Installation of a solid fuel boiler with air heating (without connecting a liquid circuit) is carried out as follows:

1. Preparing the place where it will be installed. The walls and floor nearby (at a distance of at least 50 cm inclusive) are finished with non-combustible material. The ideal option is to install a refractory brick box.
2. Chimney installation. It is better to “cut out” a hole for a pipe using a productive perforator and a diamond crown for stone.
3. Boiler installation. The recommended performance is about 10 kW. If it is a pyrolysis boiler that is installed, then the chimney should be additionally insulated (otherwise soot will regularly accumulate in it).
4. Fixing the boiler (using dowels on the plates on the bottom). A must have that many people ignore. Fixing allows you to avoid distortions, depressurization with a chimney.
5. Test warm-up (one load of fuel).At the same time, the tightness of the connection with the chimneys is checked, the absence of reverse draft.

All work should be carried out during the warm season. In winter, it will not be possible to finish the walls or screed on the floor (at temperatures below +10 degrees, building materials of this type lose their properties).

A solid fuel boiler can also be placed outside the garage in an annex, according to many criteria, this is more convenient. But in the garage itself, it is necessary to run a heating circuit, or at least a radiator heated by a boiler. The efficiency of such a system is much lower, part of the heat will be dissipated into the environment, and not go inside the room.

Gas convector prices

gas convector
If the boiler is located outside, then a heating circuit with a coolant or a radiator must be introduced into the garage

In total, there are a lot of options for economical garage heating systems, but the most profitable option is to install an air-heated solid fuel boiler (popularly they are often referred to as "potbelly stoves") that runs on coal, fuel oil, firewood or wood briquettes. One-time heating of a garage with an area of ​​25 square meters in this case will cost only 40 - 60 rubles.

Recommendations for choosing a heating method

For heating garages, water and air heating systems. Also in recent years, installations for infrared heating are rapidly gaining popularity. Study the features of each option and choose the most suitable for your case.

Water heating

Water heating

Water heating is a closed system, the main elements of which are the boiler, radiators and connecting pipes. The principle of operation of such heating is extremely simple.First, the boiler heats the water, and the heated coolant enters the metal batteries through pipes. As a result, both pipes and batteries give off heat to the surrounding space.

It is recommended to give a choice in favor of such a system only if the garage is adjacent to the house. In other situations, a lot of money will be spent on laying pipes. Additionally, you will have to change the water to a special non-freezing liquid, which is also quite expensive.

Thus, the largest part of the costs in the case of water heating falls precisely on the purchase of the necessary equipment and components.

Also, water heating is often used in large garage complexes. As a result, the total costs are equally distributed among all project participants and the final costs do not seem so significant.

air heating

air heating

Air heating systems also work according to a simple and understandable principle: a special device produces a stream of warm air, which warms up the serviced premises in a fairly short time. This is the most economical, fastest and easiest option for garage heating.

The main element of any air heating system is a fan heater and many of its modifications. The largest available for sale selection of heat guns, so you can easily select a unit with a suitable power value, dimensions, installation method, etc.

The use of guns and fan heaters

Infrared heating devices

Often, special infrared heaters are used to heat garages. Such devices can have a film and panel look.The principle of operation of infrared heaters is such that they direct their heat directly to nearby objects, and not air, so that the user has the opportunity to plan heating zones as efficiently as possible.

Infrared heater

Modern infrared heaters are completely safe for human health, however, the paintwork of machines from such radiation may suffer. Therefore, the heating unit should not be installed above the car, but above the garage door, creating a kind of thermal curtain.

Infrared heating elements are as mobile as possible and easy to connect - just simply place the heater in the right place and plug it into the outlet. However, it is impossible to leave such units unattended, because. during operation, they warm up quite strongly. Therefore, infrared heaters can only be considered as temporary garage heating.

How to organize air heating

This method of heating involves direct heating of the air in the garage room from the selected heat source. It can be any of the following units:

• solid fuel stove;
• oven - dropper at work;
• electric heater - convector, oil cooler or heat gun;
• gas convector.

Such heaters emit products of combustion of diesel fuel directly into the room.

Installation of a wood-burning stove and mining

Direct heating of the air in the garage by burning cheap fuel - firewood and various waste - is the most economical way of heating. But it must be organized wisely, otherwise the heater will heat one corner of the room, and the opposite one will remain cold.It is clear that you cannot install the stove in the middle of the room, which means that the issue of heat distribution needs to be addressed differently.

To make effective air heating of a garage or a box with your own hands using a wood-burning stove, use our recommendations:

1. Order, buy or make your own economical potbelly stove, and not just an iron box with a pipe. Examples of furnaces with drawings, diagrams and assembly instructions can be found in the relevant publication.
2. The area of ​​the heat exchange surface of the heater walls must correspond to the dimensions of the room. The calculation is as follows: in order to throw logs at intervals of 3-4 hours and evenly warm up a garage of 20 m², the heating surface area should be 1 m².
3. The part of the body around the ash pan is not taken into account (it heats up slightly). On the other hand, the area of ​​convective ribs welded to the walls from the outside is taken into account.
4. Install the potbelly stove in the chosen place and be sure to organize the airflow of the case with any fan - household, for hoods or a computer cooler. Due to the forced movement of air, heat is more efficiently taken from the walls of the furnace and more evenly distributed over the box.
5. Lay the chimney horizontally along the wall before letting it out into the street, so it will give off more heat into the room.
6. Raise the chimney to a height of 5 m, counting from the grate, and provide it with a damper to adjust the draft. In the lower part, provide a condensate trap, adjust the cap at your discretion.

There are designs of home-made stoves designed for air heating of workshops, garages and other outbuildings.Below is a diagram of a potbelly stove made from a gas cylinder and equipped with a separate heating chamber through which air is blown by a fan. If necessary, water can also be driven through the heat exchanger.

All of the above applies equally to used oil stoves. The only difference is the placement of the fuel tank that feeds the dropper. Keep the tank away from the stove to catch fire. Do not use an ordinary two-chamber miracle heater - it is fire hazardous and consumes up to 2 liters of mining in 1 hour. Use models with a drip burner.

Placement of electric heaters

The first thing to do is to choose the right heating appliances for power. If you want to heat the entire garage space, then measure its area and multiply the resulting quadrature by 0.1-0.15 kW. That is, a box of 20 m² will require 20 x 0.15 = 3 kW of thermal power (and it is equal to electric power), sufficient to maintain a positive air temperature.

Now let's move on to the recommendations:

1. If your work in the garage is periodic and short-term, it is better to save money and buy a portable fan heater or infrared panel. It is located in the right place and warms up only part of the room. The thermal (it is also electrical) power of the device is 50% of the calculated one.
2. Try to use heaters equipped with a turbine or fan to distribute heat better and faster.
3. A rational solution for convectors and other wall-mounted appliances is to put several small heaters at different points instead of one large one.Then the garage will warm up evenly, and if necessary, half of the heaters are turned off.
4. Don't be fooled by sellers trying to slip a more expensive device under the guise of an innovative and high-tech product. The efficiency of all electric heaters is the same and equal to 98-99%, the difference is in the method of heat transfer.

Various heating methods can be combined. For example, it makes sense to hang an infrared panel above the workbench to provide local heating. Heat the rest of the garage with a stove or a heat gun - which is more profitable. Do not forget about the ventilation of the garage - it is necessary when burning any type of fuel.

Type of heating suitable for the garage

Having taken all the necessary measures to prevent heat leakage from the room, we can think about organizing 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 a temperature of +5 ° C is our goal.

Next, we consider the most suitable heating systems that can be applied in a garage. Let's take a look at their main advantages.

Water heating system

When using a water heating system, the heat carrier is water. It circulates in a closed circuit, which includes a boiler, pump, pipes and heating radiators.

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

Hydronic garage heating can be profitable, but only if it combines a garage and a cottage or a group of capital buildings

The advantages of garage water heating 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 properly 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 heated objects include several capital buildings, united in a single network.

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

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

Air heating system

Various devices are used for air heating: heat guns, curtains and special fans that bring heated air into the room.

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

The use of air heating for the garage will quickly heat rooms of different sizes. If you direct the air flow to the machine, you can quickly remove all the moisture even under it. Some of the air appliances consume electricity, being included in a normal household network. Others use other types of fuel to heat the air.

The main advantage of such a heat gun is the rapid heating of the room, which can be achieved using this efficient device.

As an example of an air heating device, one can cite the same heat gun. It must be turned on when visiting the garage. It warms up the room in minutes. A powerful fan is enclosed in a durable case of this device, with the help of which the 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 through.

The advantages of air heating are:

• The room can heat up very quickly.
• The room temperature will be maintained at the desired level.
• Air heaters are easy to use.

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

Conclusions and useful video on the topic

When choosing the most economical heating option for your cottage, you should take into account many factors and parameters, and the selection of videos below will definitely help you with this.

Which heating is better:

What fuel is the cheapest to heat a country house:

How much does gas and electric heating cost:

There is no universal option for the cheapest and most economical heating. For each particular house, it is necessary to calculate all the costs of fuel, equipment for heating the coolant and the arrangement of the heating system as a whole.

Often you have to build on the availability of a particular fuel, and only then select a boiler for it. Plus, you should definitely not forget about the high-quality insulation of the cottage and pipes to the radiators.

Share with readers your experience in improving the efficiency of the heating system. Please leave comments on the article and ask your questions. The feedback form is located below.