Choosing the most economical heating for the garage - a comparative review

Contour on antifreeze

Continuing the topic of how to heat a garage in winter with your own hands, it should be noted that contour heating is not a completely hopeless type. What if it is not water that is poured into the circuit, but antifreeze? Antifreeze is commonly used in cars to cool the engine. It does not freeze even at minus 45 degrees, and this is just in our favor.

With such content, the heating circuit in the garage will not break even in severe frost

If you decide to stop at do-it-yourself installation of heating in a garage on antifreeze, purchase a special mixture for heating systems. In it, toxic ethylene glycol is replaced with propylene glycol, which is not toxic to humans.Such mixtures are more expensive, but they are safe.

It should be remembered that viscous antifreeze heats up and cools more slowly than water. Its shelf life in the system is 5 years. Tosol cannot be used for two-circuit systems.

Is it possible to call heating on diesel fuel and working out economical

If you receive them completely free of charge, then you can heat a room of any format, including a garage, simply and without investing a lot of money. This economic heating will best of all reach the required temperature in the shortest possible time and will be able to heat the room for a long time.

It is far from uncommon that people have access to materials such as:

• diesel fuel;
• Diesel fuel;
• Working off.

In order to use such fuel, you can use your own hand-made units, but only if they have a supply to bring combustion products out. The structure must be connected in accordance with fire safety requirements in order to reduce the likelihood of fire to a minimum.

It is advisable, in order to maintain safety, to use exactly those boilers that are already ready for operation and only need to be connected, since they meet all the necessary standards and the moment is excluded that the heater will cause a fire or more serious consequences.

The design for heating must necessarily be with a special container for oil, which can be made from a gas cylinder or other similar products. The length of the output of combustion products into the chimney should be at least 1 m and have a diameter of 15 cm. Chimneys are best installed in a straight line in order to increase the level of heat transfer.Oil is poured into the tank by 3/4, and ignition is carried out by means of a blower. As a rule, there is no complete combustion of oil and no smoke occurs. Oil must be free of impurities and water. This heating can be water and such heaters work on antifreeze.

Heat pumps

Heat pumps require electricity to operate - but even so, they are a very economical option for heating a private house.

It's all about the principle of operation of such a device, which looks like this:

1. The compressor compresses freon, which is in a gaseous state. The increase in pressure converts freon to liquid and leads to heating.
2. In the heat exchanger, the heat generated by freon remains and is used to heat the building.
3. At a certain moment, the refrigerant reaches the expansion valve, and in this area it is cooled, and very sharply - the freon temperature instantly drops by several tens of degrees.
4. Entering the external heat exchanger, freon is heated by the environment.
5. The heated gas is again compressed in the compressor, and the working cycle is repeated.

The outdoor temperature should be lower than the air temperature in the house. Freon when passing through the heat exchanger should be even colder.

The source of heat for a heat pump can be:

• Outdoor air (air heat pumps can operate at ambient temperatures down to -25 degrees);
• Soil (the temperature of the soil at a level below the freezing depth is always above zero, which allows you to connect a heat exchanger to it);
• Water (both non-freezing reservoir and ground water can act as a source of heat).

Economical heating of a private house in the case of heat pumps is possible due to the fact that each kilowatt consumed by the compressor allows several times more energy to be pumped into the heating system. These savings put heat pumps on a par with wood-fired boilers – without any inconvenience during operation, since the heat pump works autonomously without any problems.

Savings compared to more familiar devices range from 3 to 6 times and vary depending on two parameters:

• The temperature of the outdoor heat exchanger, which directly affects the possibility of heat intake;
• The temperature of the internal heat exchanger, the increase of which leads to a decrease in the heat transfer of the pump.

What is better for a capital garage?

An insulated garage made of brick, concrete or shell rock is usually well insulated, so you can save money by equipping the right heating. Most often design water systems; air ones are used less frequently, but are also popular. If we compare these systems in terms of capital costs, then at first glance, air seems cheaper, but operating costs are of fundamental importance, and from this point of view, water is better. Properly designed and well-installed water heating lasts much longer and is cheaper.

Arrangement of water heating

The initial stage is design. It is necessary to draw up a drawing on which all elements, the location of radiators, and turns will be marked. When installing the boiler, you must follow all the recommendations of the manufacturer, noted in the instructions. For batteries, holders are attached with wall dowels, after which radiators are hung at a height of 15 cm from the floor.Pipes are connected with fittings.

There are no particular difficulties in the installation of water heating, it is quite possible to do it yourself. If you do not have the necessary skills, then it is better to entrust this work to specialists. If you plan to install a gas boiler, be sure to invite a gasman, do not take risks by installing and connecting the equipment yourself.

Air heating systems

The principle of operation of the air heating is based on the creation of warm air currents that quickly warm up the room. If the system is set up so that air currents were in the direction of the place where the machine is standing, it is possible to effectively remove moisture and prevent corrosion. Installation of equipment for air heating is less labor-intensive than installation of a water system. The main thing is to choose the right model of a thermal device of the required power. Most often, motorists choose fan heaters and thermal curtains for garages.

Infrared Electric Heaters

These devices are popular due to the ability to create local thermal comfort zones, ease of installation, economical energy consumption, no need to install smoke exhaust systems, etc. Devices do not dry out the air, operate silently, warm objects and people, so that heat is not dissipated in vain. The air in a room heated by an infrared heater is heated indirectly - from heated objects. When installing such a device, it should be remembered that prolonged direct exposure to radiation on paintwork is undesirable.The main disadvantage is the same - the high cost of electricity.

Water heating system

You need to understand that installing water heating makes sense when you are in the garage all the time. Otherwise, the costs will not justify themselves, because in addition to the source of heat and fuel, you will need to buy:

• cast-iron or steel batteries (as an option, weld registers from pipes);
• circulation pump;
• expansion tank;
• pipes on the highway;
• non-freezing coolant - antifreeze.

Knowing the need for the amount of heat to heat the room (calculated in the previous section), select the power of the radiators or determine the length of the pipes of the self-made register according to the table:

In the table, t1 means the temperature of the coolant, t2 - the air in the room

The calculation procedure is as follows. We take a steel pipe DN 80 (Ø89 mm) and find out from the table that 1 m of length is enough to heat an area of ​​1.37 m². We take the quadrature of the garage, for example, 20 m² and divide by this figure: 20 / 1.37 \u003d 14.6 m - the total length of the heating part. We distribute it to 2-3 heaters and cook the registers according to the drawing.

Circulation pump take the lowest pressure (4 m water column), expansion tank - minimum volume. Pipes - polypropylene, steel or metal-plastic in size DN 15. Then install the radiators on 2 opposite walls and assemble a simple two-pipe system closed type heatingconnected to a heat source according to the scheme:

Instead of a wood stove water circuit into the circuit an electric boiler or other heat source is installed

As a water heater, you can use:

• a wood-burning potbelly stove or mining with a water circuit, shown above in the diagram;
• heat exchanger - samovar-type economizer installed on the chimney;
• electric heating element mounted in a vertical steel pipe, as shown in the diagram;
• a full-fledged electric boiler or a solid fuel unit.

Why do we not recommend making an open type system in the garage, as simpler and cheaper? The reason is antifreeze, which will begin to evaporate from an open tank, which is unsafe for health (ethylene glycol is poisonous), not to mention the price of the coolant.

Autonomous water option

Water garage heating is the most economical way to create comfortable indoor conditions if it is located in close proximity to the house or communications. Otherwise, you will have to invest in the water supply system, and this is economically unprofitable.

Installed radiator

The scheme of such a system will include a boiler, metal radiators with a high degree of thermal conductivity and connecting pipes. A closed system is installed.

Water heating scheme

When designing autonomous heating, it is necessary to take into account the diameter of the connecting pipes. By choosing a larger diameter, the temperature in the room will be higher, but the consumption of electricity will increase, so first calculate the balance so that heating is really profitable.

However, such heating is rarely found in garages, since it takes quite a long time to install it. Much more common is the gas version or solid fuel.

Other types of garage ovens

In addition to the listed types of heating units, for garage heating use:

We have a ready-made solution for this issue - a compact and inexpensive metal stove for heating a wood-fired garage! Agree that it is cheaper to operate a small portable stove in the garage than to heat the garage with electrical appliances. We can offer a choice of small long-burning stoves that can warm up a small space.

A garage is not only a place to park a car, but also a workshop, and often a “club of interests”. In frosty weather it is very difficult to start the car engine, sometimes it takes so much time, the trip itself becomes irrelevant.

Doing repairs and just exchanging advice is also better at a comfortable temperature. Therefore, it is clear that space heating is one of the problems that motorists solve. Heating a garage is not an easy issue, since this is not only a condition for comfortable maintenance of equipment, but rather a requirement for a normal, civilized maintenance of a car.

The simplest and fastest solution to this issue is the installation of electric heaters, fully automated and fireproof. But what to do if someone has a garage without electricity or has a desire to save money by burning various dreary? There is a ready-made solution for a wood-burning garage oven.

As a rule, a wood-burning garage stove requires economy and reliability, ease of use, as well as operation on inexpensive fuel. All these aspects are present in a small metal stove, by the way, you can burn not only firewood in it, but also all the garbage that appears. It is not recommended to heat it with coal or peat, otherwise it will quickly burn out, since the combustion temperature of this type of fuel is too high.

Also, these stoves are indispensable for heating change houses. After all, a change house with a stove is a great solution for giving. Since you want to relax not only in summer but also in winter, when all the work is completed. In such a change house it is always warm and cozy.

Many stoves for change houses are equipped with a hob, which makes it easy to heat water and cook food. Especially for our customers, PechiMAKS online store offers a wide range of stoves for small spaces such as garages and change houses. As well as related products.

The choice of a heating method for a garage space depends on the following factors:

• length of stay of the owners in winter;
• cost of equipment;
• availability of energy carriers, price;
• Ease of use.

We propose to consider various options for resolving the issue and figure out how to make the most economical and efficient garage heating with your own hands.

What the industry offers today - an overview of economical garage ovens

Model	Characteristics	price, rub.
Cinderella Light	Heating type - air. Fuel is wood. The volume of the heated room is 50 m³. Power - 4 kW. Dimensions − 465×300×460 mm. Weight - 27 kg. The volume of the combustion chamber is 41 liters.	5 700
Barga-450M	Heating type - air. Fuel is wood. The volume of the heated room is 60 m³. Power - 5 kW. Dimensions: 540x325x550 mm. Weight - 38 kg.	5 100
Potbelly stove UMK	Fuel - firewood, the maximum length of which is 35 cm. The volume of the heated room is 50 m³. Power - 4 kW. Dimensions: 450x300x500 mm. Weight - 20 kg.	3 000
Rainbow PO-1	Fuel - firewood, maximum length - 50 cm. The volume of the heated room is 30 m³. Dimensions: 530x360x490 mm. Weight - 20 kg.	3 900

Car radiator as a heat source connected to a wood stove

heating requirements

You should not try to make cheap garage heating with your own hands - after all, the desire for cheapness can turn into serious problems. Moreover, there are not so much cheap as economical options that will allow you to create the required temperature regime with minimal energy costs.

When organizing heating in the garage, the following parameters must be observed:

• reliability;
• resistance to sudden changes in ambient temperature;
• relative autonomy, allowing you to continue heating the room even when disconnected from the power supply.

In this case, it is important to fulfill such conditions as:

• ensuring maximum preservation of heat in the room - when insulating walls, roofs and gates, heat loss will be minimal;
• create a well-thought-out ventilation system.

Warm floor

Underfloor heating is an economical heating of a country house, which can be equipped in a number of ways:

• Laying pipes in an insulated screed and supplying coolant to them;
• Laying the heating cable under the tiles in a layer of tile adhesive;
• Laying film heaters for different types of floor coverings (parquet, laminate, linoleum).

Warm floors, providing full heating of residential premises, are quite economical, regardless of the fuel used. Economic heating of the house when using such systems is provided by lowering the average temperature in the house while maintaining a comfortable atmosphere.

To understand this principle, it is worth comparing the temperature regime of underfloor heating and traditional convection heating.In the latter case, the average temperature is about 25-26 degrees - about 22 degrees near the floor, and up to 30 degrees below the ceiling. Since such a temperature is simply not needed at the upper level, we can say that heat is wasted.

The most economical ways to heat a garage: a brief overview

Answering the question of how it will be cheaper to heat a garage in winter, we note the following options:

1. Electricity - subject to the installation of infrared heaters and living in a region with a low cost per 1 kW.
2. Working off is practically free if you heat the car service where the oil is changed.
3. Gas or solid fuel boilers and stoves - depending on the cost of fuel in a particular region.

Electric underfloor heating in a box is one of the interesting heating ideas

However, for Russia, firewood has always been the best option for heating any premises, which means that it makes sense to consider several popular models of stoves using this type of fuel.

Gas heating garage

This type of heating is the cheapest. In order to install gas heating, you should contact professional gas workers to install specialized equipment, as well as to build a project (a garage water heating scheme, and so on). We do not recommend resorting to the help of third parties. Also, purchase everything you need for installation at specialized outlets. Remember, the slightest violation during the installation of gas equipment can lead to tragedy.

Autonomous garage gas heating

This is the best option for economical garage heating if the garages are within walking distance of the gas pipeline.

Some advice

• When choosing a garage heating option, first of all, consider the availability of fuel. If there is main gas nearby, it is cheaper to mount an autonomous system with a boiler.
• Do not abuse gas heaters without airing the room.
• When mounting structures powered by the network, follow the safety rules and calculate the cost of electricity.
• The mining option is not very reliable, but has a low cost.
• The easiest and cheapest way to mount or buy a solid fuel stove in the garage.

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Western European experience

If you type in the search phrase "garage heating" and look at the pictures on English-language sites, then you will not find any wood-burning and oil stoves in Western European garages. What are the local motorists basking in:

We have already considered the first 2 options above. The third method is also far from new: the water heated in the boiler passes through a radiator blown by a powerful axial fan. Ideally, the unit is suspended from the ceiling and distributes hot air throughout the room.

The advantages of this option are compactness, heating speed and the possibility of air conditioning in the summer (chilled water is sent to the radiator instead of heated water).

One minus is the increased cost of equipment, because the coolant needs to be heated in the boiler and fed through pipes to the heater. But if the garage is attached to a private house, then the problem is easily solved by connecting the radiator to the building's water heating system.

From the foregoing, as well as on the basis of practical observations, the following conclusions arise:

1. Despite all the difficulties with burning solid fuels, firewood and other wastes occupy a leading position among energy carriers due to their affordable price.
2. For the same reason, air heating is installed in most garages. It is simple in execution and allows you to quickly warm up the room.
3. Efficiency of air heating is given by forced blowing of the heat source or pumping air through the heating chamber.
4. Water heating is more appropriate in workshops and car services; for a private box, the system is expensive.
5. Electric garage heating is an auxiliary or short-term option that is easy to implement, but difficult to pay for during operation.

Whatever method of garage heating you choose, the degree of insulation of the building will play a big role. An iron box with slots in the gate porches absolutely does not keep heat and cannot be heated, so it is expensive and pointless to heat it. Another thing is walls made of foam blocks or insulated from the outside with foam plastic, saving on heating such a garage is quite achievable.

Advice

To reduce heating costs, the owner is recommended to insulate the outside walls and ceiling in the garage, having previously sealed all the cracks and holes. For thermal insulation of walls, you can use foam sheets, for the ceiling and floor - expanded clay. The use of mineral wool boards will require subsequent waterproofing

Correctly chosen garage heating system will only provide a comfortable temperature regime in the room, protect the enclosing structures from dampness, but also prevent the development of corrosion on the metal parts of the car, which is detrimental to equipment.

The use of electricity to heat the garage

One of the most used and popular ways is to heat the garage with electricity. This is not surprising, given all its advantages:

• availability of electricity;
• ease of connection and installation of equipment;
• a wide range of heaters of various types;
• you can easily choose the device of the required power;
• almost instant heat transfer.

The disadvantage of this type of energy is its rather high cost. That is why you should not think about installing an electric boiler in the garage for arranging a water heating system. Also, do not forget that electric heating can be called autonomous only partially, due to its strong dependence on uninterrupted power supply.

Infrared heaters in the garage - Photo 06

gas heat gun — Photo 07

The most widespread as electrical appliances used for space heating are infrared heaters and fan heaters. They are the most efficient in terms of power / economy. Next come oil coolers and wall convectors. Heat guns are the most powerful devices, so it is difficult to call them economical. However, if necessary heat up the room quickly they are out of competition. It can be seen that all of the listed devices are portable devices, which is their huge advantage.

No. 5. Heating on liquid fuel

Fuel can be used oil and diesel. If you need to heat a car repair shop, where used oil is always available, then this is a very good option. You can make a working heater with your own hands.It is based on two chambers: fuel burns in one, gas burns out in the other. For manufacturing, you can use gas cylinders, tanks and pipes. As a result, a large amount of energy is generated.

Main plus waste furnaces oil - the minimum cost of fuel, and sometimes it is completely free. The downside is the formation of a large amount of soot and soot, so the equipment needs regular cleaning. In addition, it is quite difficult to kindle such a furnace, it does not always work the first time, and if you come to a cold garage and act with chilled hands, then the task becomes more complicated. There are also requirements for installing a chimney - it must be at least 4 m long, have a slope.

If existing skills are not enough, to assemble the stove, you have to buy it, it costs about the same as a gas boiler. Some models are quite sensitive to fuel supply. In addition, to ensure the uninterrupted operation of the equipment, it is necessary to have a supply of fuel. The average consumption of mining is 1 l / hour.

Conclusion

Garage heating is one of the most important issues that worries a motorist in winter frosts. So, its decision must be approached carefully and thoroughly. If all work performed correctly, the car will last much longer, and repairs will be carried out in comfortable conditions. We hope that our article will help the home master to arrange the heating of the box in accordance with all the rules.

And finally, which has already become traditional, a video that will tell you how to make stove from gas cylinder:

Watch this video on YouTube

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