Garage Heating System Options: Choosing Your Solution

Thinking about installing a heating system in your garage?

Perhaps your current system is showing its age and it’s time to replace it.

Whether you have an attached or detached garage, there are quite a few options that can help you heat that space during the fall and winter months.

Heating your garage means having more living space.

With that being said, the 1st consideration you’re going to want to make is which fuel source is most affordable, most readily available to you, and makes the most sense for your needs.

You can usually choose between:

  • Wood
  • Fuel oil
  • Natural gas
  • Electricity

Why Bother Heating the Garage?

If you don’t currently have a garage heating system, you may be wondering why you should bother with heating that space in the first place. Actually, there are several pretty common reasons to do it, including:

You’re worried that the water pipes that run through the garage will freeze because they lack insulation.

● You regularly use your garage as the primary entry point to your home and cold air from the garage can compromise your home’s comfort.

● You use your garage as a workspace, and you need to ensure that it is comfortable and safe to use during the colder months of the year.

These are just a few of the many reasons that could make it a smart decision to heat your garage.

However, before you buy any heater, you need to ask a few questions.

3 Important Questions to Answer

Before you invest in any type of heater, you’ll want to make sure you know the answers to the following questions:

1. How much space is there?

This is one of the most critical questions to answer, as it will affect the type and size of the heater you buy. You’ll need to know the length, width, and height of the garage space to calculate the volume of air that needs to be warmed (in cubic feet or meters).

2. What’s the most common use?

Will you be using your garage to park the car and then walk into the home? Will you be using it as a work area? The length of time that you spend in the garage will dictate many things about the heating system you ultimately choose.

3. Do you need year-round comfort?

Do you only need heat during the winter, or do you want to invest in a system that will also cool the garage and remove excess humidity during the winter?

Which of these 4 solutions is the best for you?

1. Wood Stoves

Wood stove garage are great but you have to respect your insurance standards.

Wood stoves are rustic and romantic. They are also excellent options if you have ready access to wood or wood pellets. If your garage is located away from the main home, a wood stove might be the better solution for your needs. However, make sure you check your homeowner’s insurance policy, as there may be restrictions on the type of heating you can use.

You will also need to follow specific guidelines in terms of chimney standards, distance from walls, flooring, and other things to help prevent a fire.

If you do go the wood stove route, make sure that you do not burn pressure treated wood or painted wood scraps. The chemicals in these products can be incredibly dangerous. You also need to make sure that the chimney is cleaned regularly to reduce the risk of fire.

2. Fuel Oil/Natural Gas Systems

Connecting your garage heating system to your home’s existing system makes a lot of sense, particularly if you use fuel oil or natural gas within your home.

Of course, you can also opt for a standalone system, but they may not be enough to heat your garage if it is large. With this type of setup, you can choose either a direct vent or unvented system.

Natural gas direct vent system.

If your garage is larger, you might want to consider a direct-vent system, especially if you already use propane/natural gas for other appliances and systems. They’re great because they vent carbon monoxide outside while pulling in fresh air for combustion, reducing the risk of both carbon monoxide poisoning, as well as fire. Note that if you do go this route, professional installation is necessary. Don’t try to install it yourself.

3. Electric Systems

2 types of electric heat sources

The most commonly used option, and the one with the most configuration choices, is to use electric heat. Depending on the size of your garage and your heating needs, you could go with something as simple as a basic space heater. Of course, if you have more space and more significant heating needs, you could go with a 240-volt overheat unit. If you really want to get fancy, you could consider permanently installed electric baseboard heaters, too.

One of the big selling points of electric heaters is that they’re easy to install, set up, and use. In most cases, you will not need professional installation, and you’ll find 110, 120, 240, 208, and even 480-volt systems on the market depending on your needs and budget. Electric heaters can also be installed in many different areas, such as on the floor, suspended from the ceiling, or even mounted to the wall.

If you’ll be installing a heater on the ceiling, make sure that the unit has louvers and that they’re set to about 45 degrees. This will move heated air down toward the floor, rather than blowing it at the ceiling. If your garage door is well insulated, mount the heater toward the rear of the garage.

4. Extending Your Existing HVAC System

In some cases, you might find that it makes more sense to extend your existing HVAC system rather than buying a new heater for the garage and installing it. Note that this is really only an option for attached garages. It will also require the installation of new ductwork within the garage, which may not be within your budget. However, if your HVAC system’s heart is located in your garage, it may be pretty cost effective and simple to do this.

With this option, you’ll find that you can not only heat the garage during the winter, but also cool it and remove humidity during the heat of summer. However, note that you’ll need to make sure that you’re not overtaxing your HVAC system. Each unit is rated for a maximum amount of square footage, and extending it too far could cause serious problems, up to and including burning out the motor.

If you’re not sure about your system’s capabilities, consult your owner’s manual, or call an HVAC professional to give you their opinion.

Consider Your Garage Door, Too

Too many people get into a garage heater installation project and forget about one of the most important elements – the garage door.

Your garage door acts as a fourth wall, and it needs to be properly insulated and weather proof in order for your heat to be retained.

Your garage door might need new weatherstripping or maybe the R value and the U value are just too low to isolate properly. Maybe it would time to replace it? If so, here is why we recommend Garaga garage doors. And here are the 2 most popular types of insulation used for garage doors.

You have questions? We have answers 😊

If your garage door is not up too snuff, get in touch with us at 519-326-5888 today.

We are garage door system specialists, and we can provide you with advice, guidance, and more. We’re happy to send you an email quote on your garage door installation options, too.

You’re curious and would to see garage door first? Browse our residential photo gallery. Try our Design Centre and build your dream door.

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