Choosing a New Garage Heater for Winter Hobbies

Although spring may be just around the corner, it's likely to remain chilly for a good while yet, and winter may still have a nasty surprise for us up its sleeve. However one of the nice things about winter is it's an excellent time to get into indoor hobbies, and the garage can often prove to be an excellent location for permanently setting up tools and equipment and for being able to make a mess in a room where it doesn't really matter too much. But one of the problems of working in the garage is that the temperatures are often a little brisk, and having extra heat can make time spent on hobbies a lot more enjoyable. While it might be possible to pick up a cheap wood-burning stove or other heater for a garage, you really need something that's going to heat up the space quickly and efficiently helping you to maximize your leisure time. Ideally it needs to be something that you can just turn on and leave without the need to fiddle with it every 5 minutes. There are a lot of different heaters to choose from, so it's worth spending a bit of time picking the best one for your garage or shop.

Forced Air Heaters

Forced air heaters are a popular choice, and can be electric or gas fired. They are relatively cheap to install, but you do need to pick one that's rated for a residential building. It is best to have it professionally installed as it's simply not worth taking chances with electricity lines or gas lines. In some areas it's not even legal to perform your own gas hookup. These types of heaters can be mounted on the ceiling so you maximize your working area. You need to calculate the size of your garage, taking into account the height of the ceiling and any installation you may have. It's not worth buying an oversized heater as you'll simply waste energy. The major advantage of a forced air heater is that they give a uniform heat distribution.

Infrared Heating

Infrared heating is another popular choice, and is highly recommended by many installers as these types of heaters heat objects rather than the air. This means that provided it's properly positioned you'll be kept nice and warm. Infrared heaters can be mounted on the ceiling, but the energy produced will only be converted into heat when it actually hits an object. Some people prefer this type of heat to forced air, although energy costs may be similar.

Garage Heaters with a Separate Combustion Chamber

If your particular hobby is very dusty or dirty then you may be better off choosing a garage heater with a separate combustion chamber. This pulls in air from the outside to heat rather than heating up dirty air within the garage. This type of heater can be a lot safer, as there's always the slight risk of fire if the air within your garage contains flammable components such as wood dust or spray paint. In addition choosing a conventional forced air heater could mean it develops problems relatively quickly and requires more regular maintenance and repairs.