At 05:03 PM 11/21/99 EST, Bill Saidel wrote:
>....
>Any suggestions as to what kind of heater to use in a 1 MG garage.
I have a 30,000 BTU natural gas wall furnace in my garage, and I love it.
It fits recessed into the wall between the wall studs and only protrudes
into the room about 6 inches, and is mounted off the floor. It has a
counterflow blower so the warm air is forced out the front near the bottom
and directed generally at the floor and forward, nicely mixing room air
throughout the entire garage for even heating. One endearing feature is
that it has a sealed fire box so you won't blow the place up when using
flammable materials in the garage.
The air intake and exhaust vents go out the back through the outside wall,
so it's pretty easy to install without any stove pipe through the roof.
The intake air pipe is coaxial around the exhaust pipe, so this arrangement
provides a thermal barrier between the exhaust pipe and the wall materials.
There is a vent cap on the outside wall. Early on I had a problem with
small birds building a nest in there in the spring and plugging up the
exhaust flue. A layer of chicken wire wrapped around the vent cap cured
that problem, but the birds still like to build the nest on top of the vent
cap up under the overhanging eaves of the roof. I reckon that they like
the warmth provided by the small standing gas pilot flame. Newer models
may have an electronic ignitor to conserve fuel.
Be forwarned that this type of heater is particularly expensive, like
higher priced than your average house furnace. Also one supplier I spoke
to insisted that it had to be installed by a professional, appearantly in
the interest of preserving the integrity of the venting system. (Phooey!
I did it myself). As these units have the sealed firebox and outside
venting they are specifically recommended "for use in bedrooms and
garages". They used to be sold by retail stores such as Sears and Wards,
and other building supply stores. These days you may have to look to a
professional heating contractor to order one. Mine was free gift, used 3
seasons at the time. I wish you could all have such luck.
Barney Gaylord
1958 MGA with an attitude (and a nice warm home)
http://www.ntsource.com/~barneymg
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