[Shop-talk] Portable garage heater

[Karl Vacek]

I have a Reddy Heater, made by DESA, same as Mr. Heater.  It's a propane
torpedo heater, I think 75,000 to 125,000 btu.

Works great, but it does put out a jet of hot air and some flame for up to a
foot or so.  And it's a bit loud, but not terrible.  Also, be aware that
combustion creates lots of water in the atmosphere, so the humidity will
rise and condensation will form on cold surfaces in the garage.

I bought it as a floor sample from Lowe's, about half price, and did have a
problem that required parts.  DESA was great about it, and when the first
part they sent didn't fix it, they sent me another one of those just in
case, plus something else (sorry, I don't remember what it was - it was 5
years ago).  In any event it was a simple repair, the second set of parts
did it, and it's been troublefree since.

Karl



-----Original Message-----
From: shop-talk-bounces at autox.team.net
[mailto:shop-talk-bounces at autox.team.net] On Behalf Of PJ McGarvey
Sent: Monday, January 31, 2011 20:45
To: Shop Talk
Subject: [Shop-talk] Portable garage heater

I currently use a 14k BTU Mr. Heater tank-top style heater to heat the
garage
up and work on the car.   What I'd like is something that can heat the
garage
up quicker and get it about 5-10 degrees warmer for the extra cold
days/nights.   All this snow and colder weather, means less desire to go out
there and beat the cold.
So I'm thinking a torpedo style in the 35-55k BTU range would do the trick.
I already have a few 20# propane tanks around, and I don't think I'd like
the
smell of Kerosene much.   Does the torpedo style do a good job of pushing
heat
into the space?  Does it need alot of clearance in the front of it, or does
it
get too hot?   I have a 20' x 20' uninsulated, old garage with a peaked
roof,
and I run a ceiling fan up there when it's heated.
Any particular brands to look for or stay away from?  Amazon has some pretty
amazing looking deals on Mr. Heater brands.  I'd rather buy new and stay
away
from a used and potentially unsafe unit...   Based on reviews I'm leaning
toward this unit:
http://www.amazon.com/Mr-Heater-MH55FAV-Forced-Propane/dp/B0000C6E3J/ref=pd_
s
im_k_2  The adjustable heat setting would be useful I think.  55k output
seems pretty good for my situation.
Anyone have issues with the moisture output from this size of a propane
heater and their tools?  Never noticed any issues with my smaller one.
Also want to invest in a CO detector for the garage...   Should I worry
about
a fresh air source at this size heater?
Any way, thanks for any input.-PJ
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