propane space heater

[racsan]

Anyone use one? Ive seen a couple of good deals and have considered getting one, have a kerosene one now but not a big fan of it. Id assume they would really go through the fuel but at least it might be quieter & not as bad with the fumes.

 

[Shran]

How big of a space/how well insulated?

I heated my shop (30x40 w/ 10' walls, very well insulated) with all of the following, but not at the same time - 2 burner tank top propane, 3 burner tank top propane, a 75,000BTU torpedo heater, and one of the radiant kerosene heaters that looks like a round metal can with a wire cage around it.

By far the torpedo heater worked the best but the fumes will kill you. I think it actually made me somewhat allergic to diesel exhaust. I ran offroad diesel, road fuel and clear kerosene in it... all were really bad. I can't be around one of those or a diesel truck now, the fumes make me cough so bad that I gag.

The 3 burner tank top heater is my second choice, those things are legit and put out a lot of heat but you need a 40/50/100lb propane tank. It'll freeze up 20lb'ers if you have all 3 burners on high. It would keep my shop at 60-70 degrees easily on cold days. The fumes are noticeable but tolerable. My main complaint is that burning propane puts a lot of humidity in the air and my tools would get rusty.

2 burner tank top was OK, it would take the chill off in that space but it wasn't really "heat".

The radiant heater is nice. Honestly I love that thing, it burns really clean and there is not much smell. The heat is almost like a wood stove. It doesn't put out a lot of heat though so I mainly just keep it as a backup in the house if the power goes out and I have 15 gallons of clear kero on hand. Kerosene is $$$$pendy!!! You also shouldn't run died kero or offroad diesel in these as it will contaminate the wick.

Now I've got an 80K BTU natural gas heater in the shop so unless the power goes out, I'm really frickin toasty and it costs almost nothing to run it.

 

[lil_Blue_Ford]

I don’t mind the kerosene torpedo heaters, been around them for years. Dad got a propane torpedo heater when we were building my parents house but that thing put out more fumes than the kerosene ones so we got rid of it.

I have one of those “Kero-Sun” heaters, the like 5-gallon bucket thing with a wire cage. No serious fumes but it’s a radiant heater.

I have a single burner propane tank top. I’ve used it to keep from turning into a popsicle having a cigar outside and as long as it’s aimed in your direction and relatively close, you won’t freeze.

My buddy has one of those propane “patio” heaters. The one that stands like 7’ tall. Those crank out heat.

 

[racsan]

60,000 btu, garage is about 20’x 20’. overhead doors are insulated but thats it. My kero torpedo heater doesn’t do bad, its just so loud, fume-y & K1/diesel is so expensive anymore. I have no idea on the btu , just a normal “ready-heater”, paid $20 at a yard sale. heres one ofthe propane ones I found online:

 

[lil_Blue_Ford]

60,000 btu, garage is about 20’x 20’. overhead doors are insulated but thats it. My kero torpedo heater doesn’t do bad, its just so loud, fume-y & K1/diesel is so expensive anymore. I have no idea on the btu , just a normal “ready-heater”, paid $20 at a yard sale. heres one ofthe propane ones I found online:
View attachment 120307

Yeah, dad’s was a 150,000 BTU one like that. Fumes were bad enough to water your eyes in a couple minutes of running, and it wasn’t really much quieter than the kerosene ones.

 

[scotts90ranger]

I have a diesel unit like that (Master 190k BTU), will be firing it up here in a few minutes in the shop... somehow that thing doesn't have much of a smell with regular diesel, if you're in the shop you can't smell it, if you have been running it on and off all day (has a thermostat which is nice) and you go outside for a while then back in you can smell it, gets not great over a weekend of use...

It depends on the unit, some burn clean, some don't...

The tank top catalytic heaters definitely take the edge off, that's my backup and what I use when it's colder out in the shop... I have an old NG unit out of a Subway restaurant I need to get converted to propane then look into getting a propane tank... that would be nicer, then I'd need a ceiling fan for circulation and I'd be golden...

 

[Shran]

I've been in my buddy's shop where he loves running his propane torpedo heater. I think it was just as bad as my diesel one. Somehow that style of heater just gives off a lot of fumes... I think the diesel/kero ones heat better, it's a dry heat.

 

[JoshT]

I'm not sure what you have in mind, but we use the Mr. Buddy heaters. We keep a single burner one in out hunting camper, during the winter once the colds is knocked off, it keeps the thing comfortable with nothing but the pilot light.

Dad also has one like that Craftsman pictured above. We use it in the shop and it works well. The shop is about a 30x30 open faced barn with no insulation. That was used back at the beginning for the year when doing engine swap on my 99. Since then Dad has built doors on the front of the shop to close it in, probably get it nice and warm in there now.

All that said, it doesn't get super cold here in Middle GA. We might have a month weeks where temperatures are around freezing. Only a few days during the winter where it might drop into the teens.

 

[Uncle Gump]

I have a propane torpedo heater. It will choke you out with fumes during continuous use... and runs through propane pretty quick.

I usually just run it long enough to take chill off... then re-fire it as necessary.

Funny that this came up... because I was just looking for a tank topper unit to run continuously after the torpedo heater knocks the chill off.

 

[rumblecloud]

Now I've got an 80K BTU natural gas heater in the shop so unless the power goes out, I'm really frickin toasty and it costs almost nothing to run it.

I went from a 55-gal. barrel stove burning wood with two smaller ready heaters. I upgraded the barrel stove to a for-real wood burning kitchen stove...but I'm really considering an overhead propane burner similar to Shran's unit. We don't have natural gas in my particular neck of the woods yet. It's close, but not here yet.
My space is 20x40 with 10' ceilings. I've insulated pretty good and I can get it to 60+ with all units running - that's not desirable but it's what I got.

And yes, the kero bullets will give you a headache.

 

[superj]

i have never tried any of those.

i just don't go out in the garage when its below 50 and i also live somewhere where its warm 9 to 10 months a year so i don't have to worry about cold and how to keep stuff warm.

you can always move to the bottom of texas by me and not worry about it anymore

 

[lil_Blue_Ford]

So… here…

And also…

 

[901wd#2]

My shop isn’t insulated yet & a bit drafty so plenty of fresh air, I run a diesel torpedo on a t stat at 55*. Ran a propane torpedo till the tank was empty, seemed to put much more moisture in the air.

 

[19Walt93]

I've got an Empire propane wall furnace like the one in the picture and a mobile home spec wood stove in my garage. The furnace is hooked to a remote control so I can fire it up from the dining room and drink my coffe while it warms up the garage. If it's 30 degrees or colder, I light the wood stove and it takes over. My old cashier was going to give me the furnace when she replaced it but I gave her $100 for it. The Empire site lists it at $2700 so I obviously underpaid.

 

[Shran]

Old furnaces are a great option if you can confirm that it is in good shape. I know several people who use those, cool thing is you can just blast hot air out the top or run ducts if you want to distribute it better.

I'd have a wood stove if I could but I couldn't find an insurance company that would cover an outbuilding with solid fuel heat. Pellets, coal, wood, corncobs...all ruled out. Everyone I know that has wood heat in their garage just does it on the sly but it would suck to have your insurance drop you when they find out...