The time is now to install a good garage heater. When that cool autumn air turns frosty and the ice begins to accumulate on your cars you will thank yourself for thinking ahead.
Think about how much extra space you have in your garage and then think about how you can put that extra space to good use. In most houses the space will add 15-20% to the overall space in your house.
Here are some ideas about how you could use your garage:
- Crafts – a fellow down the street from me makes wooden toy trains. I see him in his garage almost every day when I take my walk.
- Fix household stuff – you may not have a basement. Even if you do, the garage may be a better place to work due to the extra light and fresher air.
- Move your clothes washer and dryer to the garage. This gives you needed storage space inside the house.
- Auto repairs – this goes without saying. Your heated garage will allow you to do those repairs at any time of day or during any time of year.
- Your heated garage could be a place to entertain. Think about card games and table tennis.
- If you have a home business you could move your supplies to the garage or even use it for office space.
- When your car is parked there you don’t have to worry about the cold causing wear and tear. You don’t have to scrape the car windows in the morning either!
There are four basic types of garage heaters: electric, natural gas, propane gas and hot water.
I prefer the fan forced electric garage heater because it is maintenance free and inexpensive and easy to install. All of these work for a detached garage since there is no other practical way to heat a detached garage..
When looking for an electric garage heater keep in mind these suppliers: qmark, dayton and Farenheat. The qumark brh402 electric garage heater is portable. The dayton g73 unit is a decent heavy duty heat provider.
Think about safety with any type of space heater. Make sure gas cans are parked far away from the heater and your electric heater should be unplugged when not in use.