Suggestions to heat my detached garage during winter storms

[ripcord]

Little old ladies (even the cat kind) love these types of parabolic heaters. They warm you directly even if the room isn't super warm. They have a knock over safety switch, but safety is still a concern in your application.

https://www.amazon.com/BLACK-DECKER-Portable-Oscillating-Protection/dp/B0B6VBXT5S/

 

[CDX825]

If the ceiling is open and roof has any type of vents, trying to heat the garage will be like peeing in the wind. Your just going to burn a bunch of fuel and achieve nothing.

Better off building the cats an enclosure with a heating pad or heated bed in it.

 

[4WD]

If the ceiling is open and roof has any type of vents, trying to heat the garage will be like peeing in the wind. Your just going to burn a bunch of fuel and achieve nothing.

Better off building the cats an enclosure with a heating pad or heated bed in it.

We just heat the cat …

 

[ripcord]

We just heat the cat …

Bad Ripcord! Must not tell bad food joke.

 

[4WD]

Bad Ripcord! Must not tell bad food joke.

250W only gets the fur warm LoL
(and keeps my girls happy) …

 

[gman2304]

Cats just need a box with an old blanket and they will be fine without heat. We had cats that lived outside all winter. -20F, no problem, they would come out of their rag box and greet us every morning.

^ This. We adopted Roxie 7 years ago. She has never spent a night inside our house. We have a small A frame pet house on our front porch with a piece of carpet for her to lay on and even then she only goes in it on the coldest nights. She’s sitting on the welcome mat waiting for breakfast every morning when we open the door.

 

[samven]

My shop is similar, it was a stable for the last owners. No insulation, stud walls, open ceiling and a ridge vent. It is impossible to heat. I have run a propane heater when I was trying to get a job done but it was of very little help. I ended up with heated floor mats in front of my lathe and mill. They work wonders. You can get them from the size of a door mat to as large as a single bed. The cats could decide if they were cold enough to sleep on the mat or not.

 

[Bailes1992]

Get yourself a 5kw Chinese diesel heater like I have fitted to my Dacia Duster!

You can pick them up for nothing and they are super efficient on fuel.

 

[dlundblad]

A decent electric heater will be expensive to run. NG/ LP would be my suggestion after insulation. Prior to insulation, I can’t see any heater being able to turn off.

I agree with others on a heated cat bed or house thing. It won’t put a huge load on your generator with little to no gain either.

 

[Jetronic]

Put the heated cat houses in the garage, so they're out of the wind.

 

[stwremains]

If I understand your need properly, sounds like a vent-free propane (natural gas convertible) wall heater would be perfect. There are metal stands on wheels available and you ca mount an LP tank behind it or just move the whip and tank around as needed. They work great, I use one in my dad’s oil tanker sized garage.

https://www.lowes.com/pd/Bluegrass-Living-Bluegrass-Living-Natural-Gas-Vent-Free-Blue-Flame-Gas-Space-Heater-with-Blower-and-Base-ft-30-000-BTU-T-Stat-Control/5001169195

 

[Ausfahrt]

I have an uninsulated detached garage shop too. The propane heaters are nice but propane produces water vapor as a byproduct of combustion and can cause problems. I opted for an inexpensive diesel heater and although it won't heat my shop on a cold New England winter day it raises the temp about 10-15 degrees.

It was a little over $100 but I did need to vent it outside. I finished the exhaust port after I took this photo.

 

[shortyb]

I know the garage is probably naturally vented through ridge vent or similar, but I would avoid an open flame heater. Vapors migrate to lower levels and sound like a big fire waiting for an ignition source. I would go for an electric parabolic type and focus it in a corner area. The cats will migrate to that and you won't be trying heat an entire uninsulated garage (futile).

 

[4WD]

I know the garage is probably naturally vented through ridge vent or similar, but I would avoid an open flame heater. Vapors migrate to lower levels and sound like a big fire waiting for an ignition source. I would go for an electric parabolic type and focus it in a corner area. The cats will migrate to that and you won't be trying heat an entire uninsulated garage (futile).

And don’t use expanding foam 8’ from a gas water heater …
(Telling for a friend )

 

[shortyb]

And don’t use expanding foam 8’ from a gas water heater …
(Telling for a friend )

Oh my. Bet that was fun to watch.

 

[pcoxe]

They sell little heated outdoor cat houses. Seem easier than a garage heater.

I had one of those. Very low wattage. Older, arthritic cats especially like it.

 

[wlk]

My old cat used to be an inside outside cat until recently in PA, she loved the cold then. She would not go in the insulated houses we had and would lay in the bushes all night. Many feral cats live in my town without being inside and thrive just fine. You are not giving your barn cats enough credit, their insulated fur does a fine job. They will be fine without the heated garage and probably be better off without it, just a bed is fine.

 

[walterjay]

Unless your cat is frail and skinny it doesn't need heat. Otherwise get a heated cat box. I did that for a few years for an old cat. He would walk out toasty.