I want to sort out the things the SVA man found wrong, but it's getting a bit cold in my garage and I'm nesh

Any suggestions for a locost way to warm it.

I don't want to spend the money I've got left on expensive heaters to heat the garage, but likewise I don't want to spend money on dubious second hand heaters if I can avoid it

Buy a woolly hat?

what about a log burner ?
m mart are doing small ones for about £40 then you will need a flue but thats not hard

I find a fleece jacket and a woolie hat works a treat.

I can recommend Dickies insulated boiler suit and thinsulate wooly hat.
The Dickies suit is too hot for 90% of the year in fact, even during the coldest days it gets pretty toasty in that there suit!!!

Ben

Layers!!!!

When really cold I've been known to wear 2/3 t-shirts, 3 pull-overs and a shirt (for the neck!).

And your old pyjamas under your trousers makes a big difference!

Thick socks.

HTH,
James

I put an old radiator in my garage.
Cheap and easy if you can run the pipes.

Lateral thinking required! faced with a similiar problem whilst still living at home and a motorbike to fix I brought the bike into the house thru the patio door.
Of course it helped that the parents were on holiday at the time!

what about a g string and skimpy top
warms me up every time !

Build a house on top of the garage to keep the heat in

I bought one of those halogen heaters last year,it works a treat and only cost £12.
I think they are even cheaper this year.

Every time we have some new carpet the old bit goes in the garage, keeps the cold out of ya feet/knees/back when working on the floor. Just chuck it in the bin if it gets too mucky. Also kept an old cushion off a sofa for resting on.

The other thing you can do is to use a big halogen lamp. They chuck off heat and IMHO you can't have too much light for auto work....

agree with the log burner idea, im considering it myself for next winter, only downside is that you will need to put it on 45min before you want to work to allow it to heat up enough to take the chill off.

Ditto what bob said - my garage is larger than average with high pitch so i have that on full then use one of those cheap blow heaters across it to circulate the heat better.
Ok, it takes a while to heat up but you dont need too much heat if you are working.

Ive also got 2 of those gas super ser type heaters but never use them - i should really consider selling them.

£20 for a Helly Hansen Lifa short - best thing I've ever had (kept me going in conditions far more arduous than a garage over the years )

Don't go for gas or paraffin, unless you've got really good ventilation - they both chuck a load of moisture into the air, which then settles and causes rust.

I bought an el cheapo 2kW halogen heater, which works quite well. I can also vouch for the halogen lamps - I have a pair of 1KW ones that work together (can't see a damn thing for a minute if I accidentally look directly at them though!).

Biggest problem I have is cold feet - good thick soles make a huge difference.

David



[Edited on 15/11/06 by David Jenkins]

Not that this helps at all, but at the moment I'm wearing shorts and T-shirt in the garage (at night). Only put the overall jacket on when I'm welding or grinding.

But then you do have to watch out for sweat dripping into your eyes while welding

Cheers

Fred W B

As David says, avoid gas or paraffin heaters.

They make huge amounts of moisture which then condenses out on anything cold causing rust on bare metal or tools.

If you are going to use heaters, dry heat is the way to go. Electric infrared or oil filled radiators work ok, or better still, if your garage is attached to the house, extend the central heating and add a radiator.

Fan heaters work well but kin expensive to run (typically 3Kw)

If you want to heat the space to keep the damp out and reduce rust etc. then convection heat is what you need. If on the other hand you only want to heat your body then radiant (Infrared) heaters are the way to go.

Cheers

Mike

Womens tights work well. Apparantly

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Originally posted by cryoman1965
Womens tights work well. Apparantly

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Agree with the comments about not using gas etc. as a lot of moisture is given out.

One point I would say is that before you look at any heater you should look to :-

1) Stop any draughts coming in (around door frames etc.
2) Insulate the garage using any insulation you can get your hands on (probably cheapest is that horrible to handle glass wool loft insulation which comes in different thicknesses. I would apply it to ceiling and walls and then board it in so that you dont touch it).

Wear a thinsulate hat and don't laugh but consider long johns and a thermal vest. They really work !

Cheers

Angus

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Build a house on top of the garage to keep the heat in

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quote:

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Originally posted by zetec
Every time we have some new carpet the old bit goes in the garage, keeps the cold out of ya feet/knees/back when working on the floor. Just chuck it in the bin if it gets too mucky. Also kept an old cushion off a sofa for resting on.

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quote:

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Originally posted by bob
I bought one of those halogen heaters last year,it works a treat and only cost £12.
I think they are even cheaper this year.

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Electric greenhouse heater, cheap enough to run so you can leave it on all the time and/or one of those stands with 2 halogen floods loads of light and warms up the garage pretty pronto too.
Cheers,
Bob

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Originally posted by brynhamlet

quote:

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Originally posted by bob
I bought one of those halogen heaters last year,it works a treat and only cost £12.
I think they are even cheaper this year.

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were did you buy these from, they sound ideal

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I've been doing lots of outside building work recently (in between the downpours). I've found that wearing a Dickies £18 overall overtwo T shirts and a sweatshirt works well - just the right warmth to work in.

If you're really serious about heating your garage, I reckon that underfloor heating is the way to go - I'll consider it when I finally get a garage

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Originally posted by JonBowden
I've been doing lots of outside building work recently (in between the downpours). I've found that wearing a Dickies £18 overall overtwo T shirts and a sweatshirt works well - just the right warmth to work in.

If you're really serious about heating your garage, I reckon that underfloor heating is the way to go - I'll consider it when I finally get a garage

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quote:

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Originally posted by brynhamlet

quote:

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Originally posted by bob
I bought one of those halogen heaters last year,it works a treat and only cost £12.
I think they are even cheaper this year.

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were did you buy these from, they sound ideal

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Build an oil burner. You'll need an old 12kg (IIRC) calor/similar gas bottle, some copper tube (8-10mm soft), some sort of gate valve/stop valve, some fittings and something to make a chimney. Exhaust pipe will do and you need somewhere to exit the chimney! The one I crafted took a couple of minutes to light and within 10 minutes, the whole stove was glowing red hot. I ran it on old sump oil, veggy oil, red diesel and anything else that was runny and smelly!!

well, i would always say insulation and draft reduction first and foremost. When i finally rebuild my garage, it will have an insulated roof, an electric roller door with some padding on the back, and draft excluders. As its not attached to the house i would have a stove too.

B&Q now sell insulation that is in a foil bag, and is low itch. Nice stuff, i did a mates loft with it last week and it wasnt too bad. Certainly works!

[Edited on 15/11/06 by JoelP]