I have a large pole barn that is unfinished, no heat, no insulation. I'd like to find an affordable solution to provide heat to work on vehicles. I don't want to heat large areas or the entire building. I'd like to find something that is economical to heat a localized work area when working on a car. Requirements are it needs to be electric or self contained, no natural gas, piped in propane, etc. Must be safe to be used around things found in your normal shop. A plus if its easy to move around while on.

Some I've looked at below, what do you use or recommend?

electrical option
kerosene option
propane option

 

The possibility of flammable solvents rules out an open flame or exposed element infrareds.


What are your outside temps?


You'll almost have to look at some type of bulbs...


In a 28X28X10 foot ceilings garage I use 4-6 250 watt "brooder bulbs" that are pointed into the space. Not the same situation for sure, but you use the bulb method on a wheeled carriage that could be moved around?

 

one option would be to wall up and insulate the section of building in which you will be working and put a couple of electric construction heaters in it.

 

Outside temps = central illinois cold. Probably will work in home garage when it gets to cold, but would be nice to have the space when its in the 20s or 30s. The shed is 40x80 at least, roof is

Hadn't even thought about those bulbs. I wonder about a setup with, say 4 bathroom heat lamps.

You think this would be safe enough?

 

Were planning to do that at some point, but not this year. He's got the whole back end apart on his cherokee to repair a large rusted section of the subframe right now. It was warm when he started a few days ago, now it's in the mid 30s now, but it will be colder this evening when he's working on it.

My son wants to work on vehicles all winter. I have a lot of parts for my Cutlass to clean and repaint this winter and I can do that in my garage.

 

x2... there is no way of keeping heat in a smaller area without a ceiling and walls.

 

Your budget and what you can use leaves you with very little options. IR heaters would probably be your best option. That and a few more layers of clothing . Really with a space that big any heating system will be wasting your money away any time you turn it on. I had a 220V coil heater like that and it was junk, Unless the area was warm to start with mine couldn't even warm up an un-insulated 2 car garage when it was 40 outside.
The problem being was even on the low setting the fan blew too fast to heat the coil if it was already cold outside and just blow cold air.

 

That's about what I was thinking, but I thought someone might have some great idea I hadn't thought of. I think it's going to be the garage until we can enclose an area that's feasible to heat.

 

I work in a 3 car garage with no insulation or ceiling. I use a propane patio heater over the area I'm in. I roll it around and work under it. OK for bench work, underhood etc. Under the car on the floor? Forget it. Uses a lot of propane.

 

Hang tarps as curtains and over the top of some kind of framework to isolate the area you want to work in. I use a 220 volt barn/construction heater and it heats up one bay to a comfortable temp, in about one hour, to work in at temps well below freezing. Cost about $80. At one time, in a two bay insulated garage, two 250 watt work lamps heated up that garage to the point that I had to remove my jacket.

 

Interesting idea about hanging tarps, never thought of that.

I think it's going to come down to something like this and point it to where we are working. It's either that or not use flammable chemicals. I think there is enough fresh air coming in to run a propane heater, but better to be safe and go with electric.



Thanks for all of the creative ideas.

 

http://www.harborfreight.com/10-ft-x...age-60727.html
This might be easier than rigging up tarps, but a little narrow.

 

Bottom line is that if you're not going to use some sort of an air barrier to limit the area you heat, whether walls or tarps or plastic sheeting, or blankets, your only real choice is radiant heat, which you will feel, and which will heat up any cars or parts it's aimed at.

Your reasonable choices are electric (I sometimes use an old parabolic radiant heater under these circumstances - be sure to polish the reflector) or propane (screw-on-to-the-tank heaters or a wrecked-out mobile-home heater).

I'd say use whatever you can find cheapest.

- Eric