Wanting to use your home warm this winter? Here are two ways you can take your garage and turn it into another heated area of your home.

Natural gas forced air heater

This heater is great if you want your garage warm in a short amount if time. Keep in mind; every time you open and shut your garage, it will let out heat taking a little while to heat the area up again.

With a forced air heater you will have warmer air at the ceiling rather than at your feet.

These forced air heaters are pretty inexpensive but may cost you more in the long run compared to infrared tube heating.

Natural gas infrared tube heater

Because the infrared heater warms objects first, you will not feel the heat immediately. But once the concrete floor begins to warm up, you will then feel a warmer garage temperature all around. With this heater you will have more uniform air than the forced heater.

Keep in mind you should always have objects at least 3-4 feet from the infrared heater to avoid overheating.

The infrared heater is going to have a larger upfront cost but will save you in the long run.

*Please read all heater instructions on installation and safety precautions

Forced-air verses infrared

Forced-air heater:

Pros

• Less expensive initial cost (50 percent less than comparable infrared heater)

Cons

• Noisy
• Loses heat quickly if garage door is opened (longer recovery time)
• Heat rises and stratifies (the air is warmer at ceiling, cooler near floor), but you won’t notice it with a 7- or 8-ft. ceiling
• Air movement tends to blow airborne dust around (woodworkers will have to shut down unit before staining and finishing projects)

Low-intensity infrared tube heater:

Pros

• Little noise
• No air movement (dust settles)
• Lower cost to operate
• More uniform heat distribution (no stratification)
• Quicker heat recovery if door is opened/closed (floor and objects retain heat)

Cons

• Higher initial cost (50 percent more than forced-air)
• Correct location of heater is critical (minimum 7 ft. from floor, 3 ft. from objects). Adequate headroom is also critical, because you can overheat if you’re working near the unit.

To learn more on how you can keep your home warm this winter, give D&D Heating a call at 432-687-1011 or request service via our site at https://danddmidland.com/contact/