need advice please - how to heat

JackFre

Use a Rinnai Energysaver. Simple installation, hi efficiency. www.ductlessheating.com

tm

how to best heat/insulate

Live in New York State. I have a small one car attached garage. I will cut a door to get from the garage to the ajoining room and will need a couple of steps to get in. I want to convert it to a usable office/workshop. I'm not sure of the best way to heat it. We won't be in there too often, so it can be kept lower than the rest of the house much of the time. I have hot water baseboard now and left piping ready for another zone/pump as I was thinking ahead to run a loop out there with some fin tube.
My concern is the concrete slab - will this rob much of my heat? I could build up the floor and insulate but that would create problems with the window heights and also the roof line at each end. I was going to insulate with fiberglass and then sheetrock but would be open to some easier way to insulate as well. Is there any product that can insulate neatly and not need to be covered - don't really care about the look and would actually not mind seeing the rafters and framing.
So I guess I have 3 questions
1. Is fin tube loop OK to use?
2. Should I worry about the concrete floor? Is there a thin product I can use on the floor as insulation without dampness worries?
3. What can be used in the walls and rafters instead of fiberglass? PS I already have a ridge vent installed.
Thanks so much for any help!!

will smith_4

heat loss calculation

Tom- I don't know how big your boiler is, or what the heat loss for the garage is, but if the system was properly sized for the house alone, you'll be essentially undersizing it by adding a zone the size of a garage. You might consider a small unit heater-low profile units are great for residential garages. A standard furnace would work as well, but be aware there are code considerations for equipment located in garages that need special attention; clearance from the floor, combustion air, etc. Hope this helps.

tm

Thanks Will, I think I'm OK on the boiler but a unit heater sounds interesting. Do they run on propane? I have only propane available. Where might I find one?

Unknown

ur best bet..

Is using a wall unit furnace that are approved for garage, no open flame and direct vent for combustion air.. Fan on top pull air from upper level and get heated and pushed out the heated air across the cold floor in front of garage door... Yes they have propane for it..

tm

Is this the type unit you refer to:
Modine HD30 Unit Heater, 115V, 24000 btu, 5" vent

Would the concrete floor be a problem with this heater?

Couderay

heat for a garage conversion

Couderay

heat for a garage conversion

This is a perfect oppurtunity here. Insulate with 1 inch foam lay the tubing and concrete over.I would rule this option out before doing any thing else, but then again??

tm

Hi Joe,
I was thinking about radient but is'nt that concrete pour going to cost me alot of $$$ ?? How will this be better than using a garage wall unit? If it is just cost of operation it might take many many years to catch up to the initial cost of the radient system (no)?
I also am finding many brands like Heatstar, Reznor - is there a recommended brand?

Couderay

concrete

Yes concrete can be expensive especially in small amounts here we have 4 yard minimums.A yard of concrete here is $82.So back to the basic qusetion, if your handy or know someone who could pour and finish the floor the wire and pex is cheap. The insulation will cost you more but radiant heat to me is the best way to go. Yes money is a huge factor when it comes to heating, I understand that. Just giving you an another option.

tm

Not so simple - went to the site you poated and I am not sure what you are recommending?? The space is a very small 1 car.
Thanks

Jim Bennett

Tom...

This is what I heat my garage with:

Makes the place very comfortable.

http://www.beacon-morris.com/html/garage_heater_bru.asp

Available in NG and Propane. Please use a professional installer. Propane leaks can be deadly.

Good luck.

JimH

ok ok ok

reznor is a good product, but it can also be a little loud when the fan kicks on. your best bet would be to use a kickspace heater, they are quieter and it should work well in a small garage. the floor would be best insulated with a wall to wall carpet with a heavy padding. i have to warn you that if your boiler is too small or just sufficient to heat the load of the existing house, the added btu draw for the garage may make it difficult to heat the rest of the house on the coldest days of the year. if the boiler was slightly oversized for the house you will be ok, if it was sized exactly for the house you should be ok too, but if it was undersized for the house, you will need to do something different. boilers can be slightly overfired to give additional btu's, but you don't want to get carried away. usually you can get away with overfiring a boilers manufacturing specs by about 20%. if this additional 20% to the btu rating is not enough heat, then i would suggest electric baseboard.aHdK2HN2

JackFre

Simple

Use a model 263. Modulating gas valve and blower 5,500-11,000 btu. 84% efficiency. There is a heat loss program at that site which will select the corrrect model for your space based upon the inputs you provide.

lee_7

there is a product available at your local big box called dri-core. It is a subfloor system that has a 3/4" subfloor and has 1/2" plastic foot system to allow air and water to flow under subfloor. They ( the manufacturer) that it raises the floor temp 6 degrees. i have used this subfloor system multiple times and have seen their claims come true. They come in 2' by 2' sections and are tongue and groove. they just snap together. Costs about $8 per section (4sq feet).

tm

Lee, that floor system looks great - I think it would be perfect for my garage and will provide a better seal for the patio doors I plan to install - thanks