Water heating in the garage: how to make an economical way of heating with your own hands

Climate change has a detrimental effect on the condition of the car. High humidity in the garage will cause mold to form in the interior of the car, and paint will begin to peel off. Even early body deformation is possible. However, there are several ways to prevent such problems. You can make gas, electric or water heating in your garage at no extra cost.

Varieties of heat supply

In order to choose a suitable option for heating a garage, you need to build on several criteria. These factors include:

• the duration of the owners' stay in the room;
• cost of required materials;
• ease of use.

Before heating your garage, it's best to consider all the options. Having weighed the advantages and disadvantages of each method, you can choose the optimal and economical solution.

In most cases, heating networks are not connected to the garages, and even more so the main gas, so the owners choose an autonomous heating method. You can use coolants such as:

• solid fuels - briquettes, coal, firewood and other raw materials;
• waste oil, diesel fuel;
• electricity;
• gas cylinders.

When choosing a coolant, you should pay attention to the fact that with more expensive fuel it is much easier and more economical to heat a room. The cheapest or even free energy source (for example, waste) will bring a lot of difficulties, material investments and labor costs.

Combustion of solid heat carriers

Using wood and various agricultural waste is one of the most affordable ways to heat your garage cheaply. Sometimes such coolants can be obtained free of charge. In the south, in places not known for dense forests, a different type of raw material is used - agro-industrial waste. If the owner decided to heat the room with solid types of heat carriers, he needs:

• purchase or create a stove with your own hands (better - a boiler);
• install a chimney;
• prepare a place for storing fuel supplies;
• calculate the labor costs for procurement, heating and cleaning from soot.

The advantages of this method are the low price of the energy carrier and excellent heating of a room of any size. It will take about an hour to kindle and warm up, so heating with solid heat carriers is more suitable for owners who spend a lot of time in the garage (from 5-6 hours a day).

Application of mining and diesel fuel

It is very expensive and unprofitable to heat a garage or box with an energy source purchased at a gas station. An exceptional case is heating a compact room where work is carried out using a portable heater.

Waste oil is a more affordable coolant, although not the most budgetary one. This method can be considered when oil mining is obtained at a low price. Features of this method:

1. Potbelly stoves are often used to use liquid energy carriers. The most convenient and safest is the drip oven. Such equipment can be ordered from a professional or made by yourself.
2. A chimney is required.
3. Oil cans take up less storage space than firewood. Most often they are placed in the basement.
4. Waste raw materials must be defended and filtered.
5. When a room is heated with liquid fuel, dirt and a characteristic odor appear, although this is not so critical for a garage.
6. DIY ovens are considered flammable.

The advantages of using waste raw materials are good heat transfer, prompt ignition and heating, as well as comfortable operation (it is easier to add oil than to chop and carry firewood). Liquid fuels are a good option if you can get it at a low cost or when the owner spends little time indoors. The financial costs at the start are comparable to solid heat carriers.

Electric heating

Heating a room with electricity is the most affordable and economical way in terms of start-up investments. But in the process of using it, you will have to pay a lot.. All the advantages of electric heating:

1. Electric heating is very comfortable and safe. The appearance of dirt and unpleasant odors is excluded. There is no need to carry firewood or fuel cans.
2. An electric heater can be purchased for every taste. The modern market offers oil radiators, heat guns, convectors and infrared panels.
3. If the power allows, then you can carry out water heating with an electric boiler to the garage.
4. Heating of the room starts immediately after starting the heater. The required temperature can be reached within 30 minutes if there is enough power.

There are only two significant drawbacks, but they are very critical: the cost of electricity and power limitation, which does not allow you to do the job properly. If 3 kW is specified in the agreement with the management service, then only a 2 kW convector is installed. Such a unit will be unable to fully warm the room in winter.

Sometimes the owners of vehicles use fan heaters and "goats" made by their own hands in the boxes. This should not be done, since the risk of fire in the wiring increases significantly, the voltage drops at the neighbors, and when the workers check the power grids, the owner will face a large fine or a shutdown.

Electric heating is a suitable option for a short stay in the garage. It is very convenient to come in, turn on the heater, do all the work in a few hours, turn off the heating and leave the room. If the box is used as a workshop, then the energy costs will be significant.

Gas heating

This method is suitable for Russians living in areas where the price of liquefied gas is low. For residents of Ukraine, heating a garage with gas will be too expensive. Such heating is as safe and convenient as using electricity. But it has its own nuances:

• it is necessary to find a place for a propane cylinder;
• the device will sometimes have to be transported to a gas station;
• to ignite propane, you will need a factory-made device, you should not make gas burners with your own hands;
• need a chimney.

If we add up the material costs, the features of the organization of such heating and the refueling of tanks, the negative part is able to block the positive aspects of comfort in use. So with gas heating, not everything is so simple.

Using the water system

Hot water heating is one of the safest heating methods, however, it is more suitable for large boxes. To equip the system, you will need pipes through which water will pass, heating radiators to increase heat output and a boiler (electric or gas). The laboriousness of installation and the financial costs for the purchase of equipment will not pay off when operating in a compact garage.

An electric boiler is more convenient, but you have to pay a lot of bills, and in case of breakdowns on the power line, the water in the system can freeze. This option is not suitable for areas with cold winters and strong winds. Severe weather can cut wires. In some situations, you will need to quickly drain the water. If this fails, the burst pipes will have to be replaced.

You can heat the water in the boiler on a standard stove or stove that burns oil waste. According to this scheme, the room is heated more slowly than when using a convector or a heat gun, but the heat remains longer.

It is possible to lower the freezing point of water by using antifreeze. The use of this liquid will slow down the appearance of ice, but in case of severe cold and interruption of heating for several days, the water will need to be drained.

If the water is drained very often, radiators and iron pipes can become rusty. This can be avoided by using high-quality metal-plastic equipment. For the same reason, it is better not to use old and previously used radiators. Dust and rust can build up inside them, causing blockages in the system and improper fluid circulation.

The main advantage of water heating is uniform heating of the room and retention of heat for several hours after the end of heating. The disadvantage is the complexity of the installation and the cost of the arrangement, as well as the need to drain the water when heating stops for several days.

Organization of air heating

Air heating of a room is based on the use of heat fans, heat guns and special curtains. Operation takes place according to a simple system: the device is connected to the network and pumps air, which moves through the heating device. As a result, the room is heated. Such devices allow you to heat rooms of any size in the shortest possible time. There are electrical appliances that operate from a conventional network, and fan heaters that require some kind of fuel.

The main advantages of such equipment are operational heating of the room, maintenance of the required temperature and ease of use. The main disadvantage is the high cost of maintaining equipment when operating electrical appliances. In addition, air currents raise a lot of dust, which settles on a variety of surfaces. It will also require regular cleaning of the garage. Despite the disadvantages, this method is the most affordable for self-assembly.

Self-installation of the oven

In order to make high-quality air heating of the garage using a wood-burning stove, you can use the recommendations of specialists. The scheme of actions is as follows:

1. You need to purchase or make a potbelly stove with your own hands.
2. Calculate the size of the heat exchange surface of the heater walls. It must be suitable for the area of ​​the room (for example, for a garage of 20 square meters, the area of ​​the heating plane should be 1 square meter). This calculation is relevant for boxes no higher than 3 meters.
3. The calculation does not include the body parts around the ash pan. But the dimensions of the convective ribs must be taken into account.
4. The potbelly stove should be placed in a suitable place and be sure to blow the case with any type of fan. Thanks to the movement of air currents, heat is efficiently distributed throughout the garage.
5. Before going outside, you need to lay the chimney horizontally along the wall. This will allow him to give more heat to the box.
6. The chimney pipe should be raised to a height of 5 meters, counting from the grate. It is necessary to equip it with a gate, and place a condensate collector from below.

Placement of electric heaters

First you need to select electrical appliances for heating in terms of power. If it is necessary to heat the entire garage, its area should be measured, and the result obtained should be multiplied by 0.1-0.15 kW. For example, for a garage of 20 square meters, you will need 3 kW of power (20 x 0.15 = 3). It should be remembered that the heat power is equal to the electrical power. Further, the following recommendations will be relevant:

1. If the owner does not visit the garage often, then the most economical option is an infrared panel or a portable fan. The equipment is placed in a suitable place and heats only part of the room. The electrical (thermal) power of such a device is 50% of the calculated one.
2. It is best to use heaters equipped with a fan or turbine. This will allow better heat distribution.
3. When using wall fixtures, it is more rational to place several small heaters in different places instead of one massive one. The garage will heat up more evenly, and if necessary, half of the appliances can be turned off.
4. The efficiency of all electric heaters is similar and equal to 98-99%, the difference lies only in the types of heat transfer. Therefore, you should not follow the lead of sellers who advise you to buy a new miracle of technology.

Different types of heating can be combined. It makes sense to place an infrared panel above the workbench. The rest of the room can be heated with a heat gun or oven.

When choosing a method for heating a garage, various factors must be taken into account: the area of ​​the room and its type, the regularity of the temperature rise, the need to quickly heat the box, etc. Having dealt with this, the vehicle owner will be able to choose the best option, because each heating method has its own advantages.