heaters, LP vs kerosene

[Mike(NEOhio)]

Thinking about getting a smaller space heater for working in a 24 X 36 garage, uninsulated and dirt floor. TSC has lots of them, I'm thinking 40 to 60 thousand BTU.
Enough so I can work a few hours in cold weather. Maybe 100 thousand. What are advantages/disadvantages to either fuel?

 

[Mike M]

I'd look at a mr. heater big maxx these are a hanging heater that is power vented. I have lp one for several years now and like it. Hanging is good for shops because explosive fumes are to collect a few feet off the ground. And vented is needed to keep moisture from collecting and rusting up your tools.

 

[John T]

I have used BOTH over the years. What I like about propane is I can have a few 20 or 30 or even 100 tanks around that (especially 20 or 30) are so quick and convenient and easy to refill. I also had dual tank auto switchover regulators so when one tank ran dry it auto switched to the other and I took the empty to get refiled. If adjusted properly I had less odor and fume problems with Propane versus Kerosene. Of course there are vented as well as non vented types which opens another can of worms. When I used kerosene I always had the maintenance and cleaning and wick problems plus 5 gallon cans to keep full and not many stations had K1 Kerosene.

Still its a personal choice as EITHER works to produce heat, no right or wrong answer, to each their own. This is ONLY what worked best for my use.

John T

 

[Goose]

I'd opt for LP.

Less maintenance and less odor.

 

[DoubleO7]

(quoted from post at 11:00:29 10/21/20) I'd opt for LP.

Less maintenance and less odor.

And less expense and easier to buy 24/7.

Even at 3am or after hours at the places that have the racks of 20lb tanks and the card swipe station.

 

[ztrmowers]

lp radiant tube style heater, hands down. not draft blowing just heat like being in th e sun. i have had three of these in my shop and love them54x125

 

[ss55]

I use LP: less odor; lower initial cost; cost less to run; and less maintenance. Vented exhaust for anything more than a couple hours at a time unless you open a door or window.

 

[DoubleO7]

P.S.
You can use the lp torpedo heater aimed into/at the area your working, inside or outside.
Unlike a dedicated, mounted heater that you turn on and then wait to warm up the entire building to a tolerable level.

And without being spit at and fumigated by kerosene.

 

[David G]

LP

 

[Mule Meat]

(quoted from post at 07:21:37 10/21/20) lp radiant tube style heater, hands down. not draft blowing just heat [b:9bfedad4c6]like being in th e sun[/b:9bfedad4c6]. i have had three of these in my shop and love them54x125

You got that right. The things will scald you if you have to work under one and that is about the only place that gets heated. Directly under them.. I have two left and hopefully they will be gone soon.

Never again.

 

[Russ from MN]

I agree with Mike M, look at a vented propane heater that hangs from the ceiling, they're out of the way and safe, and your not adding all that moisture to the air. For every gallon of petroleum product you burn, you put 3 quarts of water in the air. You want that water outside, along with the carbon monoxide. I have a Mr Heater Big Maxx connected to natural gas, has been running fine for over 10 years.

 

[Handsome Devil]

I would easily suggest LP but as stated eloquently above that is only my thought and what works for me. I had a smaller modern torpedo heater maybe 50,000 BTU don't recall for sure. It might of worked on a different day {it was borrowed} but the day I tried using it we had 45 mph winds and blowing snow crystals and that poor thing could not heat my shop up enough to feel it. On another day it might of been ok. I now have one in the 150,000 BTU range and think it will do the trick in most weather. I bring this up only as a point to think about if you go big. My big heater will not keep running on a small 20lb tank you rob off your grill. I ended up buying two 100 lb tanks. Think the regulator freezes up when the tank is to small? When I tried my bigger torpedo heater on small tank I could not keep it running for to long once it got hot enough to do its thing. Just food for thought. Not to mention it is going to use more fuel so having a back up tank is a good idea in my book as Mr Murphy is never far away from any of us. Oh to have an insulated shop.

Regards, John.

 

[showcrop]

I used to use kerosene. It can work very well and pretty much odor free but those days were few and far between. I have had a propane salamander for thirty years and I am on my second, but it gets little use since I installed a non-vented catalytic propane heater with which I am extremely happy. It is in a 22x16x10ft insulated inner room within my 2000 sq. ft insulated main building.The main building has two overhead doors which allow for some air exchange and the inner room has a very loose door which allows for some air exchange with the main room. I keep it at 50 degrees then nudge it up to 60 when I go in. It is very economical and best of all the moisture released helps keep the air more comfortable when it gets cold and dry.

 

[kris Jensen]

I am too old but my memory is not. We used to have space heaters that used kerosine as fuel supply
or stove or furnace oil. They worked reasonably well, but needed a good chimney and venting.
This was eastern Ontario. I also remember a church that used electric glow bars hung from the ceiling.
turned them on half hour before service time and the place was reasonably comfortable with radiant heat.
It depends on how much you might use the shop. If it is heated you will use it more than you think you might.
electric or gas fired radiant heat might be a good option
I remember a service station in Golden Lake (ONT.) that used waste oil as fuel. kept it at 70 degrees all winter
He used two furnace guns, one to start the other, got seven starts on a coke bottle of furnace oil. Said it cost him
less that 15.00 dollars for fuel for the winter. The environmentalists would have his hide today.

 

[Dusty MI]

(quoted from post at 07:21:37 10/21/20) lp radiant tube style heater, hands down. not draft blowing just heat like being in th e sun. i have had three of these in my shop and love them54x125

I'm on/in my second shop, and both shops I've used this type of heater, and I've been very happy with them.
Both shops have concrete floors, and are well insulated.

Dusty

 

[tomturkey]

my vote is for an LP torpedoheater. A couple reasons, you can point it where you want the heat, at your feet, up under the car, up high toward your upper body. NO NO NO smoke to burn your eyes and lungs. I've had mine 25 years and have never needed to repair it and have used several times each winter. If your shop is uninsulated then you probably have plenty of fresh air coming in, but, be careful about the carbon monoxide. jmho gobble

 

[DR. EVIL]

I started with a very USED Knipco F-98, 75,000 BTU kerosene torpedo heater. I used it for 20 years in everything from an 8 ft by 16 ft workshop. It really warmed that up quick. But 15 years later it really burned a lot of kero to warm up my uninsulated 24x36 shop. So I replaced it with a 135,000 btu Ready-Heater, and last winter it started acting up, would shut off repeatedly, so bought a brand new DeWalt 185,000 btu heater, it warms my relatively tight and insulated 24x36x8 ft ceiling shop up from 30 degrees to 50 degrees in about 20 minutes. 50 is warm enough for me to work on most things.
I tried using #2 diesel fuel in the Ready-Heater, it really kicked out the fumes, It was much cleaner with K-1 kero which is what I'm using in the DeWalt. My Dad gave me an old 15,000 btu LP torpedo heater years ago. It had seen better days, tended to flame out and I was scared it would fill my shop with explosive LP gas. Pretty hard for liquid kerosene to escape and explode in my shop. Cost is always a concern as is handling the fuel. My shop is about 30 feet from my 500 gallon LP tank, putting in some kind of permanent LP heater has crossed my mind.
My SON set up his 20x22 attached garage as his shop. He insulated and drywalled the walls, never got the ceiling insulated, and had to insulate his aluminum garage door. When he got done he heated it with a 5000 btu 220V electric heater to shirt sleeve temps, turn the heater on to level 3 of 5 for 20 minutes and enjoy the warmth then turn the heater down to low. He did a lot of quality woodwork in that shop.

 

[504]

I have two LP torpedo heaters, the 35,000 BTU is really too small for the house two car insulated garage,the 100,000 BTU works good in the hanger (40X60),just point it where you are and go to work. I have built 2X4 frames over projects when it is really cold and hang blue tarps on it. Liquid heaters stink and give me a headache.

 

[c.oawright]

(quoted from post at 09:45:36 10/21/20) Thinking about getting a smaller space heater for working in a 24 X 36 garage, uninsulated and dirt floor. TSC has lots of them, I'm thinking 40 to 60 thousand BTU.
Enough so I can work a few hours in cold weather. Maybe 100 thousand. What are advantages/disadvantages to either fuel?

I use a 6000 btu LP ventless wall heater. 24x24 well insulated garage. I had an 18,000 btu heater and it would run you out event with it turned as low as it would go.
I used a kerosene space heater and didn't like the smell.

 

[cuby]

A few years ago on this site I seen where guys were adding gas to their fuel oil of their oil fired torpedo heater. Has anyone on here done that and what are the results?