Looking at propane or kerosene to heat the garage during winter.  Can you varnish, paint stuff, etc while using these things?  I am guessing a big no-no there.

Do not plan to stay on the propery long-term, so a portable solution is needed.

Any advice, links, brands, and help appreciated.

I have a forced air torpedo blast style kerosene/diesel heater.  Works well.  Wouldn't want to run it WHILE I was spraying something flamable but you could fire it up, heat up the garage, and then turn it off.  Paint whatever you have to and then fire it back up.  I've used the heater in the spring after painting a motorcycle gas tank.  Then fired it up to bake the paint on.  Worked well.


Check at LOWES.  They have some nice units.  If you can, wait till late winter.  LOWES usually has great sales around March or so on heaters.

I appreciate the info- especially with the painting.  I have some limited experience with a kerosene model, but I saw some propane ones and thought they might be easier to "deal" with.  Maybe more expensive though?

I have one like this.  It can run on kerosene or diesel.
www.lowes.com/lowes/lkn?action=productDetail&productId=97788-234-R55CT&lpage=none

This one looks neat but can only run on kerosene.
http://www.lowes.com/lowes/lkn?action=productDetail&productId=239878-57645-PT55SS&lpage=none

Here's a propane version.  Looks like propane would be about the same price to run as kerosene.  Might be a little more expensive depending on your local price for both.  The combined diesel and kerosene version would probably be cheaper to run with off road diesel in it.
www.lowes.com/lowes/lkn?action=productDetail&productId=220639-234-RLLP35A&lpage=none

Here's another kerosene unit.  It could do double duty as a backup house heater in the event of a power outage.
www.lowes.com/lowes/lkn?action=productDetail&productId=93043-000079999-RMC-95C7&lpage=none


Remember, most garages are not insulated so you will need a larger heater in BTU capacity than if it is insulated.  

I like the kerosene units.  I have one similar to the Reddy 55000 unit above and it heats my one car non-insulated garage with ease.  Actually gets too hot if run for too long.

Kerosene is expensive and stinks.  Propane is now expensive, but doesn't stink.  If you can get away with a propane radiant heater I would recommend that.  

Thanks guys- good advice!

Kerosene and diesel will often put off unburned particulates into the air, leaving a film on things. This may not be the case, depending on how good the heater is... but it's still possible. We had diesel tent heaters in the army, and all our stuff constantly smelled like JP. Propane burns clean, and you probably could snag a heater top for a standard 20lb grill tank.

Quoted: Kerosene and diesel will often put off unburned particulates into the air, leaving a film on things. This may not be the case, depending on how good the heater is... but it's still possible. We had diesel tent heaters in the army, and all our stuff constantly smelled like JP. Propane burns clean, and you probably could snag a heater top for a standard 20lb grill tank.

I have a kerosene/diesel torpedo blast heater and it doesn't leave any film on anything.  The odor is minimum....unless you use the kerosene tower heater and then there is NO odor....except at startup and shutdown.  

I haven't run my heater with diesel but plan to when I get a chance.  Off road diesel at about $3 per gallon is cheaper than kerosene at almost $4.



Kerosene has come a LONG way from the days of old.  Check into it.  

I use a small Holmes electric heater I use in my single car garage.

I'm amazed at how fast it brings the temp up to 70f.

Any reason you can't run those kero heaters on biodiesel?

Pretty hard to find biodiesel in the winter.  Other wise I would like to know also.