If you do not want to reduce the life of your car, the garage should be heated. Many car owners are thinking about which method will be the most economical. Each of the modern schemes has its advantages and disadvantages, and there is no universal approach to providing heating in winter.
But if you are familiar with the principles of operation of a particular system, then you can choose the right option. For some, this is, for example, water or antifreeze, the latter of which is not afraid of temperatures below zero and untimely commissioning of the heating system. But with water, this can cause the system to freeze.
Should I use water heating
Garage heating can be water. Typically, this heating technology is used if the garage is attached to a residential building. If this is not the case, then to equip such a system, you will have to purchase a boiler,install radiators and lay pipes. You will also need an expansion tank. Such costs will be significant.
You will also need access to electricity and running water. The garage can be an extension to a residential building. In this case, you will need to extend the pipe and install radiators. This method will be low-cost and will allow you to adjust the intensity of heating in individual rooms. An alternative solution is steam heating. The advantages of this method are higher heat dissipation, the ability to use used oil as fuel, low cost of equipment and quick system warm-up.
Using gas and electric heating
Garage heating can be gas. This method is relevant if there are appropriate communications nearby. This option is suitable if the building acts as an extension to the main house connected to the gas pipeline. It would be completely impractical to use gas cylinders, in addition, it is also dangerous.
Use of electricity
Garage heating can be provided with electricity. It has independent heaters. To increase the efficiency of the system, you can use several devices. They will keep warm for a long time and will be able to maintain the desired temperature.
But such a system cannot be called the most convenient, because the heating will not work all the time. Usually the device is turned on for several hours to carry out any work. Heaters must not be leftturned on without supervision, because it is a fire hazard. If you are pursuing the goal of saving, then this method is not worth using at all.
Wood heating
Garage heating can be based on a stove that uses wood as fuel. The device can be a potbelly stove. Such devices can be purchased ready-made or made independently. However, do not count on too high efficiency of the unit. It will not be possible to heat the entire garage with a small stove in a short time. Smoke and carbon monoxide can be a real problem. Effective ventilation is essential.
The device of the heating system based on a furnace with a water circuit: the manufacture of a heat exchanger
If you want to equip the garage heating with your own hands, you will need to make a furnace. If it has a water circuit, then a heat exchanger will be needed. It is based on sheet steel. It is quite easy to work with her. The wall thickness of the heat exchanger varies from 3 to 5 mm. If you decrease this value, you should be aware of the risk of register burnout. This may necessitate replacement.
If there is already a stove in the garage, it must be dismantled and installed inside the register. In this case, you will face the need for more frequent fueling. The number of smoke channels can be changed if desired. You can change their direction. The work needs to be thought through, because after the actions taken, you will need to maintain good traction.
By arranging garage heating with your own hands, you can install a water heating system. It is similar to the one based on a solid fuel boiler. The only difference here is that the hole in the heat exchanger is located higher than that of the boiler. This nuance must be taken into account when installing the pipeline. On top is an expansion tank, which is necessary to provide pressure in the system. It is necessary to install pipes at an angle, the slope should be maximum. Sometimes a circulation pump is installed, its use allows you to increase the efficiency of the system.
Making potbelly stove
If you are faced with the question of how to make heating in the garage with your own hands, you can consider the technology of making potbelly stoves. It may include a reflector. The case may be rectangular in shape, but each master chooses the design features on his own. You will need the following materials:
- steel angles;
- trumpet;
- power tool;
- welding machine;
- sheet metal.
The body is made of steel sheets welded together. On the front panel there will be a blower and a door for the furnace, with which you can resolve the issue a little later. If you want to make garage heating with your own hands cheap and fast, you should make a stove like a potbelly stove. The next step is to weld the side surfaces to the bottom. Importantensure verticality. You can check the right angle with the help of a square.
Elements are stuck in several places. It is important to make sure that the workpieces are positioned correctly and only then weld the seams. After that, the back door is installed. The interior space is divided into 3 parts. The firebox and ash pan should be separated by a grate where solid fuel will be placed. Corners are welded on the sides from the inside. They should be placed at a height of 15 cm.
Strips of thick steel are being prepared for the grate. The distance between the plates will be approximately 5 cm. The strips should be welded to metal rods. This product will act as stiffeners. Considering how to heat the garage, many craftsmen decide to make a potbelly stove.
At the next stage, metal bars are installed on top, where the reflector will be located. It looks like a metal sheet. This element will separate the furnace and chimney. It needs to be made removable. The reflector is positioned so that a channel is formed in front. Smoke will escape through it.
Do not bother with the size of the doors. Through them it should be convenient to lay fuel and remove ashes with ash. The door for the firebox is made to the full width so that the reflector and grate can be removed. Next, door handles, curtains and latches are welded. The latter can be made from steel pipe.
At the next stage, the finished structure is installed on the legs. They are made of steel 3 cm tube. Workpiece lengthis 10 cm. Finally, a nut is welded, which will allow you to adjust the height. If you are interested in the question of how to make heating in the garage, then you can follow the experience of most motorists who make potbelly stoves on their own. In this case, it is necessary to adhere to the technology, it provides for the installation of a chimney. It is based on an 18 cm pipe. She is led outside through a hole in the wall. The bends should have a 45˚ angle. There should be no horizontal sections.
The lower end of the pipe should have a rotating damper. For her, a circle is cut out of metal. The diameter should be slightly smaller than the diameter of the pipe in which a hole is drilled for the handle for rotation.
Arrangement of a heating system on antifreeze
Choosing the most economical way to heat the garage, you can pay attention to the one based on antifreeze. The heating device is installed at the selected location. It can be a boiler or a furnace. Cast-iron or aluminum radiators are hung along the walls, which will ensure uniformity and efficiency of heating. Pipes for connecting batteries to the furnace are selected taking into account the viscosity of the antifreeze. Their diameter should be 1.5 times larger than the pipes for water heating.
Equipping the heating in the garage with antifreeze with your own hands, you will also have to install a circulation pump, which will be located one meter from the heater. Shut-off valves are installed on both sides. This is necessary so that you can withdrawpump without the need to drain antifreeze from the system. Pumping equipment is selected so that it is twice as powerful as when used in a water heating system.
The expansion tank should be as high as possible. The ideal option would be a place on the roof. Such cheap garage heating provides for the connection of all elements. To do this, it is better to abandon the threaded connection, which is associated with increased fluidity of antifreeze. It easily seeps through small holes. A good weld will be an excellent solution. The next step is to fill the system with fuel. To do this, the expansion tank is filled to 2/3 of the volume, then you can connect the circulation pump. The system runs a little, while you have to monitor the level of antifreeze. If necessary, it will need to be topped up. If everything is working properly and there are no leaks, and the level of antifreeze is appropriate, the expansion tank should be sealed.
Now you can start the furnace. During the first months, it is recommended to conduct a visual inspection of the system daily, especially at the joints and joints for leaks and malfunctions. Economical garage heating should be built taking into account the nuances. They consist in the fact that the materials must be neutral to the substances in the described non-freezing liquid. Aluminum meets these requirements, but it is quite expensive, and installation is difficult to work with. You can use thick-walled iron pipes, which is especially true for a system that includes a homemade stove.
Why choose water heating
If your area has a long frosty winter, then antifreeze for the heating system will be the most acceptable option. However, other methods are known today. For example, water heating in the garage is very common. The system is quite often compared with the one described above, but instead of antifreeze, water is poured inside. It is good because it heats up faster, but an untimely start can cause defrosting of pipes and failure of appliances and communications.
Heating based on boiler
Currently popular electric boilers for heating, they can be:
- induction;
- electrode;
- TEN.
The first ones can be immediately dismissed, because they have a high cost. But you can still install them in the garage if you wish, if you have the appropriate funds. With electronic boilers, everything is worse, because when working with antifreeze, they may be ineffective. When choosing an electrode model, it is necessary to find out how it interacts with antifreeze.
Some manufacturers offer antifreeze compatible devices for sale. A heating element boiler is best suited for a garage. It costs more than an electrode one, but it is highly reliable, and there are no contraindications to freezing liquids. It is only important to choose the right power, but for this you need to measure the volume of the garage. The result obtained is multiplied by 0.035 kW. The model can be the simplest,without unnecessary features that would be useful in a residential building.
Additional benefits of gas boilers
Increasingly recently, garage owners use gas boilers to heat them. They are good in reliability, safety and the ability to block the supply of fuel in the absence of traction. Such devices are compact, which is especially true in the case of wall models. Installation requires almost no free space and a special room.
Such boilers are durable, they can be operated for 10 years or more. Many of these devices operate on liquefied and main gas. You can purchase a device with a coaxial chimney, which simplifies installation work and controls the combustion process.
In closing
In winter, any room should be heated, even if it can be classified as technical. This is especially true for the garage, because moisture can accumulate inside it, which turns into snow and ice. All this adversely affects the car. In this regard, many garage owners are thinking about how to economically and quickly make heating. Only in this way the car will not freeze in cold weather, and the engine will remain warm.
