Heater

Here's something to consider when picking your heat source.

Fuel Energy Content & Conversions

The exact values will vary depending on the quality of the fuel and in some cases the pressure.
Propane 1 gallon = 91,500 BTU
1 cubic foot = 2,500 BTU
1 pound = 21,500 BTU
4.24 lbs = 1 gallon
36.39 cubic feet = 1 gallon
Natural Gas 1 cubic foot = 1,050 BTU
Gasoline 1 pound = 19,000 BTU
1 gallon = 125,000 BTU
1 gallon = 6.1 lbs
Oils 1 gallon kerosene = 135,000 BTU
1 gallon #2 oil = 138,500 BTU
1 gallon diesel = 139,200 BTU
1 gallon #6 oil = 153,200 BTU
Other Fuels (dry)

1 lb hydrogen = 51,892 BTU with steam as product
1 lb coal (anthracite) = 12,700 BTU
1 lb coal (subituminous) = 8,800 BTU
1 lb coal (bituminous) = 11,500 BTU
1 lb pine wood bark = 9,200 BTU
1 lb hardwood bark = 8,400 BTU
1 lb wood = 7,870 BTU
1 lb dung = 7,500 BTU
1 lb waste paper = 6,500 BTU
1 lb sawdust/shavings = 3,850 BTU
1 kWH electricity = 3,413 BTU
1 therm any fuel = 100,000 BTU

When you consider the comparison between 1 gallon of Propane,NG,Diesel. Diesel gets you around 40K more BTU's output, And, with the torpedo,you at almost 100% effency compaired to a 90% high dollar gas or LP furnace.Even with an LP torpedo,you only at 91,500.
 
Last edited:
i drain mine every year. it's just hard to switch. i need diesel for everything else so it is easy. i've actually seen morons run gas in them. never hung around long once i heard that.
 
shine;3527 said:
i drain mine every year. it's just hard to switch. i need diesel for everything else so it is easy. i've actually seen morons run gas in them. never hung around long once i heard that.
Click to expand...

Must be some of the same bloodline that drive in the snow around here.
 
So 1 gallon of diesel in a torpedo is the best bet to heat a shop and not have any soot from it?

Can I use kerosene and not get any soot?

Florida sure is quiet cold.
 
Last edited:
Joe,No,It's just a "rating" of BTU's per 1 gallon not that you can heat your shop with 1 gallon.Dude,come on.
Kero will soot just as bad as diesel if it's not burned right.Kero is just a more refined diesel and expensive as hell.My heater is rated for kero or #2 ,pump,diesel,so I run diesel as it's cheaper.
 
Mike, I don't have a big garage, so I don't think it will take alot of kero or diesel to heat it. I just don't want the smell or the soot inside the garage.
Since it has been so cold here in Florida I have to find some heat so I can work on my car when its cold. I know 1 gal want last forever in a heater, but makes since to me.
 
The only heat in my garage comes from the compressors on the freezer, ice maker and mini-fridge. Keeping the garage doors closed maintained 68 degrees when it was in the high 30s outside. Not much reason to add a fancy heating system.

My 22-year old electric water heater was seeping water around the bottom. Had the brilliant idea to replace it a couple of weeks ago with a hybrid electric. It's a regular electric water heater with a heat pump on top. Unfortunately the heat pump cools the air and transfers the heat to the water in the tank.

Garage was 63 degrees this morning and it's 64 outside. Guess I'll go to HF and buy one of these add-on heaters for my fan...
image_2651.jpg
Media Center.jpg

Old Water Heater.jpg

New Water Heater.jpg

Finished Install.jpg
 
Bob, I live in Jacksonville and has gotten down to the low 20's and my garage is detached and don't have all freezer or refrigerators to create heat in my garage.
I have an electric heater over head that is 1500watts, but only heats one area and no insullation.
 
a small torpedo will toast a small shop in 5 min. in my old 30x40 on the lake i had a small 70k btu that kept it warm even with no insulation.
 
Joe's Notchback;3596 said:
Bob, I live in Jacksonville and has gotten down to the low 20's and my garage is detached and don't have all freezer or refrigerators to create heat in my garage.
I have an electric heater over head that is 1500watts, but only heats one area and no insullation.
Click to expand...
I completely understand -- low 20's is hibernating weather. Decades ago I had to fix my cars in Poughkeepsie, NY and they always broke down when it was 30 below. It's 74 in Boca Raton right now so it'd be hard to justify a heater for the days or weeks of cold weather. Also hard to give up the space it takes up for the 9 or 10 months I won't use it. I don't have a job (retired) and my time is mostly my own. Once I finished the water heater install -- and hung the flat panel TV -- I abandoned the garage to build a new computer in the office.

My next big garage event is going to be on Saturday when I turn over my cans of SPI epoxy -- and put the holiday stuff back in the attic.
 
i have been running a 200,000 btu torpedo for years and never once any kind of problem. they dont leave any kind of residue on parts, cause fisheyes or anything else. i have regular heat in my shop but with a 14,000 cfm exhaust fan sucking the heat out i need a little a little extra when thats on. believe me its not enough either. a proper heater for the booth is about 1 - 1.5 million btu. i run regular home heating oil in my heater, just #2.
 
Bob, I 'm expecting more cold weather to come. Plus I can only work on my car after the wife and kid go to bed.
 
Yesterday Brian went out to the 28 x 40 garage here at the house and it was 31 degrees in there and I went to our shop and it was 44. We do have heat in the garage at home but not at the shop. It just seems like the torpedo heaters go through a lot of fuel which is not cheap. If you went through 3 gals a day that's about $300 a month in fuel costs. The first part of this year we went over 30 days in a row that it never reached 60. Since I have air at the shop I think I will just add heat to that system and see how that works.
 
rusty, your not going to get heat any cheaper than that unless you do wood or something really involved like geothermal. my fuel costs for the shop are well beyond $300 a month but thats just the way it is.
 
i buy farm diesel . no road tax. i dont think you will use 3 gals a day. and diesel is about the most cost effective way to heat. it's about 2.50 a gal here. i run my big one for maybe 5-10 min at a time. no way i could leave it on without being in shorts .
 
I live in the middle of Missouri. I have a 40x60 shop. The paint booth is homemade 15x30. I don't leave the doors on it open unless I'm painting. I have a 5 ton heat pump with a propane backup furnace. I have a 300 gal propane tank and I fill it evey August usually about 200 gals. My electric bill is about $80.00 a month in the winter with a thermostat set a 60 degree'sand set at 50 after I go in for the night. I have a propane torpedo blaster I heat the paint booth with before I paint and then leave it on when I run the fan. I paint about 3 cars a year. I'm out here almost 7 days aweek. Mostly nights and weekends.

The heat pump is my a/c during the summer. Not much difference in the elctric bill. I set the thermostat at 80 degree when it is over 85 outside. 80 degree humid free air with a fan blowing is comfortable for me , but I like hot weather. I run it to keep my metal from turning orange while I'm working on it.

However , we have strange weather, yesterday we set a record of 68 degrees today it is 55 tomorrow 29.
 
propane is up to 2.35 a gal here. i've thought about putting heat in the shop but i just don't think it is the thing to do here. my shop is insulated , the build room is insulated and all i use in there is a small electric heater. like keith i don't paint a lot of cars any more. 1 maybe 2 a year. i do the complete build so after paint i have to build them. i have an old gas heater that hangs from the roof but it is old and not efficient at all. my 150k torpedo will warm it up in 5-10 min. i have a smaller one that sets outside the booth when i'm painting. i try to do my paint in fall or spring. summer and winter i would rather be in my nice cozy building room .in building room..jpg
 
Last edited by a moderator:
I use waste oil to heat my 30x60 insulated shop. Waste oil is free! ( but messy! ). This was my first 140k btu unit. I made it myself. It worked fine, however I just upgraded to a commercial waste oil burner unit.


[video=youtube;4dIb-C1-yK0]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4dIb-C1-yK0[/video]
 
Rusty,What is your shop's size?
We can figure a good heat pump for it and not break the bank for general heat.
The "trick" is to go with a residential system which is single phase but you can get higher effency ratings than with comercial equipment.This is what we used on Barrys set up.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top