Gas Garage Heater opinions

Looking to install a natural gas heater in my garage. Looking at the Modine Hot Dawg 60,000 Btu unit for a 3 stall insulated garage. Would rather get it locally instead of on the internet. Not to sure if I want to get a heater from Fleet Farm because of if it has problems, who will repair it. Modine is a well known brand and parts and service should be easier to get. Any opinions on this? What are some of you using? Good or bad. Any HVAC guys on here who sell these?

The modine Hot Dog heater is a pretty nice unit, least the ones I’ve dealt with were.

http://www.modine.com/v2portal/page/portal/modine/modineMarketsDefault/modine_com/markets/building_HVAC/market_level_3_content_013.htm

Al

I have a Hot Dawg 70 in my 3-car garage. Trouble free for many years. cant imagine using anything eles. Though a 60 would work, bigger is better in my opinion.

My wife surprised me with a Modine Hot Dog heater a few years ago and it has been working just great in our attached 2 car garage. I use it mainly when working on things in the garage and it heats up that space very fast. I think it was my hint to spend more time in the garage in winter when I wasn’t out on the ice.

From what I have seen the construction on these units is very similar, maybe even made at the same factory with just a different name put on it, but I don’t know. We put a Modine Hot Dawg in the garage at the cabin and it works good, but so does my Mr. Heater brand at my house. I will say this though, I had an issue with Mr.heaters circuit board and and the customer service was great, 1 call and had a new board in a couple days. These heaters are simple and easy to work on and install(both brands).

If this is for a new garage go with in floor heat with a small heat unit that installs on the wall. my parents put up another garage before last winter and did this and it works great. It heats a 6 car garage for very little each winter.

Ive only used Reznor in many applications from garage to garden hoop houses to a building for a fishery never had a problem did what it was supposed to do. though little more expensive from what I gather.

Like said like onestout said in floor is the way to go if possible. Nothing like pulling your car or truck in from a snow storm and the car/truck and floor dry as a bone the next day.

I have in floor heat in my garage. Garage is always 52 degrees, which I find warm enough. If I were to be doing anything where I wanted it warmer, I could turn it up but have never needed to. It is the way to go if possible. It only adds about $100 to my utility bill during the coldest parts of winter.

i have an older modine heater in my 2.5 wide x 30ft deep garage and it costs me about $25 a month to keep it at 45 degrees.

I then just turn it up if i’m working on something and want it warmer.

Thanks for your replies. It is an existing garage, so I have to go with the gas fired unit.

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Thanks for your replies. It is an existing garage, so I have to go with the gas fired unit.

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Mine went into an existing garage. Nothing a jackhammer and new concrete can’t fix.

The modine is going to be quite a bit cheaper and easier to do than in floor, also recovery times are usually shorter with forced air and you don’t have to worry about leaks in the system.

In floors nice, but seems to work better in living spaces where the temp is kept higher that something like a garage.

Al

Personally if you have the room I would put in a High efficiency gas furnace from a house good used ones can be found reasonable. Most Modine type heaters are not high efficiency compared to a furnace type heater. I ran one in my garage for 5 years until I installed a high efficiency gasification wood boiler that heats house and garage.

Careful with used furnaces and codes.

Al

Thanks to Nitrodog10 for a PM that helped steer me to the right local supplier. I was able to order the Modine heater I wanted and run it through my business (Gordy’s Premier Auto Glass) at a good savings to me. Will have it by Monday.

I have had a Reznor in my detached 28×34 insulated garage going on its 8th winter now, flawless in heating. Doesn’t take long to heat up that detached garage. I would like to add in-floor heat to my next detached garage, just so my floor would be dry the next morning after rain or snow.

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Thanks to Nitrodog10 for a PM that helped steer me to the right local supplier. I was able to order the Modine heater I wanted and run it through my business (Gordy’s Premier Auto Glass) at a good savings to me. Will have it by Monday.

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Your going to love a heated garage this winter. It is WAY cool.

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I would like to add in-floor heat to my next detached garage, just so my floor would be dry the next morning after rain or snow.

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My solution for the floor was to install a couple of ceiling fans. Leave them on overnight with the temp set at ~50 and the floors are dry the next morning. Couple of box fans does the same thing, but can’t be in place all the time and turned on with the flip of a switch.

Thanks!!
As always, there are always plenty of people on this site willing to help solve small and large problems or issues.