If you do not want to shorten the life of your car, the garage should be made heated. Many car owners are thinking about which method will be the most economical. Each of the modern schemes has its advantages and disadvantages, but there is no universal approach to providing heating in winter.
But if you are familiar with the principles of this or that system, then you can choose the suitable option. For some, this is, for example, water or antifreeze, the latter of which are 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 may be water. Typically, this heating technology is used if the garage is attached to a residential building. If this is not so, then to equip such a system, you will have to purchase a boiler, install heating radiators and lay pipes. You will also need an expansion tank. Such costs will be substantial.
You will also need to provide access to the mains, as well as the water supply. 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 inexpensive 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 transfer, the ability to use used oil as fuel, low cost of equipment and quick heating of the system.
The use of gas and electric heating
Garage heating may 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 will be completely inexpedient to use gas cylinders, in addition, it is also dangerous.
Use of electricity
The garage can be heated with electricity. It uses autonomous heaters. To increase the efficiency of the system, you can use several devices. They will store heat 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 constantly. Typically, the device is turned on for several hours to carry out any work. Heaters must not be left turned on without supervision, because it is 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 arranged on the basis of a stove, which uses firewood as fuel. The device can be a potbelly stove. Such devices can be purchased ready-made or made independently. However, do not rely on too high unit efficiency. It will not be possible to heat the entire garage with a small oven in a short time. Smoke and carbon monoxide can be a real problem. It is extremely important to organize effective ventilation.
The design of a heating system based on a furnace with a water circuit: manufacturing a heat exchanger
If you want to equip your own garage heating, 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. Working with her is pretty simple. The wall thickness of the heat exchanger varies from 3 to 5 mm. When decreasing this value, you should be aware of the risk associated with burning the register. This may necessitate a replacement.
If the garage already has an oven, it must be disassembled and installed inside the register. In this case, you will encounter the need for more frequent fueling. The number of smoke channels can be changed if desired. You can make their direction different. The work needs to be thought out, because after the actions you have taken, you will need to maintain good traction.
By arranging your own garage heating, you can install a water heating system. It is similar to the one based on a solid fuel boiler. The only difference is that the hole in the heat exchanger is higher than that of the boiler. This nuance must be taken into account when installing the pipeline. Above is an expansion tank, which is necessary to provide pressure in the system. Install pipes at an angle, the slope should be maximum. Sometimes a circulation pump is installed, its use allows to increase the efficiency of the system.
Making a 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 in the shape of a rectangle, however, each master chooses design features independently. You will need the following materials:
- steel corners;
- trumpet;
- power tool;
- welding machine;
- sheet metal.
The case is made of steel sheets welded together. On the front panel there will be a blower and a door for the furnace, with it you can solve the problem a little later. If you want to make garage heating do-it-yourself cheaply and quickly, you should make a furnace like a potbelly stove. The next step is to weld the side surfaces to the bottom. It is important to ensure verticality. You can check the right angle using a square.
Elements are caught in several places. It is important to make sure that the workpieces are positioned correctly and only then weld seams. After that, the rear door is installed. The interior space is divided into 3 parts. The furnace and the 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 located at a height of 15 cm.
Thick bars are prepared for the grill. The distance between the plates will be approximately 5 cm. The strips should be welded to metal bars. This product will act as stiffeners. Considering the methods of heating the garage, many craftsmen decide to make a potbelly stove.
In the next step, metal rods are installed from above, where the reflector will be located. It has the appearance of a metal sheet. This element will separate the firebox and smoke. It must be made removable. The reflector is positioned so that a channel forms in front. Through it, the smoke will go out.
Do not bother with the dimensions of the doors. Through them, it should be convenient to lay fuel and remove ashes with ash. The fire door is made to the full width so that the reflector and grille can be removed. Next, door handles, curtains and latches are welded. The latter can be made of steel pipe.
At the next stage, the finished design is installed on the legs. They are made of steel 3-cm tube. The length of the workpieces is 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 a garage, then you can follow the experience of most motorists who make potbelly stoves themselves. 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. It is led out through a hole in the wall. Bends should have an angle of 45 °. There should not be horizontal sections.
There should be a rotating flapper at the lower end of the pipe. For her, a circle is cut out of metal. The diameter should be slightly smaller than the diameter of the pipe in which the hole for the handle is drilled for rotation.
Arrangement of heating system on antifreeze
Choosing the most economical way of heating a garage, you can pay attention to the one based on antifreeze. The heating device is installed in the selected location. It can be a boiler or stove. Cast iron or aluminum radiators are hung on 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 antifreeze. Their diameter should be 1.5 times larger compared to pipes for water heating.
Equipping the heating in the garage on the antifreeze with your own hands, you will also need to install a circulation pump, which will be one meter from the heater. On both sides, stopcocks are installed. This is necessary so that you have the opportunity to remove the pump without the need to drain the 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 located as high as possible. An ideal option would be a place on the roof. Such cheap garage heating involves connecting all the 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. At the next stage, you can start filling fuel into the system. For this, the expansion tank is filled to 2/3 of the volume, then you can connect a circulation pump. The system runs a little, while you must monitor the level of antifreeze. If necessary, it will need to be added. If everything is working properly and there are no leaks, and the antifreeze level 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, which is especially true for the joints and joints for leaks and malfunctions. Economical heating of the garage 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 the system, which includes a makeshift stove.
Why choose water heating
If your region has a long frosty winter, then the most acceptable option will be antifreeze for the heating system. However, to date, other methods are known. For example, water heating in a garage is very common. The system is often compared with the above, but instead of antifreeze, water is poured inside. It is good because it heats up faster, but an untimely start can cause pipes to defrost and failure of devices and communications.
Boiler based heating
Currently, electric boilers for heating are popular, they can be:
- induction;
- electrode;
- Tenovymi.
The first ones can be immediately taken away, because they have a high cost. But you can still install them in the garage, if you have the appropriate funds. With electronic boilers, things are worse, because when working with antifreezes, they can be ineffective. When choosing an electrode model, it is necessary to find out how it interacts with non-freezing.
Some manufacturers offer anti-freeze compatible devices. Best for a garage is a heating boiler. It is more expensive than the electrode, but it is highly reliable, and there are no contraindications to freezing liquids. It is important only to choose the right power, but for this it is necessary to measure the volume of the garage. The result is multiplied by 0.035 kW. The model may be the simplest, without unnecessary functions that would be useful in a residential building.
Additional benefits of gas boilers
More and more often recently, owners of garages use gas boilers for their heating. They are good in reliability, safety and the ability to block the fuel supply in the absence of traction. Such devices are compact, which is especially true in the case of wall-mounted models. Installation almost does not require free space and a special room.
Such boilers are durable, they can be operated for 10 years or more. Many such devices operate on liquefied and main gas. You can purchase a device with a coaxial chimney, which simplifies installation work and combustion process control.
Finally
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 frosts, and the engine will remain warm.