[61wagonair]

anyone here have a hanging natural gas heater in the garage?? i just got one and am gonna hang it myself and want to know if anyone has any ideas/tips on how far from the wall and ceiling it should be. ill prob drop it about 2 ft. from the ceiling and about 1 1/2 ft. from the wall. any comments appreciated. thanks.

[adtkart]

THat is a good question. I would love to install something in my garage that doesn't take up wall space. Would love to have some info on that myself.

[engineguy]

1.5 feet from the wall might be a little too close. Remember that the heater must draw air from behind the unit to circulate into the heated area. Depends on the size of the heater and cfm rating of the fan, but I think you would get better efficiency from the heater by going out further from the wall. I installed mine in a corner of the shop and the distance from the back of the fan motor to the corner is 31 inches.
Two feet from the ceiling is OK, but if you need more vertical space in the shop, you could actually install it a little closer, like 18 inches or so. Might be a good idea to check with your local building inspection department though, as they might have recommendations on these distances.

[jpd37]

Just spotted your question. I installed a 45k unit in my garage last year. I mounted it using threaded rod passing thru steel angles lag bolted to the roof joists. I put rubber grommets on the threaded rods above a flt washer on top of the angle and another flat washer on top of the grommet and finally a self-locking nut. The rods suspend the heater about 18" below the lowest point of the roof framing and the unit is positioned to create a circular air flow in the garage. The air louvers are pointed about 30 degrees down to get the air close to the floor. I remote mounted a wall thermostat and insulated the back side of the stat to prevent false readings. The gas line should have a condensate trap just before the pipe connects to the unit. Use black iron only for gas piping. A short flex connection is a good idea next to the unit to avoid stress on pipe connections when the unit is operating. It makes the unit quieter too. Make your electrical feed to the unit flexible too. MC cable is a good choice and use 12 gauge wiring to be on the safe side. I added a remote kill switch to shut off the system when I go out of town and to prevent the unit from operating when I'm not around. Vent thru a double wall vent pipe sized per manufacturer's recommendations. 3" or 4" dia. vents are very common.
I piped from the house, so I have a shut-off valve inside the house and a second where the piping enters the garage.
Hope this helps.

[cboy]

I'm looking at the brochure for the Hamilton Garage Heater (look almost exactly like the Modine Hot Dawg) and it gives the following clearances

top and bottom - 1"
vent connector - 4"
access side - 18"
non-access side - 1"
rear - 18"

these apple for the30,000 btu through the 75,000 btu units.

[propaniac]

Did you get it used? If so you need to make sure it is set up for the gas that you have at your house. ie propane or natural gas. It is not difficult to convert, but if you dont it wont work very well and if you run propane in it with it set up for natural it will carbon up and make a huge mess. You should also make sure you size the pipe correctly so the heater will get enough gas.

John

[jpd37]

All this is good advice. I did not mention the other things because Iassumed it was a new unit and came with installation directions and warnings. But it is better to be sure. You may want to talk to a certified heating contractor to be sure you cover everything. Natural gas is very explosive and carbon monoxide is very deadly too. Boyh can kill quickly and every caution should be taken to be sure the install is safe and sound.

[wally8]

I have an electric hanging heater but I think placement would be similar.

I hung mine about in the middle of the long span (40 feet in my case) about 3.5 feet from the wall. Mainly because my entrance door is right there and I wanted to have unobstructed opening. I have ten foot ceilings so it's not an issue anyway.

I angled it towards one of the shorter walls (28 foot wall) and tried to point it towards the middle. This creates a sort of diamond shaped flow around the whole shop. Works great. No cold spots and the whole shop stays as warm as I want it to.

Hope this helps.

Wally

[willys36@aol.com]

Heater? We don't need no stinkin' heater in Bakersfield!

[alittle1]

Go to this site to get some info on Garage Heaters:
http://www.rezspec.com/index.php?pag...07&mod_catalog[catid]=000000000005&mod_catalog[category]=000000000001&mod_catalog[pagemode]=Full&mod_catalog[mode]=detail

Most of the newer models are zero clearance type. I have a 75000 btu unit and even @ 35 - 40 below it keeps the shop toasty warm. Ideal work temp is 60 - 65, but 75 is nice when the girls come over!!!!

[Hotroddder]

Here is how I mounted my Sterling heater. I could not get to the rafters above, so I mounted the heater to a piece of 3/4" plywood and then lagged the plywood to the rafters from below.

I stiffened the edges of the plywood with a 2x2.

I was able to do this by myself..... tough tho.....

Hotroddder

[dinger]

It is not difficult to convert, but if you dont it wont work very well and if you run propane in it with it set up for natural it will carbon up and make a huge mess. You should also make sure you size the pipe correctly so the heater will get enough gas

Propane jetting will be smaller, less flame and soot will occur. On the valve it should have a blue dot for natural gas, a red for propane. If it's natural gas and you run propane, the opposite will occur, large flames. Propane pressure from the meter should be 10-10 1/2 lbs, natural gas will be 3 - 31/2 lbs. 1/2 inch pipe should be more than enough for the pipe. Always follow the manufacturers instructions for clearances, non compliance can void insurance in case of fire. A shut off valve should be located with easy access yet far enough away to allow shut off in an emergency, in other words, far enough away from the heater to allow shut off so that you don't get burned, if the unit malfunctions. I install gas units all winter long, my second job for 4 months of the year. Ceiling fans, if you have room, clockwise rotation, will help disperse the heat. Vent free units are illegal in some states. Dan

[cboy]

Originally posted by dinger
Vent free units are illegal in some states. Dan

They are also a bad idea according to my propane supplier (who sells vented and non vented so has no special interest). Vent free units DO vent. They vent into your garage. And what they vent is large amounts of water vapor. The vapor will condense on your walls, ceilings, and floors and also get into your wallboard and insulation. Again, this comes from my propane supplier, but he says many of the people he has seen install vent free units soon tear them out and put in a vented unit because of all the moisture problems.

[cboy]

Here are a couple pics of how I hung the Hot Dawg in my new garage. It sits on two 2 x 3's rather than being hung from above. It was just an easier way for me to do it since I had to put it up by myself.

[Dave Carney]

Pic of my Hot Dawg suspended on threaded rod over the Dodge Love Truck ....