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How To Pick The Best Portable Propane Heater for Your Garage
In the cold winter months, it’s nice to have a portable propane heater in your garage to help keep you warm. There are a lot of different portable propane heaters for your garage to choose from, this guide is designed to help you understand which one you would want to choose for your garage or pole barn. Depending on how much square footage you have in your garage would be a big determinant as to what type of space heater you should go with.
BTU Rating
Portable propane heaters express their heating power in units called BTUs, the higher the BTU rating of the portable propane heater the more heat it will be able to output. Before purchasing your portable propane heater for your garage you may want to first measure the square footage of your garage to get an idea of how many square feet you are looking to heat.
Once you have the square footage of your garage you can put that information into a calculator that will give you how many BTUs you would need output from a space heater to effectively heat that square footage. I’ve included a link below to an online calculator so that you can put in your square footage information into.
https://www.calculator.net/btu-calculator.html
When I plug my two car garage measurements into the calculator it tells me I would need about 30,000 BTUs to effectively heat my garage, so I would want to make sure that I got a portable propane heater that was able to output at least 30,000 BTUs.
Portability
Because you are looking for a portable propane heater for your garage you would want to stay away from any propane heaters that would be mounted to the wall of your garage. If you have a small two car garage you would probably be fine with a smaller portable propane heater. If you are trying to heat something like a four-car garage or a pole barn you would want to look at getting a portable propane unit that outputs as many BTUs as possible. Just make sure that it is not so large that you cannot move it around ruining its portability.
Some of the smaller portable propane heaters can use 1-gallon propane tanks if you have a very small garage these sorts of propane tanks would be fine for limited use but I would buy one that is going to be compatible with the standard 20-pound propane tanks that you would use for a propane grill.
The advantage to this would be that you would not need to refill the 20-pound propane tank as much if you are going to be using the space heater a lot. With the 1 pound propane canisters, you would be constantly swapping out the canisters all the time if you are going to be using the space heater a lot.
Price
Obviously, the price of the portable propane heater that you end up going with will be a factor in your purchase. Generally, the smaller the propane heater and the lower the BTU output the cheaper the propane heater will be. If you have to heat a large garage or pole barn then expect to pay more for a bigger propane heater to be able to heat up that large area.
Reliability
With portable propane heaters, they do not really have any moving parts inside of them so they should be a bit more reliable compared to electric space heaters. With portable propane heaters, there are things that can go wrong but it would be more to do with the pilot light and the burning mechanism.
My Portable Propane Heater Recommendations
Mr. Heater Big Buddy MH18B, Portable Propane Heater
This Mr. Heater Big Buddy Portable Propane Heater is a smaller propane heater that is designed to be easily portable. This model is still designed to be used with a 20-pound propane tank or larger and is advertised as being able to heat an area of 400 square feet.
If you have a small one car garage this should be able to heat your garage fine but if you have a larger garage you would probably want to go with a larger portable propane heater.
This Mr. Heater portable propane heater has an 18k BTU/HR heating rating and features a built-in fan and three different heat settings to choose from low, medium, and high.
Mr. Heater 38,000 BTU Forced Air Portable Propane Heater
With this Mr. Heater 38,000 BTU Forced Air Portable Propane heater we are starting to get into the larger propane heaters. If you have a large garage, workshop, or pole barn a forced air propane heater would be suitable for heating them quickly.
It is designed to output 38,000 BTU/HR and can heat an area of 950 square feet. It can run up to 12 hours on a 20-pound propane tank.
It features a high temperature shut off switch and has quiet burner technology to run quieter than most other portable propane heaters. It does need to be plugged into a 115v outlet in order to be used.
Mr. Heater MH60QFAV 60,000 BTU Portable Propane Forced Air Heater
This Mr. Heater 60,0000 BTU Forced Air Portable Propane Heater is designed to offer an adjustable heat output ranging from 30,000-60,0000 BTU/HR. If you are looking to heat a large garage this is designed to heat an area of 1,500 square feet so it should do a great job of heating most garages and pole barns.
It can run for up to 14 hours on a 20-pound propane tank and also features Mr. Heater Quiet Burning Technology which makes it quieter in operation than most other portable propane heaters. This portable propane heater needs to be plugged into a 115v outlet to be able to use the heater.
Protemp 60,000 BTU Variable Propane Forced Air Heater
This Protemp 60,000 BTU Variable Portable Propane Heater offers up to 60,000 BTU/HR of heat output and allows you to vary that heat output via three different heat settings high, medium, and low.
On the lowest setting it can operate up to 11 hours on a 20 pound propane tank. It says that this propane heater is designed to be used as an outdoor propane heater but other reviewers on amazon have it pictured using it in their garage.
It would probably be best to use a carbon monoxide detector in conjunction with this propane heater just to be safe as to prevent against carbon monoxide poisoning.
Mr. Heater MH35LP 35,000-BTU Propane Radiant Heater
This Mr. Heater 35,000 BTU Portable Propane Heater is designed as a standing radiant propane heater. It comes in a cage that has wheels so you can roll it around to where you want it and then stand it in place.
It offers 35,000 BTU/HR heating power and can heat an area of up to 875 feet. The portable propane heaters handle and wheels can be folded to make it easier to store when you are not using it. You can get up to 12 hours of use from one 20 pound propane tank.
This is a radiant heater thus it uses infrared technology to heat the objects in front of it instead of the surrounding air like a forced air heater so keep that in mind.
AmazonBasics Commercial Patio Heater Stainless Steel
If you are looking for a portable propane heater for your garage that can also double as a patio heater you would want to check out this AmazonBasics Commercial Patio Propane Heater. It is designed as a standing patio heater but it can be used to heat your garage provided you have adequate ventilation.
It offers a heat output of 46,000 BTU/HR and comes with wheels in the base of the unit to make it easier to move around. Reviewers have commented that this propane heater looks nice once it’s set up and in place. It also has an easy start one-step ignition system to make it easier to start up and get running. It also has a safety shut off valve to shut off the propane heater if it accidentally gets knocked over.
Mr. Heater Corporation Convection Heater, 25k BTU/HR
If you have a basic two or one car garage this Mr. Heater Convection Heater should provide sufficient heating power to heat up your garage. The model I selected outputs 25k BTU/HR but there are other models that output either 30k BTU/HR or 75k BTU/HR if you need to heat a larger space and like the design of this propane heater.
It says that it can operate up to 17 hours on a 20-pound propane tank and it can heat an area up to 625 square feet. Some people in the reviews have said that this still works well for even a three car garage. This is a pretty basic convection heater and does not include a fan to circulate the heat from the unit.
Mr. Heater Corporation F299810, 10,000 BTU Vent Free Radiant Propane Heater
This Mr. Heater 10,000 BTU Radiant Portable Propane Heater is designed to heat smaller places but be really portable so that it can be moved around to different areas easily. It has 10,000 BTU/HR of heating power so it can heat an area of 250 square feet.
It is has a variable heat output and it is a radiant heater which means that it uses infrared technology to produce the heat that it outputs while still using a normal propane tank. It also includes mounting hardware in the box if you wanted to be able to mount this unit to a wall.
Portable Propane Heaters and Safety
One thing to keep in mind when using portable propane heaters is that propane heaters can produce carbon monoxide gas which is harmful to humans and can kill you if you are not careful. Carbon monoxide is a tasteless odorless gas that in high quantities can make you pass out and eventually lead to death if you do not exit the area.
That is why if you are going to be using a propane heater a lot in your garage it would be a good idea to invest in a carbon monoxide detector for your garage so that it would alert you if it detected high levels of carbon monoxide in the air. As long as the propane heater is functioning correctly it should burn all of the propane that it outputs
I’ve included a link a plug in carbon monoxide detector that has a digital display on it showing you the levels of CO2 in the air that way you can monitor the levels yourself on the display before they get too high. This
You would want to make sure that your garage has at least some ventilation to allow outside air to come in to the garage to be able to recirculate the oxygen in your garage.
If you don’t have a way to vent your garage you would want to occasionally open up a side door to your garage or your garage door from time to time to keep carbon monoxide from building up inside of your garage.
Safety Features
Low Oxygen Sensor
Some of the portable propane heaters on this list will have low oxygen sensors built into them that would be able to tell if the propane heater was not burning the propane efficiently. Carbon monoxide should not build up in your garage as long as the propane heater is able to burn all of the propane it is outputting from the propane tank, carbon monoxide starts to build up when there is an issue with the burning process.
Tip-Over Protection
If you are going to be moving your propane heater around a lot and could accidentally knock it over you may want to look at getting a portable propane heater that has tip-over protection built in that can turn off the propane heater if it detects that it has been knocked over.
This would prevent a fire from happening if it accidentally was knocked over onto something flammable as the heater would shut off once it sensed that it had been knocked over.
Auto Shutoff
In general, a lot of the portable propane heaters in this list will have some sort of safety features built in that can turn off the propane heater if they sense that there is an issue.
These safety features can be the low oxygen sensor or tip over protection methods that I listed above but they can also include a high-temperature sensor and electrical sensors that can detect if there is an overload in the circuit and shut off.
Related Questions
Can you use a propane heater in the garage? Yes, you can use a propane heater in the garage you just want to make sure you have adequate ventilation. Propane heaters will put off carbon monoxide while they are in use. If you don’t have proper ventilation in your garage you could eventually pass out and die from carbon monoxide poisoning.
That is why if you plan on using a propane heater you may want to purchase a carbon monoxide detector. With a carbon monoxide detector, it will alert you of any unsafe carbon monoxide levels so that you could open up a window or your garage door to let the poisonous fumes out.
My uncle has a wall mounted propane heater in his garage that he uses when family comes over during the winter months. He has not had any issues with carbon monoxide building up in the garage because of the number of times that the side door is opened and closed by people.
As long as you allow fresh oxygen to circulate into your garage while the propane heater is in use you should be safe. If you want to make sure you are safe and protected from carbon monoxide poisoning buy a carbon monoxide detector.
Are portable propane heaters safe to use indoors? Yes, portable propane heaters are safe to use indoors. The one risk that you have with using propane heaters is carbon monoxide. Carbon monoxide is an odorless gas that if concentrated can kill you. If you plan on using a portable propane heater in your garage there are a couple of precautions you may want to take.
First is you want to make sure that you have proper ventilation to prevent the buildup of carbon monoxide. If you have a side door you can leave it open or cracked to help circulate fresh oxygen into your garage. The other alternative is to leave your garage door cracked open at the bottom to allow fresh air to come into your garage that way.
The second precaution you can take to help prevent carbon monoxide poisoning is to buy a carbon monoxide detector. A carbon monoxide detector will alert you of unsafe carbon monoxide levels so that you can take action to either open up a door or leave your garage.
Some carbon monoxide detectors can even show you the different levels of carbon monoxide so that you can see that the carbon monoxide detector is working.
What’s the safest heater for a garage? If you have small children or pets you may be looking for a safe heater to use in your garage. However, going with a wall mounted heater is no longer portable, so if you need the portability of a heater I would advise against going with a wall mounted heater.
In that case, I would recommend going with a wall mounted or radiant heater. If you buy a wall mounted heater it can be mounted somewhat high up on the wall. That way the heater can’t be accidentally knocked or tipped over like what could happen with a heater that you would sit on the floor.
Having a wall mounted heater should also keep the heater high enough off the ground to be out of the reach of little ones. It still may be a good idea to create a barrier around the heater to make sure that little ones don’t try touching the heater.
If you don’t want to buy a wall mounted heater then I would suggest going with a radiant heater that has the heat source high up and out of the reach of children or pets. That way kids or pets can’t touch the heating element and accidentally burn themselves on the heater.
Most garage heaters will also have protective grates that will keep you from being able to touch the heating element. I would recommend going with a garage heater with some protection from the heating element to keep people from being accidentally burnt.
What kind of heater do I need for a garage? There are a few different types of heaters that you can use in your garage. The two main considerations to make when buying a garage heater is if you want to use an electric heater or a gas heater. There are pros and cons to using each type.
Electric heaters will use a heating element which is typically safer to use than propane heaters. Propane heaters will burn propane to produce heat which is very efficient but can be somewhat unsafe to use with kids or pets around.
Before deciding on which type of heater is right for you, it should be determined how much heating power you will need to adequately heat up your garage. Most heaters that you purchase will express their heating power in BTUs. You can measure the dimensions of your garage and put those into a BTU calculator to determine how many BTUs your heater should have to heat your garage.
After you have determined the amount of BTUs needed to heat your garage you can then explore your heater options. Typically propane heaters will be able to produce more heat and BTUs than an electric heater. However, with propane heaters, you have to keep replacing your propane tanks or have a gas line hooked up to your house.
That way you wouldn’t need to keep replacing your propane tanks when they run out. This is one upside to electric heaters as most garages will already have outlets for you to connect your electric heater.
When I put the measurements of my standard 2 car garage into the BTU calculator it tells me I need about 30,000 BTUs of heating power to effectively heat my garage. If you want to put in your garage measurements into the BTU calculator to see how many BTUs are recommended for your garage I’ve included a link to it here: BTU Calculator
What is the best way to heat a garage in winter? The best way to heat a garage in the winter is going to be to use a heater inside your garage. Before electricity to stay warm you used to have to start a fire and be somewhat close to that fire to keep warm. Nowadays there are many different heating options to choose from to heat your garage.
If you are looking for a semi-permanent solution I would recommend going with a wall mount heater that uses propane or natural gas. That way you can get the heater up off of the ground and you don’t have to mess around with replacing propane tanks.
You can also go with an electric wall mounted heater if you don’t want to mess around with a gas powered heater. Just know that typically a gas powered heater will be able to produce more heat than an electric heater. This is because electric heaters will not actually produce a flame, they will run electricity through a heating coil to be able to produce heat to heat up your garage.
If you live in the northern states I would recommend going with a propane heater to get you through the winter months. If you live in the southern states where it never really gets below freezing you should be fine with an electric heater for your garage.
What is the best heater for an uninsulated garage? If you have an uninsulated garage you may be wondering what you can do to help keep your garage warm while you are working in it.
The main thing you are working against in an uninsulated garage is keeping heat in the garage. With that said usually the best heaters at producing a large amount of heat are propane heaters.
If your garage is uninsulated you will probably want to shy away from going with a wall mounted heater unless you plan on also insulating your garage. I would recommend going with one of the Mr. Heater forced air propane heaters mentioned above if you have an uninsulated garage.
With that sort of heater, it should produce an adequate amount of heat to heat a two car garage all the way up to a three and four car garage. Forced air propane heaters will also help circulate the hot air from the heater around the garage to help keep the whole garage warm instead of just one area.
What is the best ventless propane garage heater? The best ventless propane garage heaters are the Mr. Heater forced air propane heaters. However, if you have a two car garage it may be a bit overkill.
What I would recommend is finding out the square footage of your garage and then determining which heater would be sufficient to heat that space. That way you don’t buy a heater that could be used for a larger area or buy a heater that may not be able to sufficiently heat your whole garage.
While it is true that propane heaters should not need to be vented if they are working properly it’s still a good idea to have some sort of ventilation in your garage. If the propane heater has an issue this can cause it to not burn all of the propane gas that is emitted from the propane tank. This is where you start to have issues with carbon monoxide poisoning.
In Conclusion
The main consideration you would want to take when purchasing the best portable propane heater for your garage is how much space in your garage that you will need to heat.
Once you determine the square footage of your garage you can then make a decision as to what type of space heater will work best for your garage.
Hopefully, this portable propane guide was able to better inform you about portable propane heaters so that you can find the one that will work the best for your garage. If you are working in your garage and wondering what is the best air impact wrenches for lug nuts I’ve included an article that I wrote about that here: How To Pick The Best Air Impact Wrench For Lug Nuts