if diesels dont have much wasted energy why do so many use turbz, which uses wasted energy to make power?
ooOOoooOOOoo
i have no idea.
STi
I have a salamander I use you can burn anything in the things and they put out some good heat. I like it as I can bring it to a friends garage if they need a hand then I dont have to freeze my butt off helping someone out in their unheated garage. you could also go with a propane heater they go through propane a bit fast though I hear. hit tractor supply they have all the types you can get in one place. to at least give you a idea of whats available.
im just fucking with you elitist diesel driving bastard.
what type of painting are you talking about here because I can tell you for certain that flame + most painting is a very bad idea on many accounts(salamander, K1 burner, etc). Especially if you’re talking about automotive painting. Problem with big painting is maintaining a constant heat and humidity for a long period because not only does the air need to be warm, but the parts you’re painting as well
You’re best bet would be to find a very small furnace, oil or LP, and use that with some HVAC. Pending height of your interior, ceiling fans used to blow the heat back down are good. As long as your building is relatively sealed(draft wise) and you can keep heat from rising to high up a decent 60-80K btu furnace can do the job easy.
Just spraying some rattle can primer at the most. Not any kind of automotive finish.
Still want to be careful with open flame type burners but with just that stuff you can use them and not mess up finishes.
Only problem with salamanders is they burn through alot of fuel to produce their heat but dont distribute it very well. fuel oil inst cheap so you’d want to get the most of it. I have heard of people making HVAC and diffusers that hook up to a salamander to better distribute the heat they produce and make them more effective for larger garages.
big thing is to keep the ehat localized. You’d be amazed what a layer of 5 mil poly plastic sheet up in the air can do to retain heat in a barn style garage. keep the heat down and you’ll stay warmer, longer, and cheaper too 
Those salamanders are horrible with fumes.
Where I used to work we’d have two of them heating the garage but I always smelled like kerosene fumes at the end of the day and my eyes were completely dried out. They do put out good heat though.
Thanks for the info. Maybe I’ll make a little booth in the garage with plastic sheet.
i’ll trade for the teggy
Best post I’ve read all day.
Lance,
I calculated 45000 BTU/hr assuming the following:
16x25 garage (400 sq ft)
8 foot ceiling
walls are brick on four sides
roof is corrugated asbestos
floor is concrete
ambient temp of 10 deg F (and you want it to get to 60)
20% heat lost through ventilation
50000 BTU/hr sounds about right, especially if you are losing more than that assumed 20% through ventilation (leaks).
double post fail, sorry guys
look up that thread i made about heaters. the one i bought is pretty nice. it works with butane canisters from a grill just fine. its somewhat open flame, wouldnt want to paint with it on, itll detonate, but it will dry out the air well for spraying. then u can turn it back on after a while, after most of the fumes vented out to keep it warm and dry.
Glad someone liked it :lmao