The 1947 - Present Chevrolet & GMC Truck Message Board Network - View Single Post - So what are your plans for heating your garage this winter

68c10airstream · 11-15-2017, 08:44 PM

After working in 3 different repair facilities for almost 30 years and i was the only one to check on the health of the free hanging gas heaters and finding that after as little as 3 years the heat exchanger would be rusted out from the inside out i said i was going to do something different for MY shop. I installed a new SEALED COMBUSTION hot air furnace. It's been 25 years now in service and an occasional dust blow out and filters changed it works like new and no rusted out heat exchanger. It's a counter flow (down flow) mounted on a 2' high metal box with three sides covered and the hot air blows out on the floor. Works awesome.

If you look at a grainger catalog they have a note saying " no warranty for these heaters mounted in an environment with fumes, solvents, etc, creating what is called halogenated hydrocarbons". Another words, if warm inside shop air is being used for combustion and bad fumes are present it will rot out the heat exchanger.

My rant is from 3 shops, 3 different owners, and carbon monoxide poisioning noted and discussed with all 3 and it fell on deaf ears. I offered free labor to install a replacement SEALED COMBUSTION heater after hours to limit business down time and was turned down every time. The last owner pissed me off enough that i left the auto repair field 3 weeks later and go to the power industry. Now retired with a pension and health benifits i should thank him.

I'm posting this to inform you guys that the great working heater hanging near your ceiling (and they do work great) may poison you or kill you, so take a moment and get a ladder out and look at the back side where the fan is and when it's lit and heeating look at the vertical sections that the fan blows on and check for cracks and you may even see the flame glow shine through the cracks. This area is the coolest because of the fan so it condenses inside the metal exchanger and that mixes with the fumes and creates acidic sweat. Do you use carb cleaner? brake cleaner? Laquer thinner? Enamel reducer? Have children that can visit your grave site??

Dealing with asthma, fighting with owners for a proper repair, feeling tired in winter and coming home exhausted falling asleep on the living room floor with my coat on for 2-3 hours, maybe i can save one truck forums life!! Enough of my old man rant, but you have now been informed.

11-15-2017, 08:44 PM	#24
68c10airstream Registered User Join Date: Mar 2013 Location: Marquette michigan Posts: 828	Re: So what are your plans for heating your garage this winter After working in 3 different repair facilities for almost 30 years and i was the only one to check on the health of the free hanging gas heaters and finding that after as little as 3 years the heat exchanger would be rusted out from the inside out i said i was going to do something different for MY shop. I installed a new SEALED COMBUSTION hot air furnace. It's been 25 years now in service and an occasional dust blow out and filters changed it works like new and no rusted out heat exchanger. It's a counter flow (down flow) mounted on a 2' high metal box with three sides covered and the hot air blows out on the floor. Works awesome. If you look at a grainger catalog they have a note saying " no warranty for these heaters mounted in an environment with fumes, solvents, etc, creating what is called halogenated hydrocarbons". Another words, if warm inside shop air is being used for combustion and bad fumes are present it will rot out the heat exchanger. My rant is from 3 shops, 3 different owners, and carbon monoxide poisioning noted and discussed with all 3 and it fell on deaf ears. I offered free labor to install a replacement SEALED COMBUSTION heater after hours to limit business down time and was turned down every time. The last owner pissed me off enough that i left the auto repair field 3 weeks later and go to the power industry. Now retired with a pension and health benifits i should thank him. I'm posting this to inform you guys that the great working heater hanging near your ceiling (and they do work great) may poison you or kill you, so take a moment and get a ladder out and look at the back side where the fan is and when it's lit and heeating look at the vertical sections that the fan blows on and check for cracks and you may even see the flame glow shine through the cracks. This area is the coolest because of the fan so it condenses inside the metal exchanger and that mixes with the fumes and creates acidic sweat. Do you use carb cleaner? brake cleaner? Laquer thinner? Enamel reducer? Have children that can visit your grave site?? Dealing with asthma, fighting with owners for a proper repair, feeling tired in winter and coming home exhausted falling asleep on the living room floor with my coat on for 2-3 hours, maybe i can save one truck forums life!! Enough of my old man rant, but you have now been informed.