Garage Heat upgrades/changes

[ykdave]

So on these units their is no ducted heat to the garage, only heat source is the electric fireplace.

Has anyone ditched the electric fireplace and installed a gas fireplace?

Id like to get some more heat in there as well as have a more viable temporary/backup heat source should the forced air furnace bite the dust during the winter months.

During the last couple winters i have just supplemented the electric fireplace with another electric heater and it works, its just not the most ideal situation, i have little faith in those little electric heaters and the electrical load adds up in a hurry when theirs a ~25amp load just to heat the garage.

Given the fact that i know the 2 1500w heaters are capable of heating that space, i know i need at least 10k/btu to do the job of heating the garage/rear living space.

The 35k forced air doesnt have an issue heating the rest of the unit all winter, i had quickly thought about ducting the forced air to the rear and upgrading the furnace. but the largest furnace (from suburban) that would fit in the existing spot is 42k/btu, which i believe would not be sufficient to heat the entire trailer during the winter, it also would leave me with a 'single' heat source and likely one heck of a miserable job to duct it back there

Thus i have thought about a gas fireplace, in the same location as the electric fireplace. There is gas already plumbed on the other side of the wall (water heater) and power there (obviously lol). my only concern would be venting. i dont believe a vertical chimney would be viable, and the unit would need to have a fresh air intake as well.


Anyone tackled a similar project?

[Iggy]

You living in it during the winter?

If you try and upgrade to a propane heater larger than what you have you may need a big external propane tank cause they suck a lot of propane.

I really have no suggestions for added heat other than come on down to Arizona for the winter like your neighbors.

Good luck.

[ykdave]

I do live in the unit full time! I am already hooked up to a 500gal tank when I'm "home" so no issues with pressure drop in cold temps

I'd like to just head south for the winter, unfortunately I do still have to work lol

[Rufinit]

I have been thinking of going this route. https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B00B2...A1JV6XN12ZQO1J

[ykdave]

another forced air furnace is always an option, but i would prefer not to go that route, mostly for the fact that a fireplace at least provides some visual appeal instead of just lost space in the corner!

come across some ventless fireplaces which sounds awesome, but theirs something about a ventless gas burning appliance that just screams death in my head LOL

[whr2nxt]

Burning 10K BTUs of a fossil fuel like propane produces about 1 pound of water vapor. A space like the garage in my TH will contain less than 1/2 pound of water vapor at 50% relative humidity. Adding the extra water vapor from an unvented gas heater will cause condensation in a short time. (BTW, the gas cook tops are technically unvented and can cause similar condensation issues unless the exhaust fan is on.)

In a vented heater, all the water vapor (and the other combustion gases like carbon monoxide ) are vented to the exterior. With an unvented heater, all that stuff stays inside. Check the mfg's directions. They typically say to leave a window open.

[TheFordes]

Ever thought of putting in another AC unit with a heat strip. That is how we heat the garage

[ykdave]

Originally Posted by TheFordes

Ever thought of putting in another AC unit with a heat strip. That is how we heat the garage

yes,another a/c would be nice at times during the summer, but a heat strip doesnt provide the heat i need (they are usually shy of 1500w or 5000btu) and again i want to get away from electric heat and consumption which im using now as it is more costly than propane (60,000btu/$1 propane and 49,000btu/$1 electric) and doesnt provide backup heat


been busy lately, havent had much time to look around for a fireplace. yes, obviously the 'cost savings' arent going to be there right away, but thats not my main goal here. I just want to get away from drawing so much power, as well as having a secondary heat source for the trailer that is NOT reliant on 115v power. if we had a prolonged power outage, or if the forced air furnace took a dump at -40, i would like to have a backup