Hangar Space Heater Recommendations

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MJR Pilot

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MJR Pilot
Hi all - Based in New England and have been in a tie-down for a few years now and finally on top of wait list for a small T-hangar. Hangar is not heated, nor is it insulated, but it does have electrical outlets. Looking to invest in a space heater for the winter months - want to be able to get the hangar fairly warm (it doesn't need to be tropical, just warm enough to make the interior somewhat comfortable during preflight) and ideally it can work pretty quickly (ie, I'd prefer not to have to wait 30 minutes for the hangar to heat up). Dimension-wise, this will be a fairly standard small T-hangar set up - 41 ft wide and 33 ft deep. Any recommendations from those of you with unheated hangars? There's a million different models for sale online so anyone with firsthand experience with a particular model would be much appreciated.
 
What @Llewtrah381 said. You’re not going to heat the space (I’m assuming steel construction, so any heat will just radiate out into the atmosphere. Point it in the general direction of where you’re going to be, and go to work.

We had a Knipco in the shop on the farm…got us going until the waste oil furnace could warm things up.
 
jbehler said:
Agree with Jim and also add a SwitchOn or similar device so you can turn it off and on remotely. Trying to heat the whole uninsulated hangar will be very inefficient and expensive.
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I agree. I use a Switchon and keep the hangar doors down until I’m ready to pull the plane out after preflight. A good flashlight or good hangar lighting, thermal underwear, gloves, earmuffs, heavy coat, and I went flying yesterday with OAT at 28 degs. With the Sun out hangar is typically 8-10 degs warmer than OAT. When OAT gets below about 25, no flying. Any work waits till warmer weather or comes home if possible.
 
Llewtrah381 said:
For what you describe, I think these kind are the best. Quick, lots of heat, inexpensive. Keep the propane tank outside and the hangar door cracked just a bit, for safety.

https://www.homedepot.com/p/Mr-Heat...h-10-ft-Hose-and-Regulator-MHC60FAV/316812709
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A mechanic of my acquaintance told me that he had used a kerosene fuel torpedo heater - but gave it up because it made him sick. So he dressed warmly and toughed it out after that. Of course he was exposed
to it all day every day in his shop; a short session may not be a problem.

Dave
 
Propane fueled torpedo heater is what you need. Forced air heat is about the only thing that is going to get an uninsulated large space up to temperature quickly. Electric heaters will heat you when you stand in front of them but not enough BTUs in any 110v electric heater to warm a place like a hanger up quickly. Stay away from the kerosene heaters. They are cheaper to operate than propane but stink when you run them.
 
I have a propane torpedo heater, and I love it. But I don't think they put out enough heat to warm up a hanger, and I'm certain not in 30 minutes. They will provide an area where you can be warm near it, even outdoors if there's not too much wind. For warehouses and hangers up here, what people sometimes do is make a little room within the hanger, maybe 8x10' or something, with plastic windows, and they heat that. Then they can do paperwork and computer stuff in comfort, in an area that's small enough to be heated.

Completely agree on avoiding kerosene. Not only are they smelly, but they can have a failure mode where they make 3' of yellow flame fly out the end.

With any unvented heater you want a co detector and some ventilation. Don't think any of the torpedo heaters are supposed to be run indoors, but I've used propane in warehouse or garage type areas with a door cracked.
 
I’d invest in a tannis heater instead of trying to heat an uninsulated hangar.
 
It was 17 degrees in the hangar today.
Nope. Nothing will heat that kind of hangar.
Unless you set your plane on fire.
I have a salamander in my hangar (propane) that I use for preheat on the plane. See advice from all the other folks on ways to use it.
I saw something in a neighboring (bigger than mine) hangar that looked interesting. He had a 12' x 12' x 10' (?) pop up shelter over his work table that he could retreat into and keep that a little warmer. I may file the serial numbers off that idea and do it in my hangar. I have a small electric space heater with no dangerous/damaging hotspots that I can use inside the cockpit if I'm working in there. It's about 150 watts, total output, but it does take the chill off things in the plane.
 
For those of you who say a propane torpedo heater doesn't work for you, what size are you using? The one I have is 300,000 btus and heats my 30x36 2 story uninsulated barn in about 15 minutes to the point whete I can comfortably work in a light sweatshirt when it's below freezing out.
 
Mine's about 80-100k, and it won't keep a 2 car garage warm in the winter. Warm-er? Sure.
A big 300k heater, I can see that making a difference. But how big of a tank do you need to run it? My guestimate is that'll burn 10+ lb/hr, and I don't think a 20lb tank will do that in cold weather. Not saying it's not possible, just not sure if it's practical. Maybe it is.
 
Propane in a cold room will make condensation, big time. For the plane use a preheater. For the pilot put in some radiant light lamps.
 
cessna182b said:
A mechanic of my acquaintance told me that he had used a kerosene fuel torpedo heater - but gave it up because it made him sick. So he dressed warmly and toughed it out after that. Of course he was exposed
to it all day every day in his shop; a short session may not be a problem.

Dave
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DUH.

The way to use a torpedo heater is to have it sit in a doorway, so that it is always taking in fresh air. That way the carbon monoxide does not build up.

AND, you should have a CO alarm mounted in the shop.
 
Stewartb said:
Propane in a cold room will make condensation, big time. For the plane use a preheater. For the pilot put in some radiant light lamps.
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I guess you have never seen/used something like the Red Dragon pre-heaters?

Yes, ANY combustion heater that is direct heat (the air from the burner is used directly) will cause condensation on cold surfaces, until the surfaces warm up.
 
Using a propane heater in a closed space is just not a good idea IMO. CO is always an issue when you burn something. Something large enough to heat an uninsulated hanger will be capable of pumping out a lot of CO. I find in the cold that a small infrared heater works great. Just set it up nearby and turn it on. Carry out your preflight, when you get too cold then stand in front of it for a few minutes, warm up a little, then carry on.

I just installed a propane heater in my garage, a 45,000 btu hot dog unit. The garage is insulated and the hot dog vents the exhaust outside. It hopefully will be up and running by the end of the week.
 
Pinecone said:
I guess you have never seen/used something like the Red Dragon pre-heaters?

Yes, ANY combustion heater that is direct heat (the air from the burner is used directly) will cause condensation on cold surfaces, until the surfaces warm up.
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I have a Red Dragon. Hated it as a preheater. Especially when it caught my 180 on fire. I also have a propane torpedo heater that we use to heat the cabin on cold night arrivals. It makes tons of condensation on the walls, but since I also have an oil stove and woodstove for heat the condensation is a short term problem. I’ve done a fair bit of winter camping in enclosed snowmobile trailers, too. Same experience. My current trailer has an RV furnace in it. Much better.
 
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If your concern is engine health vs. personal comfort I would agree with adding a Reiff or Tanis system. I have a heated hangar I keep at 50 degrees and still will use my preheater to get the oil temp up. When I park outside the Reiff turbo system works great even in single digit temps.
 
The problem is not that the propane torpedo makes CO in normal operation, but if inside a closed space, as it runs, it depletes the oxygen level. At that point, combustion becomes less efficient and complete, so instead of producing H2O and CO2, the lack of O2, causes it to start emitting more and more CO.

If the air intake is outside the enclosed space, it doesn't reach that point, so it produces little CO. Unless it is adjusted improperly, and that is why you have the CO alarm.
 
Diesel/Kerosene heater in the 200K BTU range will have that shop nice and warm in under 20 minutes. Not something you'd want to be around for prolonged periods due to CO, but letting it run with the hangar door cracked open is fine for a bit. It won't help keep it warm for long once you shut it off, but if you just need 30 minutes to do preflight and such it'll work fine.

Pair that with a Tanis heater for the aircraft and you're golden.
 
Pinecone said:
The problem is not that the propane torpedo makes CO in normal operation, but if inside a closed space, as it runs, it depletes the oxygen level. At that point, combustion becomes less efficient and complete, so instead of producing H2O and CO2, the lack of O2, causes it to start emitting more and more CO.

If the air intake is outside the enclosed space, it doesn't reach that point, so it produces little CO. Unless it is adjusted improperly, and that is why you have the CO alarm.
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Exactly, with enough combustion air any heater in a closed area produces virtually no CO. Well under what is safe.
My rented T hangar has so many gaps in the door and walls it would never run out of combustion air and gas heaters will run clean for 10 hours at a time.
I have been heating 2 shops with infra red LP gas heaters mounted up overhead for 30+ years now. I heat both of them 24/7 all winter on thermostats. Both shops are dry like in the desert during the winter, like 25-35% humidly. Both shops has fresh air intakes. about 8X8" square.
If your windows are sweating you don't have enough make up air. I am trying to dispel the myth that open flame gas heat makes water in the environment. It only does if there is not enough combustion air.

I took this picture one day when it was 33-32°f outside and rained all day. It was 99% right outside the shop door and 28% inside. Infra red heat was and still is heating the shop. More I turn up the thermostats the dryer it gets.
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I’ve got this old kerosene forced air construction unit in our unheated hangar. It’s LOUD but other than that I can’t really imagine anything better for going from zero to comfortable in a hurry.
 

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I use a small space heater with dryer vent hose attached to it for the engine. I cover the cowl with a blanket and tarp.
I use a second space heater set to low inside the cockpit.
I have both heaters plugged into a timer and preheat for several hours.
Last time I did some work on the plane I positioned both heaters nearby and it was quite comfortable. Had one blowing near my hands and the other by my feet. There’s no way they could heat the entire hangar but really wasn’t necessary.
 
Gary Ward said:
I am trying to dispel the myth that open flame gas heat makes water in the environment. It only does if there is not enough combustion air.

I took this picture one day when it was 33-32°f outside and rained all day. It was 99% right outside the shop door and 28% inside. Infra red heat was and still is heating the shop. More I turn up the thermostats the dryer it gets.
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1) Combustion DOES make water. Propane is C4H10. So when you burn one molecule of propane you make 4 molecules of CO2 and 5 molecules of H20.

2) If you take air at 32F and 100% RH and do nothing but raise the temp to 68F, the relative humidity falls to 26%. Relative humidity is relative to the amount of water air at a given temp can hold. Based on what you posted, the water content in the air has gone up slightly, as your RH is 28% instead of 26%
 
It’s just a small electric heater I bought on Amazon. They last a few years. I use on low heat until the element burns out. Then I turn on high heat to use the second half of the heater for the remainder of its life. I pay about $40 for them. I put a duct fitting on them and run the 4” flex duct. Works great.
 
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