We carry both Radiant and Forced Air Garage Heaters. Both of these styles of heater will keep your garage warm but each has distinct advantages and disadvantages.
First of all it is important to determine why you need it in your garage. Is it to keep your car warm ? To keep the chill of of the Bonus room above it ? To create an area that can be used as a workshop in winter or are you creating the ultimate man cave for you round use.
Radiant heaters heat objects such as vehicles, your workbench and to a certain extent you. They are the most economical to run as the don’t have to reheat the entire garage after the overhead door is opened and the warm air escapes.
Forced air heaters work just the furnace in your home but contain a fans so ductwork is not required. Forced air heaters are ideal if you have a workshop that you spend a lot of time in or have a bonus room above the garage that you are having difficulty maintaining a comfortable temperature in. The drawback to a forced air heater is all the air you have heated escapes as soon as you open your overhead door so the garage needs to be reheated and more natural gas is used.
Your final option is pigtail off of an existing duct in your home and run an additional duct to your garage. This is NOT an option. It is important to understand that your existing furnace has been selected and calibrated to heat the square footage of your home. Even adding an additional duct to heat a small 20×20 garage (400 square feet) will throw your system out and will either overtax its capacity or cause other rooms in your home to fall out of balance and heat poorly.
We both forced air and radiant Garage heaters. Reznor, our forced air brand is known for its robust construction and ability to maintain peak operation for many years. It is the best known garage heater on the market and is in more homes than any other brand. Our Radiant Heater brand is Caribe. Though there are no moving parts in a radiant heater and less to break down, Reliability is important and we have found Caribe to have excellent durability at a value price point.