# procom ventless garage heater



## patcollins (Jul 22, 2010)

Ventless isn't truely ventless, it vents out into the room. Do yourself a favor and buy a carbon monoxide detector for the garage.

Great cheap way to heat the garage though, you cant beat natural gas for cost.


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## crank49 (Apr 7, 2010)

I use one of those in my basement shop.
As mentioned already, beware of carbon monoxide.

And, also be aware that ventless gas heaters dump a lot of moisture into the air.


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## YanktonSD (Jun 21, 2011)

Do you have to worry about moisture? I worry about the ventless units like this pumping moisture into my shop. Do you use a dehumidifier?


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## Nowa (Sep 14, 2012)

thanks Guys. Safety first. Will install a CO detector and slightly open the window for extra safety.

I will have to keep an eye on the humidity to protect my tools against rust. For the time being, the water condenses on the colder external wall and is not much of a concern unless I run the unit for an extended period of time.


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## Hybridwoodworker (Jul 24, 2012)

I have been running a ventless propane heater for about 15 years now. Humidity is not a problem. I live in NC and in the summer with the AC on, the humidity is 60 to 70 %. In the winter the shop humidity is 48 to 50%. I keep the shop at a minimum of 50 degrees so that there isn't any condensation on the tools when I warm it up. Yes there is water vapor but it is not like it rains in the shop.

BRuce


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## Gene01 (Jan 5, 2009)

There are upsides to living in the desert. The lack of humidity being one. 
I've used a procomm in my shop for several years with no problems. 
We also use one in an addition we built 12 years ago. 
We keep a door window cracked in the addition and have CO detector/alarms in the addition and all 4 bedrooms. 
There are no alarms in the shop but a window is cracked. Plus, the DC is vented directly outside and that probably helps.


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## b2rtch (Jan 20, 2010)

You need to have some fresh air coming in if not soon you will run out of oxygen to breath


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## NormG (Mar 5, 2010)

I now someone who uses this heater and they are very satisfied with it. They have a smaller one I was thinking of for my shop that you can hook to a 20 pound LP tank


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## RobertT (Oct 14, 2010)

Use some polyurethane while it is running and let me know if you would still give it 5 stars. Mine makes toxic fumes from an open can of poly or any sort of thinner.


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## tomd (Jan 29, 2008)

I have been using one for 10 years with no problem. Also they come with a oxygen sensor so if oxygen runs low it shuts off. I run mine for long periods of time and have had no humidity problems, I do not do any finishing in the shop when using it because your in an enclosed room.


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## donbee (Feb 7, 2009)

Our ancient house has never had a furnace and retrofitting one would be a nightmare. So we heat the entire house with unvented gas heaters. We prefer the kind with ceramic plaques because they glow red and produce much infrared heating. We run four of them during the coldest winter months here in NW PA and have been doing so for decades.
Any ordinary building has sufficient cross ventilation to provide fresh air. none of our CO and smoke detectors have ever gone off and the heaters themselves have O2 sensors which can shut down the heater if oxygen levels drop. That has never happened here.
I don't use them in my workshop because it is too drafty and attempting to heat it would be far too inefficient.

d


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## patcollins (Jul 22, 2010)

Wow a house with no furnace in NW PA


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## craftsman on the lake (Dec 27, 2008)

I did a review on this heater in my shop about 5 yrs. ago. I can whole heartedly vouch for it to this day. Each year I had to use a can of spray air to clean out the pilot. I recommend wrapping the pilot/igniter in tape or plastic after the winter season is over to avoid having to blow it out.

This heater is heating my 25×25 shop in Maine to this day. -5 degree's today btw so we do get some cold weather up here. I've not replaced any parts, just cleaned it. Walls and floor are insulated

Even after the squirrels removed all the insulation from between the joists in the attic it still keeps on heating well. Since I only turn it on during shop use and heat for about 20 minutes beforehand to get it up to speed, I haven't had any issues with co2 buildup. The monitor reads zero ppm all the time. Moisture… none. No rust on the tools and no moisture noticed anywhere. Winter is rather dry anyway isn't it?

On a day like today, I'm in my shirtsleeves after about 30-45 min of lighting it and pleasant with a sweatshirt after the initial 20 minutes of warming it up.

I used to have a dedicated 100 lb. bottle that was filled by truck but later just take my two 20 lb. BBQ bottles and trade them in at walmart about 4 times a year if I'm in the shop a lot. That way I always have one with gas in it.

Very pleased with this unit…. Just another thumbs up vote.


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## patcollins (Jul 22, 2010)

The moisture comes from the chemical reaction of combustion.

Ideally natural gas and oxygen turn to Carbon Dioxide and Water when burnt, but there are other things in the air and in natural gas and the combustion isn't 100%.


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## donbee (Feb 7, 2009)

I forgot to mention that.
If there are things in the air near an unvented heater, such as paint thinner or anything with solvents in it, the chemical will be processed in the heater and produce some very offensive (and dangerous?) odors.

d


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## craftsman on the lake (Dec 27, 2008)

Hmmm….. Being careful is important. No wood leaning against heater, Don't saturate the air with turpentine, Don't evaporate water on it. But, being a little careful with common sense things is good. Other than that this little heater justs heats, No issues at all in any of these areas. It's even screwed against the wall. Comes with a bracket to do just that. My shop is pretty tight. My co2 meter never registers even if it's been on all day. It's always good to be careful and have common sense. Other than that, this heater is far from a death trap.


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## Hacksaw007 (Sep 1, 2009)

How much gas does it take to run it. I am in my shop only 1-2 half days a week, and some of that is due to the cold. My shop is 12×12 fully insulated except for the garage door on the front, but has a cold concrete floor.

-Mike


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## craftsman on the lake (Dec 27, 2008)

My 24×24 nearly insulated shop takes about a 20 lb bottle every 4-5 days if on about 6 hrs a day. I splurge and keep it warm though. Shirtsleeve warm. I'm in the shop off and on quite a bit during the winter. Costs me about $100/yr. Bottles at walmart exchange are about $17.


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## Gittyup (Jan 16, 2013)

I heat my 25×25 uninsulated shop with one of the propane infrared variety. Works very well. It's on a wall away from things and facing my table saw and 15" planer, about 3-4 feet away. The IR warms the machines quickly, and they hold the heat to help keep it in the uninsulated space. Below 30F, it takes about 30 minutes to warm the room. I supplement it with two small electric heaters and a small fan to force the heat down from the ceiling. Once it gets warm, I can turn the gas heater back to the lowest setting and stay comfortable all day. The propane heater is about the lowest cost solution you can use short of a DIY wood burner. I'm happy. I just wish my shop was insulated!


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## Tennessee (Jul 8, 2011)

When I lived in North Mississippi, these seemed to be standard issue on most homes. Mine was mounted in the living room, close to the hall leading to the kitchen. They were all installed after the 94' ice storm killed power for up to four weeks in most of North Mississippi.
Agree on a little fresh air, but most garages are loose enough that they will vent themselves. A garage door is not what you would call an air-tight seal. I run kerosene in my garage shop with no problems.
I wish I had one of these.


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## crank49 (Apr 7, 2010)

I was just thinking about that '94 ice storm.
That's the year I installed the gas wall heater in my basement shop. 
The year I decided to stop fooling with firewood and the wood stove so I put the gas heater in as a backup.
When the ice storm took out our power for 10 days I was sure glad I had that heater, but honestly, it didn't replace the wood stove in terms of total BTU.
I had 27 trees broken and laying across my 1/2 mile driveway. Some as big as 30" diameter.
The power lines were broken in 7 places and 2 of the poles were snapped off.
Took me 3 days just to get to the highway..


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