Once overnight lows settle below zero, an unheated shop stops being a workspace. Hands go numb, hydraulic fluid gets sluggish, paint and sealants won't cure, and the jobs you meant to finish before winter get pushed to spring. A portable forced-air heater is the fastest and most affordable way to fix that. It moves a lot of heat quickly and goes wherever the work is.
Buying one comes down to two decisions: how big, and which fuel. Get those right and the rest is details.
Start With the Space, Not the Heater
Heater output is rated in BTU, but the more useful number is the volume of space the heater can handle. Measure your length, width, and ceiling height in metres and multiply them. A 9 × 12 m shop with 4 m ceilings works out to 432 cubic metres.
Then compare that against the rated heating area:
- ZB-G60A (propane, 40–60K BTU): 234–352 m³
- ZB-G100A (propane, 70–100K BTU): 410–586 m³
- ZB-K70 (kerosene, 70K BTU): about 400 m³
- ZB-K125 (kerosene, 125K BTU): about 740 m³
Those ratings assume reasonable conditions. If your building is poorly insulated, has high ceilings, or has a big door that opens all day, size up. A heater that's working at its limit all day is working harder than it needs to.
Propane: Convenient and Clean-Burning
Propane heaters run off a standard cylinder, the same kind of fuel you can refill almost anywhere. Propane burns cleaner than kerosene, with less odour, and the heaters themselves cost less up front. The ZB-G60A and ZB-G100A are rated across a BTU range, which gives you some flexibility between a mild fall day and a cold one.
The limitation is cold. Propane has to vaporize to burn, and as the temperature drops, a cylinder delivers fuel less effectively. You'll notice it at the far end of winter, or when you're running a large heater off a small tank. For shops, garages, and job sites where you're heating through fall and moderate winter conditions, propane is usually the simplest answer.
Kerosene: Built for Deep Cold
Kerosene heaters carry their fuel onboard. The ZB-K70 has a 19-litre tank and burns about 2.01 litres per hour, which works out to roughly nine hours of runtime per fill at that rate. The ZB-K125 carries a 38-litre tank for the larger spaces it's built to heat.
Kerosene's advantage is that it keeps performing when it's properly cold, which is where propane struggles. For machine sheds, large shops, and agricultural buildings that need dependable heat through January and February, kerosene is the stronger choice.
The trade-offs: you'll need to store kerosene on site, there's more odour than with propane, and the heaters cost more up front. For many operations, reliable heat at -30 is worth all three.
Ventilation Isn't Optional
Every fuel-burning heater, propane or kerosene, produces carbon monoxide and water vapour. Forced-air heaters are built for shops, construction sites, and ag buildings with adequate fresh air, not for living spaces or anywhere people sleep. Follow the manufacturer's ventilation and clearance requirements, keep combustibles well away from the outlet, and put a carbon monoxide detector in any building where you're running one. It's a cheap addition that should be standard.
The Short Version
- Heating a garage or small-to-mid shop through fall and moderate winter: propane, ZB-G60A or ZB-G100A depending on volume.
- Heating a large building, or you need dependable heat in the deepest cold: kerosene, ZB-K70 or ZB-K125.
- Not sure where your space lands: call and talk it through before you buy.
Hot & Spooky: October 9–18
All four heaters are on sale during Hot & Spooky, October 9 through October 18, at up to 13% off. If you're weighing propane against kerosene or trying to size a heater for an awkward space, call REX at 1-877-453-3964. We'll help you work it out. You can also shop online at RexEquipment.ca.
