Shop heat

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papNal

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Aug 9, 2009
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118
Location
Tallassee Al.
Well the cold weather I wanted in July is finally here.:frown: Untill pen making showed up I could get by with a small elec. heater in my shop cause I wasn't in it too long at a time.The space I need to heat is about 12' x 16' fairly well insulated.What works for you folks? Thanks as always for your ideas. pap
 
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That is about the same size as my shop and I find that one of the oil-filled radiator space heaters work great. I can leave the thing on low and it keep my shop plenty warm; even in the Northeast. They run around $40-$55 at HD.

Its also on casters so I can kick it around if its in my way.
 
Our shop/garage is well insulated and dry walled on three sides and the overhead door is insulated as well. Two of the walls connect to the house. When it is in the 30s we run one oil filled electric heater. The kind you can get at Target for $40. Right now it is in the 30s and the one heater is on medium. I can go out and work in shorts and a T-shirt. When the real winter weather hits and it is 0 to 20 outside we will run two of these types of heaters. One on high and the other on medium. Even when it is 0 out we can work in shorts and T-shirts. We run the heaters 24/7 once the cold weather hits as we spend so much time out there. We have been in this house seven years and have had to replace each heater once.
 
I'm running a Modine direct ceiling attached and direct vent propane/NG heater. It heats the shop fast, efficiently and safely. It does not take up much space, especially being attached right on the ceiling, not hanging from it. Any heater that runs with a flame should be a direct vent outside, therefore it is burning outside air not dusty shop air and the moisture is vented outside not inside. Any gas powered heater vented into a shop can release a gallon of moisture per hour..or maybe it's more than that.
 
I had considered this when I saw it in the latest Lee Valley catalog.

http://www.leevalley.com/wood/page.aspx?c=2&cat=1,43456,43465,44590&p=44590

27k0840s3.jpg
 
Like others here I use the oil filled radient heater for my two car garage. To that I add some of the heated floor mats in front of spots I will stand for long periods.

http://cozywinters.com/shop/tfw.html

They keep my feet warm when I am standing on them which helps the rest of me feel much warmer. A side benefit is that I can put a piece of 1/4" hardboard on the mat and use that as a heated curing station for glue and resin.

Depending on size, the mats draw 80 or 135 watts and stay 135F. With the hardboard, blanks stay in the 70s while glue or resin cures.

Various folks sell these mats including Northern Tool

Between the floor mats and the oil filled radient heater (1500 watt) my garage stays tolerable in the winter. I only run the heater for a few hours a day. I have it on a timer to turn on an hour before I head out to the shop in the morning and after work. It turns off on the timer after I leave for work or go to bed.

To get a picture of the temperature profile in an out I have the follwoing data (Temperatures measured first thing in the morning and just before bedtime)
 

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jleiwig said:
I had considered this when I saw it in the latest Lee Valley catalog.

http://www.leevalley.com/wood/page.aspx?c=2&cat=1,43456,43465,44590&p=44590

27k0840s3.jpg
Click to expand...

That's the same heater I have in my garage. It works in the spring and fall but when the weather drops to -40º C it's not nearly enough. Unfortunately, one of the previous owners of my house put up drywall without bothering to put in vapour barrier or insulation. During the Christmas holidays this year my plan is to move the shop from the garage to one of the unused bedrooms downstairs. That's going to involve installing dust controll and air filtration but it'll be worth it in the long run.
 
MLKWoodWorking said:
Our shop/garage is well insulated and dry walled on three sides and the overhead door is insulated as well. Two of the walls connect to the house. When it is in the 30s we run one oil filled electric heater. The kind you can get at Target for $40. Right now it is in the 30s and the one heater is on medium. I can go out and work in shorts and a T-shirt. When the real winter weather hits and it is 0 to 20 outside we will run two of these types of heaters. One on high and the other on medium. Even when it is 0 out we can work in shorts and T-shirts. We run the heaters 24/7 once the cold weather hits as we spend so much time out there. We have been in this house seven years and have had to replace each heater once.
Click to expand...
Now this sounds like something I would like since I'm in the garage. I insulated the walls and the ceiling and drywalled it this summer.

I can hear the little woman now with the question ... 'How much does it cost to run those things?' ... any idea?
 
RHossack said:
Now this sounds like something I would like since I'm in the garage. I insulated the walls and the ceiling and drywalled it this summer.

I can hear the little woman now with the question ... 'How much does it cost to run those things?' ... any idea?
Click to expand...

Assuming the heater is 1500 Watts on high, and 24 hours a day, 36 KWH per day.

If you run every day, 1116 KWH per month

At $0.15 per KWH this ends up at $167 per month

In my case, I know that I will be in the shop a bit in the morning and a bit in the evening, so have my heater on 5 hours a day. I run the heater from mid October through mid April, with it on low (700 Watts) for two or three of those months, so I spend around $175 a year to heat my shop in CT.

On a bitter cold day (single digits F outside) the shop will be upper 50s, most of the time it is in the 60s.
 
bad said:
That's the same heater I have in my garage. It works in the spring and fall but when the weather drops to -40º C it's not nearly enough. Unfortunately, one of the previous owners of my house put up drywall without bothering to put in vapour barrier or insulation. During the Christmas holidays this year my plan is to move the shop from the garage to one of the unused bedrooms downstairs. That's going to involve installing dust controll and air filtration but it'll be worth it in the long run.
Click to expand...

It is a directional heater, so it will only heat things that it is pointed at. That's how infrared heating works.
 
I'm exploring new heating options myself....I live in Central VA and though the winters are NOTHING like in New England, it does get quite nippy in the winter months. I like to keep my shop at least 60 when I'm working in the winter, and last year I had two oil-filled radiant heater via Home Depot. I put them on Christmas tree timers to turn on early in the morning and mid-afternoon. They worked OK, but the problem was they take a little while to really get warmed up (and to warm up the shop). My shop is 525 sf, and I found I had to supplement the oil heaters with a convection heater just to get my hands warm.

My electric bill in my shop is around $20/mo in summer (separate meter from the house), and in the cold winter months was over $150 with this setup. Honestly, it wasn't really working for me. I'm looking more into the convection or infrared heaters b/c I don't spend consistent time in the shop. Sometimes I'm there in the morning, sometimes more in the evening, and I'd rather have a heating setup that I can go out and flip on to have the shop heated in 10 minutes so I can work. It will be FURTHER complicated once my little boy arrives at the end of January, which I suspect will basically keep me from getting any shop time at all:tongue::frown:
 
jleiwig said:
It is a directional heater, so it will only heat things that it is pointed at. That's how infrared heating works.
Click to expand...

Correct and I have it pointed at me and my lathe. Trying to heat an unisulated shop in Canada is at best futile. But I can stay relitavely warm directly in front of the heater. Until the temp drops to -40ºC :-)
 
GouletPens said:
I'm exploring new heating options myself....I live in Central VA and though the winters are NOTHING like in New England, it does get quite nippy in the winter months. I like to keep my shop at least 60 when I'm working in the winter, and last year I had two oil-filled radiant heater via Home Depot. I put them on Christmas tree timers to turn on early in the morning and mid-afternoon. They worked OK, but the problem was they take a little while to really get warmed up (and to warm up the shop). My shop is 525 sf, and I found I had to supplement the oil heaters with a convection heater just to get my hands warm.

My electric bill in my shop is around $20/mo in summer (separate meter from the house), and in the cold winter months was over $150 with this setup. Honestly, it wasn't really working for me. I'm looking more into the convection or infrared heaters b/c I don't spend consistent time in the shop. Sometimes I'm there in the morning, sometimes more in the evening, and I'd rather have a heating setup that I can go out and flip on to have the shop heated in 10 minutes so I can work. It will be FURTHER complicated once my little boy arrives at the end of January, which I suspect will basically keep me from getting any shop time at all:tongue::frown:
Click to expand...

I know I'm late to the party, but wanted to say congratulations on the pregnancy!!!
 
I use a gas space type heater. Like the old kind that used to be in houses. Found one a good one at an old appliance dealer. Works great in my uninsulated garage(except for the doors). Unless its real cold and the wind is really blowing, then it at least is tolerable.
 
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