Shop heaters

[AZJW]

Back when I was farming with my Dad, we used a kerosene space heater to keep us warm enough to work in the shop while welding, cutting,  wrenching,  etc.  That space heater was pretty noisy, messy to have to keep filling it with kerosene and it needed a door open to keep from asphyxiating us.

 

Having moved to the high desert with temperatures in the teens and sometimes single digits outside in the mornings, the shop is in the mid to upper 40's at times and isn't conducive to working on the bike or other projects.  My garage/ shop is attached to the house and is new construction,  so it's pretty well sealed up from drafts and as such, makes ventilation that much more of a challenge. I should clarify that my immediate shop area is well over 1,000 sq ft ( nice problem to have) , but I'm ok with having some sort of directional heat that I can focus on my work area and not necessarily heat the whole shop.

 

Lots of choices from diesel, kerosene, propane, but all have their drawbacks with the need to poke a hole in the wall for an exhaust or leaving doors open for ventilation,  which somewhat defeats the purpose.  Electric are cheap to buy, expensive to run and work best if directly in front of the output.

 

What are you guys using to keep your shops tolerable? 

[Hibobb]

40 minutes ago, AZJW said:

What are you guys using to keep your shops tolerable

 

Built my shop in 2019. I used a Modine "Hot Dawg" unit, LP (propane). Simple, up out of the way, no muss/no fuss

They make them in Natural Gas too, (If that is how you heat your home).

I bought one with a "sealed combustion chamber", meaning it has to draw air from the outside, and of course exhaust outside.

Better for a garage with gasoline stored in it, i figured...

They make a "pipe within a pipe" to draw and exhaust the air out of the same hole in the wall.

I am not sure the the efficiency rating, but it is better than sucking cold air into your shop thru the cracks along the overhead door!

I only burn thru 80 gallons of LP during the long/cold Wisconsin winters

I keep mine set at 45 degrees F (it was 5 degrees outside this morning). 45 is fine to work in during quick jobs, plus it only take 15 minutes to warm things up to 60 F.

The wall thermostat will even shut it off at night if you so wish. I set the "swing" of the thermostat for +/- 2 degrees, so it turns on/off a lot less than a home heater.

 

If I were to do again, I might check out a small home high efficiency home furnace (PVC pipes to intake and exhaust) energy prices are only going to rise.

May not be an issue for your use. Best of luck to you... you will never regret it, we ain't getting younger!

 

 

 

Edited January 24, 2023 by Hibobb

[Hollybrook]

I use a 24,000 Btu kerosene convection heater in my 400 sq. ft. garage.  It gets so warm that I have to shut it down in about an hour unless it is well below freezing outside.  A couple of them would heat your garage pretty well and are inexpensive to buy and run.

 

Before anyone gets all excited, I have a CO detector in the garage and the heater never generates any detectable CO.  These heaters have a catalytic burner that does a good job of completely burning all the fuel and don't seem to put much moisture in the air.  They are reported to be 99.9% efficient.

 

I light mine outdoors and shut it off outside as well.  This controls the smell quite a bit.

 

Propane heaters generate a lot of moisture unless vented outside like @Hibobb does.
 

I had a 220V electrical heater in my last garage of similar size.  It did a good job of heating the space, but I could definitely see the difference in my electrical bills even though I only used it a couple of times a week during winter.

 

If I was going to be here for many  years, I would put in a mini-split heater/air conditioner.  If you install yourself, you can get a 12,000 Btu unit in place for under $1k.

Edited January 24, 2023 by Hollybrook

[BikeBrother]

Well, i moved to my kitchen...

 

Edited January 24, 2023 by BikeBrother
Add picture

[AZJW]

12 minutes ago, BikeBrother said:

Well, i moved to my kitchen...

 

Thanks for the thought. I just showed this to the wifey and the look on her face said it all!  Still, the newspapers are a nice touch, but ain't gonna fly here.

[Hollybrook]

@AZJW Did you mention the living room??? 

[DT675]

Did you ever settle on some heat?  I’m a plumbing and heating contractor in MN and the Modine unit Hibobb mentioned is the most popular option I install if it’s a detached garage. Personally, I have a infloor radiant heat in my garage with a Fujitsu mini split/ heat pump. Because I have infloor heat, I just have the regular mini split that heats down to around 10 degrees outside temperature. If I didn’t, I’d have one of the low temp units that heats down to -20. They aren’t cheap, but they are efficient, safe and quiet!  Good luck!

[jdub53]

30 minutes ago, DT675 said:

Did you ever settle on some heat?  I’m a plumbing and heating contractor in MN and the Modine unit Hibobb mentioned is the most popular option I install if it’s a detached garage. Personally, I have a infloor radiant heat in my garage with a Fujitsu mini split/ heat pump. Because I have infloor heat, I just have the regular mini split that heats down to around 10 degrees outside temperature. If I didn’t, I’d have one of the low temp units that heats down to -20. They aren’t cheap, but they are efficient, safe and quiet!  Good luck!

 

I did an engine change on a corporate jet once in a hangar with a glycol (I think) heated floor when it was about 10°F outside. Very different experience, with warm feet and tools that got warm when I laid them on the floor. I liked it!

[Rider 101]

Funny, you look for heat and I would love an air conditioned workshop. 

Come summer I generally park the bike up until temperatures drop below 30°C

[Kiwi]

53 minutes ago, Rider 101 said:

Funny, you look for heat and I would love an air conditioned workshop. 

Come summer I generally park the bike up until temperatures drop below 30°C

 

I wish I had that problem.

 

I am curious to know where abouts you live?

[Rider 101]

Upper Hunter NSW

 

Upper Hunter - Accommodation, towns & wineries | Visit NSW

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Explore Upper Hunter NSW. Enjoy scenic drives, horse riding in Scone, events in Muswellbrook & Hunter Valley wineries. Find accommodation & bushwalking.

 

[AZJW]

8 hours ago, DT675 said:

Did you ever settle on some heat?  I’m a plumbing and heating contractor in MN and the Modine unit Hibobb mentioned is the most popular option I install if it’s a detached garage. Personally, I have a infloor radiant heat in my garage with a Fujitsu mini split/ heat pump. Because I have infloor heat, I just have the regular mini split that heats down to around 10 degrees outside temperature. If I didn’t, I’d have one of the low temp units that heats down to -20. They aren’t cheap, but they are efficient, safe and quiet!  Good luck!

In 2 words, not really.  A neighbor tried a smaller mini split in his shop ( same builder and size)  and it failed miserably.   Not saying that they won't work, but the size and expense f the unit needed to heat my large area is cost prohibitive for the few days each winter I actually "need" it.  I settled for an electric floor heater that I plug in about an hour before I head out to work on the bike and at least the tools don't stick to my hands!  Arthritic hands suck and even wearing gloves it's still difficult to spend much time in the cold trying to execute fine motor skills with uncooperative fingers.  

[Hibobb]

@AZJW, while building my shop I had this 220v hanging from the ceiling. On high, it puts out three times the BTU of the typical 1,500 watt units. Having a fan helps it distribute the hot air, especially if you have a taller ceiling.

Order the cord right away as it is not included.

 

https://www.amazon.com/Comfort-Zone-Industrial-Electric-Ceiling/dp/B009F1SWH8/ref=sr_1_17?keywords=220%2Bvolt%2Bheater&qid=1692460763&sr=8-17&th=1

 

[Canzvt]

@AZJW Hot Dawg all the way. Put one in a dozen or so years ago, and in the great white north it gets cold! Works all winter, is efficient, quite and heats up my much smaller (!!!) garage in a hurry. Available in multiple BTU ratings.