My “shop” is a one-car garage that I will be insulating soon and I want to heat it. It’s freezing here in Boston! BRRRRR!
I don’t have access to natural gas and radiant floor heating is not an option (I’m not rich!). I also want to avoid an open flame because of sawdust, finishes, etc. Does anybody here have an electric heater or some other system they recommend?
– Toolfreak
Replies
I know what you mean about the money part. When I had my house build about 6 years ago, I had the garage well insulated and put in insulated garage doors. It is paying back dividends now. I went through the deciding what to put in and no matter what I picked is was going to be expensive. I ended up with two oil filled radiator type heaters (cheap). I know they use the juice, but my monthly electric bill has not gone up that bad. We had a cold spell recently where we saw single digits outside. My shop stayed at 60-62. While that's not T-shirt weather, It has kept me from buying a big heater. I like the little oil filled heaters because no open flame. I would still like a nice heating system, but used the money to buy a LN plane instead. Good luck on the decision.
Toolfreak ,
There are Propane space heaters out now that don't fume or smell like the old kerosene space heaters like I used for many years . Maybe you could rent one for a few days to determine if it works for you and if you like that system .
good luck dusty
Tool,
A friend,s wife once had her plumber friend
install a few sections of baseboard electric heating
in her basement laundry room.
A timer control was installed to preheat the room and shut dowm when not wanted.
A good idea would be to add foam insulated panels to the inside of your garage door and attach thick foam weatherstripping around the exterior four edges of the garage
ED.
My shop is also a one car garage. I insulated the walls with blown in cellulose, and the ceiling with two layers of 6" fiberglass, one layer filled the space between the trusses and the other was run at right angles to the trusses, with that the shop is pretty inexpensive to heat, but even better it stays cool in the summer. Before it was like an oven in there and I hate being hot. A better garage door would help to keep things warmer yet, but I have not bothered to install one, so I just hang a tarp in front of it on very cold days. I use a 23000 btu kerosene heater to warm the shop first thing in the morning but after a while, even when it is quite cold out,10 degrees or so, it gets too hot. Of course the open flame can't be used if you are making a lot of dust, but most of my work is with hand tools. I use an additive with the kerosene that cuts down on the smell, and I turn the heater off outside the shop, because that is when it stinks the worst. I also have a 6 foot section of electric baseboard heat, that is oil filled, so it is safe to use with dust in the air, but I have to clean it often to avoid reducing its efficiency due to dust on the fins. It runs on 220 and I noticed no real difference in my bill, using it for 20 plus hours a week. Over my shoulder at the bench I have a Quartz Overhead Radiant Heater ( Lee Valley 27K08.10) which I use if I'm really cold and not making dust.
Rob Millard
The open flame of propane or kerosene heaters is a problem with heavy dust and finishing fumes. But, as big a problem is moisture and CO production. Watervapor is a by-product of combustion of fossil fuels and the watervapor can cause cast iron to rust and wood to take on some unusual moisture related problems that cause warping. Second, CO is also a product of combustion and can be very insidious. They took a woodworker out of his garage a few years ago in the same town I lived in. He survived by never regained full brain function. In that town it was against the law to use unvented heaters in small residential areas.Howie.........
Thanks for the information. I must say that I never have any problem with excessive moisture in my shop ( no rusting, warping of wood etc.) As for the CO problem, that too has never been a problem. If either of these problems had shown up, I would not have used the heater, and certainly would not have recommended it. I am continually amazed at what Governments seek to pass laws on, and outlawing a heater is a prime example.
Rob Millard
Freak: If you're putting in a wooden floor, you might consider poor man's radiant floor heating: run three quarter copper or galvanized pipe below the flooring and hook it up to a hot water heater, with a recirculating pump on a thermostat. You could also wire it to a timer so your shop would warm up in the morning but not run the recirculator at night.
Good luck.
Toolfreak,
It seems to me that once you get this insulated the best solution will depend on how you plan to use the space. Generally speaking, you can choose between flash heat solutions or sustained heat solutions. The flash heat usually requires lower installtion cost with higher operating cost and the reverse for the sustained heat solutions.
After insulation, most the cold will come from the concrete slab and, depending on the amount of time out in the shop, that cold will migrate upwards to the knees, hips, etc.
I put down some Dri-cote panels (home depot) in front of the workbench that really helps. I also bought some electric socks if I need long term heat in the basement. A quartz heater over the workbench gives a nice warm spot to both work and come back to if needed to warm yourself. I would consider something with a blower to take the initial chill off the area and rely on the insulation to keep it relatively comfortable.
However, in the dead of winter, none of he above solutions provide an adequate environment for gluing or finishing. That'll require you wait for our three day spring...
Toolfreak -
My shop - 16 X 16 is about 3/4 of the way to being insulated, and is near Chicago, so it's plenty cold when I go in there. It's attached to the back half of the detached 2 car garage. I initially was using a kerosene heater, but didn't like the fumes, and open flame issues, not to mention having to go out to buy fuel all the time. After about a month of that I decided to purchase a Dayton fan forced 4000W 240V heater from Amazon that works great. It was about $160, has a thermostat and is less 12" X 12" X 12". It sits up on a shelf I placed in the corner of the shop, and heats it to a comfortable level in about 20 minutes. It's great!
-Zy
What do you have for a heating system? I you have a boiler (i.e. baseboard or radiators) then you can get a modine (its the best but there are others out there). You have a heating guy or plumber run a zone of hot water into the garage and the modine is basically a bit fan (depending on sq footage, about 2'hx2'wx1'd with a in and out for the hot water. It has a coil for the hot water to run through and a fan that blows the air across it. That would be the cheapest long term to run with the exception of radiant. You don' t have any conbustion, the heat comes from an existing boiler. If your boiler can take another zone, all you have is pipe, a zone valve or pump, the modine and a thermostat for that new zone.
I would steer you away from electric baseboard, take a look at it some time. It is the same type of heating element that a toaster oven uses. It will cost you a forture to run and I've seen scorch marks on sofa and other material at houses where they let the furniture get too close to the base. I don't know how that stuff is legal anymore.
I put an Empire LP heater in my 16 x 24 x 10 shop. It has a chimney that both pulls in outside air and exhausts the combusted gases. Used it cost me $279, new it's about $500. Installation is easy, and can be done by the consumer. It runs on a thermostat which creates its own electricity by way of the pilot light. So there's no electricity costs associated with its use.
My shop is well insulated, and is incredibly cozy. I did build a pine floor with 1 1/2" insulation between treated 2 x 4 sleepers. As for fire risk, the flames are all contained within the unit, and although there is a small pilot light, it is well protected behind a glass shield. Not perfect and 100% flame free, but I think very safe.
I'd very highly recommend these units.
As fir running cost, here in upstate NY, we've had a month of near zero temps, and to keep the shop between 50 and 65 cost me about $100. Regardless of which heater you choose, insulate, insulate and insulate.
Hope this is helpful.
I have a 28 x 40 with 9 foot ceiling shop on the 1st floor and I did not want anything with a flame.
I have one electric heater mounted to the ceiling on a bracket that came with it for this purpose. The heater has a built in fan and a tempature control.
I live in the cold north but this heater keeps my shop any tempature I desire up to about 74 when its below zero. The heater only cost about 225.00 and uses 220 volt electric. This has been very economical for me.
I use an electric radiant heater from Lee Valley in my assembly area on the coldest days because the heater is quite a long ways away from this area.
Garry
WoodWorks by Garry
I had a very similar situation. Do you have 220V service in your shop? My solution was to buy a Cadet brand heater called The Hot One from Home Depot. It works REALLY well; not the cheapest solution ($200), and has a blower so it doesn't offer the silence I'd like. But it has two heat ranges, and heats very well. I'd do it again, I think. I can set the temp really low--like 45 deg--and heat the shop up to 60 deg in about 5 minutes. I'm not finding it on HD's website anymore, but that might mean that you can get one at your local store on clearance or closeout b/c I only bought mine a couple of months ago.
Good Luck,
Charlie
Years ago I heated an insulated garage which was 14 x 26 feet and 10 foot ceiling with a "milk house heater" purchased from Grainger. It had three settings and was capable of 4000watts (13,640 BTU/hr.) and ran on 220volts. I could keep the garage at 60 degrees when it was -20 degrees and the chill factor was -30. Used it for 20 years and it is still in fine condition but in my new work shop I have a gas heater now. The electric heater was very inexpensive about $90.00 plus shipping per 1996 catalog. Hope this works for you.
I've got a Hotdog heater by Modine. It is gas and 60,000 BTU. Really does a geat job of heating the garage. Our garage is 3 car with 12 foot ceilings.
just saw this today, very small wood stoves, only 12x19"
http://www.kk.org/cooltools/archives/000666.php
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