Replies

1. 
   cutawooda | Jan 30, 2005 05:44am | #1

   I bitched and moaned for years about my garage be too damn cold. I would tell my wife that I could run my hands through the table saw and never feel it. I never did anything but complain about it and wait till it warmed up.  I now have a 40x 40 shop and for 2 years  I  tried using those two-head propane heaters. They were nice for heating  you hands up but my shop ceiling is 14 feet high so it was VERY inefficient. I finally brok down and bought a 100,000 btu torpedoe heater that runs on kerosene.  I AM IN HEAVEN!!!!why did I wait so long. Because i am a cheapskate! It cost me 300.00 and each 5 gal of kerosene is 20.00, ...but...it works great. In the morning I turn it on to 60 degrees, (it has a digital t-stat that has on-off control HE HE !) I go drinkk my coffee and in about 15 minutes my shop has gone from 29 degrees to 60 degrees.  I set my glue about 10 feet away and it brings it up to temp as welll as my material.

   On a cautionary note: It will burn your place down in a second if you are not careful where you put it. Actually, I should not be leaving it alone, however, I lock down the wheels incase it evre move and I have nothing near it that will combust.

   Also,..you need ventilation. I crack the bottom of my roll-up door to provide fresh air.

   good luck.

1. 
   chiseler2 | Jan 30, 2005 05:54am | #2

   Do you have any trouble with rusting tools?I thought the kerosene and propane heaters give off quite a bit of moisture.

   The chiseler 

2. 
   slowski | Jan 31, 2005 03:53am | #9

   Thanks for the info.......

2. 
   byhammerandhand | Jan 30, 2005 06:21am | #3

   I have a friend in Canada (eh?) that has one of those radiant heaters that's basically a long U tube that contains all the combustion and then vents out. Being radiant, it heats things first, and not the air directly. Last I heard he likes it and makes his shop comfortable.

1. 
   slowski | Jan 31, 2005 03:56am | #10

   Can you put me intouch with your friend?  I'd like to ask him some questions.  What brand did he purchase?  What size is his shop and the size of the heater?  Did he install the heater himself?  Let me know.  Thanks........

3. 
   Sprucegum | Jan 30, 2005 06:47am | #4

   Go down to the left corner of your screen and do a search on "radiant heaters". You will find lots of info and a variety of opinions on both sides.

   My opinion: I wish I had in-floor heat instead, my shop is too small for the U-tube I have and it is the smallest on the market right now.

    

4. 
   butternut | Jan 30, 2005 07:13am | #5

   I have had radiant heat in my shop for 15 years and it has been great. In cold weather this type of heat will keep the floors and machinery warm to touch. We always turn the heat down at night, and first thing in the morning turn it back up. Within one half hour objects are warm to touch. These type of heaters are simple and are quite maitenance free , easily installed. Just make sure you get enough heater to fill your shop size. This type of heat works very well in our finish room . Best thing to do is visit a shop with this type of heat  and turn it up.

1. 
   slowski | Jan 31, 2005 04:58am | #13

   Thanks for the info......

1. 
   2x4 | Feb 02, 2005 05:02am | #14

   Slowski.. I have a 28 by 40 shop with 17 ft ceilings and use a 135,000 BTU radiant tube down the middle. Most of these tubes allow the air to be drawn from outside for combustion avoiding any large explosions.I installed my own and it is easy to do. Mine was made by Schwank. One thing I have noticed is that the radiant heat will cause wood to curl as the wood drys out on top and it first noticed it on sheets of veneer core plywood.I overcame that problem by covering the wood with large sheets of cardboard. My tube is fired by propane but they also come for natural gas

   I also have used the reddy kerosene heaters and they work real well but I was a bit nervous when a flame would shoot out once and a while.It did force me to keep the floor clean. I do plan to use one as an air make up unit when I spray and will place it in front of the open entrance door

5. 
   frederic | Jan 30, 2005 08:31pm | #6

   My shop is basically the same as yours. Same dimensions, same isolation. Two things might be different: first, it is a 150 years old garage with a wooden floor, no floor insulation.  Second, I'm in Quebec, Canada, where it sometimes drops to 30-35 below in winter. My entire shop is heated with a 69$,  4800W,  240V electrical heater. The price difference  between propane (or kerosene, or oil, or wood...) and electrical power will never make any investment (cheminey, stove, etc...) wise in my case.  Plus the heater is 12¨X12¨X12¨, hung to the seiling.  Never in my way.

   Even at 35 below, the shop becomes ¨comfortable¨ in about one hour. I always wear good boots and a sweather, but it does not stop me from working in winter. I keep water stones, glue and finishes out of the shop for winter time. 

   Of course, I'm in the shop not even a few hours a week, but it's fine for me. I dream about  a 100000 BTU unit, but will save this cash to spend at Lie-Nielsen...

   Fred

    

6. 
   Mach70 | Jan 31, 2005 02:22am | #7

   I've always been partial to those "apartment" furnaces that mount on the wall between studs & vent out the back. In my 24x32 shop I installed a 2nd hand home furnace & had ducting made to distribute the heat from ceiling outlets. The downside to any open-combustion furnace is the risk of igniting fumes if you spray indoors.

7. 
   Yogi | Jan 31, 2005 02:40am | #8

   Gets cold here in N Idaho, too-  I dropped the ceiling in my garage to 8 ft and use a 100,000 btu kerosine reddyheater-  Place heats up in a trice, I can point it at where I am if need be, and it's on a shelf out of the way the rest of the year-  I considered more expensive/complicated/permanent alternatives, but this one suits-  And I can shop different stores for prices when I need kerosine-

8. 
   bones | Jan 31, 2005 04:42am | #11

   I know you are not going to beleive this, but go to http://www.garageheater.com. There are several models. Talk about a web address that goes right to the heart of the matter. Good luck.

1. 
   slowski | Jan 31, 2005 04:44am | #12

   Thanks.  Nice web site.....