It’s Sept 1 and I’m thinking about this coming winter. I live in Penn, so it gets a little chilly here. The set up is this. I use a friends two car garage. However, I only use 1/2 the garage, she uses the rest. You can’t beat the rent, no utilities and I only have to mow the lawn every week. I moved in there last January and used a friends “torpedo” heater to heat the place. Couple downsides. Noisy as all get out. Also, garage is not insulated, so after I got the chill off, I’d shut the thing down, but it got cold fast. So, I’m trying to figure out what to do. This is not a permanent arrangement, so any modifications I do have to be removeable. A friend suggested I hang a tarp across the center of the garage (there is a cross beam about 8′ up inbetween the two bays. Then he suggested I get some sheets of foam insulation and attach them overhead. Does anyone have any other suggestions? I am looking at purchasing a radiant heater, instead of using the torpedo. As I said, this all has to be temporary. I don’t have a time limit that I need to be out, and no pressure to do so, but I hope not to be there the rest of my woodworking career.
Thanks.
Replies
Robinlynn,
Foam board unprotected by sheetrock, and plastic tarps are easily ignited fire hazards that produce highly toxic fumes when burning, it wouldn't be fair to your friend to put her and her property at risk by using them.
If a car is parked in the garage I would be cautious about using any kind of a heater with an open flame, even a small gasoline leak will allow explosive fumes to accumulate at floor level.
Radiant heaters are awkward to work with, the area in front of the heater will be warm but everything not in that small area will still be ice cold. Also, wood near the heater dries out very quickly and unevenly leading to warpage, for the same reason gluing and finishing are difficult using radiant heat.
Many people have good success using a direct vent, through the wall propane heater for heating shop spaces. They cost several hundred dollars but are relatively simple to install, and if you take the heater with you when you leave, you'll only have to patch a 8" diameter hole in the wall.
With fuel prices going to $3.00 per gallon, even semi comfortably heating an uninsulated shop space is going to be an expensive proposition this winter. Perhaps you could make a deal with your friend to properly insulate and heat the garage with her suppling the materials and you doing the work.
John W.
Edited 9/1/2005 6:12 pm ET by JohnWW
I think your biggest problem may be the slab itself. Concrete gets cold and stays cold - just radiates the cold. So you'll have a "cold producer" down where it's already coldest.
I built a free standing shop on a deck-type base and added a sheet of plastic on top of the subfloor, then 1/2" foiled-both sides sheet insulation, then the floor itself. That may be your best solution for eliminating the major cold source.
Home Depot has some reflective foil covered bubble wrap that is fire rated. It would be easy to staple to the ceiling joists and give yourself a little more comfort at a low cost. This stuff needs to be more or less airtight so get the sealing tape to go with it.
For the floor! get those interlocking rubber mats. They come 6 per pack, fit together like a jig-saw puzzle and will really help with the cold floor for not too much cost. If you're lucky, you find them at a warehouse store (like Costco here on the west coast) for about $11/package of six. Try also the automotive chains, they often have them.
forestgirl -- you can take the girl out of the forest, but you can't take the forest out of the girl ;-)
Another proud member of the "I Rocked With ToolDoc Club" .... :>)
Hi, forestgirl,
I tried to send you some piccys of my kitchen cupboards (take a look in the Gallery). Unfortunately, and almost certainly due to my own ineptitude, I lost your name in the 'To:' address, and only one picture is there, even though I thought I had sent 2. Sorry.
Ozzy.
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