I need to heat a 600 Sqft shop, well insulated. I live in Southern, Ontario, Canada. Problem is I am on a tight budget, so I am looking @ $500 MAX. Any suggestions? Something I can leave on over night and not worry about would be ideal.
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Robin,
You should be able to get a good second hand mobile home furnace for less than $500. Check with local plumbing companies.
I've had one in my woodshop for over two years now and no problems. They're designed for living spaces obviously and are easily thermostatically controled. The only maintenance I've had is to keep the filters clean but with good dust collection that can be minimized.
Regards,
Bob @ Kidderville Acres
A Woodworkers mind should be the sharpest tool in the shop!
Move to Phoenix, its a 112 today and you will never need a heater....
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-------(*)/ (*) http://www.EarthArtLandscape.com
Try one of these:
http://www.littlegreenhouse.com/accessory/heater.shtml
I heat my shop with a wall mounted gas heater that takes in outside air for combustion and exhausts thru another opening in the same pipe. One pipe does both intake and exhaust. Cost less than $400.00. It is made by Williams and is 30,00btu and has a fan with 3 settings and thermostat. My garage shop is 900 sq.ft with 10' ceilings. With the chill factor -45 this past winter I had no problem keeping the shop at 70 degrees F.
Lot's of options out there that cost less than $500 for the heat source itself, but be sure and research installation and any code requirements (if the local municipality is sticky-wicket about code stuff). That part can be as much or more than the heater itself sometimes.
How tall is your ceiling?
I have 9' ceilings and a loft. Very well insulated building.
With high ceilings and the loft you might want to look into a radiant heater: gas, Propane or electric.Mine is gas fired and interlinked with a thermostat. I like it because it heats "things" not the air. Tools never rust, they are warm.Frosty"I sometimes think we consider the good fortune of the early bird and overlook the bad fortune of the early worm." FDR - 1922
Hi-- I'm interested in radiant heat for my shop... you say your tools never rust. Is the heater vented, I assume? Can you tell me the brand? Thanks! kreuzie
Never a spot of rust.Mine is a Dayton 3E460A (If I read the model # correctly.) I have interlocked it with a thermostat and a VERY small fan at the opposite end of the shop -- even though it is listed as no venting is necessary.I purchased all items from W.W. Grainger.Good luckFrosty"I sometimes think we consider the good fortune of the early bird and overlook the bad fortune of the early worm." FDR - 1922
How many cubic feet are you heating, or what is the size of your shop?
Is the heater natural gas or LNG?
Does the fan's circulation act like a vent?
I have a couple friends who have had unvented natural gas heaters (not infrared) in their homes and complain of moisture problems, especially condensation on windows and the resulting peeled paint and rot.
kreuzie
My shop is one stall of a three car garage - but longer and with a ceiling which cants up. I guess the dimensions are about 12' x 23' with a variable height ceiling.When I first installed it we did not have natural gas available so I used Propane. Later I converted to Natural gas, a very simple change.The fan does not circulate the air all. It is a tiny thing that vents the air at the ceiling. I would guess the diameter at 5" - 6". It is there just in case there is any odor from the heater - I've never smelled any!I have never seen any indication of moisture! Remember this heats "things": saw, jointer, workbench. Not the "air" which in turn which after some time heat the "things". When you have warm "things", including yourself, there is never any condensation. I've never thought about it, but if there is any combustion moisture perhaps it is vented by my little fan.I have a thermometer/humidistat in the shop. In winter, the humidity is generally about 25%.Frosty"I sometimes think we consider the good fortune of the early bird and overlook the bad fortune of the early worm." FDR - 1922
Sorry the pics are larger than I intended - I am on a short time frame and don't have time to change them.You will note the cement-board mounted to the ceiling above the heater - "just in case".In the exterior shot the fan is the "little thing" in the wall above the AC.Frosty"I sometimes think we consider the good fortune of the early bird and overlook the bad fortune of the early worm." FDR - 1922
"I have 9' ceilings and a loft." Ah! That's very important information. Nine feet's not bad, but the loft adds to the equation. The good insulation will make the effort less daunting, and I envy you for that.forestgirl -- you can take the girl out of the forest, but you can't take the forest out of the girl ;-)
I've used an old mobile home air handler (elec furnace-cost me $50) and disabled one of the three 5kw strip heaters (leaving 10kw operational) but I'm in Virginia, so you might need all 15kw. Or not, depending on insulation and run time. Mine heated up the shop in 20 minutes or so, and would cycle on and off. I hung mine from the ceiling for many years. Have since installed a full heat pump and proper ductwork, but a heat pump is pretty useless in your climate.
If you have access to oil or gas, you have more options, but open flames scare me, so I've stayed away from that since I often finish my projects and leave the shop heated overnight to let things dry.
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