Workshop Heat

[gwrdriver]

I've got to buy a space heater for my workshop . . . the floods got my old one (a kero Reddy 55) and I'd actually like to go to natural gas if I can find one that suits me. The Reddy wasn't that well suited, the space was too small for it and I was either freezing or hot enough to bake biscuits. The space is about 300sq/ft, well insulated, and has just a bit of house air piped to it so it never gets dead cold but it always needs additional heat. Tell me about what you heat with, fuels, experiences, pros, cons, etc.

[ScaleModeler1974]

When I had my old shop set up a few years ago it was 16 feet wide by 35 feet long and 13.5 feet high.

I used a 150,000 btu "Torpedo" heater that I ran with Kerosene.

[bcody]

With only 300 square feet of floor space I would recommend a space heater suspended from the ceiling with a built-in fan.

I have one in my 384 square foot shop on a thermostat that works very well. Look up "Mr Heater" on the web. That is where I got mine. Don't remember the exact cost but it was much lower than anything I could find locally. I think it is a 45000 BTU unit. Be sure and vent to the outside. I keep the stat set at 40 degrees when I'm not in the shop, just warm enough to prevent freezing. I can go from 40 degrees to 72 in less than 15 minutes. I must keep it above freezing as I store my beam engine there along with my r/c steamboats, all six of them. Keep my liquid cooled Honda Silverwing scooter there also.

Bill

[PeteM]

With only 300 well-insulated square feet, electric heaters are a viable option. Especially if you only use the shop a few days a week.

Any sort of combustion space heater, if unvented, will add moisture (= rust) to the air.

Electric heaters are cheap to buy, easy to adjust, and often a bit safer. Only problem with them is the higher operating cost if you use it a lot, live in a super cold area, or have high electric rates. Natural gas (if available) is usually the cheapest to operate -- but consider getting a vented unit.

[Trainman4602]

GW

What I have been using for the passed four years is this space heater pictured here. The brand name is “Glow Warm”. I got this one at the home depot but you can find them on line. The size of this unit is about 3X3 ft and is about 5 inch deep it doesn’t take up much room at all. It is a self contained unit and dosn't need an external vent and it has its own fan and duct work built in as well. You just screw the bracket on the wall, hook up a gas line and provide an electrical outlet near buy to power the fan and that is it.

It was heating a 16 ft X16 ft space with a high ceiling with no problem. I never set the control above one and it has six settings. If I cranked it up on high it would blast you out.

I am in the process of moving the entire shop. At the new place I have a hanging gas heater the heats the 20ft by 100 ft and 14ft ceiling with no problem. I’ll relocate this wall heater to the additional space of 20ft X20ft that will be used for auto repair and rebuilding. As I only need this space on occation I’ll just turn it on when needed.

I am quite impressed with this unit it has served me well.

This unit cost around $300.00

[bcody]

I must caution you again to vent any combusion heater you use.

Prior to getting my current heater I used a free standing kerosene heater. It would keep my shop toasty warm on its lowest setting but it would also contaminate the air. On more than one occasion I had to open the door and place my propane torch outside to get it to light, the air in the shop was that contaminated with exhaust from my kerosene heater. My shop is almost air tight and I live in a cold climate area at 4800 feet, Reno, NV.

Bill

[Trainman4602]

I don't see any problem with this heater. It is an infer red type and I don't have any trouble. I'm still alive. If venting was a problem them how are the able to sell this.

No coution need here really Again I have had no problems at all.

[Dick_Morris]

With the disclaimer that what's good for Anchorage, Alaska may not be good for Nashville, Tennessee - I'm partial to direct vented units where air intake comes from the outside and exhaust is vented to the outside. My son wants to do this upgrade from a standard gas, ceiling hung, unit heater in his garage but we haven't done the research yet.

[Greg_Lewis]

Last winter I put in a ceiling-mount propane heater and ran a line to the house tank. I got a Sterling that draws combustion air from the outside. Thus I don't have to worry about sawdust or flammable vapors getting up into the combustion chamber. It wasn't cheap but it's worth it. The heater ended up being about $700 and the installation was almost a grand, including trenching and running the gas line. I have a 1000 sq. ft. shop and the outside temps rarely get below 30 but I still need heat. I had one of those Reddy type heaters but it put out too much noise, too much carbon monoxide, and sucked kero like water down a bathtub drain. And I had to drive 30 miles r.t. and pay $5 per gal for the kero. So I think in the end I'm much better off. I also added some thin-foil insulation under the roof and to the insides of the garage doors. Makes a difference in summer, too.

[Bruce_Mowbray]

I use a Monitor Kerosene heater to heat my 30 x 50 pole barn shop. The walls are insulated with 6 Inch fiberglass and the ceiling with 12 inch. Here in the mountains of NE PA, he outside temps regularly go down below freezing in the months between November thru April. I burn about 175 gallons of kero over that time. I keep the temp at 48 when I am not in the shop and crank it up to 60 when I'm working. It takes about 1/2 hour to raise the temp.

http://www.monitorproducts.com/

Very quiet and it takes fresh air from outside and exhausts gos back the same way, preheating the incoming combustion air. Very efficient

[Greg_Lewis]

I burn about 175 gallons of kero over that time.

Holy hitch pins! Here in the raisin capital of America, that would cost $875. How much do you pay for that juice?

(And how do they keep you warm in that stadium-sized shop you work in?)

[Chris Hollands]

Why not get a split system heat pump they are cheap to run and you get AC and heat ,mine costs about $20 each 2 months to run in the winter ,they will run quite well down to about minus 10 celsius .They have a fan coil which goes in your workshop or house and the compressor unit is outside ,refer to photos.
The one in my workshop is 18000btu (1.5tons) and my workshop is about 500sq feet ,and I installed a 24000 btu unit in my house so for a 300sq ft workshop a 12000btu unit or even a 9000btu would heat and cool your area.Price wise they start at about $600 up depending on size ,the smaller units are 120V and 18000btu and above are 240v single phase.
I run mine all year round 24hours a day ,set a temp when your in the workshop and lower it when your not there ,great for stopping rust on your equipment they take the moisture out of the air.
If you go on ebay etc you can find some very good deals for these units and they are easy to install and come with all copper tubing ,wire and insulation and are prefilled with gas ,I dont know what temp your area gets to , I live in Vancouver ,not the warmest place