Shop heat question

Paul Downes

Member
Messages
959
Location
Westphalia, Michigan
Hi All, I've been away for a long time working on a business start-up. I hope everyone is doing well. I lost my heat source for my wood shop. The old outdoor wood boiler finally bit the dust. So I am thinking about installing a couple of infrared plac type heaters in the barn. One commercial 60,000 btu heater for the uninsulated metal workshop and a smaller heater in the well insulated wood shop. Do any of you folks have experience with these kind of heaters? These will be ceiling mounted heaters. I don't plan on doing any spraying when they are running. I figure I can heat up the wood shop plenty warm and do any spraying after shutting it off. The wood shop holds heat very well. I see some possible advantages with an infrared heater. When I run the dust collector it won't suck all the heat out given that the objects in the room are heated rather than the air.

I wonder how infrared heat affects finish drying?

I have heard that this kind of heat can cause more wood warpage.

Your input is gratefully solicited
 
What fuel? If electric you'll be fine but if natural gas or propane, the heater will add a considerable amount of humidity that can cause many problems. For gas heaters look for tube type radiant heaters that can be direct vented or direct vent unit heaters with a fan if you want fan forced heat.
 
Natural Gas is the fuel. I am not concerned about the humidity. Michigan winters can be cold and dry so added humidity is usually a benefit. I ran a natural gas heater in the house last year and saw no condensation on the windows. If it does seem to be a problem I can run a de-humidifier.
 
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