Heating for the Shop Suggestions

LOML suggested I ask you folks your opinion on heating.

I need some heat in the garage (shop). Since I don't have any dust collection installed yet, I'm going to have to keep (at least) one garage door open. The garage is drywalled, and the fuse box is in there.

There's not 220 in there, but we'd consider that if necessary. Also venting to the outside is possible, right?

Basically I want something that will put out a lot of heat when I walk in there and turn it on. Even if the whole room isn't toasty, I want at least one corner that will feel warm.

I could add baseboard heating (but I don't think that's the solution)?

Something stand-alone and electric?

Propane?

Wood heater/stove; pellet stove?

I live on an acreage, and don't care what it looks like, just need a cost-effective heat solution. Less spent on the heat, more spent on other things. :D

Ideas?

Thanks,
Cynthia
 
I'd say spend the money on at least some simple form of dust collection first, your lungs will thank you as well. The heat will also be wasted with the door open. Once that is resolved, it will depend on how much space you want to be taken up by a heating unit. If you've got your own wood to burn on that acreage, it would probably be the cheapest. Electric and propane go back and forth over the years as to how much they cost, but would be less mess. I'm new to pellet stoves, which we have in the new house. The previous owners heated the house exclusively via pellets last winter. They went through about 3.5 tons, about $700 worth of pellets, which are also tax free here. I'll be putting a pellet stove in my shop at some point as well.
 
I know a guy in Edmonton who has a propane gas radiant heater thing, similar to one that you would see at a hockey rink for the fans, he loves it, puts out lots of heat and the radiant quality of it works well, in that it warms up the things in the room, like walls, floors and such, not the air.

lpg_radiant_heater.JPG

Don't forget this is in Edmonchuck where it hits -40C :eek:

It vents outside.
 
I bought a propane radiant unit two years ago. It has two round radiators. Does a great job of heating.
Downside, it goes through a 20 lb propane bottle in about four hours. I can't afford that. It is now relagated to a dark hole under the stairs. I wear a sweater and shop coat. If too cold I stay out of shop.
 
I run a wood stove. All scraps and oopps end up being heat for the shop.:thumb:
one thing to keep in mind about propane is that it puts off the most amount of moisture to create heat. Some thing like 98% as much or more than a person.
Most other forms of heat evaporate moisture unless your burning green wood in your wood stove than it takes top billing for moisture out put.:thumb:
 
I have a radiant oil heater and a base board heater for the shop but with no insulation in the door it goes out pretty quick. Courtney is along the same temps as we are here and i picked up one of these last year from Rona as LV was sold out for when I am working on the lathe and it throws off a ton of heat. I know that Rona's has two heat settings and was a bit more, but it throws off lots of heat and it heats up the shop pretty fast. They sell out pretty quick. Cost co sell a similr parabolic heat lamp that works similar but that one just sits on the floor or bench.

http://www.leevalley.com/US/wood/page.aspx?p=44590&cat=1,43456,43465,44590

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Infrared_heater

http://www.answers.com/topic/parabolic-heater
 
I have a 35Kbtu wall mounted radiant heater in my 26 X 32 (fully insulated) shop, and it does a nice job.

Mine's NG, so I don't know how fast it's go through a propane bottle. If you have a whole house bulk tank for your propane, it might not be too bad, though.
 
Don't forget this is in Edmonchuck where it hits -40C :eek:

Yahhhh, I don't really miss that part of Edmonton!

(I do remember that my TS motor made a most interesting sound when I fired it up in my -30c unheated/uninsulated garage!!)


Cynthia, is this garage insulated? Are the doors insulated? That might affect some of the advice you're getting. With a highly insulated garage I know of folks who are perfectly happy with a 220v construction heater.
 
Here on The island it never really gets all that cold. It snows one day and it shuts the towndown as most people here don't know how to drive in the snow. Courtney has a ski hill ( Mt Washington) but the joke is that you can ski in the morning and get in a good game of golf in the afternoon all the while getting a tan. Of course saying that it doesn't get down to 0 that often but it sure feels colder than it is, due to being on the ocean. Out east you can dress for it out here it goes through all the clothes. And yes I have worked up in Fort Mac ( northern Alberta) in -50 and that is the reason I don't live in Alberta anymore. :D
 
Art, to answer your question is the garage insulated, I guess the answer is "sort of". It is drywalled, but the garage doors are not insulated. I think that longer term I will replace those doors and maybe glass in one door opening altogether.

Thanks for everyone's suggestions. I actually arrived at the infrared heat solution myself this morning.
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Electric, puts out a lot of BTU's, not too expensive....I figured I could use 2 either wall or ceiling mounted. I'll start with one and then see if I need a second. In the meantime today I bought some insulated coveralls :D and some (fake) fur boots. Gotta get warm and get moving so I can post some more pics.
construction.gif
 
...I actually arrived at the infrared heat solution myself this morning...Electric, puts out a lot of BTU's, not too expensive....I figured I could use 2 either wall or ceiling mounted. I'll start with one and then see if I need a second...

You'll like the radiant heat. As I recall from living in the PNW many years ago, electricity is cheaper there than most other places, (Not sure about the Island, though.) so that may be your best way to go.
 
Art, to answer your question is the garage insulated, I guess the answer is "sort of". It is drywalled, but the garage doors are not insulated. I think that longer term I will replace those doors and maybe glass in one door opening altogether.

If they are the metal doors that are open on the back side, you can cut 1 1/2" to 2" thick foam to fit the openings and tape them in using the aluminum duct tape or tyvek tape, works really well. If they are wooden with panels, not sure there would be much you could do other than replacement. Just make sure they have good weather striping around them to seal off the drafts, same goes for the metal ones as far as weather stripping.
 
Like everything to do with working in the shop I hope those boots are steel toed. You do not want to drop anything on your foot without some kind of protection. Walmart sell some inexpensive steel toes sneakers that are all you need.
 
cynthia-its cheaper to move to North Carolina, or somewhere in that area.
Thats what IM thinking. Get a nice big piece of land and put up a nice new shop.
If you convince your husband to move south, we can split the expense and build one huge shop, you can have either side of the space, Ill take the other side.(Id prefer the side closest to the bathroom)
 
cynthia-its cheaper to move to North Carolina, or somewhere in that area.
Thats what IM thinking. Get a nice big piece of land and put up a nice new shop.
If you convince your husband to move south, we can split the expense and build one huge shop, you can have either side of the space, Ill take the other side.(Id prefer the side closest to the bathroom)

:rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl:

That made me laugh. It's probably cheaper still to move to Mexico or Central America.....should we go there instead? Probably easier to convince LOML to move closer to the equator.....N. Carolina is probably close to the climate here....garden zone 7.

P.S. I want to be close to the bathroom too. Can we just share a large shop?
 
not to fly off this thread, but if we share a shop, you have to use push blocks*


*I only went to one woodworking class that I paid for.(not a woodworking show freebie)
It was in a large shop area, the type of place you get certified/approved to work there, and you can rent shop time, having use of all their machinery, which was decent machinery. Jointers, planers, lathes, etc. There are many workbenches around and you can store your projects there as well.
Its a great idea for people who live in places like Manhattan and cant rent shop space due to the high cost of space.It was 2 subway stops away from downtown manhattan.
I was taking an introduction to lathe class there.
A few people came in to work while I was attending the class, which is right in the work area.
Some guy walked over behind us, started up the jointer, and tried to push a 6 inch piece of walnut through it without a push block, he was holding it.
It shot up past our heads and put a dent in the wall.
Im just a bit nervous with people working in back of me since then.
 
Cynitha, I too work out of my garage and I use kerosene heaters like this to warm up my shop. Since I have two separate heaters I can fire up one or both depending on how cold it is. I also have the advantage of moving the heaters to wherever I want them.

Tom
 

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Like everything to do with working in the shop I hope those boots are steel toed. You do not want to drop anything on your foot without some kind of protection. Walmart sell some inexpensive steel toes sneakers that are all you need.

I tried a pair & for the most part all they did for me in cold weather is freeze my toes. Never had a need for them in a home shop.
 
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