Shop Heat Poll

Frank Fusco said:

I hadn't voted or posted in this thread until now. Until now (moments ago) I didn't have heat in my shop. Never really needed it. Here, in the Ozarks, we might get a few days of cold each winter then temps. moderate very nicely. It is one of the many things about this part of the country we love. Well....this year, the cold has just hung on. And, as a result, I haven't spent much shop time for almost two months and miss it. Using some recent pen sale funds, I reluctantly journeyed to Wally World and bought this 'on sale' unit. Wasn't what I set out for. They had just one single burner model left in stock that I had shoved behind the several boxes of doubles. But, to my chagrin, it wasn't there today. These doubles were on sale also and I fired it up. Gives excellent heat. It is adjustable and I can have only one on if I desire so it is very versatile. Back in shop making shavings now. I'm happy.

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Follow up. It works fine but is a real fuel hog. Will consume a 20 pound jug of propane in about six hours. Pretty expensive to use. I'm going to start being more economical with use.

I use the sun. I do live in south florida. It should be around 80 tomorrow.

No heat for me..at least yet.
Been quite cold here (for us anyway).....teens for lows and twenties for highs.
Just bundle up and go.

Craig Johnson said:

No heat for me..at least yet.
Been quite cold here (for us anyway).....teens for lows and twenties for highs.
Just bundle up and go.

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My sis in law just moved to Washugal and called up complaining about the snow and cold. Better there than here I told her

Heat? Heat is for wusses. How can you develop a little ice slick in the middle of your shop floor if you heat it?

I do take the time to consider whether my warmer clothing will present a greater than normal hazard (my "winter" coat isn't one of those parka deals and is fairly non bulky, but still) and have started making and using extra safety jigs like offset push blocks for the router table to keep my hands even further from the spinning sharp thingees. For jointing operations I would either change into a very tight fitting long sleeve shirt or just bite the bullet and be short sleeved for a bit.

Mark Kosmowski said:

Heat? Heat is for wusses. How can you develop a little ice slick in the middle of your shop floor if you heat it?

I do take the time to consider whether my warmer clothing will present a greater than normal hazard (my "winter" coat isn't one of those parka deals and is fairly non bulky, but still) and have started making and using extra safety jigs like offset push blocks for the router table to keep my hands even further from the spinning sharp thingees. For jointing operations I would either change into a very tight fitting long sleeve shirt or just bite the bullet and be short sleeved for a bit.

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The trouble with just biting the bullet is I can start shivering and shaking which is in itself rather dangerous. This can be made worse by rushing so I can get warmed back up. I have done everything you say but I try and heat things up some anymore. I have tried kersosene and propane and prefer the propane...

I hope to get some solar assist if I ever retire and get some time...

Garry

Part of my cold shop is that I'm nervous about adding heat. I know that many, many folks run many different kinds of shop heat without fire incidents, but in my mind, the consequences of fire are so grievous that even a very small risk level does not make me feel safe about things.

I wear heavy sweatshirts with the zip in front, hoodies, and I tie the wrists when I working with ponytail holders so they dont get caught in anything.
If its that cold, my fingers stop working, so its Oprah and a cup of soup inside.

I would share Mark's feelings. But, if I was in cold country I think I would seriously consider Rich Aldrich's solution. They are not only safe, by not having any flame source in the shop, but also allow you to burn almost anything. I recall some people back in New York, when I lived there, who had one of those systems, even burned tree stumps and other crap wood that you normally wouldn't think of using in a heating system. Because they are located outside your building, you don't have to worry about the mess of dirty stuff to be burned.

I think they are a great idea. I am recomending one of these to my daughter too.

I only had a small hanging electric space heater (I forget the BTU rating but I do recall it was about 7K watts @ 220v) in my old shop back home. It did a pretty good job of keeping the chill off. That was over 20 years ago and we had about the lowest cost electric in the area too. I also heated my home with an electric boiler that used 4 heat elements just like those used in water heaters.

Aloha, Tony

Al killian said:

How big is your shop and how much propane do you go thru each month?

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So sorry Al it took me so long to get back with you , I heat 720 sq foot and a 100 lb bottlewill last me all winter . Keep in mine that its pretty heavyly wraped , R-19 in the attic and R-11 in the wall and has 10 foot ceilings . I build it tight when I build it about 6 years ago ........... Marshall

I know I voted in this poll, but I thought I'd replied as well

Anyway, there are few advantages to being underground, but one of them is the constant temperature, The hottest days of summer will hit 38C/100F and it will not get above 28C/82F in the Dungeon (I run an AC mainly for the humidity problem), now, the coldest day in winter we have seen so far is 3C/37F and it was still a comfortable 14C/62F in the Dungeon. If I'm doing some finishing or such, I'll put the AC on heat, and run a little portable electric heater, but mostly a hat, and a sweatshirt and I'm good.

Yep, not too many advantages to being below ground, but this is one of them

My shop is in my basement & it shares the house heat. I have 2 zone valves one for the house one for the basement. we have a oil fired boiler.

Just read through this poll again... evidently I voted and didn't post.. unusual for me to be so quiet...

I have a 12x24 tin building... raised on 6x8 timbers, up on blocks, no insulation in the walls or roof.. if it's 30 degrees outside, with the sun hitting the building, it'll get up to about 32 degrees inside... I have one of those little electric oil radiators that a friend gave me... I'll run that if and when I go out when it's cold... after about 3 or 4 hours, the temp may rise to about 45 or 50 degrees... right now we have about 6 inches of snow on the ground... I'll just stay inside.

shop heat

I am fortunate that my shop is in the basement, both winter & summer. This morn it was 2f outside in SW Michigan. Workshop was 70f. Very nice i must say. Natural gas, hot water heat.

Hey Bill welcome, we go quit a few here from your neck of the wood, watch out for that Larry Guy. though

Don can you do a poll of heating cost for gas ? and other methods. It would be nice to see what the avg shop is spending.