Heating your shop

[Steve W]

Well, I think I'll post a couple of threads before retiring for the evening. The Pats just got spanked so the TV's going off...

I currently do not have any type of heat in my shop, which is a 12 x 20 shed. I did not insulate it, and it has gable vents so that air can flow freely through. It has an elevated, plywood floor.

Now that the weather has become more seasonable (I liked 70 degrees better, but hey, I guess we have to endure a little bit of winter ;-) I am wondering if it is wise to occasionally heat this space when I am using it or if this will encourage condensation that will ruin my tools.

What have been your experiences? I'm considering putting in electric baseboard or using a kero unit. Any pros / cons with these?

Thanks, folks!

 

[WoodWrangler]

I use a kerosene unit and it works well. Keeps my garage cozy on the coldest of days ...



Notice - I keep the garage door cracked open to the height of the heater for ventilation (a must, as these give off some exhaust)

 

[Gofor]

Welcome to NC, Steve, and to NCWW.
Kerosene and/or LP gas will generate a lot of moisture unless it is vented to the outside. If there is plenty of "ventilation", tho, as you say, and you keep the tools waxed or oiled, it shouldn't be too large of a problem. An electric type heater with a fan on it will probably be most effective without increasing the moisture. Baseboard heaters may not get the heat out into the workspace with the gable vents and no insulation. The heat will probably run up the walls and out the roof. As you probably can see, winter here has a bit more humidity than up Nawth!

My $.002

Go

 

[Jay]

I have a 12 by twenty shop with gable vents. I have a loft however and I insulated. I picked up an electric circulating oil heater at target and it does fine. You wont work in shorts but even when it gets cold it is 50 to 60 in the shop when I am working.

 

[cskipper]

I use one of those self-contained oil heater (looks like a radiator) in the more insulated part of the shop, and one like Jeremy has in his picture in the main shop. We keep the paints, glues.... in my part and only heat the main part when John is out there working.

 

[Splinter]

My shop is 22 x 28 and very well insulated and sealed. It rarely gets below 55 with no heat even on the coldest days. I use a 5 brick LP heater to bring the temp up to about 68 on cold days when I am working in the shop. A 3 brick would be large enough but I had the heater when I set the shop up. It takes just a few minutes to bring the temp up. I don't have any problem with moisture collecting on the tools. I believe insulation is well worth the money and time to install it. I have a 24 x 36 detached garage that is well insulated and finished with drywall and it rarely gets below 55 on the coldest days with no heat of any kind in the garage. Most days it is much warmer. Just my .02.

Got to go to the shop. My LOML just looked at my lastest WOOD magazine and found a project for me to build. Got to keep those magazines out of sight better. :lol:

 

[DavidF]

I have this and it does a great job on my 20 x 20 R13 insulated shop.

Garage Heater with Built-In Thermostat - L4000

 

[NZAPP1]

I just ordered this and they are offering free shipping to new customers with a $50.00 order use code FS0107. Click on item search and enter code :icon_thum

 

[Joe Scharle]

Northern Tool in Cary/online has lots of choices. Go on sale often.

 

[Steve W]

I may go back and insulate come spring, based on what I'm hearing here. Yep: I now know about the higher winter humidity and figure that an electric may be the way to go due to the lack of exhaust plus the fact that it is a dryer heat.

Fortunately, I only have to take pegboard down to access the wall cavities, so retrofitting insulation should be a snap. Put a couple of doors on the vents so that I can open and close 'em and I should be in good shape.

I think I only heard one comment about condensation. So if I just keep everything waxed or WD-40'ed up I shouldn't have a rust problem. I had spoken with a guy last summer who had recommended to me not to insulate and heat because of the condensation issue. That was my main concern.

Thanks for the tips!

 

[ebarr]

Steve,

My shop is 14x20 and is insulated.

I have purchased almost every heater you can possible buy. Kerosene, Ceramic, Quartz, Propane, you name it I've tried it.

The best I have is the oil filled radiator looking heater. I set it on 600w and leave it running 24/7. When I went in my shop last night it was 60 degrees I bumped it to 1500w and turned on a Quartz heater I have hanging from the ceiling. In a few minutes it nice and warm.

I don't have any problems with humidity.

Just my 2 cents

 

[Steve W]

Wayne,

What impact does leaving it on do to your electric bill? I would imagine that would add at least $50/month doing the estimating in my head, if the unit is running constantly.

Steve,

The best I have is the oil filled radiator looking heater. I set it on 600w and leave it running 24/7.

 

[sapwood]

Steve,
You have received some good suggestions. And here's a couple more :lol:
Over the course of the year, three things come into play. Cold, heat, and humidity. The misery factor on a hot, humid day is as bad as a cold one :roll: Insulation helps with all three. My shop lacks the electrical power to run a 220V heat unit like Dave uses. However, that would be my first choice. They should be more efficient than 110v, the prices are reasonable, and there are a variety of models . . . including some that will fit in the wall. In the summer an AC cools and dehumidifies. Since I don't have one, a $150 dehumidifier from Walmart solves 95% percent of my rust problems. Without it, tools will rust in 24 hours on a hot muggy day. :crybaby2:However, even "cold temp" dehumidifiers only work at temps above 40-45º

Hope this helps,
Roger

 

[DavidF]

I use the shop very sporadically and leave it un heated when not in use. This time of the year I am taking it from about 40 Deg to working temp of 60 Deg in about an hr. Then back down again overnight; no condensation or rust problems. That was until a couple of weekends ago when I was acutally in the shop with the big door open and a warm fog rolled in. Thought nothing of it, but the next morning had a thin coat of rust on everything! 10 mins with a scotch pad and all was well again. So don't worry about the heat cold cycle. Keep using the tools and they will stay clean:lol: I love the Dayton heater. Initial cost was low and although I would'nt want to afford to run it 8 hrs a day, once the shop warms up it very rarely kicks back in so works out quite cheap to run.

 

[FredP]

my shop is 24 x 32 x 2 story uninsulated. i closed off the stairway with some sheetrock and an interior door that i got for free. i use a large kerosene salamander style heater to warm up the shop. once the cast iron is warmed up [ around 30 minuts] i turn it off and turn on an electric ceiling hung heater to keep it warm. kerosene stinks!:-x the electric will keep the shop warm enough most all day when it is in the 30's outside. i have a meter on the shop so my electric bill for it has a minimum anyway. i rarely use more than the minimum and 10 gallons of kero will last quite a long time. maybe a month or more.

fred

 

[rickc]

My shop is about 12x22. I just insulated a couple of years ago. It is the ground floor of a two story two car garage. I tried kerosene, but personally would not recommend it because of the venting and exhaust issues. With the insulation, I now use a small radiant heater and have it set to run enough to keep the temperature about 65. I have a quartz radiant heater attached to the ceiling I use to bring it up in a hurry. I put a small window a/c unit in the wall for the summer. Everything works fine - no moisture problem. Helps keep finishes and glues at a usable temperataure for me as well. You might want to consider putting in some type of ceiling.

 

[walnutjerry]

I currently do not have any type of heat in my shop, which is a 12 x 20 shed. I did not insulate it, and it has gable vents so that air can flow freely through. It has an elevated, plywood floor.

What have been your experiences? I'm considering putting in electric baseboard or using a kero unit. Any pros / cons with these?

Thanks, folks!

Steve-------240 sq. ft. should not be a big problem to heat. I bought a heater head that attaches to a propane tank (like you use for a grill) and it puts out a lot of heat. It has two "burners" in the head that operate independently so you can use only one, which is what I normally do.

If you insulate walls and overhead you could just about heat it with heat lamps:lol: .

My shop is 32x50-------I have an old air cond. coil that I piped hot water to from a wood fired water stove and circulate the hot water through the coil which has a 2 speed fan behind it. Sounds like cheap heat but let me tell you---------cutting wood is not free even if you have wood to cut. Been thinking of putting a heat pump in-----------maybe geothermal??:-?

Jerry

 

[CV Poker]

My shop is 12 x 24. The floor is elevated and it has a ceiling. A couple years ago I picked up a Rinnai LP heater (off feeBay) and two 40 lb tanks (from a local RV center.) I made a concrete pad to sit the tanks on outside and ran the hose out to them. Works like a champ.

FWIW, Lowe's has all their heaters on clearence. ;-)

 

[jmauldin]

Well, I have a 20x30x8' shop that I heat with a wall mounted propane heater (vented). My shop was built out of rough-cut 2x4 lumber, therefore I have 3 1/2" insulation in the walls and the ceiling is insulated with 12" of insulation. I keep the theromstat set on 60 while not in the shop and bump it to 65 when working. I also have a dehumidifer that I never turnoff - just set it so that it comes on when necessary. My propane bill runs about $65-75 per month. The only thing I don't have, but will remedy when I get around to it is an insulated roll-up 8' door to replace the current uninsulated one . The cost may be considered a bit high, but I don't have to worry about tools and machinery rusting and about aclamating any lumber (what I store outside I bring in for about two weeks before use). I also have a small window air conditioner mounted in the wall to use in summer.
Jim in Mayberry

 

[ebarr]

Steve,

This is the first year that I have run my oil filled heater in my shop. I just got my electric bill last night and it was actually down from same period last year. I probably see a larger impact on my bill from my 15 year old daughter who doesn't know how to shut a door when she leaves the house.