Workshop heating
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Hi,
my second winter in the garage should be a bit more comfortable than the first one. To accomplish this I bought a nice electric heater but after unpacking it I saw that it is a 3000-Watt-device that melts the very poor fuse in the garage block (the hole block of 18 garages runs off the same fuse) within minutes.
Now I will probably trade it for a propane heater since this makes me independent of the electric network.
I would love to have a fireplace to burn all the shavings instead of throwing them away but in Germany you need a permission from the local chimney sweeper and that might result in another cold winter…How do those of you who are not based in florida keep your outdoor shops above zero celsius (32 F)?
Cheers
Florian
Hi,
I didn’t think I would manage heating my whole garage as there are plenty of places around the doors for the heat to escape and it would cost lots..
So I got hold of an infra red bar heater like this one…
http://www.dimplex.co.uk/products/domestic_heating/miscellaneous_heating/irx/index.htm
I put it up on the ceiling over my bench and it directs its heat downward onto me in quite a focused way to take the chill off my hands etc. but doesn’t waste heat trying to get the whole building to a nice temperature.
I would recommend such an item, easy to fit too.
Merry Christmas.
18 December 2013 at 12:25 pm #24095I use an oil filled electric radiator. When I built my small shed 8’x12′, I added as much insulation as I could. The little radiator keeps it comfortable while I’m in there.
Hope you find a solution that work for you Florian.
18 December 2013 at 12:43 pm #24096I’ve done the same as Greg. I use a 2KW oil heater to get heat into the building (5x3m) in the morning. The insulation in the building keeps the heat in during the day. Oil heaters are great for a woodshop because there isn’t a naked flame or other element that could cause dust or shavings to ignite.
If you can put some studs on the walls of the garage, insulation panels are quick and easy to install. You can cover them with plasterboard or plywood. I think the main problem you’ll have in a garage is keeping the heat from escaping via the door. Not sure of the best way to prevent that.
George.
I’m using an infra red heater too and love it! Been -20 celcius the past few days but tools, workbench and I are warm. Heat is instant and comfortable. Mine is 750/1500 watts selected with a pulled cord. Similar to this one at Lee Valley… http://www.leevalley.com/en/wood/page.aspx?p=44590&cat=1,43456,43465,44590
18 December 2013 at 2:02 pm #24098A couple of these… cheap as chips to run. Below is an example, but check the link for variations.
18 December 2013 at 5:22 pm #24102Timely post for me. We just got done insulating our garage ceiling (R-30 Fiberglass batting) and the electrician is coming today to give us a price for putting in a 220/240 circuit for the forced air blower. Earlier we installed a few sump pumps to deal with the fact that our back yard drains through the garage!
So I’ve very nearly got a workable shop area! A little more shifting around and I get to go back to woodworking!
I went with a forced air blower after web searches and talking to local installers. Propane and kerosene heaters were cheaper but add water to the air. NOT what I’m looking for. The garage doesn’t have a gas line or we’d have gone with a gas heater.
I live in Tacoma, WA (47.2414° N, 122.4594° W) and our garage is 21′ X 25′, cinderblock walls and had an open attic area which is now sealed and insulated at about 8′. Our winter temperatures will get down to the 20Fs occaisionally and almost never below that. Mostly we’re in the 30Fs to low 40Fs with lots of rainy days. Some days it blows pretty hard but wind isn’t a huge deal for us that rain and humidity are.
I freeze my butt off…. But I am tough! Kidding. I put a small electric heater in my shop and leave it on even when I am not there. If I can keep it warm then heat radiates out of everything in the shop. If you let it get cold then it’s really hard to get warm again. I’ve been researching articles on the rocket stoves. They look fairly easy to produce but present a fire hazard for the shop in my case. I have wood floors and walls not to mention all the wood and shavings on the floor and on top of everything. I’ve been looking for a outside unit that I can duct into my shop and leave the fire outside. You’ll be seeing this when I get it done….
My garage is not insulated but my wood stove usually provides enough heat to make it a bearable environment to work in during the winter. However this winter has already been a lot colder than normal for this part of New England and as John in Florida mentioned, they have been colder down there too.
When I lived in England a while back a cabinet maker friend had a large stove in his shop that ran off sawdust only. It was basically a vertical tank with a small hole in the bottom (oil drum would work). An 1-1/2″ or so diameter pipe was stood in the center of the drum and then sawdust was packed solidly around it up to the top. Then the pipe was carefully pulled out and a lid with stove pipe was placed on top to vent it outside.
It was lit from the bottom and burned like a cigarette from the inside out. The heat curve would increase as more sawdust slowly ignited. It would burn from three to four days before exhausting it’s fuel. Practical only if you have access to large amounts of sawdust but very inexpensive to run.
I sketched the basic idea so you could view it.
Joe B.
Attachments:
You must be logged in to view attached files.My shop is not done as far as insulation goes, I still have to do the ceiling. The 2×6 walls are done to R-21 and I have a 4 inch thick slab of poly-iso insulation board sealing the 5 by 7 foot sliding door. I use a small salamander type propane heater to warm the shop up before I use the space. I haven’t tried in the last week or so as the temps have been as low as 15 degrees below zero Fahrenheit. Come January I’ll probably be having a 30,000 BTU no-vent heater installed. I hope.
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