Author Topic: What do you use to heat your shop? (Read 2020 times)

MOTOJESUS · « **on:** December 16, 2012, 05:56:48 AM »

Looking for thoughts and reviews on heating your shop? i have a 24x24 garage with insulated wall and uninsulated ceiling, and i live in Nebraska... i currently use a small propane heater, but it takes up too much floor space...

70CB750 · « **Reply #1 on:** December 16, 2012, 06:26:09 AM »

C2H5OH taken internally

ekpent · « **Reply #2 on:** December 16, 2012, 07:17:38 AM »

Timberline woodburner--Yummy and its freeeeeeeeeeeee. Good place to sit around and have a cocktail and shoot the breeze also

bwaller · « **Reply #3 on:** December 16, 2012, 07:36:27 AM »

In floor heat...umm umm good!

74cb750 · « **Reply #4 on:** December 16, 2012, 08:35:34 AM »

I do jumping jacks, and just try to keep moving.

Gordon · « **Reply #5 on:** December 16, 2012, 10:03:38 AM »

How warm are you trying to get it? When I lived in Denver I just used an electric space heater and a propane heater for especially cold days. As long as I could get the temperature to around 40-45 degrees I was fine. It would have taken a lot more if I were trying to get it up to room temperature.

rb550four · « **Reply #6 on:** December 16, 2012, 02:00:10 PM »

Insulation is key, the longer you can hold the heat, the less it will cost you to heat the space. Ceiling insulation is a must, most of your heat goes upward, then out the roof. My neighbor just had his entire garage foam insulated....he could heat the place with a cigar.

74cb750 · « **Reply #7 on:** December 16, 2012, 02:04:49 PM »

Maybe I should insulate the garage....
but then where would I put the 8 exhaust systems that are currently hanging from the crossbeams?

Holubs · « **Reply #8 on:** December 16, 2012, 02:18:40 PM »

I insulated the walls and ceiling of my 26'x18' garage this Spring. I put 6" of fiberglass batts in the walls and R30 fiberglass blown into the ceiling above 3/4" tongue and groove OSB. Then lined walls with the same 3/4" T&G OSB. In the hot part of the Summer the garage was 10-15 degrees cooler that last year when I came home from work. I also put a used ceiling fan in the middle of the garage to circulate the heat.

The garage is wired with 240V, my wife bought me this heater: http://www.acmetools.com/tools/CADET+10289+RCP502S+The+Hot+One+Garage+Heater+5000W+240V

This heater came highly recommended by a home builder that uses these to heat houses under construction. It's a little pricey at $329, but I think long term it will be worth it to heat the area I have.

Holubs

Johnie · « **Reply #9 on:** December 16, 2012, 03:00:17 PM »

I went with the 2x6 insulated walls with vapor barrier. Over that is 3/4 inch plaster board with plaster walls and ceiling. Then put 2 inches of hard foam board under the concrete floor also with vapor barrier. Added 24 inches blown in the attic and a 45,000 BTU gas furnace mounted 8 feet off the floor. I keep it at 50 - 55 or so, but we have not had much cold weather here in WI yet.

ekpent · « **Reply #10 on:** December 16, 2012, 03:14:06 PM »

Gee Johnie I see an air conditioner also you lucky Dog.

Terry in Australia · « **Reply #11 on:** December 16, 2012, 03:26:49 PM »

Geez, what are your power bills like guys? Luckily I don't need heating (cooling would be good though) so I don't have anything to heat my garage, but I just got my latest quarterly electricity bill, and it was over 500 bucks! I'd hate to think what you guys are paying? (but tell me anyway...........) Cheers, Terry.

Johnie · « **Reply #12 on:** December 16, 2012, 03:37:14 PM »

Beats me what the bills are...the wife handles that.

Actually, you can decide the heating cost depending on how much you want to stick into the insulation, windows, etc. I don't expect it to be to costly. You are correct on the AC though. This past summer it was HOT and I was glad I had it. My wife remembers me in the garage with the temp in the upper 90's a couple summers ago. She takes real good care of me...

Retro Rocket · « **Reply #13 on:** December 16, 2012, 04:03:21 PM »

Man, if i heated my shop i'd melt, we don't get much below 60F in winter here.....

Bob Wessner · « **Reply #14 on:** December 16, 2012, 04:10:15 PM »

BobbyR · « **Reply #15 on:** December 16, 2012, 04:22:21 PM »

Ha Ha Bob very good. We pay on average $100 a month for elecricty. The Natural Gas heat is forced hot air. The Central AC is the only fully electric HVAC n the house and we like it cool.

In the Garage I used to use Kerosene heaters but I found if I prop open the door to the basement I get some warmth. I had some super insulated garage door made in Canada with good seals installed and it made a big difference. The old door just sort of closed the opening. I did a lot of work this winter in just a sweatshirt.

Retro Rocket · « **Reply #16 on:** December 16, 2012, 04:58:55 PM »

Very good Bob....

Holubs · « **Reply #17 on:** December 16, 2012, 09:33:41 PM »

Our electric bill is under $200/month, but we have Geothermal heating/cooling in the house, and I had them add another R23 (electric company paid for most of that!) in the house attic while they were insulating the garage. My garage has a basement under it, that storage area seldom gets below freezing because it is mostly under grade.

bjbuchanan · « **Reply #18 on:** December 18, 2012, 08:41:43 PM »

My manliness alone curbs mother natures cold tendencies

Well that and a big ass jacket

Stev-o · « **Reply #19 on:** December 18, 2012, 09:06:37 PM »

I don't need heat in the garage down here but plan on installing AC.
The electric bill for the house is $125 (winter - minimal AC use) to $300 (summer - 24 hour AC).
There is no natural gas service in my area.

Terry in Australia · « **Reply #20 on:** December 19, 2012, 02:46:23 AM »

When I bought my house it had natural gas ducted heating, but no cooling, except for a couple of fans. After two long hot summers I decided thst enough was enough, and did some research on cooling options.

After I discovered that airconditioning (then) cost $1.00 per hour for electricity as opposed to 1 cent per hour for ducted cooling, (think "swamp cooler") I opted for ducted cooling. Surprisingly in summer both my electricity and gas bills are much cheaper than for the winter months. Cheers, Terry.

trueblue · « **Reply #21 on:** December 19, 2012, 04:49:06 AM »

You can't use those "swamp coolers" anywhere near the coast in Qld, all they do is make the heat absolutely unbearable by pushing the humidity through the roof.

Terry in Australia · « **Reply #22 on:** December 20, 2012, 03:56:41 AM »

Quote from: trueblue on December 19, 2012, 04:49:06 AM

You can't use those "swamp coolers" anywhere near the coast in Qld, all they do is make the heat absolutely unbearable by pushing the humidity through the roof.

That's true mate, but that's what you get for living in a tropical climate. I lived in Brisbane for a couple of years, and the first year I was there I painted a mate's car over Easter, with Acrylic Laquer, when the humidity was close to 100%. 4 litres of Ferrari Red wasted, but a lesson learned.

Luckily enough, the humidity down here never gets much over 50, so the Swamp Cooler is ideal, and the other benefit is that you can have all your doors and windows open, so your house (or garage) doesn't stink like an old fridge. Cheers, Terry.

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Author Topic: What do you use to heat your shop? (Read 2020 times)