Heating the shop

[tmshort]

All-

Looking for a little input.
I have a detached garage / shop that is reasonably well insulated (I'd say "average" - there is some sealing work to be done, and I didn't do it myself so what's under the sheetrock is unknown ... I do know it is insulated).

Looking to heat the space. The downstairs is 2 bays, about 20x30 with 10' ceiling. Upstairs is similar dimension with a gambrel style roof, about 9' in the middle with steep sides. They are connected by a staircase, but no other connection.

Based on this:

Electric Heat vs. Gas Heat Cost Calculator/Comparator

I am leaning towards electric heat, especially as the shop has its own 200A service and the "barrier to entry" is low - I don't have to buy a propane tank, plumb gas lines, etc etc.

I currently have one Dayton G73 electric heater left over from the last shop; thinking I might put it upstairs and get something a little bigger for the downstairs. Any thoughts or suggestions on what a good unit would be for heating the remainder of the shop? My main goals are to generally keep things from freezing when I am not there, and make it comfortable for work when I am.

Thanks!

 

[Bird]

I have a 21' x 25' shop, 9.5' ceiling, single level, very well insulated, and there is no natural gas in our neighborhood. Of course, I was as concerned with cooling as much as heating, so I installed a 230 volt Whirlpool window unit air-conditioner with heat strip; 11,700 BTU heating and 11,400 BTU cooling. It's worked great for 6 years, but now the heat quit working. Service tech said it's a bad switch and ordered a new one. The switch arrived Friday evening and he's supposed to be back Wednesday to do the job. I don't know what kind of lifespan to expect from such a unit.

 

[sadexcuse4s10]

I would think about how often you'll be in the garage first.

If just occassionally, like a couple weekends working on some projects each month. Then a woodstove/hood and ventwork for the upstairs might be the ticket to cheap heat that doesn't have to "run" hard as **** to get a cold garage upto temp.

my grandparents have their entire 2500 sq. ft. brick house with basement heated by a woodstove in the basement. 2 big oak or poplar sticks (not split) will warm that place all night long. A bucket of water is sat inside the upper hood to keep the heat from being dry.

And with a small garage like yours, a pot belly stove would keep that place smoking in the winter without a single dime handed over to the electric co-op. I'm a contractor and just built a brick house locally, and the attached garage didn't require insulation, so i kind of doubt your detached is insulated at all in the walls. I would defenitely cut a small piece of sheetrock out and check.

 

[dodge man]

Do you or can you get propane delivered? I have a propane heater in my garage, which is 28'x30'. The reason I suggest it, it heats the garage from 40 degrees to 60 degrees in just a few minutes. It uses very little gas when just keeping the garage at 40 degrees. I already have propane heat at my house, so they added a second tank at no cost and fill them both at the same time. My heater looks a little like this one and hangs in the upper corner of the garage. Just put a vent in the ceiling to let heat flow upstairs.

 

[BeezFun]

If you do woodworking or use any solvents, I'd work that into your decision. Some heating solutions aren't safe if you're creating a combustible environment. I have natural gas available but I have so much wood dust and paint thinner fumes that I decided to use an electric heater. I have a much smaller setup than you do, I have a 5000W heater and I plug it into my 220v air compressor outlet when I need it. You also want to think about venting, I assume that's no problem with the type of building you have, but they do have these ventless heaters. I wouldn't feel comfortable with that myself.

 

[grsthegreat]

Im an electrician...end even I picked a propane heater.

In my particular situation, i usually only run the heater for 20-40 minutes to take the chill off of my 30x40 shop. That will raise the temp from below freezing to the 70F range. Then i can work for hours in the shop without the heater running. If i had an electric unit, it would take alot longer to heat up. My gas unit is 125,000 BTU.

Some day ill insulate the rest of my shop....but ive been saying that for 10 years.

Where im at its 6.5 cents per KWH. but in the shops where ive wired electric heaters (im an electrician) all the units the people purchased were far too small for their shops. Most places sell a 5,000 watt heater ( 30 amp @ 240 volt) unless you special order, and this size unit would need to run an awfully long time to heat a 20x30 shop.


using this site http://www.heater-store.com/heater_calculator_info.htm

using your size bldg, average insulation wanting a 40F rise in temp, this site tells me youd need a 18,750 watt heater....for 64,000 btu of heat. Thats like 80 amps...yeiks. I guess a couple of 5,000 watt heaters might work if your not in too big of a hurry to heat it.

My ultimate goal is a wood burning fireplace.......its in the works. I have 20 acres of free wood.

 

[yomax4]

I'm lucky enough to have in floor pex tube hooked to an outdoor wood boiler in my shop ( very warm flor ) . A quick heat system I used prior to that was a medium size electric water heater with a pump that would pump 140 degree water through a car radiator with a fan behind it and back to circulate through the heater. 140 degree water puts off some nice heat. You will need an aquastat ( $20 on e-bay ) so the pump turns on and off to maintain what ever temp you want. When done working.Turn the water heater down to 100 or more and keep a water heater blanket around it. It should only cost about 100 bucks to run it through the winter season. Or splurge and get an actual $80 heat exchanger coil to run the water through with the fan behind it. No combustable issues. Look at your water heater and see what it says for annual cost to run. That will help you decide.

 

[lostcause]

i use a toyo laser 72 direct vent heater for my shop - a 24x28x10 2x4 insulated garage in maine winters. i keep it at 40 degrees nights, 50 degrees days, and when i am out working i bump it to 60-70 as needed. it burns a solid 150-200 gallons of k-1 a year, so you're at $500-$750 for a heating cost now. the unit was a stellar deal used - i bought a package deal of two with a tank, lift pump & plumbing for $250. i sold the small one for $250, so the only cost was another $50 in misc. fittings and fill pipes. it did cost me $425 this year for service and replacement of a failed ignitor, cleaning, etc, but i'm in my 3rd year with it and no problems until now.

k-1 is a dying fuel around here. all new similar heaters are propane, and if i were looking new i'd go that way. direct vent heaters like these draw their air from outside and also exhaust outside, so the issue of combustibles affecting it is pretty minimal, though for garages where cars are kept, you are supposed to elevate them because gasoline fumes hover at ground level.

my last choice would be wood. i use wood to heat my house, but since the house is always used and occupied then wood is ok. i also have good newer wood stoves, and lined masonry chimney flues. my insurance company is not overly impressed with wood heat in the garage, probably because the garage is unattended most of the time. also, a chimney is pretty pricey whether masonry or double walled metal pipe, plus i think my insurance company wants a ul approved stove, so no homemade ones there. you also have a longer lead time to heat up the shop for use with wood.

 

[DanD78]

No mater how you heat I would figure a way to block off the up stairs from the main floor. All of your heat will end up in the upper floor area.

Dan D.

 

[George2615]

I bought a used mobile home furnace to heat my garage. You can find them that burn oil or gas fairly cheap. I have my T-stat set at 45 just to keep anything from freezing. Raise it to 55-60 when I have work to do in there.